Dive Brief:

• Amadeus launched iHotelier StayPlus — an extension of its iHotelier central reservations system and booking engine solution — aimed at further generating revenue-enhancing opportunities for independent hotels and midscale chains. 
• The StayPlus technology, which aligns marketing and revenue strategies, is designed to improve the hotel shopping experience, increase direct conversion rates and drive higher revenue per booking, Amadeus said, through upselling and added value offers.
• According to the travel technology provider, whose partners include Marriott International and InterContinental Hotels Group, the solution allows hotels to create curated guest experiences — something increasingly demanded by travelers — and manage promotions in one place, to ultimately realize higher returns. 

Dive Insight:

With StayPlus, hotels can customize the shopping experience for guests based on demographics as well as offer experiential add-ons and optimized pricing. 

Travelers are demanding more experience-based amenities and accommodations, and customization is a growing priority. In a recent report, McKinsey & Company experts said the “hotel of the future” will offer visitors highly customized experiences.  

StayPlus also will enable hotels to create tailored promotions for guests and use “customized audience messaging” — like banner ads or countdown timers — to increase promotion visibility. 

Amadeus said hotels using the solution will be able to make more informed decisions based on promotions and booking performance data they can pull from iHotelier Analytics on Amadeus’ business intelligence platform. 

Jose Canelos, VP of reservation solutions, hotel IT and hospitality at Amadeus, said that the StayPlus solution is expected to drive higher returns than with its predecessor iHotelier, which has generated double-digit increases to customers’ direct booking programs. 

At the time of its launch last year, iHotelier beta tests at The Handlery Hotel in San Francisco and The Abbey Inn & Spa in Westchester, New York, showed a 25% and 16% increase, respectively, in booking conversion rates versus previous solutions.

IHG recently launched a revamped cloud-based digital booking experience powered by Amadeus. According to IHG, the booking experience emphasizes experiential add-ons for guests, earning hotels an average of $22 in additional revenue per night from the functionality.

In 2021, Marriott tapped the technology provider to build a new reservation system for the hotel company.