Though we shared a challenging year with so many in hospitality, we did manage to accomplish memorable feats. Here are some of the highlights and milestones from 2020.
Serent Capital Invests in SHR
2020 started off with a new partnership with Serent Capital, a private equity firm with offices in Austin and San Francisco focused on investing in high-growth technology and services businesses. “We’ve spent the last 12 years as active investors in the hospitality market, and we believe Rod (Jimenez) and his team have built an exceptional and unique business, which will be a great platform for us as we look to expand its footprint both organically and inorganically through M&A," says Lance Fenton, Partner, Serent Capital. Learn more
SHR Introduces Maverick CRM
We rolled out our new Guest Management System, Maverick CRM, for hoteliers that want to leverage valuable guest data from their sales channels as well as their property management system. Maverick is part of our larger vision of the Force10 engine; a combination of tightly integrated, revenue generating applications empowered by artificial intelligence (AI). Learn more
Taktikon Distribution Platform, Rez-Connect, Will Include SHR's Windsurfer® CRS
Taktikon, one of the main revenue management and distribution consultancy companies in Europe, has chosen our Windsurfer® CRS, to power distribution and reservation management within their newly launched distribution platform, Rez-Connect. "We are pleased with this partnership as we really believe that we have not only found a provider of a fantastic platform but also an excellent and reliable partner," says Taktikon CEO, Annmarie Gubanski. Learn more
No 2021 Price Increase
In an effort do what we can to help in our clients' recovery, the decision was made to not increase our fees for 2021 or pass along any fee increases we have incurred from third party providers.
"Thank you for waiving fee increases in 2021. It is greatly appreciated and a testimony to the level of service and customer focus your team is known for. Every bit helps at this point to get through the COVID crisis." - Craig Shipley, The Durham Hotel
"Now that is teamwork! Good for you. When we all recover, we will all prosper!" - Maria Pressley, Cas-Mizzou-Neda
175 Features and Over 1.6MM Lines of Code Added
Despite 2020's rough circumstances, development of our applications never stopped, adding 175 new features and 1.6MM lines of code. Here's the highlights:
Windsurfer® CRS: Google free-cancelation indicator, usability enhancements
Wave RMS: usability enhancements, system speed, and PMS integrations
Maverick CRM: Oracle certification, expanded loyalty criteria, campaign management
Integrations
We were able to add key integrations clients were hungry for, like:
Maverick CRM to Oracle's Opera: Ready to create and share guest profiles.
Maverick CRM to Infor: Ready to create and share guest profiles.
Springer-Miller Group Blocks: Added functionality to support Group Create and Group Bookings.
Expedia Connect: Supporting enhanced functionality over the standard Expedia Quick Connect product. Features include: room/rate inventory option, FPLOS restrictions, faster message processing, and easier set up.
Launch of Enterprise Service Bus: Enterprise Service Bus or ESB, is an intelligent communications layer within the Force10 ecosystem that enables SHR applications to interface with a variety of third party vendors, in many cases, without any development needed from the third party.
Introduced EBC Rolling Resyncs: Keeps maximum booking window open with availability within External Booking Channels without the PMS having to do anything.
Virtual Properties on External Channels: Connect one property in Windsurfer to multiple properties on an OTA channel, separating them by towers or by rooms type.
Advanced Logic for Comp Rooms: Provide the guest with a unique loyalty offer by combining their Complimentary, Cash, and Discounted rates codes in a single reservation, based on the guests' loyalty profile.
Soundbites Podcast Reaches Over 225,000 Views in 9 Months
We can't thank our guests enough for coming on the show and telling their stories amid the pandemic. Hoteliers from around the world got to hear from hoteliers, their struggles and triumphs. "Thanks for all the great work you did supporting the hospitality community in 2020!" - Monika Nerger, CIO, Mandarin Oriental Watch past episodes
Anniversaries
We even had anniversaries, significant ones at that:
10 Year Anniversaries: Faber McMullen, Alex Barber, and Teresa Stowell
20 Year Anniversaries: Drew Rosser, Estella Hale, and Dayang Dai
With 2020 behind us, we look forward to all the exciting challenges and possibilities 2021 will bring. Thank you to all our hotel clients for all you do! Here's to a new year!
Check out our revenue generating applications for yourself: CRS, RMS, CRM.
