Following a successful year, global hospitality technology company Avvio and guest experience app developer Criton are returning as technology sponsors to this years’ Independent Hotel Show.
Feedback from last year’s show revealed that hoteliers’ demand for technology innovations and solutions outweighed exhibitor supply by 53%. As a result, for the 2018 show, the organisers have devised the IHTech Quest, a targeted marketing campaign designed to match hoteliers with hospitality technology experts and suppliers.
Avvio and Criton will be joining IHTech Quest, presenting hoteliers their solutions for enriching guest experience, enabling smarter marketing, streamlining back of house efficiency, upselling and maximising profitability.
Hoteliers are increasingly looking for solutions to ensure guest-centricity when choosing technology partners. Increasing guest experience from booking journey to adding on upsells is a really important factor.
Avvio launched Allora, the world’s first booking engine powered by artificial intelligence, shortly after last years’ Independent Hotel Show. As the first of the next generation of booking engines for hotels and accommodation providers, it focuses on driving direct booking and guest loyalty by orchestrating better online interactions between hotels and guests.
Criton works with hoteliers to digitise their guest information and wrap all guest-facing technology into one portal making it easy for guests to engage with them.
Criton is also sponsoring The Lobby, a central networking space, a place where and delegates can meet to work and have meetings in calm and tranquility.
Following the 2017 show, the two technology companies were appointed by the luxurious four-star Auchrannie Resort to establish a better booking experience for guests and increase guest satisfaction.
Gordon Hay, business development manager at Auchrannie Resort, said: “We wanted a booking engine that would integrate into our existing website and was capable of growing our online direct business.
“Since partnering with Avvio in 2017 we’ve seen our direct bookings grow by 70% year on year – and as an independent hotel that’s not only a significant achievement, but also makes us much more efficient as a business as we’re able to get to know more of our guests from the moment they book with us.”
Commenting on the partnership with Criton, Gordon said: “A high percentage of our guests are downloading the Auchrannie app ahead of arrival. This allows us to support an evolving demographic of guests and respond to guest needs.
“More importantly, around 60% of our business is from repeat stays, and the app along with the great booking experience on our website helps to maximise this.”
Ian Sloan, Avvio’s VP of client strategy, said: “We’re constantly looking for ways to streamline and improve guest experience, the partnership we’ve created with Auchrannie Resort is a great example of this in action.
“Auchrannie’s growth is fantastic and demonstrates the power of Avvio’s booking engine. We also worked with the hotel to develop an image-rich easy-to-navigate website that encapsulates the essence of the resort, giving potential guests a positive experience.”
Julie Grieve, founder & CEO of Criton, comments: “Our mission is to make technology easy for independent hotels and our work with Avvio and their AI enabled booking engine is a no brainer. At the heart of both of our technologies is to help our hotel partners establish a relationship with their guest as soon as possible and continue it during- and post-stay, something which the OTAs have interrupted up until now.
“Alongside Avvio, Criton’s platform provides properties such as Auchrannie Resort with game-changing guest-facing technology that has a positive impact on the guest experience, as well as brand and customer loyalty.”
Avvio is also sponsoring the Reservations/Revenue Manager of the Year category at the Boutique Hotelier Personal Service Star Awards which will be taking place at the show held on 16-17 October at Olympia, London.
For more information please visit www.avvio.com
Auchrannie Resort
