MICROS Systems of the US and Systems Union Group of the UK have announced a global distribution agreement, which will improve the software solutions available for major hotels, restaurants and other hospitality businesses, globally.
This is good news for local business solutions company, Ilanga Systems, a company in the Business Unusual Group, which is presently the only accredited hospitality channel partner for sub-Sahara Africa. Already firmly established in the IT hospitality sector, Ilanga Systems has recently proved successful in its implementation of a fully integrated and centralised back-office function for African-based Serena Hotels.
Under the agreement, the MICROS Systems and Systems Union will work together to provide a solution that integrates front-office information with back-office financial management systems in order to increase efficiency and decrease operating costs. Within this - and in addition to MICROS` front-office property management, central reservations and customer information systems - MICROS-Fidelio Financials powered by SunSystems has been launched specifically for the hospitality sector.
Paul Coleman, CEO of Systems Union, author of SunSystems, said: "This will provide customers with real-time online reporting, enabling managers to make judgments based upon KPIs that use the latest information rather than data that is several days old. Since the hospitality sector is an industry driven by customer service, this ability is a significant step."
Confirms Dion Retief, marketing director for the Business Unusual Group: "The MICROS Systems/Systems Union agreement affords a platform for new business opportunities on a local level. Already the 'think global, buy local` approach is bearing fruit for South African businesses servicing African business needs. Serena Hotels is a clear example.
"Furthermore, our company`s approach to IT dovetails that of the agreeing partners. Decision-makers need access to up-to-the-minute business information if they want to run their businesses optimally. Ilanga Systems intends to facilitate and support these decision-making processes by providing clients with software tools and solutions that will deliver critical, business-related information in real-time."
One of the key issues facing hotels is the global nature of central reservations for bookings. This can require different languages, many currencies and real-time communication of bookings from reservation services to individual hotels. This demands a reliable and capable system that ensures accuracy and efficiency while managing and improving customer relationships.
Over 16 000 MICROS-Fidelio customer and property management systems are installed worldwide covering many of the leading hotels and hotel chains, making the company the world leader in systems for the hospitality industry. The agreement with SunSystems, which also has extensive hotel and hospitality experience, provides customers with one of the world`s best-selling and most functional software solutions, offering platform independence, a flexible structure and superior integration. Products from both companies are multi-language, multi-currency and used in most countries around the world.
Tom Giannopoulos, CEO of MICROS Systems, said: "Under the global distribution agreement, the sales teams of MICROS-Fidelio and SunSystems will work as one. There is considerable expertise within the two organisations and together we will be the leading force in the worldwide provision of management systems to the hospitality sector."
Concludes Retief: "This global alliance has recognised global trends towards instant accessibility of information and we are excited about the business prospects it affords us as an accredited channel partner."
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