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Steven Bramson Named CEO of Innovative Ergonomic Solutions

Innovative Ergonomic Solutions | June 07, 2022

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Innovative Ergonomic Solutions (IES), a private equity-backed platform with a collection of inventive brands focused on increasing productivity wherever work happens through better ergonomics, has named Steven Bramson CEO, effective today. Bramson has served as IES President since joining the organization in August 2021. In this elevated role, he will be responsible for setting the company's vision, the strategies to accelerate growth and profitability, and to drive overall success for the organization.

Bramson will also oversee IES's diversified, global portfolio of brands. These include: HAT Collective, which serves the contract office market with intuitive, ergonomic products such as height-adjustable tables, monitor arms, seating, power and accessories; HAT Collective Healthcare, a division of HAT Collective, which provides point of care products like mobile carts and wall mounts;  Innovative Design Works (IDW), which serves as an original equipment manufacturer (OEM) and designer of monitor arms, tablet mounts and point of sale systems for customers ranging from hospitality to retail; and several e-commerce brands.

"Steven brings deep knowledge of the markets we serve and is well positioned to lead IES at this time in the company's lifecycle, He is a proven leader who can solve challenges, unite people and create new opportunities. He is a great fit to the lead the team and serve our customers."

- IES Executive Chair and commercial furnishings industry veteran Kris Manos.

Mark Woods, Non-Executive Chairman of IES, and Partner and Head of North American Private Equity at Cathay Capital, the controlling shareholder of IES, commented: "During his time at IES, Steven's vision, leadership skills and business acumen have been instrumental in strengthening the existing IES platform while identifying significant growth avenues. Steven is relentless in his pursuit of excellence, and we are confident he will create significant value for all stakeholders."

Bramson brings more than 25 years of experience to the position. Prior to joining IES, he was the President of Humanscale North America, a leading manufacturer and global provider of ergonomic products and high performance seating. During his tenure there, he oversaw many of the company's largest divisions, implemented new organizational strategies and helped deliver significant revenue growth and increased market share. 

About Innovative Ergonomic Solutions
Innovative Ergonomic Solutions is a private equity-backed platform with a collection of inventive brands focused on ergonomic workspace products and services that improve the health, wellness and productivity of users across a multitude of environments. IES serves a broad range of channels and markets including both corporate and home office, healthcare, hospitality, retail and point-of-sale. Its brands include HAT Collective, Innovative Design Works and others that serve the e-commerce market. IES is committed to product excellence and supporting the growth of ergonomics across North America, Europe, and Asia. 

About Cathay Capital
Cathay Capital Group is a global investment firm supporting companies at all stages throughout North America, Asia, Europe and Africa. By helping navigate the opportunities of globalization and sustainable transformation, Cathay is the partner of choice for companies aspiring to lead markets and make a positive impact. Its global platform connects people – from investors and entrepreneurs to management teams and leading corporations – across continents to share knowledge, the tools to scale, and achieve the extraordinary. Founded in 2007 with a strong entrepreneurial heritage, Cathay Capital now manages over $4.5B in assets, has completed over 220 buyouts, growth and venture capital investments with the global reach and local expertise from offices in Paris, New York, Shanghai, Munich, San Francisco, Beijing, Singapore, Shenzhen and Tel Aviv.

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Enumerate Launches as a Vertically Focused SaaS Accounting and Payments Leader After Prior Growth Equity Investment from Great Hill Partners

Businesswire | May 16, 2023

Enumerate (the “Company”), the leading provider of software and payment solutions to communities, homeowners associations (“HOAs”) and other vertical markets, today announced its rebrand after a previous growth equity investment from Great Hill Partners, a private equity firm that invests in high-growth, disruptive companies. The Company’s core products, TOPS Software (accounting) and Nabr Network (engagement), will operate under the new name Enumerate moving forward. Enumerate will be led by Charlie Piper, a software industry veteran and former Great Hill portfolio company executive. Great Hill invested growth capital into Enumerate’s predecessor company, TOPS Software, in July 2021 and executed the acquisition of Nabr Network in February 2022. Enumerate’s technology will bring together the best in accounting, operations, payments, resident engagement, and financial services in one easy-to-use and integrated platform. The investment from Great Hill will enable Enumerate to accelerate its growth plans and further enhance its product roadmap to better serve customers. “We are thrilled to partner with Great Hill as we embark on the next phase of our growth journey as a newly-launched company,” said Mr. Piper. “Combining the collective 70+ years of industry and product knowledge that we bring together, Enumerate is well-positioned to continue innovating on behalf of our customers. Furthermore, Great Hill’s deep experience scaling technology businesses will be invaluable to our transformation as we bring new solutions to market to deliver even greater value for our customers.” “In fragmented markets poorly served by point solutions, we believe Enumerate is uniquely positioned as the accounting system of record to deliver an integrated payments and software offering. Opportunities exist on both sides of the accounting ledger, accounts receivable (money in) and accounts payable (money out). We look forward to providing the support and resources required to capitalize on this large and under-penetrated opportunity across our core markets,” said Joe Germanese, Principal at Great Hill. Since its inception, Great Hill has developed a deep track record in the payments and software sectors with over 20 investments in the category. In addition to Enumerate, Great Hill Partners’ portfolio includes One Inc, Versapay, Paytronix, Vanco, NMI, BlueSnap, and more. Prior investments include Affinipay, Accelerated Payment Technologies, BillMatrix, ChromeRiver, MineralTree, and PayChoice, among others. About Enumerate Enumerate is the leading provider of community association management software and payments solutions that reduce administrative tasks by over 75% for property management companies and self-managed associations. With tens of thousands of communities and millions of homes managed, Enumerate empowers community association management organizations by digitizing and optimizing their accounting processes, operational workflows, AR & AP payments, and resident engagement. As a result, they can scale business and community growth and operations, improve homeowner and board satisfaction, maximize ROI, and transform the financial reconciliation processes. Enumerate exists to make community management easier. About Great Hill Partners Founded in 1998, Great Hill Partners is a private equity firm targeting investments of $100 million to $500 million in high-growth companies across the software, digital commerce, financial technology, healthcare, and digital infrastructure sectors. With offices in Boston and London, Great Hill has raised over $12 billion of commitments and invested in more than 95 companies, establishing an extensive track record of building long-term partnerships with entrepreneurs and providing flexible resources to help middle-market companies scale. Great Hill has been recognized for its industry leadership, being ranked #3 in the 2022 HEC Paris-Dow Jones Mid-Market Buyout Performance Ranking, which evaluated fund performance of 563 leading private equity firms between 2009-2018.

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Billtrust Earns EcoVadis Bronze Sustainability Rating

Billtrust | March 30, 2023

Billtrust, a B2B accounts receivable (AR) automation and digital payments market leader, has been recognized with a Bronze sustainability rating by the EcoVadis rating agency, which specializes in evaluating environmental performance and corporate social responsibility. The EcoVadis methodology scores companies on twenty-one indicators across four categories: Environment, Labor & Human Rights, Ethics and Sustainable Procurement. Sustainable business practices have always been a part of Billtrust culture, but in 2021, the company conducted its first materiality assessment to deepen its understanding of the most important issues to its stakeholders and business. Gathering expertise from customers, partners, employees, academia and NGOs, Billtrust worked to ensure its strategy was shaped by stakeholder feedback while reflecting its long standing company values. With an integrated, enterprise-wide approach to its Environmental, Social & Governance (ESG) program, Billtrust ensures alignment with its values and invests in what is most material to the company and the communities it impacts. Key sustainability initiatives for Billtrust include: • Sustainable Product Innovation. Billtrust transforms our customers' billing processes to enable more sustainable B2B payments. From January 2021 to June 2022, we: Drove eSolutions customer campaigns to accelerate digital adoption, saving 301 million paper invoices and 22 million paper checks from landfills. Introduced our Sustainability/eAdoption award to recognize one customer per year for realizing high-impact environmental savings. Incorporated environmental savings in our conversations with customers to demonstrate how digitizing paper billing and invoicing helps achieve business sustainability goals. • Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging (DEIB). At Billtrust, everyone belongs. Our commitment to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging (DEIB) is critical in fulfilling our vision to retain exceptional talent and lift up the communities in which we operate. We continually advance our DEIB efforts in a range of areas, including hiring diverse talent and growing our Employee Resource Groups (ERGs). • Billtrust for Good. We have an established philanthropic presence across the communities where we operate and throughout the world, and our employees are a key element of our social impact programming. In February 2022, we launched Billtrust for Good to drive social impact in our communities through activities such as partnerships with non-profit organizations, employee volunteering initiatives and corporate and matching grants. We make corporate donations and host employee volunteer activities regularly, including our recent company-wide Billtrust for Better Day, and 100% of our senior executives take part in Billtrust for Good programming. • Data Security and Privacy. Our enterprise cloud services are independently validated through third-party audits, continual self-assessment and legal oversight. We publish our privacy policies and terms of service, which describes our practices concerning the use, transmission and disclosure of information. • Energy and Greenhouse Gas Management. Billtrust hired a third-party environmental consulting firm to conduct our 2021 environmental baseline measurement report, covering scope 1, 2, and specific 3 category greenhouse gas emissions under the GHG Protocol. Through the assessment, we verified that our work-from-anywhere policy produced tangible environmental savings per employee. We will continue to identify opportunities to reduce our carbon footprint in our physical and digital operations, while also promoting internal day-to-day sustainable practices. "We are proud to receive the Bronze sustainability rating, which is emblematic of our ongoing efforts to be responsible global corporate citizens," said Sunil Rajasekar, Billtrust CEO. "We embrace our responsibility as a global company by focusing on people and culture, climate and communities, and trust and accountability to create value for all of our stakeholders and help address critical global issues." More than 100,000 companies globally have been rated by EcoVadis. EcoVadis' business sustainability ratings are based on international sustainability standards such as the Ten Principles of the UN Global Compact, the International Labour Organization (ILO) conventions, the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) standards and the ISO 26000 standard. About Billtrust Billtrust is a leading provider of cloud-based software and integrated payment processing solutions that simplify and automate B2B commerce. The order-to-cash process is broken and relies on conventional processes that are outdated, inefficient, manual and largely paper based. Billtrust is at the forefront of the digital transformation of the order-to-cash process, providing mission-critical solutions that span credit decisioning and monitoring, online ordering, invoice delivery, payments and remittance capture, invoicing, cash application and collections.

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Surfsand Resort Elevates Guest and Staff Experiences with Agilysys Property Management, Point-of-Sale, and Payment Processing Solutions

Businesswire | May 30, 2023

Surfsand Resort in Cannon Beach, Oregon has built its long-held reputation as a leading vacation spot in part based on its enviable location overlooking the iconic 235-foot-high Haystack Rock just off the Northwest Pacific Coast. In 2022 the resort further elevated its stature by updating all the property’s systems prior to a property-wide renovation and expansion starting in November 2023. Surfsand also reinforced its allure as a destination for special moments by introducing various packages of themed experiences and upgrades individual guests and groups can reserve in addition to their rooms. Coinciding with these advancements, Surfsand decided to upgrade its operational and digital capabilities by choosing property management, point-of-sale and payment processing software and systems from Agilysys. In addition to improving efficiency for both guests and staff, the new software will help Surfsand unify data on guest preferences across various property experiences so that each stay can be tailored in advance with special amenities and offers, and so that staff can personalize their interactions with guests before, during and after each stay. The property’s diverse offerings include those that are family-friendly, such as Taffy the Puffin birthday bashes, guided tide pool excursions, group photo shoots and beach bonfires featuring s’mores; those with romantic appeal such as sunset dining on the beach, couples spa retreats and art tours; and those designed for pet lovers, such as pet-friendly rooms, furry guest welcome baskets that provide a towel, a placemat, bowls for food and water and tasty treats at check-in, and activities designed for pet participation. Surfsand General Manager Phillip Wilson noted that systems that make these enriched guest experiences easy to discover and reserve are integral to the property’s evolution.Wilson said, “Our one-of-a-kind location supports delivering unique guest experiences, whether visitors are designing their dream weddings, celebrating family milestones, or connecting more closely as couples. When evaluating technology systems, it was essential that we be able to tailor them to fit our hotel and the special things we do for our guests. Our guests are looking to book more than rooms; they want to book something special. Our technology systems need to make it easy for guests to connect with all the amenities and thoughtfully designed experiences we offer, so Surfsand can be not only their favorite resort, but the one to which they return most often to enjoy personalized experiences they cannot find elsewhere.”While the ability to tailor the technology to Surfsand’s unique offerings is important, Wilson said his number one driver in selecting systems is customer service he can count on. “I have worked with Agilysys and numerous other hospitality technology providers, and Agilysys’ support is hands-down better than all the rest,” Wilson said. “All of us users know systems, no matter who provides them, will have problems or even fail from time to time. Knowing that skilled and intelligent support is there to help and that response times are quick is hugely important. Agilysys has that advantage,” he said. Wilson also noted that properties that are not part of a standardized brand structure greatly benefit from the ability to tailor reports and functions for their unique guest and market data requirements. “In non-branded hotels, operations change and different needs pop up, so we often need custom data sets,” Wilson observed. “Other hospitality technology providers, including the largest ones, charge customers for any report you ask to have built. Agilysys accommodates diversity in how properties operate without exacting that financial burden,” he concluded. A pleasant surprise was how quickly the Surfsand staff members were able to learn the new software as well as operate it proficiently. “When software is intuitive and easy to learn, user satisfaction is meaningfully higher,” Wilson said. “We were pleased with how quickly our staff members became comfortable operating even the advanced capabilities of the system,” he added. Jeba Kingsley, Agilysys vice president of professional services, commented that Surfsand’s goals make the property an ideal customer for Agilysys solutions. “Helping Surfsand create deeper understanding of guests and staff over time so they can continuously evolve personalized, unique and enhanced experiences is the perfect role for Agilysys solutions,” Kingsley said. “Our solutions provide best-of-breed operating performance when deployed standalone, and also are designed to work together across a hospitality ecosystem to deliver exponential value as each solution contributes data to create and utilize a unified profile for each guest over time. We get energized when working with customers such as Surfsand who recognize the long-term advantage of using their hospitality technology systems to enhance guest and staff experiences and to take satisfaction to a higher level,” Kingsley added. Versatile PMS Capabilities Support Efficiency and Deeper Guest Knowledge Key drivers for Surfsand’s PMS selection were the ability to manage a diverse mix of accommodations and amenities; the ability to leverage efficient cloud-based operations while also maintaining offline operating integrity during Internet challenges; and rich digital and mobile options for both guests and staff.The system also equips staff to see and book available upgrades, dining and activity reservations and Experience Enhancement packages in a single session from a single comprehensive view without switching among different systems. In turn, guests also can experience personalized offers when booking in advance and while they are checking in. Intuitive interfaces, simplified workflows, and groupings of commonly used tasks also make user training simpler and faster. Proven Point-of-Sale and Payment Solutions Maximize Security and Convenience Agilysys POS and payment solutions enable Surfsand to use a wide range of traditional fixed-station POS terminals and mobile devices (across Microsoft Windows, Android and iOS operating systems) to match the needs and style of different venues and revenue centers across the property.Guests can pay for restaurant checks and other transactions using their mobile phones through one of the first point-to-point encryption (P2PE) payment solutions for hospitality validated by the PCI Security Standards Council. Surfsand can deliver secure electronic payments across guest experiences, including countertop, table service, EMV, mobile tablet, and signature capture scenarios. They also can choose from a broad array of U.S. credit card processors and can easily change equipment as technology evolves. “Agilysys has been a terrific partner in helping us to map out our hospitality technology evolution, and we look forward to continuing to create new ways to delight guests leveraging the advanced capabilities these systems enable,” Wilson concluded. About Agilysys Agilysys is well known for its long heritage of hospitality-focused technology innovation. The Company delivers modular and integrated software solutions and expertise to businesses seeking to maximize Return on Experience (ROE) through hospitality encounters that are both personal and profitable. Over time, customers achieve High Return Hospitality by consistently delighting guests, retaining staff and growing margins. Customers around the world include: branded and independent hotels; multi-amenity resort properties; casinos; property, hotel and resort management companies; cruise lines; corporate dining providers; higher education campus dining providers; food service management companies; hospitals; lifestyle communities; senior living facilities; stadiums; and theme parks. The Agilysys Hospitality Cloud™ combines core operational systems for property management (PMS), point-of-sale (POS) and Inventory and Procurement (I&P) with Experience Enhancers™ that meaningfully improve interactions for guests and employees across dimensions such as digital access, mobile convenience, self-service control, personal choice, payment options, service coverage and real-time insights to improve decisions. Core solutions and Experience Enhancers are combined in Hospitality Solution Studios™ tailored to specific hospitality settings and business needs.

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Enumerate Launches as a Vertically Focused SaaS Accounting and Payments Leader After Prior Growth Equity Investment from Great Hill Partners

Businesswire | May 16, 2023

Enumerate (the “Company”), the leading provider of software and payment solutions to communities, homeowners associations (“HOAs”) and other vertical markets, today announced its rebrand after a previous growth equity investment from Great Hill Partners, a private equity firm that invests in high-growth, disruptive companies. The Company’s core products, TOPS Software (accounting) and Nabr Network (engagement), will operate under the new name Enumerate moving forward. Enumerate will be led by Charlie Piper, a software industry veteran and former Great Hill portfolio company executive. Great Hill invested growth capital into Enumerate’s predecessor company, TOPS Software, in July 2021 and executed the acquisition of Nabr Network in February 2022. Enumerate’s technology will bring together the best in accounting, operations, payments, resident engagement, and financial services in one easy-to-use and integrated platform. The investment from Great Hill will enable Enumerate to accelerate its growth plans and further enhance its product roadmap to better serve customers. “We are thrilled to partner with Great Hill as we embark on the next phase of our growth journey as a newly-launched company,” said Mr. Piper. “Combining the collective 70+ years of industry and product knowledge that we bring together, Enumerate is well-positioned to continue innovating on behalf of our customers. Furthermore, Great Hill’s deep experience scaling technology businesses will be invaluable to our transformation as we bring new solutions to market to deliver even greater value for our customers.” “In fragmented markets poorly served by point solutions, we believe Enumerate is uniquely positioned as the accounting system of record to deliver an integrated payments and software offering. Opportunities exist on both sides of the accounting ledger, accounts receivable (money in) and accounts payable (money out). We look forward to providing the support and resources required to capitalize on this large and under-penetrated opportunity across our core markets,” said Joe Germanese, Principal at Great Hill. Since its inception, Great Hill has developed a deep track record in the payments and software sectors with over 20 investments in the category. In addition to Enumerate, Great Hill Partners’ portfolio includes One Inc, Versapay, Paytronix, Vanco, NMI, BlueSnap, and more. Prior investments include Affinipay, Accelerated Payment Technologies, BillMatrix, ChromeRiver, MineralTree, and PayChoice, among others. About Enumerate Enumerate is the leading provider of community association management software and payments solutions that reduce administrative tasks by over 75% for property management companies and self-managed associations. With tens of thousands of communities and millions of homes managed, Enumerate empowers community association management organizations by digitizing and optimizing their accounting processes, operational workflows, AR & AP payments, and resident engagement. As a result, they can scale business and community growth and operations, improve homeowner and board satisfaction, maximize ROI, and transform the financial reconciliation processes. Enumerate exists to make community management easier. About Great Hill Partners Founded in 1998, Great Hill Partners is a private equity firm targeting investments of $100 million to $500 million in high-growth companies across the software, digital commerce, financial technology, healthcare, and digital infrastructure sectors. With offices in Boston and London, Great Hill has raised over $12 billion of commitments and invested in more than 95 companies, establishing an extensive track record of building long-term partnerships with entrepreneurs and providing flexible resources to help middle-market companies scale. Great Hill has been recognized for its industry leadership, being ranked #3 in the 2022 HEC Paris-Dow Jones Mid-Market Buyout Performance Ranking, which evaluated fund performance of 563 leading private equity firms between 2009-2018.

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POS RETAIL

Billtrust Earns EcoVadis Bronze Sustainability Rating

Billtrust | March 30, 2023

Billtrust, a B2B accounts receivable (AR) automation and digital payments market leader, has been recognized with a Bronze sustainability rating by the EcoVadis rating agency, which specializes in evaluating environmental performance and corporate social responsibility. The EcoVadis methodology scores companies on twenty-one indicators across four categories: Environment, Labor & Human Rights, Ethics and Sustainable Procurement. Sustainable business practices have always been a part of Billtrust culture, but in 2021, the company conducted its first materiality assessment to deepen its understanding of the most important issues to its stakeholders and business. Gathering expertise from customers, partners, employees, academia and NGOs, Billtrust worked to ensure its strategy was shaped by stakeholder feedback while reflecting its long standing company values. With an integrated, enterprise-wide approach to its Environmental, Social & Governance (ESG) program, Billtrust ensures alignment with its values and invests in what is most material to the company and the communities it impacts. Key sustainability initiatives for Billtrust include: • Sustainable Product Innovation. Billtrust transforms our customers' billing processes to enable more sustainable B2B payments. From January 2021 to June 2022, we: Drove eSolutions customer campaigns to accelerate digital adoption, saving 301 million paper invoices and 22 million paper checks from landfills. Introduced our Sustainability/eAdoption award to recognize one customer per year for realizing high-impact environmental savings. Incorporated environmental savings in our conversations with customers to demonstrate how digitizing paper billing and invoicing helps achieve business sustainability goals. • Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging (DEIB). At Billtrust, everyone belongs. Our commitment to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging (DEIB) is critical in fulfilling our vision to retain exceptional talent and lift up the communities in which we operate. We continually advance our DEIB efforts in a range of areas, including hiring diverse talent and growing our Employee Resource Groups (ERGs). • Billtrust for Good. We have an established philanthropic presence across the communities where we operate and throughout the world, and our employees are a key element of our social impact programming. In February 2022, we launched Billtrust for Good to drive social impact in our communities through activities such as partnerships with non-profit organizations, employee volunteering initiatives and corporate and matching grants. We make corporate donations and host employee volunteer activities regularly, including our recent company-wide Billtrust for Better Day, and 100% of our senior executives take part in Billtrust for Good programming. • Data Security and Privacy. Our enterprise cloud services are independently validated through third-party audits, continual self-assessment and legal oversight. We publish our privacy policies and terms of service, which describes our practices concerning the use, transmission and disclosure of information. • Energy and Greenhouse Gas Management. Billtrust hired a third-party environmental consulting firm to conduct our 2021 environmental baseline measurement report, covering scope 1, 2, and specific 3 category greenhouse gas emissions under the GHG Protocol. Through the assessment, we verified that our work-from-anywhere policy produced tangible environmental savings per employee. We will continue to identify opportunities to reduce our carbon footprint in our physical and digital operations, while also promoting internal day-to-day sustainable practices. "We are proud to receive the Bronze sustainability rating, which is emblematic of our ongoing efforts to be responsible global corporate citizens," said Sunil Rajasekar, Billtrust CEO. "We embrace our responsibility as a global company by focusing on people and culture, climate and communities, and trust and accountability to create value for all of our stakeholders and help address critical global issues." More than 100,000 companies globally have been rated by EcoVadis. EcoVadis' business sustainability ratings are based on international sustainability standards such as the Ten Principles of the UN Global Compact, the International Labour Organization (ILO) conventions, the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) standards and the ISO 26000 standard. About Billtrust Billtrust is a leading provider of cloud-based software and integrated payment processing solutions that simplify and automate B2B commerce. The order-to-cash process is broken and relies on conventional processes that are outdated, inefficient, manual and largely paper based. Billtrust is at the forefront of the digital transformation of the order-to-cash process, providing mission-critical solutions that span credit decisioning and monitoring, online ordering, invoice delivery, payments and remittance capture, invoicing, cash application and collections.

Read More

POS RETAIL

Surfsand Resort Elevates Guest and Staff Experiences with Agilysys Property Management, Point-of-Sale, and Payment Processing Solutions

Businesswire | May 30, 2023

Surfsand Resort in Cannon Beach, Oregon has built its long-held reputation as a leading vacation spot in part based on its enviable location overlooking the iconic 235-foot-high Haystack Rock just off the Northwest Pacific Coast. In 2022 the resort further elevated its stature by updating all the property’s systems prior to a property-wide renovation and expansion starting in November 2023. Surfsand also reinforced its allure as a destination for special moments by introducing various packages of themed experiences and upgrades individual guests and groups can reserve in addition to their rooms. Coinciding with these advancements, Surfsand decided to upgrade its operational and digital capabilities by choosing property management, point-of-sale and payment processing software and systems from Agilysys. In addition to improving efficiency for both guests and staff, the new software will help Surfsand unify data on guest preferences across various property experiences so that each stay can be tailored in advance with special amenities and offers, and so that staff can personalize their interactions with guests before, during and after each stay. The property’s diverse offerings include those that are family-friendly, such as Taffy the Puffin birthday bashes, guided tide pool excursions, group photo shoots and beach bonfires featuring s’mores; those with romantic appeal such as sunset dining on the beach, couples spa retreats and art tours; and those designed for pet lovers, such as pet-friendly rooms, furry guest welcome baskets that provide a towel, a placemat, bowls for food and water and tasty treats at check-in, and activities designed for pet participation. Surfsand General Manager Phillip Wilson noted that systems that make these enriched guest experiences easy to discover and reserve are integral to the property’s evolution.Wilson said, “Our one-of-a-kind location supports delivering unique guest experiences, whether visitors are designing their dream weddings, celebrating family milestones, or connecting more closely as couples. When evaluating technology systems, it was essential that we be able to tailor them to fit our hotel and the special things we do for our guests. Our guests are looking to book more than rooms; they want to book something special. Our technology systems need to make it easy for guests to connect with all the amenities and thoughtfully designed experiences we offer, so Surfsand can be not only their favorite resort, but the one to which they return most often to enjoy personalized experiences they cannot find elsewhere.”While the ability to tailor the technology to Surfsand’s unique offerings is important, Wilson said his number one driver in selecting systems is customer service he can count on. “I have worked with Agilysys and numerous other hospitality technology providers, and Agilysys’ support is hands-down better than all the rest,” Wilson said. “All of us users know systems, no matter who provides them, will have problems or even fail from time to time. Knowing that skilled and intelligent support is there to help and that response times are quick is hugely important. Agilysys has that advantage,” he said. Wilson also noted that properties that are not part of a standardized brand structure greatly benefit from the ability to tailor reports and functions for their unique guest and market data requirements. “In non-branded hotels, operations change and different needs pop up, so we often need custom data sets,” Wilson observed. “Other hospitality technology providers, including the largest ones, charge customers for any report you ask to have built. Agilysys accommodates diversity in how properties operate without exacting that financial burden,” he concluded. A pleasant surprise was how quickly the Surfsand staff members were able to learn the new software as well as operate it proficiently. “When software is intuitive and easy to learn, user satisfaction is meaningfully higher,” Wilson said. “We were pleased with how quickly our staff members became comfortable operating even the advanced capabilities of the system,” he added. Jeba Kingsley, Agilysys vice president of professional services, commented that Surfsand’s goals make the property an ideal customer for Agilysys solutions. “Helping Surfsand create deeper understanding of guests and staff over time so they can continuously evolve personalized, unique and enhanced experiences is the perfect role for Agilysys solutions,” Kingsley said. “Our solutions provide best-of-breed operating performance when deployed standalone, and also are designed to work together across a hospitality ecosystem to deliver exponential value as each solution contributes data to create and utilize a unified profile for each guest over time. We get energized when working with customers such as Surfsand who recognize the long-term advantage of using their hospitality technology systems to enhance guest and staff experiences and to take satisfaction to a higher level,” Kingsley added. Versatile PMS Capabilities Support Efficiency and Deeper Guest Knowledge Key drivers for Surfsand’s PMS selection were the ability to manage a diverse mix of accommodations and amenities; the ability to leverage efficient cloud-based operations while also maintaining offline operating integrity during Internet challenges; and rich digital and mobile options for both guests and staff.The system also equips staff to see and book available upgrades, dining and activity reservations and Experience Enhancement packages in a single session from a single comprehensive view without switching among different systems. In turn, guests also can experience personalized offers when booking in advance and while they are checking in. Intuitive interfaces, simplified workflows, and groupings of commonly used tasks also make user training simpler and faster. Proven Point-of-Sale and Payment Solutions Maximize Security and Convenience Agilysys POS and payment solutions enable Surfsand to use a wide range of traditional fixed-station POS terminals and mobile devices (across Microsoft Windows, Android and iOS operating systems) to match the needs and style of different venues and revenue centers across the property.Guests can pay for restaurant checks and other transactions using their mobile phones through one of the first point-to-point encryption (P2PE) payment solutions for hospitality validated by the PCI Security Standards Council. Surfsand can deliver secure electronic payments across guest experiences, including countertop, table service, EMV, mobile tablet, and signature capture scenarios. They also can choose from a broad array of U.S. credit card processors and can easily change equipment as technology evolves. “Agilysys has been a terrific partner in helping us to map out our hospitality technology evolution, and we look forward to continuing to create new ways to delight guests leveraging the advanced capabilities these systems enable,” Wilson concluded. About Agilysys Agilysys is well known for its long heritage of hospitality-focused technology innovation. The Company delivers modular and integrated software solutions and expertise to businesses seeking to maximize Return on Experience (ROE) through hospitality encounters that are both personal and profitable. Over time, customers achieve High Return Hospitality by consistently delighting guests, retaining staff and growing margins. Customers around the world include: branded and independent hotels; multi-amenity resort properties; casinos; property, hotel and resort management companies; cruise lines; corporate dining providers; higher education campus dining providers; food service management companies; hospitals; lifestyle communities; senior living facilities; stadiums; and theme parks. The Agilysys Hospitality Cloud™ combines core operational systems for property management (PMS), point-of-sale (POS) and Inventory and Procurement (I&P) with Experience Enhancers™ that meaningfully improve interactions for guests and employees across dimensions such as digital access, mobile convenience, self-service control, personal choice, payment options, service coverage and real-time insights to improve decisions. Core solutions and Experience Enhancers are combined in Hospitality Solution Studios™ tailored to specific hospitality settings and business needs.

Read More

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