By Edd K. Usman
A newly launched software allows guests to book rooms on the Facebook pages of hotels and resorts, resulting in faster check-ins and check-outs.
Shore Suite 2.0 will also provide hotel and resort operators ?a way to instantly sync hotel rates and [room] availability across all online distribution channels,? Alistair Israel, founder and CEO of the software solution, during the product launch on Sept. 28 in Makati City.
Israel is known in the local IT industry as a pioneering technology developer who created the Filipino site Yehey.com.
Offering four core products ? Property Management System (PMS); Channel Manager (CM); Booking Engine (BE); and Customer Relationship Management (CRM) ? Shore Suite can be integrated with hotels? websites and their Facebook pages, Israel said.
Once deployed, the software will make front-office tasks seamless, allowing users to manage multiple guests? profile and generate reports, Israel said.
With several payment options already integrated ? such as PayPal and DragonPay ? guests? check-ins and check-outs become faster, he said.
Besides helping maximize inventory, the software suite also provides more ?opportunity to place in more platforms since it?s easier to manage,? Israel added. ?But of course, you also cannot miss out on direct bookings. That is why you also need a booking engine for your property.?
The software suite is also designed to provide a ?more efficient, cost-effective and advanced management tools that meet the increasingly complex requirements of the hospitality industry.?
The software was initially developed for Israel?s wife, Ina, who manages the Coco Beach Island Resort in Puerto Galera in Mindoro Oriental.
?As a hotelier myself, I experienced the struggle [for] the need for a better property management system. It so happens that my husband, who has background in software engineering, could help in delivering a solution,? Mrs. Israel said, adding that the tandem of a software engineer and a hotelier provided “the perfect opportunity” as their search for such software on the internet proved fruitless.
?Everyone is on social media. Inquiries are now sent via private message. It makes interaction and closing of deals easier when guests could book not only on your website but also via your Facebook page,? she added.
Seeing how the software solution has helped ease the cumbersome and redundant tasks with Coco Beach, the software company?s founders ? including Jules Telan, its CTO ? decided to offer the product to hotels and resorts with up to 100 rooms. (Those with more offerings than can be negotiated).
Prices range monthly from $160 to $360 for Shore Suite’s Standard Suite and for Deluxe Suite from $240 to $650.
With Shore Suite, hoteliers will not only have an easier time with online bookings, it will also give their guests a better, more personalized experience, Mrs. Israel said.
