The IQware Global Property Management System helps the Island Inn Beach Resort simplify hotel operations to deliver a better experience, bringing guests back again and again.
At the Island Inn Beach Resort in picturesque Treasure Island, Fla., the staff knows happy guests equal return guests.
Located on the Gulf of Mexico, the tropical landscape, beachfront property and endless entertainment venues all contribute to keeping guests happy. However, the Island Inn Beach Resort has found that the hotel’s IQware Global Property Management System (PMS) solution is the secret technology ingredient keeping guests coming back.
“With IQware, we can give our guests exactly what they want and what they requested when they booked with us,” says Harry Black, Manager of the Island Inn. “The IQware PMS gives us a complete overview of room inventories and all guest and group related information — including guest histories and preferences. The seamlessly integrated solution helps us deliver an enhanced experience, optimizing guest satisfaction, repeat business and referrals.”
The IQware PMS is a suite of fully customizable hospitality applications designed to link all revenue and operational applications of hotels. With more than two dozen add-on modules to optimize operations, IQware is Your Single-Source Technology Partner through ongoing customized training, user-driven technology development, 24x7 support and complimentary lifetime software upgrades.
IQware’s sole focus is to deliver technology that allows its partners to Find, Book, Host, Know and Keep its clients, thus increasing occupancy and revenues while simplifying operations and improving productivity. All IQware solutions are developed and supported one simple focus in mind: improving hoteliers’ bottom line.
“Keeping guests happy and making sure they stay with you again is paramount in the hospitality industry. That’s why IQware is designed for hotels to easily manage every aspect of the guest experience, from reservation to check-out,” says David Perkins, President of Deerfield Beach-based IQware. “IQware’s many modules and features allow you to make guests’ stays as perfect and enjoyable as possible. Guest preferences flow seamlessly into each new reservation, allowing your staff to deliver on each guest’s every need — often before the traveler has a chance to voice his or her request.”
Tracking the Guest Experience
The 100-room Island Inn Beach Resort has been using IQware since 2007. Black says before deploying IQware, the condo-resort’s reservations process and reporting system “required a ton of effort and paperwork.”
“With the old system, we used a spreadsheet to list all of our income and figure out percentages for our management fees. We even had to add up all of the room phone charges and maintenance fees manually. It was very cumbersome,” says Black. “It probably took us three to five days to close out the end of each month. Now, with IQware, if we close out on the first of the month, we’re closed out on the first of the month. We can complete the entire process in six hours or less, and the end-of-month statements and reports the system provides are unlimited.”
IQware delivers a comprehensive list of detailed and summary reports, which can be customized through filters to optimize your day-to-day operations and improve RevPAR (revenue per available room). Managers can view real-time complete hotel data, as well as individual room status, on one screen. A performance dashboard provides meaningful statistics on profitability, capacity and other critical operating benchmarks. This is especially important at a condo-resort such as the Island Inn, where each room is different. The property offers two and three bedroom suites, spacious staterooms and penthouse suites, and cozy bay view efficiencies. Most rooms offer private balconies and many rooms are smoke-free and some include pull-out sleeper sofas.
Before deploying IQware, the Island Inn had to manually track all customer requests by hand, and front-desk clerks spent significant time rifling through stacks of printed pages to see which rooms were available to match guests’ requests. Now, all of these guest desires are tracked upfront, during the reservation process, by the IQware PMS.
“IQware automatically gives you which rooms are available with the amenities the guests want. It is so detailed, we could nail it down to how many towels each guest requests,” Black says jokingly.
Black explains that IQware has helped the hotel rate its rooms as ”first-to-sell” or “second-to-sell,” based on the condition of the rooms.
“IQware took away a lot of the guesswork and time it took to single out which rooms are the best available. This way, we keep our guests happy and ensure they get exactly what they want,” Black says. “The more knowledge you have about rooms and preferences, the better the experience will be for each guest.”
“IQware has a number of programs to better track and manage the guest experience,” adds John G. Denver, Vice President -- Business Development for IQware. “IQware’s powerful Guest History module allows your staff to schedule and deliver anything the guest might need. Even our robust Housekeeping and Work Order modules ensure any issue with a room can be handled as fast as possible. All of these, and more, equate to a better-quality guest experience.”
Customized Solutions
IQware is built by hoteliers for hoteliers. With more than 800 systems deployed worldwide, properties trust IQware’s technology platform to deliver product differentiation, regardless of their location, size, style or other unique characteristics.
IQware is highly configurable — built from the ground up with modular functionality to meet any need. IQware works directly with its partners to develop a customized solution for any environment.
Plus, after implementation IQware maintains a close relationship with its hotel partners to develop new programs as new situations arise. Live IQware customer support is available 24/7 from a team of hospitality experts, as well as an online helpdesk, online tutorials and regular R&D updates. Hotels aren’t just IQware clients; they are partners.
“Implementing IQware is easy. You just tell them how you want it and they set it up that way,” says Black. “The system is fully flexible and functional: It can do whatever we need it to do.
I could manage a 50-room or a 500-room property with this system.
“It took some time to learn the new system, but IQware’s helpful technologists were right there beside us the entire way. Any needs we had, they were able to respond to immediately,” adds Black.
About IQware
Deerfield Beach, Fla.-based IQware has been “Helping Hospitality Partner With IntelligenceSM” for 25 years. Today, more than 5,000 end users utilize IQware software to help best market and manage more than 120,000 rooms generating more than $3.5 billion in gross room revenue. IQware brings with it more than 300 years of combined experience managing hospitality properties and developing and supporting related software. “Built By Hoteliers For Hoteliers,” IQware’s Global Property Management System and more than two dozen add-on modules optimize operations at properties of all types − limited- and full-service hotels, resorts, condo-hotels and timeshares — and all sizes — from regional hotel chains to multi-property management companies to small independents IQware is Your Single-Source Technology Partner through ongoing customized training, user-driven technology development, 24x7 support and lifetime software upgrades. Looking for a competitive edge? Look no further. IQware “Helps Hospitality Better Find, Book, Host, Know & Keep Clients.” IQware solutions offer numerous ROI-generating tools including e-marketing, four-tier yield management, Web-Rez, packages, loyalty points, etc. And because IQware’s Global Property Management System has served as the heart of so many hotel operations for a quarter century, today IQware also can provide the lifeblood for Condo Management, Point Of Sale, Sales & Catering, Online Reservations, Spa Management, Marina Management, Central Reservations System and e-CRM electronic (Customer Relationship Management). IQware takes technology partnering to a new level − just ask our ever-expanding family of clients conducting business in two dozen countries. For more information, visit www.iqwareinc.com or call (877) 698-5151.
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