HTNG Update: 03 April 2007

*Workgroup meetings are open only to members of the workgroup, to other HTNG members who have formally applied to join the workgroup, and to invited guests. See the section on applying for HTNG workgroups if you would like to attend.

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Certification Program Launched

The first HTNG-certified products are here!

In February, two HTNG workgroups released their specifications to the public domain and authorized them for certification through the HTNG Certification Program. Just two weeks later, five products from four vendors had achieved certification. These vendors were recognized at the HTNG annual members’ meeting and conference. Additional companies are currently in the certification process and dozens more have indicated their intent to certify over the coming months. If you are interested in certifying your own product to one of the specifications listed below, please visit the HTNG certification site at www.opengroup.org/htng/cert.

Property Web Services 2007a: This specification from the Property Web Services workgroup covers two sets of capabilities. The first is the Web Services Framework v2.0 synchronous transport layer specification. If that’s too technical for you, it’s basically the “plumbing” that handles secure, authenticated connections between any two systems over the Internet. The second is the Single Guest Itinerary specification, which coordinates guest activities across multiple property-based systems such as property management, point-of-sale, dining reservations, spa, golf tee-time, and activity systems. Products now certified to this specification include:

OpenCourse Solutions “OpenCourse Activity Suite 3.0”
PAR Springer-Miller Systems “SpaSoft 3.0 with SMS|Diplomat 2.3”
TAC GmbH’s “Reservation Assistant 3.9”

Property Distribution Solution 2007a: This specification from the Property/Distribution Solution workgroup covers reservations delivery, rate updates, and availability updates between any two systems in the distribution chain that need to connect non-seamlessly. This specification defines a standardized implementation of the OTA schema to enable true plug-and-play connectivity between certified systems. Products now certified to this specification include:

Easy (EZ) Revenue Management Solutions Ltd.’s “EasyRMS Internet Product Suite ASP Version”
PAR Springer-Miller’s “SMS|Host V16.0 with SMS|Diplomat v2.3 and DipHost v2.3”

The current list of certified products is always available in the Certification Register on the HTNG Certification Site at www.opengroup.org/htng/cert. The HTNG certification program is administered by The Open Group, the acknowledged world leader in certification of open systems.

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New Officers Elected for 2007-2008

On April 1, 2007, Barry L. Shuler, Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer for Marriott International, Inc., took office as HTNG’s third President, succeeding Nick Price, CIO/CTO of Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group, who had served two consecutive terms. Robert Bansfield, Vice President of Information Technology for Global Hyatt Corporation, was elected to fill the Vice President’s position that Shuler previously held. Jane Durment, CIO of The Marcus Corporation, was elected for another term as Secretary/Treasurer.

Nick Price, who has been a part of HTNG since its founding, will remain an active member of the In-Room Technology Workgroup, and was appointed as an Executive Advisor. Price was recognized for his past and ongoing contributions in a handover ceremony at the conclusion of the members’ conference in Atlanta.

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Welcome to New Platinum Members!

Six more companies upgraded their HTNG membership to the Platinum level since our last newsletter in early January. Platinum membership gives highly committed companies an opportunity to gain additional exposure for their HTNG support. In return for an annual membership premium, Platinum members get additional publicity on our website and at HTNG events, priority and discounts for sponsorships and other events, and the right to advertise themselves as Platinum members of HTNG. Our sincere thanks to our new Platinum members for their financial support!

New Platinum Members since January 8, 2007

Agilysys

Computer Sciences Corporation

Guest-Tek

POST Integrations

Wayport

Zhone Technologies

For information about upgrading your company’s membership to the Platinum level, please visit www.htng.org/join/platinumupgrade.htm.

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Applying for HTNG Workgroups

It’s now simpler than ever to join an HTNG workgroup, or any “team” effort organized within a workgroup. Just visit our new “join workgroup” page at www.htng.org/workgroups/common/joinwg.htm. Your company will automatically be put on the agenda for consideration at an upcoming meeting of that workgroup. As before, workgroups still retain control over admission of new members, but you will now be able to attend workgroup meetings while your application is pending or provisional.

Workgroups are particularly eager for greater participation by business unit representatives from hotel companies. Many of the workgroups now have formal mechanisms for hoteliers to become involved with less time commitment and expense. For example, many now have business requirements teams, consisting entirely or primarily of hoteliers, which meet periodically by teleconference to define the business needs and to review whether the solutions being designed by the technical teams are “on track.”

Not sure if you should participate? Consider attending one meeting before committing. Most workgroups permit one-time guests, to help you decide if the fit is right for you. To attend as a guest, contact the workgroup chair for an invitation (e-mail links can be found on the workgroup home pages on the HTNG collaboration site at www.opengroup.org/htng/protected). A per-meeting, per-person fee, which varies based on the workgroup and length of the meeting, normally applies to guests (see www.htng.org/workgroups/common/fees.htm).

While many workgroups and teams meet periodically by teleconference (see the schedule at www.htng.org/Schedule.htm), new participants often find face-to-face meetings to be critical in helping them engage with the process. If you’re planning on joining a workgroup, or thinking about it, you may wish to hold the dates for one or more upcoming face-to-face meetings.

Distribution Content Management Workgroup – Thursday/Friday, May 17-18, 2007 – Jury’s Croke Park Hotel, Dublin (ends 1:30 pm Friday)

In-Room Technology Workgroup – Full Workgroup - Friday, June 29, 2007 – Rosen Plaza Hotel, Orlando, Florida

In-Room Technology Workgroup – European Chapter – Monday, May 21, 2007 (tentative - see section below)

In-Room Technology Workgroup – Full Workgroup – Thursday/Friday, October 11-12, 2007 – Ecole Hoteliere de Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland (ends early afternoon Friday)

Property Web Services Workgroup – Wednesday/Thursday, April 25-26, 2007 – University of Nevada, Las Vegas (ends 1:00 pm Thursday)

The Architecture and Property/Distribution Solution Workgroups have not yet scheduled their next face-to-face meetings. Check back on the collaboration site (www.opengroup.org/htng/protected) for details, or if you apply to join a workgroup, we will add you to the distribution list for meeting announcements for that workgroup.

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Recap of HTNG’s First European Conference

HTNG marked an important milestone in October, when it hosted its first European conference. Held over three days at Ecole Hôtelière de Lausanne in Lausanne, Switzerland, the conference drew more than 150 attendees. Comparable in size to HTNG’s first US conference two years ago in Las Vegas, the Lausanne event had, to the best of our knowledge, the largest paid attendance for any standalone hotel technology conference ever held in Europe. This conference confirmed the interest and need for a high-level industry technology forum in Europe.

In addition to updates from all of the active HTNG workgroups, the conference marked the second major event in HTNG’s Thought Leadership Program. Several thought-provoking sessions addressed the challenges for both buyers and sellers in what still remains a very fragmented European market. Featured speakers included Alistair Forbes, CEO of Acentic; Stuart Metcalfe, President & COO of Realstar Hotels (UK); Dietmar Müller-Elmau, Proprietor of Schloss Elmau Cultural Hideaway and Spa and founder and former CEO of Fidelio Software; Gebhard Rainer, Senior Vice President EAME for Global Hyatt Corporation; and John Tattersfield and Bart van den Hoven, EAME Regional Vice President and Director, respectively, for Marriott.

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In-Room Technology Workgroup Is Coming to Europe

The HTNG In-Room Technology Workgroup has made a commitment to become more global, starting with Europe in 2007. While a significant number of European and Asian participants have been involved since the outset, there is no doubt that the time and cost associated with long-distance travel have been barriers to greater participation by others. The workgroup identified the need for a “critical mass” of European hoteliers and vendors to apply the workgroup’s design principles to European products and sell them in European markets. This year, the workgroup will take two important steps to achieving greater engagement with Europe. If you are interested, hold the date of May 21 on your calendar for an organizational meeting.

First, the workgroup will hold at least one of its meetings each year in Europe, starting on October 11-12, 2007 in Lausanne, Switzerland. These dates immediately follow the HTNG European conference. Details will be forthcoming at a future date.

Second, separate meetings will be organized in Europe, specifically targeting European members of the workgroup. These meetings will facilitate greater communication between regional hoteliers and technology vendors, as well as the development of vendor partnerships to implement the multivendor solutions designed by the global workgroup and its global teams. The workgroup’s US meetings have become an essential information-sharing and networking event for senior hotel technologists and vendor personnel alike, and the need for similar events in Europe has become apparent.

The workgroup remains committed to a single global approach to addressing the needs of the global hotel community, but believes that there is a need for regional requirements to gain a stronger voice in the process. It also believes that a forum for encouraging European suppliers to implement the workgroup’s global approaches, in the form of regional solution sets, is now necessary.

To ensure global coordination of the workgroup efforts, each of the standing teams of the workgroup (which do the actual work) will remain global, meeting primarily via teleconference. Some face-to-face meetings of the full workgroup will be intended for global participation, while others will be targeted at either North American or European members. Regardless of location or target audience, all members of the workgroup will be welcome to attend any face-to-face meeting.

An organizational meeting for interested European members is being organized for May, with a goal of immediately building greater involvement. Venue details are still being finalized, but the most likely date and location is an afternoon meeting on Monday, May 21, in London, followed by an evening social activity.

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Property Web Services Workgroup Meets the Gaming Special Interest Group

Several key members of the HTNG Gaming Special Interest Group (SIG) have reached the conclusion that much of the groundwork for meeting the interoperability needs of the casino gaming community have already been laid by the HTNG Property Web Services workgroup. Seeking to engage more of the gaming community in these efforts and to create opportunities to extend them to meet casino-specific requirements, the Gaming Special Interest Group has arranged for the Property Web Services Workgroup to hold its next face-to-face meeting in Las Vegas, on April 25-26.

Interested members of the Gaming SIG may attend this meeting as a guest or can apply for membership in the workgroup and/or any of its teams. More information on the Property Web Services workgroup is available at www.htng.org/WG_PropWS.htm. To apply for membership in the Workgroup, visit the application page at www.htng.org/workgroups/common/joinwg.htm. Instructions on registering for the meeting will be sent separately to all members of the workgroup and the Gaming SIG in early April.

Online Workgroup Meeting Registration through new Member Services Site

With the continuing rollout of HTNG’s new Member Services site, you can now register for face-to-face workgroup meetings online.

To register for any workgroup meeting, simply visit the Member Services site (accessible through the link bar at the top of the public HTNG website at www.htng.org, or from the link in the navigation bar of the collaboration site, or access it directly at https://members.htng.org). Click on the Meeting Registration link to view the meetings open for registration.

If your company is a voting member of a workgroup, an applicant, a provisional member, or an approved guest, you should see a “Register” link for each meeting of that workgroup. Registration is free for the primary representative of each voting member company that has paid the annual workgroup support fee. Other representatives of voting members companies, as well as applicants, provisional members, and approved guests, will pay the per-meeting fee at the time of registration. If you are attending in place of the primary member, you will need to follow the instructions to avoid the per-meeting fee.

If you do not see a “Register” link, then either your company is not a member of the workgroup (or an applicant to join), or you have not registered as a representative of your company. To remedy this situation, complete the form at www.htng.org/workgroups/common/joinwg.htm.

You will need your login and password to the Member Services site to register for any meeting. This may or may not be the same as the login and password to the Collaboration site (we have no way to know your current password).

If you don’t know your login and password to the Member Services site, you can use the link on the login page to have it e-mailed to you.
We can reset your login and password to the Member Services site to match your Collaboration site logins, but only if you tell us your current password for the Collaboration Site. Simply complete the form at www.htng.org/common/forms/syncpw.htm, and we will make that change.

You can also use the Member Services pages to update your contact information.

For Vendors: Incorporating HTNG in Your Marketing Message

Each month, we get a number of questions from members in the vendor community, generally in the form of “can I (or how can I) talk about HTNG (membership, workgroup activities, certification) in our marketing materials?”

HTNG encourages all members to talk about their HTNG activities and commitment, and we support many such requests through distribution of logos, approval of press releases or ad copy, and by providing public forums for active members to talk about their achievements and commitment.

To assist vendor marketing staff, we have launched a new web page (www.htng.org/mktg) with all of the information and tools (i.e. HTNG logos) that you need, along with some important do’s and don’ts. This information will help you understand what you can and can’t say about how your products work in the HTNG framework.

As future opportunities arise in which vendors can participate in trade shows, conferences, and other HTNG events, the links will always be posted on this page.

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Upcoming Payment Systems Workgroup

We plan to launch HTNG’s sixth workgroup during the third quarter or early fourth quarter of 2007, with the focus on payment systems. A draft charter for the workgroup is currently being reviewed by interested members. If you would like to participate in this review, please contact membership@htng.org. This address is only to participate in the charter development; opportunities to participate in the workgroup itself will be communicated at a later date.

Based on our experience with existing HTNG workgroups, we plan to remove any restriction on the initial number of participating companies. Any hotel member or corporate industry partner member of HTNG who wishes to sign up to participate, will have the opportunity to do so. Individual industry partners who joined or last renewed their membership in 2007 will also be eligible, as will other individual industry partners who qualify for renewal under HTNG’s 2007 membership policy. Academic, media, government, and other members may also be eligible on a case-by-case basis.

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Thought Leadership Program – Call for Topics

We are looking for thought leadership topics for upcoming HTNG conferences, and for other industry conferences where HTNG is invited to speak. If you have a topic to suggest, please send it to our Thought Leadership Program mailbox, tlp@htng.org. We are actively starting to plan the program for our October European conference and we are also beginning to formulate ideas for our 2008 U.S. conference next February – so now is a great time to submit your idea.

This year, we will begin to introduce “tracked” presentations in HTNG conferences, with subject matters that are of interest to members involved in particular areas of hotel technology, such as distribution, telephony, entertainment systems, front of house systems, back of house systems, and the like.

Topics should be of general (non vendor specific) interest to their target audience. Topics that would lend themselves to the inclusion of real-life case studies involving customers are more likely to be selected than purely theoretical or technical topics.

Submitting a topic does not guarantee that that the submitting company will be selected to speak. Selection of speakers for HTNG events is always based on the merits of proposals for specific speakers and presentations, which would be solicited after topics have been selected. Submitting a topic will, however, ensure that you are on the distribution list for the solicitation for speakers.

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Did You Miss the 2007 Members’ Conference?

If you missed the 2007 HTNG Members’ Meeting and Conference, held on March 5-7 in Atlanta, you can read the press release summarizing the conference here.

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Hold the date for HTNG’s Customer Appreciation Event at HITEC 2007

HTNG is planning a repeat of its highly popular annual Customer Appreciation Event, to be held on Monday, June 25. We’re working to line up a golf venue in Orlando and will announce the details as soon as we can confirm them. As in prior years, Industry Partners will have the opportunity to buy a foursome to entertain their preferred customers. Sponsorships will also be available. We will attempt to match interested hoteliers with vendors who would like to sponsor them. Individual golfers will be accepted on a space-available basis to fill out incomplete foursomes, with hoteliers playing for free and vendors paying a per-golfer fee.

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© 2007 Hotel Technology Next Generation. Please feel free to forward this to colleagues, but no portion of this material may otherwise be reproduced without the written consent of Hotel Technology Next Generation.