Comtrol® and Agilysys: New Technologies Enhance Guest Experience at Historic Lodge

Challenge

Agilysys is a leading provider of innovative information technology and hospitality software solutions, including property management, condominium, golf course, spa, point-of-sale, and sales and catering management applications. With the Visual One Property Management System by Agilysys, the company has been successful in providing real-time information exchanges, using the same database between the front office and the sales office. This complete, customized integration has allowed Agilysys to build an extensive client list of some of the most renowned hotels, resorts and conference centers around the world.

Additionally, the tailored technology solutions provided by Agilysys – including hardware, software and services – allow hospitality customers to efficiently manage their IT needs. Hoteliers rely on the Visual One Property Management System to seamlessly integrate with legacy and new technologies, and provide upgrades to meet their ongoing demands as new technologies emerge. Therein lies the strength of Comtrol®, to act as the middleware between the Visual One PMS and many of the disparate systems that allow hoteliers to provide the most complete hotel guest experience possible.

Technology Solution

A world leader in connectivity, Comtrol has developed an extensive inventory of pre-packaged interfaces for guest service systems in the hospitality industry, including PBX, voice mail, call accounting, in-room Internet access, point-of-sale, in-room movie, keyless entry, mini bar and energy management systems. Known as “Lodging Link®,” Comtrol’s interface software provides a more efficient way to interface systems with the property management system than for PMS companies to develop custom interfaces. Therefore, PMS providers can focus on their core product, and allocate more money, time and manpower to building the operational solutions needed to meet the changing needs of their hospitality clients.

With Lodging Link’s built-in modular interfaces, PMS vendors and their client properties no longer need to invest large amounts of capital and staff training time to insure complete integration for hundreds of guest service system interfaces. The installation and ramp-up timeframe is also significantly shortened, making system changes much more efficient for the properties.

For Agilysys, Comtrol adds value to their system by allowing them to pass through to the properties a less-expensive interface and quicker turnaround time for installation.

“Our partnership with Comtrol helps us provide better service to our customers,” stated Tina Stehle, senior vice president and general manager of Agilysys Hospitality Solutions. “Comtrol provides best in class integration applications with an implementation and development approach that is responsive to the needs of our clients. Technology is a critical element for our clients’ success and Comtrol provides us comprehensive solutions that bring measurable efficiency and effectiveness instantaneously.”

One example of the technology having an immediate impact on the operational efficiency of a property is the Grand View Lodge in Nisswa, Minn. Built in 1918 on the shores of Gull Lake, the Grand View Lodge is designated a National Historic Landmark and is built from majestic Norway pines which surround the lodge. In 1937 Reynolds Fredrick Brownlee “Brownie” Cote bought the property, and the resort continues under the ownership of the family to this day.

In 2004 Grand View Lodge installed the Visual One product suite because their current PMS system was not integrated with other systems. Previously, the staff used the antiquated method of paper and pen to keep track of guests’ room charges. Feeling the need to organize guest information and provide a more cohesive platform to share that information, the search began for a new integrated property management system.

They chose Visual One by Agilysys because it provided an enterprise system with a fully integrated product suite for sales, front-office, back-office, spa, golf, conference, and food and beverage. Their preexisting fiber network infrastructure allowed the Visual One system with Comtrol’s Lodging Link single-line interfaces to integrate instantaneously.

“The Visual One system is the total package in addressing the needs of our resort and one of the best software systems I’ve used in 25 years,” stated Jeff Shulz, director of information technology at Grand View Lodge. “Our resort has a lot of history, tradition and amenities for guests to experience and enjoy. Agilysys and Comtrol immediately contributed to the strength of our culture because it provides for a convenient and seamless guest experience.”

As the hospitality industry’s interface specialist, Comtrol provides their clients the technology of choice. With a library of over 460 interfaces currently available to meet the needs of Agilysys and other leading property management system providers, Comtrol continues to understand their clients’ challenges and to  implement efficient, cost-effective solutions. Comtrol listens to their clients and provides a pro-active solution every time and on schedule.

Lodging Link provides the support to make sure nothing is overlooked. For example, hotel systems must be fully functional 24 hours a day, so downtime is unacceptable. For that reason, Comtrol’s Lodging Link is engineered so that, even if the PMS server goes offline, it will continue to buffer important data until reconnected.

Comtrol has developed a level of credibility unmatched in the hospitality industry. Time after time, the leading developers of hotel software systems turn to Comtrol for their interface needs. With the best selection of technology interfaces to maximize system integration, Comtrol also provides the best quality and support in the industry.

Additional Information

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