This annual event was established to recognize excellence and innovation in providing and/or utilizing next-generation technologies to achieve sustainability and eco-friendly practices in hotel operations. Meanwhile, the winners of the “Restaurateurs’ Choice Awards for Environmental Good” have been announced by sister publication Restaurant Technology News.

Hotel owners and operators, technology solution providers, public relations firms and others were encouraged to enter this achievement awards competition by nominating themselves or others. HTN readers and staff then voted to select the winning entries. Focus areas for 2019 were in the areas of excellence in utilizing technology to reduce hotel energy consumption and reduce hotel waste as well as excellence in utilizing eco-friendly hotel materials enabled by technology.

Following are the seven winners, which includes both hotels and solution providers:

• Crystal Springs Resorts. One of the largest four-season golf and spa resorts in the United States, the property began commercial operations of its solar farm in 2019. Developed in partnership with New Jersey-based Marina Energy, the 25 acre solar field has over 19,000 solar panels and the annual capacity to generate 3.5 Megawatts of electricity. The solar farm is set to provides clean, renewable energy on an annual basis, which more than offsets electricity consumption at the resort’s 280 room Grand Cascades Lodge and 175 room Minerals Hotel combined.
• The Gyle Premier Inn. In 2019, this hotel at Edinburgh Park in Scotland installed a five-ton battery to power all operations, including the hotel restaurant. The property has the distinction of being the first hotel in the UK to become fully battery-powered. It joins the ranks of only a few other hotel brands which have made the switch to battery power within the last year. The battery storage technology, which was installed by E.ON, the regional electricity provider, should play a play a key role in helping Whitbread, Premier Inn’s parent company, meet its commitment to reducing its environmental footprint, which includes the goal of cutting its carbon emissions by 50% by 2025.
• Honeywell / INNCOM. In 2019, the company officially launched its INNCOM INNcontrol 5 energy management and guestroom automation control system. The cloud-based and on-premise system monitors real-time guestroom data from intelligent devices, such as its e7 smart thermostat, to improve a hotel’s energy savings.
• Interstate Hotels & Resorts. In 2019, the company, with a global portfolio representing 605 properties in 15 countries, taking the lead on embracing plant-based living. In 2019, it launched high-profile vegan culinary promotions for its managed hotels, creating 27 new plant-based menu items. By most estimates, livestock production is responsible for more than 50% of global greenhouse gas emissions, not to mention massive water consumption and contamination.
• Made by Oomph. The company is tackling the challenge of plastic hotel key cards with the launch of a plastic-free hotel key card alternative. The key cards are made entirely from wood fibre and fully biodegradable. The no-lamination construction is chlorine free and tested to be recyclable. Waterproof and with similar performance to plastic, the FSC-approved paper key card works with major door lock manufacturers using contactless RFID and magnetic stripe technology.
• Radisson Hotel Group. In 2019, the company, which operates 1,100 hotels worldwide, including such hotel brands as Radisson Blu, Radisson, Radisson RED, Park Plaza, Park Inn by Radisson and Country Inn & Suites by Radisson, announced the launch of its new technology platform, called Radisson Meetings. With Radisson Meetings, the company automatically offsets the carbon footprint of every event taking place at its hotels worldwide, at no cost to attendees or organizers. To do this, it has teamed up with FirstClimate, one of the largest carbon offsetting organizations in the world. For each meeting, the carbon footprint is calculated and then offset by supporting projects that combat climate change and have a positive sustainable development contribution. Radisson is also focused on minimizing food waste and eliminating single-use plastics.
• Verdant. In 2019, the energy management solution provider introduced its new ZX energy-management thermostat. The device leverages Verdant’s powerful energy-saving features in a sleek and trendy design.

Winners are provided with a licensed image of the “Hoteliers’ Choice Award for Environmental Good” badge and granted the right to display it on their own websites.

Hotel Technology News is the hospitality industry’s premier source of information and insights related to technology innovation at the world’s leading hotels and resorts. Our reporting, research and opinion pieces reveal how forward-thinking hoteliers are upgrading their technology capabilities to improve operational performance and the quality of the guest experience, as well as to reduce waste and improve environmental sustainability, and how top solution providers are advancing the frontier on next-generation hospitality technologies.

Does your company have news it would like to share with our readers? If so, we invite you to review our editorial guidelines and submit your press release for publishing consideration.

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Hotel upselling platform Oaky has announced a strategic agreement with Radisson Hotel Group, one of the world’s largest hotel groups for the rollout of Oaky’s upselling solution to more than 200 hotel properties in EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa) by the end of the year.

Known for delivering memorable moments and focusing on personalized service, Radisson Hotel Group will use Oaky to promote customized offers to guests before their arrival and thus to create an individually tailored, unforgettable stay while driving ancillary revenue. Radisson Hotel Group is one of the world’s largest hotel groups with seven distinctive hotel brands, and more than 1,400 hotels in operation and under development around the world. Radisson Hotel Group portfolio includes Radisson Collection, Radisson Blu, Radisson, Radisson RED, Park Plaza, Park Inn by Radisson and Country Inn & Suites by Radisson.

Oaky’s innovative approach to upselling relies on three elements. Firstly, the platform uses a data-driven approach to create personalized offers and promote them to guests. Secondly, Oaky’s user-friendly interface and fun style make it easy for travellers to pick and choose the deals that will make their experience unforgettable. Thirdly, Oaky communicates directly with the hotel, so all deal requests are handled smoothly and efficiently.

In short, Oaky empowers guests to customize their stay before their trip and allows hotels to automate the entire upselling process and generate more revenue from every booking.

After the successful implementation of Oaky at two pilot hotels, the Radisson Blu Hotel, Amsterdam City Center and Radisson Blu Palace Hotel, Noordwijk aan Zee, Radisson Hotel Group decided to roll it out to more properties in EMEA.

Gaby Maaswinkel-vd Bosch, Senior Cluster Revenue Manager at the Radisson Blu Hotel, Amsterdam City Center implemented the application in 2015 and comments: “Working with Oaky was easy from start to finish. The set-up was quick, and we could immediately start upselling to our guests. The results showed a fantastic ROI. I shared this with my colleagues and soon several more properties were interested in using Oaky.”

Guido Hoogveld, Director, Revenue Management Projects at Radisson Hotel Group, said: “Redefining and optimizing our revenue management capabilities is a key element of the Group’s five-year operating plan. Our team exchanged their ideas and requirements with Oaky and we got the job done in record speed, onboarding the first 100 properties in 90 days. Now we look forward to working with Oaky and seeing a great ROI at all participating properties.”

Oaky is a commission-free upselling platform which helps hotels maximize profit and enhance the guest experience. Browsing from best-selling upsell offers, hoteliers can add personalized guest-facing deals in a matter of minutes, and promote them through perfectly timed guest communication. This puts guests in control of designing their stay with upgrades, special deals and ancillary services. In short, Oaky offers upsells in a way today’s travellers enjoy and appreciate. Oaky is a trusted partner by ho(s)tels across 60 countries.

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This week, the company announced its latest upgrade. According to reports, it has implemented a new CRM platform and mobile application designed to drive improved sales growth while ensuring standardized and efficient operations. By integrating technologies into a single, scalable system, the company aims to make it easier for its franchisees and owners to do business with the global hotel group.

The cloud-based solution was built on Salesforce Sales Cloud and Salesforce Community Cloud. It was implemented in one fell swoop across the company’s Americas portfolio, including Radisson Blu, Radisson, Radisson RED, Park Inn by Radisson and Country Inn & Suites by Radisson.

The primary goal of the initiative is to equip owners and franchisees — whether the owner of a single Country Inn & Suites by Radisson or an owner with a portfolio of hotels across multiple brands and countries — with standardized tools and information that helps them to apply for, open and operate their Radisson Hotel Group properties with greater ease.

“We continue to look at all the investments we are making through the lens of our owners and franchisees and this new platform allows us to dramatically standardize, digitize and automate our owner, franchisee, and global sales engagement model,” said Ken Greene, Radisson Hotel Group president, Americas, in a company statement. “We look forward to continuing our collaboration with Accenture to improve efficiencies across the company and fuel our future growth plans.”

As part of the project, the company, working in partnership with global consulting firm Accenture, helped develop “Community by Radisson Hotel Group,” an owner / management facing website that provides a more personalized, cross-functional approach to improve the owner and franchisee experience. The solution helps owners and franchisees to easily and consistently onboard hotels, maintain brand standards, and respond to sales opportunities.

The new solution is designed to consolidate the franchise-owner touchpoints into a single portal that provides standardized processes for operational effectiveness. “The single-platform solution gives our franchisees the ability to analyze, consolidate and segment system data to personalize the right experience at the right time, enhancing their decision-making capabilities and enabling them to respond more quickly to ever-changing guest expectations,” said Aly El-Bassuni, Radisson Hotel Group senior vice president of Franchise Operations, Americas, in a press statement.

Last month, as reported here, Radisson Hotel Group launched its new multi-brand and mobile-first global website, RadissonHotels.com. The website also serves as the unique platform for Radisson Rewards members and is the focal point of the group’s new multi-brand approach to hospitality under the Radisson Hotels umbrella.

The launch of the new website as well as its new guest-facing app are part of the company’s five-year strategic plan, announced last year, which includes a strong digital transformation component, including investments into new platforms and technology.

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The launch of the new website and app are part of the company’s five-year strategic plan, announced last year, which includes a strong digital transformation component, including investments into new platforms and technology.

RadissonHotels.com integrates the previous single-brand websites, allowing for one comprehensive and user-friendly platform. It showcases every property from across Radisson Hotel Group’s seven brands: Radisson Collection, Radisson Blu, Radisson, Radisson RED, Park Plaza, Park Inn by Radisson and Country Inn & Suites by Radisson as well as the art’otel brand managed by our strategic partner PPHE Hotel Group.

Travelers can explore the group’s entire portfolio of more than 1,100 hotels worldwide and to easily book a stay. For both new and existing Radisson Rewards members, RadissonHotels.com and the Radisson Hotels App are designed to deliver a personalized digital experience. The website and the app will be the guest-facing main hubs for earning, viewing and redeeming points as well as for tracking and redeeming Radisson Rewards.

The RadissonHotels.com website is the focal point of the group’s new multi-brand approach to hospitality under the Radisson Hotels umbrella. According to the company, the full website will initially be available in English, Arabic, Dutch, French, German, Italian, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Simplified Chinese, Spanish and Swedish. Additional language support will be brought online progressively.

The new booking experience encourages visitors to join the Radisson Rewards loyalty program and benefit from Member Only Rates, giving them the opportunity to save up to 10% on their upcoming stays. By booking with a special rate, members are guaranteed to get the best online rate. At the same time, Radisson is guaranteed to get an opportunity to drive more direct bookings and even wrestle some control from the OTAs.

Among the features, the app includes click-to-call functionality allows users to easily get in touch with the central reservation teams. It also features a credit card scanner, providing a convenient and secure way to complete a booking. Guests can browse through multiple offers and deals using different filters and search criteria. A push notification service has also been included for new special offers. The native app has been developed for Android and iOS devices, and will be available globally on Google Play and App Store.

The launch of RadissonHotels.com and the Radisson Hotels App are the latest milestones in a new digital era for Radisson Hotel Group, and key elements of its global five-year operating plan. In May, the company announced the launch of its meetings and events technology platform, called Radisson Meetings. As of last month, implementation of the state-of-the-art IT infrastructure and distribution platform had been completed in 55 properties across 11 countries in EMEA. It will be progressively rolled out globally across the group’s portfolio by the end of the five-year operating plan in 2021.

With the launch of Radisson Meetings, the company automatically offsets the carbon footprint of every meeting or event taking place at its hotels worldwide, at no cost to attendees or organizers. To do this, it has teamed up with FirstClimate, one of the largest carbon offsetting organizations in the world.

Last year, as part of its five-year strategic plan, the company also announced that it would be launching a unified technology platform, dubbed Emma. Developed in partnership with several leading technology companies, Emma would provide end-to-end capabilities with the goal of improving operational efficiencies and increasing revenue growth in addition to enhancing guest services. The technology is being billed as an all-in-one PMS that can handle property management, a central reservation system and loyalty platform, able to provide on-property access to better data on guest preferences, providing a 360-degree view of guests relationships at an individual level. Profile information regarding past stays and purchases will enable properties to create a more relevant and personalized guest experience.

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Meetings and events were to play an important part in the plan. The company has invested heavily in its meeting venues at its 1,100 hotels worldwide, including such hotel brands as Radisson Blu, Radisson, Radisson RED, Park Plaza, Park Inn by Radisson and Country Inn & Suites by Radisson. This week, it announced the launch of its new technology platform, called Radisson Meetings.

Implementation of the state-of-the-art IT infrastructure and distribution platform has already been completed in 55 properties across 11 countries in EMEA. It will be progressively rolled out globally across the group’s portfolio by the end of the five-year operating plan in 2021.

Importantly, with the launch of Radisson Meetings, the company automatically offsets the carbon footprint of every meeting or event taking place at its hotels worldwide, at no cost to attendees or organizers. To do this, it has teamed up with FirstClimate, one of the largest carbon offsetting organizations in the world.

For each meeting, the carbon footprint is calculated and then offset through First Climate by supporting projects that combat climate change and have a positive sustainable development contribution in Peru, Kenya, and India or invest in wind energy in Turkey and the USA. All selected projects are Gold Standard or Verified Carbon Standard certified. Radisson Meetings focus on ongoing efforts to minimize food waste and eliminate single-use plastics.

Last year, as part of its plan, the company also announced that it would be launching a unified technology platform, dubbed Emma. Developed in partnership with several leading technology companies, Emma would provide end-to-end capabilities with the goal of improving operational efficiencies and increasing revenue growth in addition to enhancing guest services.

Now Emma is gearing up to make her big debut on the global hospitality stage. Scheduled to roll out next month, the technology will encompass such core hotel functions as reservations, property management, revenue management, guest loyalty, sales, meetings and events, food and beverage, business intelligence, analytics and performance reporting. The technology is being billed as an all-in-one PMS that can handle property management, a central reservation system and loyalty platform.

According to a company spokesperson, Emma will provide on-property access to better data on guest preferences, providing a 360-degree view of guests relationships at an individual level. Profile information regarding past stays and purchases will enable properties to create a more relevant and personalized guest experience. There will also reportedly be more options for loyalty members to redeem points for products and services during their stay.

Emma is expected to be fully deployed by the end of next year, will include fully-integrated customer relationship management capabilities to manage accounts, guests and marketing campaigns. Emma will provide more transparency into the group sales process and enable meeting planners to book space and catering directly online. It will also centralize billing for corporate clients.

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