IDeaS integrates Newmarket solution

IDeaS Revenue Optimization,has announced the integration of Newmarket’s Delphi 9.2 with the IDeaS V5i 3.2 Revenue Management Solution.

The integration allows group sales managers to price potential Group business using the powerful IDeaS Group Pricing module without leaving the Delphi application.

“IDeaS has a strong history of providing group forecasting and pricing support to the hospitality industry,” said Linda Hatfield, Vice President Product Management, IDeaS Revenue Optimization. “Customers of Newmarket and IDeaS will now benefit from the enhanced efficiency and ease-of-use that comes from this level of integration.”

“We are committed to bringing increased value to our customers and prospects through collaborative partnerships with companies demonstrating material benefit and strength," added Shawn McGowan, CTO & Senior Vice President, Newmarket International, Inc. “By partnering with IDeaS, we are able to provide state of the art group pricing and analysis within Delphi.”

Participants at the NewmarketPLUS User Conference, held on April 8-9, 2008 at the Red Rock Casino, Resort and Spa in Las Vegas, will be able to see first-hand the integration between Delphi and IDeaS V5i.

IDeaS Group Pricing module, developed with some of the largest group house hoteliers in the world, arms hoteliers with a powerful solution that makes sense of any given group’s entire value as well as the value of any business being displaced.

FRA train accident investigation reports go online

To increase public awareness about the causes of specific train accidents and to reduce the need for individuals to submit Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests, the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) is for the first time making its investigation reports of major train accidents and other incidents available online, FRA Administrator Joseph H. Boardman stated.

“There’s no reason that anyone who’s interested shouldn’t be able to find out the probable cause of a train accident,” said Boardman, explaining that formal FRA accident investigation reports generally focus on high-consequence train-to-train collisions, derailments, certain highway-rail grade crossing collisions, and all railroad employee fatalities.

Boardman said that the Factual Investigation Reports now posted on the FRA web site contain detailed narratives describing the circumstances of the accident or incident and provide an analysis of the facts and FRA’s conclusion as to why the event occurred. Making this information more accessible will benefit railroads, railroad employees, state and local officials, communities, shippers, insurers and others directly or indirectly impacted by these events, he added.

FRA accident investigation reports for all of 2005 and 2006 and the first quarter of 2007 are online now. The reports for the remainder of 2007 will be posted in the coming months, and those for 2008 as well as all future reports will be made available online as they are completed and finalized, Boardman said. A major train accident or incident investigation typically takes six to nine months to complete, and no portions of reports are made public until an investigation is finalized. An up-to-date listing of all active, open and ongoing investigations will also be posted online.

China’s First Carbon Neutral Hotel Hits Shanghai

Environmentally conscious visitors to Shanghai who are looking for the luxury experience can stay carbon-free and enjoy green living on the go at URBN Hotels. Designed to attract ‘urban world travelers’, the 28-room full-service hotel fuses Western and Chinese influences and a host of green-minded practices to create an urban eco-oasis for tourist and business travelers. From the building’s design and materials to cleaning products to energy-efficiency, URBN Hotels is an eco-friendly refuge amid the bustle of Shanghai.

The building design used an existing structure and locally sourced materials such as reclaimed hardwoods and old Shanghai bricks. Passive solar shades, rain water retention basins and water-based air conditioning have been used to decrease the hotel’s environmental impact. For the health and wellbeing of each guest, 6 square meters of green is space allocated per person, low-VOC paints used and interiors are cleaned with environmentally sensitive products.

What carbon emissions the hotel does produce - such as staff travel, stock deliveries and the energy consumed by each guest - will be tracked and offset by investing in clean energy development and energy efficiency projects elsewhere in China. Guests can also buy international standard carbon credits from the hotel to offset their flights.

Economic factors influenced the decision to introduce green measures, as the hotel will be cheaper to run in the long term. Over the next three years, 20 URBN hotels and resorts are set to open in Beijing, Hangzhou, Dalian, and Suzhou, containing up to 70 rooms each.

+ URBN hotels
Via Responsible China