PİRAMİT MÜHENDİSLİK HİZMETLERİ LTD.ŞTİ.

IAC-BOX, şirketlerin download hızı veya zaman sınırlı internet erişimi hizmeti sağlayabilmeleri için geliştirilmiş, yenilikci ve kurumsal bir yazılımdır. İşletmenizin talepleri ve ihtiyacına gore sunduğu çok çeşitli faturalama ve ücretlendirme seçenekleri sayesinde internet erişimi gelirlerinizi maximize edebilirsiniz.

Piramit, bu geniş kullanıma sahip yazılımın Türkiye'deki satış ve destek hizmetlerini vermeye başladı. Linux tabanlı bu kurumsal yazılım Movenpick, Marriott gibi birçok otel zincirinde kullanılmakta.

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Piramit Muhendislik Hizmetleri, Dunyaca Unlu Telematrix Urunlerinin Turkiye Distributoru Oldu.

Telematrix, Inc. (www.telematrixusa.com) merkezi USA'da bulunan ve ozellikle otelcilik sektorune yonelik cozumler gelistiren uretici bir firmadir. Urun portfoyunde kablolu, DECT ve VoIP ozel otel oda telefonları bulunmakta ve Ingiltere'de de Avrupa operasyonu yonetim ve dagitim merkezi bulunmaktadır (www.telematrixeurope.com).

Telematrix, Inc. otel sektorundeki tecrubesinden dolayi, Turkiye dagiticisi olarak Piramit Muhendislik Hizmetleri'ni secmistir. Bu birliktelik ile firmamiz musterilerine daha genis, prestijli ve fiyat/performans orani degerli musterilerimiz lehine olan urun ve cozumler sunmayi hedeflemektedir.

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8-11 Kasım 2007 tarihlerinde Ankara Altınpark Fuar Merkezi’nde katılımcı ve ziyaretçilerine 3. kez ev sahipliği yapmaya hazırlanıyor.

İlk kez düzenlendiği 2005 yılında; 8.500 m2 stand alanı, sektörlerinin önde gelen 296 firmasının ürünlerini sergileyen 177 katılımcı firma ve 16.325 ziyaretçisi ile ulaşılması zor bir başarıyı yakalayan “biz fuarları 2007 - Ankara”, 3. yılında 10.000 m2 stand alanında, 300 katılımcı 600 sergileyici firma ve 30.000’in üzerinde ziyaretçiyi hedeflemektedir.

sebebiyle bu sektörlerdeki bir fuara ev sahipliği yapabilecek en önemli merkezdir. Bu durum katılımcıların fuardan başarılı ticari bağlantılar kurmalarını sağlamaktadır.

Kapsadığı sektörlerde faaliyet gösteren üretici, satıcı, distribütör, bayii ve uygulayıcı firmaların yeni ürün, hizmet ve uygulamaları ile sektördeki teknolojik gelişmelerin tanıtıldığı “biz fuarları 2007 – Ankara Fuarı”, sektör firmalarının profesyonel ziyaretçi ile buluşacağı adres olacaktır.

Sizleri de “biz fuarları 2007 – Ankara Fuarı”nda aramızda görmekten mutluluk duyacağız.

Biz hotel 2007

e-travel kongresini kaçırmayın...

Online seyahat acenteleri ile turizmcileri bir araya getirmeyi hedefleyen ilk e-travel kongresi, 6/9 Eylül'de Belek'teki Adam& Eve Hotel'de gerçekleştirilecek. İnternet üzerinden satış yöntemlerinin tartışılacağı kongrede, dünyanın önemli low coast şirketlerinin genel müdürleri de hazır bulunacak.

Online seyahat acenteleri ile turizmcileri bir araya getirip, Türkiye'de ilk kez e-teknoloji kongresini düzenleyen e-travel technology Celal Uysal, amaçlarının turizmcileri bilgilendirmek olduğunu söyledi.

Kongre kapsamında otelcilere seminerler verip, web trafiğinin nasıl artırılacağı konusunda bilgiler sunmak istediklerini anlatan Uysal, "Oteller, ilerde direkt internet şirketleriyle ve müşterilerle muhatap olacaklar. Şu anda tur operatörleri üzerinden gidiyor ama sadece interneti kullanan operatörler ayakta duracak. Türkiye'deki tüm otellerin yurtdışında çok daha fazla tanıtılmasını amaçlıyoruz" dedi.

Kongre boyunca seminer ve söyleşilere, workshop'lar ve sergi standları refakat edecek.Basının da yoğun ilgi göstereceği kongreye, Internet üzerinden yapılan otel-, ulaşım-, uçak bileti- ve diğer hizmetlerin satışları ve "e-booking"'in geleceği ve Türk turizmcilerin olanakları konusu hakim olacak. Bu kongrenin özellikle Türkiye'de yapılmasının tesadüf olmadığını belirten yetkililer, Almanya'dan Türk destinasyonlarına yapılan satışlarda çok ciddi bir artış göründüğünü, ve bu kongrenin hem Alman acente ve tur operatörleri için, hem Türk otelci ve turizmcileri için önemli bir fırsat olduğunu belirttiler.

Daha fazla Bilgi İçin: http://www.e-travel-technology.com/
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Lodging Cos Shifting to Centralized Tech:

7/3/2007 1:43:48 PM
By Glenn Haussman

The big brands have a tangle of technology they must constantly update in order to ensure their franchisees and company owned hotels are plugged in. Myriad systems such as PMS, reservations, training modules and a host of other programs must be constantly catered to in order to make sure they are relevant.

Additionally, lodging industry CIOs must decide which applications to buy off the shelf and which ones are worth investing in developing in-house. At times is can be enough to drive even the most organized and proficient tech masters crazy.

At last weeks Hospitality Industry Technology Exposition and Conference (HITEC) some top level tech execs shared their strategies for maximizing their organizations technological muscle. These days, lodging companies are working to move applications out of computers and servers at individual properties. Instead more programs are being centrally housed at the corporate office. This allows programs to be continually updated while eliminating many of the problems arising from having thousands of computers running similar software all over the world. With blazing fast high speed internet connections, individual users can now tap into a central system via the internet.

We have a very dynamic business environment, which is good because things are changing all the time. All our applications need to be easy to use and available on the internet, said Becky Brechbill Carlson Hotels Worldwides Director/ Application Development.

At Carlson, the company is currently moving every hotel onto a common property management system and simplifying the way it handles rate management. Carlson also plans its upgrades stringently, implementing updated solutions only when there is actual demand. The company is not only cautious about change for the sake of change, but every change can be a costly endeavor. Additionally, Brechbill said the company maintains a small set of technologies and utilizes a lot of third party software for disciplines such as PMS, finance, accounting and sales and catering that can be utilized as soon as its brought in house.

David Schlesinger, Hilton Hotels Corporations Director Brand Support Technologies, said the company is continuing to move applications above property. Currently his department is experiencing a deluge of work as it tries to roll out its proprietary OnQ property management system to hotels worldwide that came into the system after the merger with Hilton International last year.

We are taking a centralized technology strategy and applying it to all properties overseas, said Schlesinger. The goal of the Hilton International acquisition was not to acquire a couple hundred hotels, but to set the stage to grow these brands globally and we need to have our technology work everywhere.

Schlesinger said each country comes with a need for its own set of unique solutions such as language, tax calculation and in Asian countries, new character sets. Going above property will enable the company to maintain its systems more easily.

Interestingly, the OnQ system is a derivative of the PMS systems utilized by the former PROMUS Corporation, which Hilton bought in 1999. Overall, the company owns and operates the lions share of its technology, unless Schlesinger said there is a compelling reason otherwise.

Marriott Internationals VP of IT Strategy Neil Schubert said his company has been shifting to a centralized platform since it is the most effective way of managing the back end. He said Marriott moved the reservations and property management systems off the property long ago, which help them change how they look at technology.

We used to think about specific applications and finding a way for them to fit in, now we know think about the process that occurs and [create or buy] solutions to streamline the specific process, said Schubert of the company that has more than 2,900 hotels and 500,000 rooms in its system. Getting to service oriented architecture is a challenge however and we need a positive mindset change among suppliers. We want component driven applications.

Schubert said one of the biggest challenges was rolling out high speed internet access for guests. Thats because the network must accommodate all types of computers and seamlessly get access to seemingly limitless corporate servers. These systems accommodate visitors and we cant tell them what they can do online, so it has taught us a lot. We have a very different perspective of networks than other industries, said Schubert.

Glenn Haussman, Hotel Interactive's Editor In Chief, has been specializing in the hospitality industry for more than 10 years. He often speaks at lodging industry events, is quoted frequently as an expert source by newspapers and is an adjunct professor at New York University.

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WiFi, iPod docks, LCD TV: Hotel guests want tech, get it:

After an invigorating lap swim, guests at the newly opened Four Seasons Silicon Valley Hotel will soon be able to flip-flop over to a poolside cabana to watch "Oprah" on a wall-mounted, 42-inch plasma TV and use the same screen to check Google's stock price.

AFTER an invigorating lap swim, guests at the newly opened Four Seasons Silicon Valley Hotel will soon be able to flip-flop over to a poolside cabana to watch "Oprah" on a wall-mounted, 42-inch plasma TV and use the same screen to check Google's stock price on the hotel's wireless Internet network.

At the Peninsula New York, patrons can set alarm clocks or adjust temperature, lighting and TV volume controls by pressing keys on the electronic bedside control panel. If they want to sleep in, they can depress the panel's Do Not Disturb key that activates a light outside the door and silences the doorbell.

Hotel conveniences have come a long way in the last few years. Apple iPods and other forms of mobile media are changing lifestyles. And they're causing an electronic whirlwind in the hospitality industry as hotels scramble to unwrap the latest in-room innovations that match or surpass what consumers have at home.

Hotels such as the Peninsula Hotels chain are running research and development labs to determine how technology can enhance a guest's stay. At its incubator in the Aberdeen district of Hong Kong, a staff of 19 engineers and designers is trying to create the Peninsula's dream room of the future.

Keeping customers happy is why hotel technology managers must stay ahead of the game, says Doug Rice, executive director of Hotel Technologies Next Generation, a Chicago-based industry association of hotel information-technology professionals and vendors.

"Generation Y consumers are well-traveled, and they have lived the good life," Rice said. "This teen generation cannot even conceive of not having WiFi." Baby boomers are almost as dependent. They, too, are tethered to their Palms, BlackBerries and laptops. Chains, independent hotels, even bed and breakfasts have found they need to offer Internet access to compete.

The 50-year-old Alisal Guest Ranch and Resort in the Santa Ynez Valley prides itself on operating "telephone- and television-free" rooms.

By day, visitors enjoy such Norman Rockwell-style pleasures as horseback riding, fly fishing and canoeing on this 10,000-acre cattle ranch. By night (or any time for that matter), cowpokes who can't kick the technology habit can whip out their laptops and check e-mail using the resort's WiFi network, which was installed in February.

"The newer guests have been demanding it," said Sherrie FitzGerald, director of sales and marketing. "We finally took the plunge. We had to listen to the concerns of our guests."

To maintain its relaxed, ranch-style feel, no laptops or cellphones are allowed in the dining room or the pool areas. Visitors also can rent cellphones here, but the management says it is trying to keep the technology low-key and subtle. "This is about as far as we will take it," FitzGerald said.

Tech changes keep coming

TECH trends that are increasingly popular in today's hotels include high-speed wireless Internet that supports many guests simultaneously; all-in-one room-control systems; connectivity ports that enable guests to plug in many mobile devices; flat-screen TVs with TiVo-like features to rewind, record or pause shows or movies.

The Mandarin Oriental, New York, is spending $120,000 to upgrade two of its top-end suites even though the hotel opened just two years ago. "Our typical guest has come here 20 or 30 times," said information technology manager Eric Cruz. "They expect higher-caliber services each time."

At the conservative, historic Broadmoor in Colorado Springs, Colo., a May renovation of 144 rooms will maintain the turn-of-the-century feel. But ergonomically designed desks, custom furniture to hold LCD TVs and HP OfficeJet all-in-one printer/fax/scanners will be installed, says Greg Dauenhauer, the hotel's director of information technology.

Last year, the Las Vegas MGM Grand opened Skylofts — 51 top-floor suites that cost up to $10,000 a night. The two-story lofts, up to 6,000 square feet, lure guests with 50-inch plasma TVs in fully equipped media rooms. Complimentary CDs, MP3 players and Bang & Olufsen stereo systems are part of the package.

Today's vacationers want comfort in their hotels and also expect support for their pocket-sized gadgets, experts say. "We are all about enabling guests to choose their own entertainment, access their own content so they can feel connected and productive," said Lou Paladeau, vice president of operations technology at Marriott Corp.

This year, Marriott is deploying a connectivity panel that lets guests plug in a host of devices as diverse as laptops and MP3 players. The connectivity panel has enough smarts to register each device and display each one graphically on a flat-panel TV.

In August, clients at the new Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong will be able to plug in their Apple Video iPod cables to a set-top box on the TV and watch podcasts, says Monika Nerger, Mandarin Oriental's vice president of technology for the Americas.

"Last year, we thought we were ahead of the curve when we offered support for the Apple iPod," Nerger said. "Then after the video iPod was announced we had to chase that down, and in four months we developed support for that. It's that fast. We are constantly upgrading. That what sets us apart in the hospitality technology."

Being able to listen to pure MP3 or iPod sound is important to many guests, not just hard-core audiophiles, hotel spokesmen say. That's why the Kimpton Hotel & Restaurant Group has started placing audio docking stations at a few of its properties. The iHome is a combination alarm clock and docking station for Apple iPod and can be found at the Sky Hotel in Aspen, Colo., and San Francisco's Triton Hotel.

Another new amenity for the Aspen hotel: portable oxygen dispensers for guests unaccustomed to high altitudes.

We want our HDTV

WITH so many cool conveniences, especially high-end TVs, a visitor may never want to leave the room. One by one, hotels around the globe are giving in to LCD or plasma screens, many with HDTV features.

Peninsula Hotel guests can watch steam-free LCD TVs while bathing. Hilton Hotels is testing a Philips mirror LCD TV, which serves as a framed mirror when off and as a flat-screen HDTV unit when on.

In recent years, the trend toward hawking exclusive bedding and furnishings to the public has created a lucrative side business for hotels. Now they are experimenting with video-based shopping that allows visitors to purchase their beds, linens, shower curtains and other items from their rooms.

"People had been calling us from different hotels because they wanted to buy our beds," said Bob Wagener, vice president of sales for mattress manufacturer Spring Air Corp. of Elk Grove Village, Ill. "Now they can do it conveniently through the hotel TV."

Wagener is referring to Emerald Suites, Las Vegas, where guests are using an Internet-linked flat-panel TV from InnNetwork, also in Las Vegas, to order hotel goods. Selling mattresses is ideal for the hotel because the customer already has tested the product, he said.

For all the gadgets and services created for good, no system is without its critics.

The more devices you have, the greater the chance something will go wrong, says Doug Rice of Hotel Technologies Next Generation. Since September, Rice has stayed at nearly 50 hotels.

"I looked at everything from static on the telephone, to whether the Internet worked, to the television reception." His results? Only one hotel out of the 50 provided a flawless technology experience.

"It's still a challenge for the hotels," he said. "Most of them do not have qualified people that can service all these products."

When does technology become a nuisance that gets in the way of a client's comfort? "It needs to bring value to the customer," said Cruz of the Mandarin Oriental. "Technology should revolve around the guest and not the other way around."

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Increasing demand for hotel business centers:
By Sergio Laurant

A study done by the Travel Industry Association and Synovate last year, revealed that less than 25% of US leisure travelers carry a laptop with them when vacationing. This means that over 75% of travelers are traveling without their portable computers. And although sales of laptops to consumers has increased considerably, this relatively low number of leisure travelers carrying a laptop is not expected to increase much in the short term.

One reason many travelers are leaving their laptops behind at home is due to the more rigorous and often very rough anti-terrorist airport controls at virtually all international airports. Another factor that discourages vacationers to travel with their laptops is the substantial increase of theft of laptop computers in recent years. According to Safeware Insurance, the largest provider of insurance for laptops in the US, over 600,000 laptop thefts occurred in 2004, totaling an estimated $720 million in hardware losses and $5.4 billion in theft of proprietary information. So the best next alternative that technology-minded travelers have to stay connected away from home is through hotel business center computers connected to the Internet.

This is why many hotels are experiencing an increased demand for hotel business center services and are adopting a business center as a standard amenity. Many of these hotels have realized that a considerable number of reservations coming in from both business and leisure travelers, estimated to be roughly 20%, are made or cancelled dependent on the availability of quality business center computer services at their hotels. A good example is the Hilton hotels that promote themselves as 'America's Business Address'. Back in 2005 Hilton issued a property-wide memo instructing all their international hotels to adopt an onsite business center as part of the standard amenities offered by their properties. And many other hotel chains and independent hotels are following suit.

Sergio Laurant is a Hotel Business Center Profitability Consultant with over 14 years of experience providing service to the lodging industry. Sergio is also the founder of SuiteKiosks, a seven-year-old venture specialized in consulting and implementing automated business centers, Internet cafés, guestroom kiosks and lobby Internet kiosks for international hotels and resort. Sergio has successfully consulted with both independent and brand properties, including market leading hotels such as Hilton, Marriott, and Sandals Resorts. Sergio can be reached at sergiolaurant@suitekiosks.com or through www.suitekiosks.com

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