InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) and Amadeus will jointly develop a next-generation Guest Reservation System (GRS), which it says “will revolutionise the technological foundations of the global hospitality industry.”
The new GRS for over 4,800 IHG properties will use a new cloud-based community model, a first in the hotel sector and similar to the model it developed for the global airline industry.
As launch partner, IHG will work with Amadeus on the design, functionality and evolution of the system, which will ultimately replace HOLIDEX, IHG’s proprietary reservation system.
This follows the completion of a successful engineering study by IHG and Amadeus to scope out potential technologies and solutions to drive innovation in the industry for the long-term benefit of owners and guests.
IHG personalising the guest experience through technology with new GRS. (Image credit: Gajus-iStock/
GRS can be operated alongside HOLIDEX and the transition to GRS, which is due to be rolled out globally in 2017, will be undertaken in phases to minimise risks.
IHG said the next-generation GRS gives it a foundation to continue to invest smartly in technology through system funded capital investments and evolve its own bespoke systems, which will be connected to GRS and hotels directly through a separate state-of-the=art interface.
“This will result in a first of its kind, standardised, scalable and flexible global technology eco-system, which will provide significant value to our guest and owners,” it added
Elaborating on this Richard Solomons, chief executive officer of IHG, said: “The next-generation guest reservation system we will create with Amadeus will deliver a powerful global platform for hotels to manage guest interaction, will be intuitive for hotel teams, and will help us accelerate our work to revolutionise and personalise the guest experience through technology.”
Added Luis Maroto, Amadeus’ president & chief executive officer: “Our technology partnership with IHG is a watershed moment for the industry. It will provide a huge leap forward in the flexibility and functionality available to hoteliers, and marks an important step in our journey to deliver our established community technology model into a new industry segment.”
