STAAH, a premier connectivity partner with Booking.com and also the winner of APAC Top Connectivity Partner Award 2019, attended the Click. 2019 event by Booking.com in Amsterdam. Role of technology in providing connected experience was explored and valuable insights were revealed, so as to continue upping the game for our partners.

STAAH leaders attended the Click. 2019 by Booking.com and brought back home a bag full of memories, valuable insights of this dynamic industry, and innovative ideas uncovered through discussions and conversations while networking with the best people within the hospitality industry.

The Partner Program

Being involved in the Core Connectivity Advisory Board for hotels, allows STAAH to share inputs on the ongoing development of the Partner Program, so as to ensure that it is delivering value for all. Whilst recapping the progress of the prior board, the plans for next 12 months were firmed and  STAAH looks forward to providing continuous inputs, during the meetings and forums throughout the year; sharing insights and feedback from interactions with our clients and partners.

The Connectivity Panel session

Booking.com invited STAAH to participate along with four other connection partners in the Connectivity Panel Session. STAAH team was happy to share insights on the role of technology, about the Property Management System and Channel Manager, along with the advantages of these technologies and also the challenges faced.

Channel Managers have evolved over recent years from the core role of changing rates and managing online inventory to distribution across all verticals, updating from PMS & VR Property Management Companies systems to OTAs, Reputation Management sites, Payment Gateways, CRM Solution Providers, Revenue Management & Booking Engines”, says Tony Howlett, COO of STAAH.

Ideally, a PMS should be the single source of truth and be able to deliver all of this by connecting directly, but since these capabilities are not delivered, the role of a high performance channel manager to provide such connectivity comes into crucial play.

Innovation & Development

Attending the Click. event provided for valuable insights into current trends and developments in the industry. The forum along with multiple other aspects of the Booking.com partnership, add considerable value in driving innovation, development and improvement of our products. The evolving improvement of the API with Booking.com enhances the experience and efficiency for our clients. However, one of the challenges still faced is knowing what is the best rate for the day based on market demand, along with Dynamic Pricing.  This information could potentially be shared by Booking.com through the Channel Manager adding to greater value.

The theme of the event was ‘Connected Trip’ discussing on how all aspects of your trip or experience could be connected in one place. However, it was commented that this was not as simple as it sounds as the path to purchase for activities is fundamentally different than accommodations. Data shows that the majority of travelers purchase accommodations weeks or even months in advance. However most will wait to book an attraction until the last minute, even the day of the activity.

Industry Contacts and Networking

Being new to the technology provider side of the business and having come from hotels, the event provided a great opportunity to meet industry contacts and share ideas and challenges with one another, which has been invaluable”, says Tony.

Booking.com provided STAAH with a booth space, to promote STAAH products and services to the attendees. This presented a great opportunity to increase our exposure, networking, and create brand awareness, adding additional value to attending the event.

Update on Booking.com Connectivity  

Attending the Connectivity Executive Summit provided a very informative update on the plans Booking.com have for the year ahead. It was also a great platform providing opportunity to ask questions and get answers”, says Tony.

For STAAH, the Click. event covered the road map for enhanced connectivity, further developing the API’s and reducing the need to access functionality within their own extranet. Ensuring adequate training to property partners about latest releases and new functionalities, is crucial to maximise benefits, and this educative process is often conducted in partnership with Booking.com which really helps.

To find out more about the STAAH partnership with Booking.com, click here.

Continuing the trend of bringing you the best, here is a quick list of product updates, enhancements and features, that you should take note of, for the near future.

Last month saw some exciting features and enhancements of our products, and some of the most rousing releases too, that is sure to be a game-winner for you.

Here’s the list. Make the most of it.

Booking.com Messaging on STAAH MAX

MAX is happy to support and connect our software to Booking.com messaging feature. This feature will enable properties subscribing to MAX Channel manager to communicate with Booking.com guests using interface available in MAX Extranet rather than having to login to Booking.com Extranet. To find out more, click here.

Enhancement – Instant – OTA promotion – Booking.com Mobile Rates

**NEW** Mobile Rates On booking.com

STAAH is pleased to announce we have added another discount type which can be managed via OTA promotion module. This means, you can now manage mobile rates on booking.com via Instant extranet. To find out more, click here.

Smart Pricing on STAAH MAX

A tool designed to create and set discounts for direct bookers.

The Smart Pricing feature offers 5 discount types:

• Advance Purchase: Allows you to scale the discount based on number of days booking is made in advance
• Device: Identify and target bookers using mobile device
• Multi Nights: Allows you to scale the discount based on number of stay nights
• Region: Allows you to set discount targeting bookings from specific country(s)
• Pay Now: Allows a property to reward bookers who pay at the time of booking. Properties must have a payment gateway integrated with MAX Booking Engine.

To find out more, click here.

ConvertDirect Group Booking Engine – Promo Code Feature

The new version of group booking engine allows Promo Codes to be used at a Group Level. This feature allows a property to set promo code at group level for multiple / all properties within the group. To find out more, click here.

Hope the above excites you as much as it excites us. We will keep you updated on new enhancements, features, and releases, as we continue striving towards building great experiences for our partners. Do connect with us at support@staah.com in case you need any support around our products.

Crossing yet another milestone in its journey of technology leadership, STAAH celebrates building strong partnerships of more than 10,000 partners worldwide.

The cloud-based leading technology solutions provider for the hospitality industry, STAAH Ltd., today announced that as of Thursday  5^th December, it had passed the 10,000 partner properties mark.

In making the announcement, Gavin Jeddo, founding director of STAAH ltd., said,

“This is a major milestone for our hospitality technology solutions business, which we launched in 2008 and has continued a strong and steady growth trajectory. We believe that our innovative products and services when teamed with strong partnerships in industry, puts us in a unique position among global service providers. It’s a tribute to the hard work and support of our teams across disciplines and the continued excellence of our innovation vision.”

STAAH has been addressing the online distribution needs of the accommodation providers, along with enhancing their online visibility through innovative and user-oriented technologies. STAAH has also seen significant growth of followers socially, through their thought-leadership content and engagements.

The next steps for STAAH include setting up further strategic partnerships, expanding integrations, continuous innovation in product development and services, and continued expansion of our offerings.

To find out more about STAAH products visit www.staah.com

Continuing the trend of bringing you the best, here is a quick list of product updates, enhancements and features, that you should take note of, for the near future.

Last month saw some exciting features and enhancements of our products, and some of the most rousing releases too, that is sure to be a game-winner for you.

Here’s the list. Make the most of it.

Self Mapping on STAAH instant

Self Mapping feature is available for all properties on STAAH Instant. 

This feature enables properties to Self map Rooms/Rate plans to Channel integrated with STAAH. For more information click here.

Maximum Stay on STAAH MAX

Reply to ReviewMinder Reviews via the App

STAAH recently integrated with booking.com API for review collection. Property subscribing to ReviewMinder can reply via ReviewMinder using the ‘Reply Via Channel’ button. We are pleased to advise feature is now also available via ReviewMinder APP. For more information click here.

Display of Booking Engine- STAAH MAX

We have made a few design changes to the Booking Engine. The concept is to have everything about the property visible to the booker, once they are on the Booking Engine. For more information click here.

Managing Bookings on the STAAH App

Received a call from a booker wanting to make a reservation, but you’re not at the property? The STAAH APP allows you to make bookings on the go.  For more information click here.

Oaky, the hospitality industry’s fastest-growing upselling platform, and STAAH, a pioneer in cloud-based channel management and booking engines, have joined hands to offer STAAH’s 10,000+ clients a seamless upselling experience.

What this perfect match means

STAAH and Oaky share the mission of using technology to help hoteliers maximise revenues and create the best guest experience possible. STAAH does this by enabling hotels to take ownership of their online distribution and drive direct reservations while Oaky lets you increase every guest’s average spend with targeted, personalised offers. Bring those two together via an integration and you have yourself a powerful ally for hotels wanting to make most of every single booking while providing unforgettable experiences.

Tarun Joukani, Director at STAAH Ltd. also stresses this: “STAAH has always believed in helping hoteliers with technology that truly makes a difference to their growth vision. Our partnership with Oaky is very exciting for we are certain of the value it will add for our partners. Creating a seamless experience for all stakeholders, the bar will now be raised high and guest experience will witness a whole new level.”

How it works

Since Oaky and STAAH both want to keep things as simple and hassle-free as possible, they’ve made it exceptionally easy for STAAH’s clients to start using Oaky, their first-ever upselling partner.

1. If you use STAAH Instant and are interested in upselling and cross-selling, first get in touch with Oaky to ask all your upselling-related questions and let us set up your free demo or a client account.

2. Once that’s done, you can simply connect your property to Oaky via the STAAH extranet. To do this, click ‘CRM Partner’ in the ‘Instant’ tab, select Oaky and accept the terms and conditions which give Oaky permission to retrieve and use guest information for upselling purposes. As soon as you’ve hit the green button, you’re good to go and can start your upselling journey thanks to this new integration.

What Oaky does

In short, Oaky drives incremental revenue and enhances the guest experience through targeted pre-arrival upselling via e-mail.

It first lets you create a signature style for your upselling e-mails which looks beautiful and reflects your brand. After that, you can choose which deals to sell from our long list of suggestions that include, among others, paid upgrades, a fruit basket, a romantic package or a goldfish in the room (no, this is not a joke). Of course, you can also create your own deals if you have a unique service or product you’d like to offer.

Now it’s time to choose which deals to promote to which group of guests since different guests have different interests and you should make your promotions feel as personalised as possible. That’s it! After this, Oaky takes over and sends your pre-arrival upselling emails to guests at the ideal time so open rates and conversion rates are maximised and your guests have an amazing experience.

“We want to help hotels actively maximise their online revenue through room upgrades and an uptake in their ancillary services. To achieve this, it is important for Oaky to provide the best connectivity options to our customers so they can target the right customers at the right time with services they are actually interested in. As such, we’re thrilled about this partnership with STAAH.” Vijesh Yoganathan, Oaky’s Regional Director Asia Pacific says about the partnership will benefit hoteliers.

Still on the fence? Then why not find out how much your hotel could make by using Oaky. Our free incremental revenue calculator shows you by how much you can increase your incremental revenue with personalised upselling.

Building on the milestone achieved, of reaching 10,000 partner properties, STAAH, one of the world’s leading hospitality technology solutions provider, along with Negete, the authorised reseller of STAAH, hosted a networking event in Sri Lanka.

Meant for decision-makers of the hospitality industry, the focus of event was networking, celebrating mutual successes with partners. and establishing further commitment towards Sri Lankan market.

The leading names in the hospitality industry along with prominent media houses gathered for an evening of meet-and-greet with industry peers.

Thrilled with the turnout, Rajesh Ghanshani, Director Business Development, STAAH – Indian Subcontinent said, “The event was a wonderful opportunity to connect with our partners from around Sri Lanka. It was exciting to see the place buzzing with professionals sharing conversations, and bonding together, as also, it was also inspiring to see business connections and friendships unfold as our affiliates continue growing their business, and strengthening the power of our brand”.

Sharing his thoughts on the event, Brian Walter, Managing Director Negete said, “At Negete we are proud to partner with STAAH and bring bleeding-edge technology solutions for the hospitality industry of Sri Lanka. This has allowed us to help our clients increase efficiency and online revenue. This year, together with STAAH, we organised a free seminar to motivate properties, regardless of them being our client or not, to help them recover from the catastrophe that hit Sri Lanka in April. We are indeed happy that STAAH is very committed to the Sri Lankan market and our partnership and supporting us in our initiatives.”

About Negete:

Negete, which stands for Next Generation Technologies, the authorised reseller of STAAH in Sri Lanka, is a global IT company founded on advancing organisations through modern technology. They have highly skilled and specialised teams in Australia and Sri Lanka dedicated to providing high quality solutions and services with technological novelty in the areas of Mobile, Cloud and Hospitality. In Sri Lanka, Negete focuses mainly on the hospitality market and help its clients; hotels, resorts, motels, hostels, B&Bs & homestays, succeed by increasing their online revenue. Negete has acquired over 350 properties in Sri Lanka over the last 4 years and helped them increase productivity and profits.

2020 has finally arrived! To make sure you haven’t missed out on anything over the holiday period, here is a quick list of product updates, enhancements and features to keep you in the loop.

Here’s the list. Make the most of it.

STAAH MAX – Charge Card

We have developed a new feature which provides property with the ability to manually Charge Credit Card directly in MAX extranet for Hotel Collect bookings. Payment will be processed via Payment Gateway. For more information Click here.

New Feature Opportunities

We are pleased to introduce a new feature in STAAH Instant, OPPORTUNITIES.

This module provides a platform for OTA partners to highlight business opportunities that can help a property improve their performance or guests experience. Data is retrieved from OTA via an API (Provided by OTA). For more information click here.

Channel Restrictions on STAAH MAX

Properties have the ability to change restrictions at a channel level. This functionality allows the property to set different restrictions for the applicable channels. For more information click here.

Promo Code Surcharge – How Does It Work?

Promo Code Setup, now has the ability to show a Surcharge as well as a Discount. STAAH has always had the ability to apply discount to a Promo Code. Now there is also an option to apply surcharge if required. For more information Click here.

WatchMyRate (WMR) – Promote Direct Bookings

This product can be offered to STAAH properties subscribing to MAX Booking. It is a tool to help property drive more direct bookings via their own website/ booking engine. The widget displays the lowest available rate searched, properties have the option to offer either a discount or value add if customer book directly using WMR. For more information Click here.

With a firm grip on technology, and interest ranging from photography to food and talk, Argho loves immersing himself into strategies that helps hoteliers grow their business.

Tell us a bit about your career in hospitality/ technology and the journey to STAAH

I have always been passionate about technology and knew it was my calling fairly early in my working life. I started my career with a coupon based company – Groupon, where I used to meet various service providers and assist them in growing their business. It was during these meets that i connected with several hoteliers, and got intrigued towards hospitality industry. Wanting to delve further, I joined OYO rooms, where I was a part of the corporate sales team.  The meets with hotel owners, corporate customers, travel agents, groups et al., opened up the whole industry working in front of me and I instantly knew that i belong here.

STAAH happened about two and a half years ago, and has been a natural progression to my career, keeping in line with my passion for technology and love for hospitality. Here, I help find solutions to help properties – small, medium or large unleash their true online potential with the right technology.

What do you like most about STAAH and your job?

I love the freedom that STAAH provides. The culture, the people, and the products set STAAH apart from many others.  The opportunities here are endless, thereby making it an incredibly exciting place to work. I have been able to manage multiple projects and have visibly seen the impact it has made to the businesses of our partners.

The team here is amazing, and the energy and commitment is unbelievable. The positivity around gives me a lot of confidence to push further and deliver.

Along with great work dynamics, the fun we share during saturday games, special day celebrations, walkathons and other get togethers, further seals our bonding.

Your success mantra?

Patience & Perseverance are key to success. Results will flow in if you keep the focus and patience.

When faced with challenging times, I prefer to concentrate on the relationship while keeping a strong faith on our capabilities.

Your interests outside STAAH. Do they help you do your job better?

I love photography and am crazy about shooting landscapes, wildlife, & fashion. Photography helps me see things in another perspective, thereby paving an easy way out from many difficult situations in my job.

I’m also an animal lover and absolutely crazy for dogs and cats. My love seems to attract them to me as well, for, in a recent walkathon at Mumbai, I had a good following of dogs right behind me (laughs). Being with my pets is a great stress buster and i look forward to spending time with them, and unwind after my day’s work.

I love to eat too, and relish almost anything. But I am super fond of sweets, to the extent that I have eaten 15 Rasgullas [Indian sweet] at one go.

Click here to connect with Argho.

STAAH recently announced its annual list of online channels (OTAs) that have helped drive the highest room nights to accommodation providers around the world in 2019.

While Booking.com leads the pack, Agoda, Expedia, Traveloka, and GoMMT along with Direct bookings via STAAH Booking engine are not far behind. Airbnb has made an entry in the Top ten online channels in the UK, New Zealand & Australia.

It has been a great year, 2019, for STAAH and partners alike. STAAH’s holistic suite of technology solutions has helped 10,000+ partners across 90+ countries, witness multi-fold growth and generate higher revenues.

In its annual round-up, STAAH reveals the top 10 booking channels that have helped accommodation providers around the world, acquire more guests booking online. The results are based on total room nights processed via the STAAH’s cloud based channel management and booking engine in 2019.

While Booking.com leads the pack, Agoda, Expedia, Traveloka, and GoMMT along with Direct bookings via STAAH Booking engine are not far behind.

Another addition to this list is Airbnb that has made an entry in the Top ten online channels in the UK, New Zealand & Australia.

We are very happy that STAAH is able to help accomodation owners and managers to distribute as optimally as possible globally, and our list shows which channels around the world have helped generate highest room nights for them. These lists also capture the diversified channels that make up for a property’s distribution strategy today,” says Gavin Jeddo, STAAH’s Founding Director. “Thanks to the support of our partners and our innovative products, we are able to assist accomodation owners and managers across the globe to increase their reach and conversions online”.

 

New Zealand

Australia

India

United Kingdom

Indonesia 

Malaysia 

Thailand

Philippines

STAAH is integrated with 300+ partners around the world so you can reach further globally. To know more about STAAH’s list of integrations please click here.

2020 has kicked off at a great note for STAAH, the leading cloud-based technology solutions provider for hospitality industry, as it bagged the premier connectivity partner badge from Booking.com again.

STAAH has been the premier connectivity partner with Booking.com for few years now and it’s only exciting that the high-level partnership continues in the year 2020.

“We have a long-standing and continuously growing strategic business partnership with Booking.com, and as a result of this collaboration and hard work, we are delighted that STAAH’s innovative technology has established its strength and stand to gain the Premier Connectivity Badge yet again,” says Gavin Jeddo Founder – STAAH Ltd.

The strategic partnership between the award-winning guest acquisition platform STAAH, and travel metasearch engine for lodging reservations Booking.com, goes beyond just reaching multiple markets. The association is set to transform the customer’s lives by enhancing product lines and guest experiences.

STAAH is the preferred cloud-based technology platform trusted by more than 10,000 properties in 90+ countries worldwide. Price and user accessibility with extremely intuitive solutions have been at the forefront of STAAH’s success.

We’re adding to our growing list of 350+ global integrations! We connected with eleven new service providers, including online travel agencies (OTAs), reservation platforms, property management systems (PMS) and new hotel upselling platforms in the last few months.

ResBook is an accommodation reservation software developed and managed by the New Zealand owned company Tomahawk. It allows properties and property managers to distribute availability, rates and more through channels and channel managers with low risk of double bookings. To find out more click here.

Paytm is India’s largest mobile payments and commerce platform. It helps you transfer money instantly to anyone at zero cost using the Paytm Wallet. This money can then be used to pay seamlessly in several places. To find out more click here.

 Oaky drives incremental revenue and enhances the guest experience through targeted pre-arrival upselling via e-mail. It first lets you create a signature style for your upselling e-mails which looks beautiful and reflects your brand. To find out more click here.

Flight Centre travel experts can organise: flights, holidays, hotels, car hire, cruises, travel insurance, coach tours, visas, multi-currency travel cards, frequent flyer points redemption and more. Their call centre provides worldwide 24-hour service to assist customers. To find out more click here.

Miki Travel is world-renowned for its vast portfolio of travel products including tens and thousands of transfer services, accommodation options and exciting excursions worldwide. To find out more click here.

Onefinerate.com is a game-changing business model for hotels & travel agents. The travel agents are empowered to book rooms at the rate displayed or bargain a rate that they would like to pay for the booking. To find out more click here.

CCS NextGen Hotel Management Software is a customizable and integrated software at par with what’s used by international chains of hotel, entertainment and amusement parks, clubs, spas etc. The Software is divided into relevant functional modules, and facilitates independent as well as centralized accessed through a single platform that promises effective &efficient management.  To find out more click here.

With KAI, hotels have the opportunity to increase revenue and guest experience throughout the entire guest journey via upselling. To find out more click here.

 myHMS, an entirely cloud-based property management system is at the core of our Hotel Complete solution. To find out more click here.

Apartbook was created out of a need to provide the serviced apartment industry with a dedicated Property Management System that truly works for serviced apartments, they called it SAMS. To find out more click here.

To view all our STAAH integrations, visit here.

The STAAH and Resbook partnership gives connected properties another opportunity to enrich their distribution and revenue strategy.

Leading cloud-based hospitality technology solution provider, STAAH, has announced a partnership with accommodation software provider, ResBook. The integration of the two hospitality technology giants presents an opportunity for connected properties to automate end-to-end distribution and operations.

“The connection delivers changes to availability, room rates and inventory as they occur via a state-of-the-art technology,” says Gavin Jeddo, Founding Director of STAAH. “The connection type eliminates any time tag. Hoteliers can rest assured that the information displayed both on their bookings channels online and in their PMS is as up-to-date as possible.”

Used by more than 1000+ properties around the world, ResBook is a cloud-based reservation management system designed specifically for small to medium accommodation providers. Owned by tourism software developer and digital specialist, Tomahawk, ResBook made its mark through top-of-the-line features and key third party integrations that struck the right cord with the hospitality industry.

“This partnership is about giving accommodation providers a greater chance to increase online visibility and get a deeper understanding of their guests with the added bonus of both systems being New Zealand based and owned,” says Rachel Mander from ResBook. “It proves yet again that manual methods of approaching distribution and revenue management need to be left behind.”

Benefits for properties that choose the ResBook + STAAH winning combination include:

• No lags – from your property’s PMS to your chosen distribution channels – the connection is seamless
• Chances of overbooking or double booking almost negligible as there is a seamless connection between the property PMS and channel manager that leads distribution
• Manual errors as you consolidate booking data are minimised

ResBook unifies all rate and inventory at its distribution system thus providing common pool inventory across all online and offline distribution channels.

With this partnership, STAAH inches even close to the 100 PMS integrations. This along with its other integrations makes it among the most preferred connectivity partners for the hospitality businesses.

To find more about Resbook, visit here.

Continuing the trend of bringing you the best, here is a quick list of product updates, enhancements and features, that you should take note of, for the near future.

Here is a quick list of product updates, enhancements, and features, that you should take note of, for the near future.

Daily Promotion Widget

New widget to promote and sell daily deals! Easy to setup and can be enabled independently. To find out more click here.

Variable Pricing (Packages)

STAAH Instant Commission Module

Central Reservation System (Stay View)

This feature allows properties to Manage your Properties Availability/Rates and Restrictions. You also have the ability to make a Reservation within the extranet and view current reservations. To find out more click here.

FREE E-BOOK on Revenue Management 

This e-guide makes a start by bringing together a collection of tips, ideas and usable strategies by pioneers in revenue management. Download your FREE copy here.

Hope the above excites you as much as it excites us. We will keep you updated on new enhancements, features, and releases, as we continue striving towards building great experiences for our partners.

Striking a great balance between work and personal life, Nancy assists business development for STAAH Philippines. Not only has she set her finger firm on the pulse of hospitality industry, but compliments it brilliantly with her knowledge of technology, that helps drive hospitality sales. 

Tell us a bit about your career in hospitality/ technology and the journey to STAAH

I kick-started my career in hospitality industry, with Corporate Sales for hotels. I was a part of the team that pre-opened a property and closed a property. Balancing the dual role and managing multiple properties simultaneously is an art that I learnt to master. The abilities gained, has helped me move roles from regional hotels to global brand of hotels.

When I saw the opportunity with STAAH, it seemed like a right progression path to my career, as technology has added a whole new dimension to the industry. I am amazed at the learning opportunities now within the industry, and it makes me very glad that I took a leap out of the comfort zone.

What do you like most about STAAH and your job?

First and foremost, I am not required to wear suit and high heels anymore (laughs) so that’s a big plus! But seriously, it’s the flexibility, and the trust the management places on you to grow the business. The work style and culture at STAAH is very cohesive and inclusive. The management strongly believes in mentoring and guiding the team towards effective management of business, and there is no ‘bossiness’ factor so to say (laughs). The team is very supportive, and we work well in tandem, irrespective of our multiple locations.

Another most important aspect of working with STAAH is, being in the business of technology which is ever evolving and can only get bigger and better. The knowledge that I have gained, and continue to gain from my association here, is unbelievable.

Your success mantra?

Work smart and create your own opportunities!

Your interests outside STAAH. Do they help you do your job better?

As a working mom, finding a balance between career and family has been crucial. Understanding ways to unwind after a hectic work week, equally important too. I’m pretty easy (laughs). I love to go to the mall with my family, do some window shopping, eat at a good restaurant, and I am all de-stressed! Good to start the week again .

Binge-watching a crime or comedy series, is another thing i love doing.

I believe in entering the work mode with a clear mind all the time will greatly improve productivity.

To connect and grow your property in the Philippines find the best solution from Nancy.

These are certainly challenging times as COVID-19 [Corona virus Disease] continues to spread, affecting health, causing deaths and impacting lives across the world.

First and foremost, it is important for each one of us to take care of our health and of those around us. Each one of us has a responsibility to limit the risk of spreading this virus. Look after yourself, your employees, co-workers, suppliers, guests and community.

While the full social and economic impact of this pandemic is yet to be felt, we’re all aware that further uncertainty is around the corner. At STAAH, we’d like to take this opportunity to tell you – our partners – that we’re with you.

We’re fully operational and available to support

STAAH offices around the world are fully functional and providing support as per usual. Some of us are working from home or have restricted travel, following advice from local and national governments. As a global company, with sound processes and technology in place, the quality of our support remains unaffected by these restrictions.

You can connect with our Partner Services team via phone or email.

How to survive the economic meltdown?

Travel is among the hardest and most immediately hit industries, feeling the impact of tighter border restrictions being introduced around the world to contain the spread of COVID-19 [Coronavirus Disease].

The reality is we cannot change restrictions, but we can start tweaking our strategy to soften the blow and help business continuity. Read our quick guide to how you can do this.  We’ll keep talking to industry experts and professionals sharing ideas and thoughts to help provide guidance on how to survive and recover from an economic crisis.

Stay tuned to our blog and channels for more on this.

Is your STAAH platform tuned to crisis mode?

We may not be able to reverse the effect of the virus on society and the economy, but we can guide you on how you can leverage your STAAH systems to their optimal best. Our team is available to guide you through how to leverage the system, getting insights, suggest promotions, offer advice on rates and inventory management, etc.

As a team we have extensive hotel experience from around the world – some of us experiencing the last Global Financial Crisis, we are happy to share our knowledge and hope to contribute to your business.

We’ve set up a special email to help you during these tough times. Feel free to send your questions and comments on crisisresponse@staah.com.

We will survive…

At the centre of our company’s purpose is a commitment to support our partners, and this is something we take to heart in good times and bad. We’ll be working hard to support you, your families and staff to get through these challenging times.

Kia kaha [Stay strong]

TONY HOWLETT
Chief Operating Officer

The connection with GuestJoy will help mutual accommodation clients to connect better with their guests and increase guest satisfaction along with enhancing their global reach.

Leading cloud-based hospitality distribution specialist, STAAH, has partnered with GuestJoy, a leading guest communication solution for hotels, allowing properties to enhance the experience of guests and thereby improving hotel revenue.

Accommodation providers on the network of the two companies can not only expand their reach to both local and global travelers with STAAH Channel Manager, but now can also automate and increase guest engagement using GuestJoy solution.

Connecting through one simple and efficient interface, and with access to real-time hotel booking information via STAAH Channel Manager, hotels will be able to upsell through daily intelligence and send review collection emails through the GuestJoy communication solution.

The partnership between STAAH Ltd and GuestJoy is fantastic news for the properties as it will assist them in significantly increasing guest engagement. The partnership will also help properties to improve their revenue stream and brand reputation.

We are thrilled to partner with GuestJoy, an established and forward-looking solution provider in
the hotel tech space. We look forward to offering our clients this powerful connection which is sure
to assist an increase in overall revenue and enhancement of guest experience, “says Tarun Joukani,
Director – STAAH Ltd.

The integration is valid globally and properties of all sizes, from around the world, can make use of
the platform.

We wanted to partner with STAAH to gain direct access to the growing number of properties that
use its platform to power their distribution and allowing them to better engage with their guests.
This partnership will help accommodation providers gain a deeper understanding of their guests
thereby engaging better and right,” says Alar Ülem, CEO & Co-Founder of GuestJoy.

About GuestJoy

GuestJoy is a guest communication tool. The company’s advanced technology enables hotels to
increase their revenue via upselling and collecting more online reviews quicker. The software is
beautifully designed and suitable for both independent and large hotel chains worldwide. The
company is currently serving hotel brands in fifteen countries.

What GuestJoy can do for you?
GuestJoy allows you to do targeted guest marketing with personalised messages. You can upsell,
send out satisfaction surveys or collect reviews. It all depends on your requirements. Outgoing
emails are fully automated and once everything is set up, it works like a breeze.

What distinguishes GuestJoy from other products in the market is that it focuses on the entire guest journey – all touch points that can happen during your guests visit, not just upselling. GuestJoy can help in many ways depending on the visitors and the hotel’s needs. This product is extremely modular so no need to start using all the various features immediately.

Continuing the trend of bringing you the best, here is a quick list of product updates, enhancements and features, that you should take note of, for the near future.

Here is a quick list of product updates, enhancements, and features, that you should take note of, for the near future.

Booking.com Opportunities

We are pleased to introduce a new feature in MAX, OPPORTUNITIES.

This module provides a platform for OTA partners to highlight business opportunities that can help a property improve their performance or guests experience. Data is retrieved from OTA only if they support an API for this purpose. To find out more click here.

STAAH Instant WMR Features

We have enhanced the WMR feature available via STAAH Instant. The additional features will allow you to use WMR to optimise sales via ConvertDirect booking engine. To find out more click here.

Additional Users On STAAH MAX

The Additional User feature allows you to create an additional user, which allows them to access your property on STAAH MAX. You have the ability to assign different permissions for the additional users. To find out more click here.

STAAH Instant Promo Codes

We have enhanced the promo code feature available in STAAH Instant. You will find a better flow to improve user experience but more importantly, additional features to make it easier to use and manage promo deals. To find out more click here.

MAX Enhancements and Integrations

Integrations

-Dnata/Travelrepublic OTA
-In1XML OTA
-Pegasus OTA
-Travelanium OTA

Rate plan production report (MAX2 only)
A report providing an overview of rate plan productivity on the OTAs.

MAX2 > Reports > Rate plan production report

BE Booking confirmation email (Enhancement)
Terms and Conditions are now printed at the end of notification.

Reports
Layout – Chrome will stop supporting the Adobe Flash pop-up by EOY. All reports have been updated, and are displayed on the extranet page.

Rate code
Via Room type setup is now mandatory. When creating or editing a room type, property will be prompted to select a rate code.

FREE E-BOOK on Revenue Management 

This e-guide makes a start by bringing together a collection of tips, ideas and usable strategies by pioneers in revenue management. Download your FREE copy here.

Hope the above excites you as much as it excites us. We will keep you updated on new enhancements, features, and releases, as we continue striving towards building great experiences for our partners.

STAAH Introduces Ringgit, the Local Malaysian Currency as a Payment Option for Malaysia         

STAAH, the leading cloud-based technology solutions provider for hospitality industry, has recently taken its first step towards offering local currency payment option for its Malaysian partners. This new and better payment option will help STAAH partners save money on international exchange rates and transfers.

The new payment option through Malaysian Ringgit, not only complements STAAH’s localised services, but is also a testament of the company’s commitment to support Malaysian properties during these difficult times.

Cutting the pain of dealing in international currency and its volatility, Malaysian properties will now be able to pay in their own currency, thereby saving on exchange rates. This payment option is sure to be seen as a better deal by the customers, as they will be able to balance their fixed costs and not be thrown off guard by the fluctuating exchange rates. This move will also help further, in strengthening the company’s partnerships with properties in those markets.

Introducing local currency payments to Malaysia, is an important step forward in our mission to support partners and their businesses. Rolling this new payment option quickly and in such difficult times has been a priority, as we value our relation with all our Malaysian customers and would like to help them save their money,” says Kevin Tatem, Managing Director of STAAH Southeast Asia.

With a great selection of clients in the area and their unflinching support, STAAH looks forward to continue providing excellent solutions and services to the hospitality industry in Malaysia.

To know more about STAAH and its products and services, please click here.

Continuing the trend of bringing you the best, here is a quick list of product updates, enhancements and features, that you should take note of, for the near future.

Here is a quick list of product updates, enhancements, and features, that you should take note of, for the near future.

STAAH MAX – Smart Pricing Feature Enhancement

We have enhanced the Smart Pricing feature available in STAAH MAX. You will see new discount options and tools to make it easier to manage. To find out more click here.

Benefit:

• Apply smart pricing discount to extra adult/child.
• Apply smart pricing discount apply to included add-ons.
• Create Last Minute discounts.

STAAH Instant Non-Bookable

To assist property in filling in gaps due to minimum night restriction, we have introduced ‘Non Bookable’ feature.

This feature is easy to use and provide s a bird’s-eye view of where the gaps are. It allows a property to update minimum night restrictions based on availability. This feature can only be managed via Instant extranet. To find out more click here.

Benefit:

• Provides a quick bird’s-eye view of gaps due to minimum night restriction
• Option to update minimum night restriction
• Updates are pushed out to OTAs (If minimum night restriction is supported)

STAAH MAX – Airbnb Messaging Feature

MAX is happy to support and connect our software to Airbnb messaging feature.

This feature will enable properties subscribing to MAX Channel manager to communicate with Airbnb guests using interface available in MAX extranet. To find out more click here.

Benefit:

•  Properties subscribed to MAX Channel manager can communicate with Airbnb guests using interface via MAX extranet
• Easy to use and will assist properties to respond quickly to customers

OTA  Promotions on Instant

OTA promotion feature allows a property to setup promotions for supported channel(s) via Instant extranet.  To find out more click here.

Benefit: 

• This feature allows a property to setup promotions for supported channel(s) via Instant extranet.

STAAH MAX CRS- Internal Comments

The ability to add internal comments to bookings in MAX extranet. This feature allows you to add additional information about guests/bookings. All comments are visible in MAX extranet only, meaning this is not sent to guests. To find out more click here.

Benefit: 

• You can add internal comment, when creating a booking via CRS.
• Option to add internal comment for existing bookings.
• Comments are visible in MAX extranet and sent to PMS.

STAAH MAX AVAILABILITY CALENDAR WIDGET

View what dates are available for the next 2 months in a Calendar view. This feature allows you to download a widget which you can embed to your website. Available for all MAX subscribers. To find out more click here.

Benefit:

• View what dates are available for the next 2 months in a Calendar view.

STAAH Instant Enhancements and Integrations

ReviewMinder Group Dashboard
All groups with a ReviewMinder group setup has been added to Instant and MAX.
ReviewMinder widget now supports WordPress websites
As per normal, you can obtain the script from Widget Script module. Select preference to generate script.

Help4Hotel: We have removed email ID validation
You only need STAAH property ID and Booking Number
We now indicate when CVC was retrieved and user (IP address)

History Icon: We have introduced a ‘Property History Icon’.

Click on icon to view status history for property.

Record of change in various status for property: Includes when the status was changed
Includes the user who made the change.
Password protect removed for the below modules:

Channel password setup page
Mapping page
Dynamic mapping page
Mapping guide page

Increase your online sales by Gift vouchers

With a bag full of experience in tourism, skiing and hospitality, Meet Adam Walsh, Regional Manager, STAAH UK/Europe

Tell us a bit about your career in hospitality/ technology and the journey to STAAH

“I  started my career in the tourism and hospitality industry as Ski rep in the French Alps in the 80’s, undoubtedly one of the best decades, if you exclude padded shoulders and dodgy haircuts. These early years saw me working with hoteliers in France, Spain, Italy, Switzerland, Turkey and Kenya with classic tour operations managing thousands of weekly arrivals, on charter flights from UK airports to holiday destinations across Europe.

Fast forward into the 21^st century, and I started working with lastminute.com to set up their Ski programme, then with Hotels4U working on supplier integrations and channel managers, which is where I first came across STAAH; at that time back in 2010, they only had 700 hotels, and now we have over 10,000!

What do you like most about STAAH and your job?

For the past few years I was working for companies that were part of huge multinational conglomerates, the possibility to instigate change diminishes with every layer of bureaucracy, and that is one of the really important things that I enjoy at STAAH, it is a very flat structure, and everyone is open and ready to listen to new ideas. Starting at STAAH a couple of weeks before the COVID pandemic took hold has been challenging, but also a lot of fun, it has allowed me to get involved at many levels, getting to know lots of our customers, channels and partners; I am always happy to bounce ideas around and see how we can move forward when things get tough.

Your success mantra? 

I challenge everything that doesn’t look right or make sense to me, that way I can make things better and learn the things that I don’t know about. There is nothing worse than someone who thinks they know it all, they seldom learn anything new.

Your interests outside STAAH. Do they help you do your job better?

I used to spend a lot of time in the Alps skiing, now I play football and have been known to run the odd 10K, I also cook, bake cakes and build websites in my spare time! I think it is really important to keep active, gives you great energy for everything that you do.

To connect with Adam, email  adam@staah.com