TravTalk Middle East Online Magazine
FCS Computer Systems (FCS) and NEC Enterprise Solutions EMEA have inked a partnership agreement that incorporates FCS solutions into the NEC Hospitality offering for the hospitality sector in EMEA. Eric Rogers, Vice President EMEA, FCS Computer Systems, shares details with TravTalk.
TT Bureau
Q) Explain the various hospitality offerings in the EMEA region.
FCS offers a complete suite of hospitality technology solutions to hotels globally. Our extensive portfolio of integrated products is used by more than 5,000 hotels in 32 countries. The Middle East is an important market for us and we have seen strong growth from this region in recent years. We start with our gateway solutions. These sit between the PABX to the PMS, and provide interface capabilities for FCS and 3rd party solutions, voicemail with wake-up, minibar and room status, and billing for calls and other charges. Connecting to our interface, we have our eSolutions; FCS’s operational software.
Our eSolutions are systems designed to improve performance, optimise service and enhance the hotel guest experience in areas such as job dispatch – both for guest requests and inter-departmental work order management, housekeeping, glitch management, engineering, concierge and laundry. FCS mobile applications are available on guests’ own mobile devices, as well as the hotel’s devices, allowing convenient access to hotel information and services.
Q) Do share more details of the partnership signed between FCS and NEC?
Our partnership with NEC effectively means that FCS solutions are now part of the NEC Smart Hospitality Solutions offered to NEC partners and their hotel clients. Hotels in the region will be able to order the solutions directly through NEC’s business partners in EMEA. This means that NEC partners have access to a full range of new solutions they can offer to their partners in the region. This deal is for the EMEA region and puts FCS solutions into NEC’s Smart Hospitality Drive.
Q) Does this contribute to smart hospitality? If so, please explain.
FCS are world-renowned as providers of smart solutions for the hospitality industry and we have been working in this field since 1982. NEC have for many years had a very strong focus on the hotel sector, and with their Smart Hospitality Program have demonstrated that they are fully committed to the hospitality industry and have a deep understanding of the needs and requirements of hoteliers to make their op
erations smarter and more efficient. By working with NEC to extend our reach through the NEC network, more hotels in the region will be able to benefit from this technology to improve efficiency and provide a greener solution. For example, consider the amount of paper a housekeeping department uses each year, which is about 1.5 tons in a 300-room property. If hotels automate their processes through our e-Housekeeping solution, they will not only provide a more streamlined and efficient service to their guests, but also save several trees annually. Multiply that by all the hotels in the Middle East, and we are talking about a very significant number.
Q) How does hospitality partners benefit through this partnership?
For our and NEC’s hotel partners, they now have a complete range of solutions available to them via local trusted partners. Having a local presence is very helpful to understand what can be achieved, and makes the decision to move forward and automate a lot easier.
Q) Could we expect more offerings in the pipeline for the rest of the year? If so, please explain.
At FCS, we continually strive to further enhance our existing solutions and to extend our offering into other areas of the hotel. We recently launched our m-2Talk solution, which effectively turns a smartphone into a wakie-talkie at a lower cost and with more functionality. Using m-2Talk, housekeeping management, runners, room attendants and supervisors can communicate instantly with each other as you would on a walkie-talkie, but using their own personal devices.
