Libra OnDemand leverages the power of a popular on-demand platform (salesforce.com) to provide a comprehensive suite of hospitality specific applications. Through Customer Relationship Management (CRM), LibraOnDemand gives hoteliers a complete 360-degree view of each customer. Sales Force Automation (SFA) provides the ability to manage the entire sales process, analyze performance and forecast revenues.
The Loyalty & Rewards Management application is flexibly configured to create innovative frequent guest and membership programs. Reporting & Data Analytics provide graphical dashboards, charts and reports that provide information about a hotel’s performance while the Integration & Centralization Tools streamline and simplify guest information, third-party systems and company operations.
Designed to drive sales and increase revenues, Libra OnDemand is a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) application that is simple to use, easy to customize and quick to implement with no infrastructure or upfront software investment. It’s priced at $125 per user, per month. Sign up for a free, 30-day trial at www.libraondemand.com.

This week’s HITEC show and conference is the top event of the year in the world of hospitality technology. As such, many tech vendors use the show to launch new products and improvements to existing systems.
Lodging Hospitality editors are on hand at the Anaheim Convention Center to find the best of the new product introductions, which we will highlight in this blog.
If you’re at the show and see a new product or system that’s newsworthy, send us an e-mail message at ed.watkins@penton.com, and we’ll check it out. Also, the August issue of Lodging Hospitality will have a complete recap of the events, educational sessions and product introductions at HITEC.

TimeLox today announced installation of its wireless radio frequency online lock system, the TimeLox DC-One Online, at the Four Seasons Washington. The company says the installation will give the hotel total security control from its front desk.
Now operating in more than 20,000 guestrooms worldwide, this online system provides hotels a cost-effective wireless online two-way communication between the property’s host security system and the standalone electronic locks installed throughout the hotel. Unlike traditional off-line standalone locks, the wireless online system utilizes RF-online communication capabilities to eliminate the need to travel to each guestroom to perform tasks such as reprogramming individual locks or identifying and changing low batteries, as well as the need for a guest to return to the front desk to change a room or extend his or her stay. Also, the system communicates with multiple rooms at once, reducing the number of network components required for installation.
Go to the company’s website, for more information on this and other TimeLox products.

At its booth, Kaba Lodging Systems is showing new environmentally friendly prototype technology that eliminates the need for replacing batteries in electronic lock units. The ILCO 790 contact-less electronic lock has been modified to have all the benefits and capabilities of a leading RFID hotel lock with the additional “green” twist. Users rotate the lever once before presenting their RFID key to the lock. The lock’s electronics are powered using kinetic energy from the lever motion. Go to the website for more information.
Also at the booth, Kaba debuted the Messenger LENS program as part of its SAFLOK brand of electronic locking systems. LENS, or Lock Event Notification System, is subscriber-based software that transmits data from a lock as it occurs. Using job-specific customized profiles, hotels can simultaneously send lock data (entries, door ajar, errors, etc.) to employee work groups to maximize efficiency of their tasks.
Examples of uses include housekeeping inspectors receiving Room Ready alerts on their pagers, maintenance personnel receiving Low Battery alerts on their cell phones or security dispatchers receiving Wandering Intruder and Door Ajar alerts at their PC terminals.
For more information, see the SAFLOK website.

Evolve Guest Controls, an affiliated company of the Mason Family of companies, was created to bring energy efficiency to the hospitality industry. Evolve’s keycard-based system controls all of the devices in a guestroom, including HVAC, lighting and television.
By inserting his or her keycard in a wall-mounted Evolve card reader, a guest activates all of the devices in a room. When the key is removed, all of the devices are deactivated. Hoteliers can expect a 30- to 50-percent savings on their energy costs with an ROI of less than two years.
The system is easy to install and can be retrofitted to any room type or any property size.
Evolve recently became one of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Energy Star partners as a signal of its commitment to saving energy for its customers.
For more information about Evolve, visit the company’s website.

Lutron Electronics and Exceptional Innovation are showcasing the Connected Guestroom portion of Lutron Hospitality Solutions. Created to meet the hospitality market’s growing need for an integrated control and services interface that runs on an IP network, this new solution enables hotels to create an unforgettable guest experience while improving staff efficiency and significantly reducing both energy and maintenance costs.
Lutron Hospitality Solutions offer hotel guests a personalized room environment where they can instantly control lighting, window treatments, temperature, security and TV through one-touch presets or create customizable room ambiance settings of their choice.
Using their TV remote or mobile phone, the solution allows guests to enjoy a simple and familiar experience that also provides them with property-specific in-room amenities information, resort services, concierge service and Internet services through a single, user interface.
Lutron Hospitality Solutions are integrated with the building’s systems to permit data sharing across the hotel’s back end for improved building efficiency and a seamless experience for guests and staff alike.
Go to Lutron’s website for more information.

Security Innovations Inc. unveiled a new integration of a real-time graphical and map viewable solution for total system management. SII, developers of Access-Plus, an on-line access control system for the lodging industry, has integrated several new technologies into one total management solution.
System users, such as guards or hotel managers, can quickly identify alerts throughout a facility using visual maps, floor plans and graphical alerts, then take the necessary control to administer the property. Among guestrooms, recreational facilities and areas of employee access, additional systems features include CCTV, badging and climate control.
More than just a smart card lodging and access control system, Access-Plus has evolved into a complete facility management solution. Effective facility control and use of time management, plus increased security translates to reduced liability and an overall cost savings.
For more information on this and other products, go to SII’s website.