TECHNOLOGY
THE DIGITIZATION of group business
INSTANT , ONLINE BOOKING FOR SMALL MEETING SPACES AND ASSOCIATED GUEST ROOMS IS SET TO REPLACE THE RFP PROCESS IN MANY INSTANCES .
By KATHAKALI NANDI
With rising demand for group meetings and digitization touching every aspect of hotel bookings in the past two years , hoteliers and meeting planners alike want a seamless , automated process where bookings can be made online .
As a result , hotels and service providers have been rolling out technological innovations which allow planners to instantly and seamlessly book meeting spaces and associated guest rooms , often replacing the lengthy RFP process in many instances .
Stockholm , Sweden-based Scandic Hotels Group , in cooperation with Finnish hospitality SaaS company MeetingPackage , launched a fully digital booking service for meetings and conferences for up to 30 attendees on its own website . The feature , which was launched late last year , includes all of the hospitality company ’ s 195 hotels that offer meeting and conference facilities in the Nordic region , Poland and Germany .
“ We ’ re seeing greater demand for digital self-service solutions in our Nordic markets , which is why we ’ re introducing a digital booking service for smaller meetings on short notice ,” says Scandic Chief Commercial Officer Anna Spjuth . “ This is a much-anticipated feature for anyone who wants to schedule and hold meetings on short notice , regardless of where they are in the Nordic region .”
The digital booking feature gives an overview of all Scandic hotels with meeting facilities , offering event organizers the ability to choose the hotel and number of attendees along with the duration of the event , from two hours to half or a full day . The service has been integrated as an organic part of Scandic ’ s website , with both booking and payment managed in Scandic ’ s regular booking system .
Last year , Accor partnered with Groups360 , the online marketplace for meetings , for the global launch GroupSync , Groups360 ’ s cloud-based tech solution for meetings and events , instant online group bookings , a simplified RFP process and housing solutions across Accor ’ s portfolio .
GroupSync gives hoteliers the flexibility of a direct integration into their business systems or by uploading hotel room rates and inventory data into a secure portal . Either way , event organizers can access a comprehensive , group-focused marketplace , says Groups360 CEO Kemp Gallineau .
“ Hoteliers boost productivity by adding an always-available ( 24x7x365 ) sales channel and prioritization — allowing sales leaders to focus their time on larger , more complex sales
88 hotelsmag . com Nov / Dec 2022