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January 22, 2001 |
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Wyndham Bets On Personalization
Hotel chain taps wireless technology to make reservations, check in, and even open doors
By Cheryl Rosen
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n an industry in which the term "customer recognition" is interchangeable with "frequent traveler programs," Wyndham International Inc. is betting on personalization instead of points.
Wyndham CEO and chairman Fred Kleisner is convinced that his best customers would rather have more choices about their stay than a few miles toward a distant free flight. So instead of teaming with the airlines, Wyndham offers its customers the Wyndham By Request Program, under which they fill out a profile on the Web that lists their favorite drinks, snacks, and magazines. Every time program members check into a Wyndham hotel, those items are waiting for them in their rooms.
Last week, the hotel chain started testing wireless access so that customers can change their profiles or make reservations on the fly. For example, a traveler stuck in a distant airport can use a Palm VII, a BlackBerry pager, or a Web-enabled cell phone to change his or her profile wirelessly. By the time the traveler checks in, the room can come equipped with cognac and Godiva chocolate instead of fresh fruit or flowers, thanks to the wireless request transmitted while on the runway.
The wireless program went into a month-long beta test last week at the Wyndham Garden Hotel at the Dallas Market Center, the closest property to Wyndham's headquarters and IT department, says chief technology officer Mark Hedley. Beyond merely updating profiles, guests can use the service to make reservations. The wireless rollout will go nationwide next month.
Eventually, hotel room locks in Wyndham properties will be retrofitted to operate on wireless technology as well. Infrared signals will beam the guest's identity into the lock, so the guest won't have to stop at the front desk to check in on the way to a room. Wyndham also will be issuing personal digital assistants to its employees to check in guests on airport courtesy buses or in groups at the Dallas Convention Center. In the near future, PDAs will be able to produce magnetic-card room keys. Cleaning personnel already use handhelds to signal the front desk when rooms are ready. The wireless devices link to a new-generation Opera property-management system from Micros Systems Inc. that Wyndham will debut at 50 properties this year.
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