I remember my first hotel job long before the Internet. In some ways (like everything else!) it was easier then, but now there are so many more efficiencies. We use teledex's VOIP phones and so far we have noticed pretty significant savings.

Not sure if you'd call this a web-based product, but it is certainly web related. My property has used a company called Digital Hospitality. They create websites for hotels but they also work with you a lot on the marketing end of the website. Honestly, we don't have the in house expertise to know all about search engine optimization and so forth, so they have been a big help for us there, too. I think they also will host your website if you want, although we haven't used them for that.

WinPM from MSI works for us. Three 300 room hotels in the midwest.

The internet has really changed everything. I think the biggest change is in property management and reservation systems. To answer the other question, a specific product we use is the Maestro ResWave, which is an online booking tool. It has customizable options and gives guests more control. We find that guests are starting to book on our site more, so we wanted to make it as easy and useful as possible to maximize our revenue opportunity.

For the hospitality industry, the online booking business is a logical extension to their traditional central reservation and GDS business. It is in the arena of third-party travel companies that we find unique product offerings, innovative business models, and challenging decisions for hotels to know how and when to use these channels. Third-party travel companies like Expedia, Bookings.com, and Lastminute have captured a large number of visitors looking for a one-stop-shop for all their travel needs.

Given their size, huge marketing capabilities and wide distribution networks, most hotels find it beneficial to participate with these channels as they realize that – 1. The mark up paid is almost equal to the cost of the reservations coming via their direct distribution channels (although many argue that), and 2. If they don't participate, they will lose their market share from these rapidly growing distribution channels.

As internet use among end consumers continues to rise, hoteliers are trying to increase visibility across multiple online booking channels.

We’ve been developing intuitive and innovative benchmarking and inventory distribution systems since 2001 to help hoteliers overcome the daily distribution hurdle. The online travel industry has developed to such an extent that hotels manage an average of 10 sales channels compared to only four in 2001.

If you would like to find out more, check our products on www.ratetiger.com
 

As more and more travelers turn to technology to help them find a hotel, it’s becoming increasingly important for hotels to find a good, on-demand digital marketing software that meets their needs. Whether a hotel needs mobile marketing, onsite targeting, or email marketing, a good digital marketing software platform is one with many capabilities that can leverage what is possible for all digital channels , maximizing the ROI of the most important digital channels of email, web, and mobile.

Check out this screencast from Knotice. You can implement a quick shoulder stay offer inside the booking engine: http://www.knotice.com/screencast/shoulderstay.htm 

Also, take a look at this article detailing how hotels can improve a guest’s experience with mobile self-service applications: http://www.knotice.com/news/KNOTICE_NextGenSelfService_051809.htm