According to a press release, Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. and HP "announced a broad technology agreement that will enable Starwood to deliver an improved guest reservation experience to its customers around the globe.
"As part of a seven-year, $100 million contract, the companies are pooling resources and expertise to build a new global reservation system that will be managed by HP. In addition to vastly improved functionality, Starwood anticipates savings of $15 million to $20 million annually on its technology operating costs." It's unclear from the release if this will include meetings reservations, or just transient business.
Think those tech savings will end up being reflected in lower room rates and/or a reduction in add-on fees and surcharges? Sorry, just had to ask. Very smart move on Starwood's part: I hope it comes off with nary a glitch.
To comment on this post, click on "comments" below. To receive a weekly blog update, e-mail Sue.