Omni Hotels announced today that it has begun implementing one of the first brand-wide guest relationship management programs in the hotel industry, which will allow the luxury hotel company to collect customer data and tailor special guest programs, services and promotions based on customer preferences

Omni Hotels already has implemented its new data warehousing platform, designed and maintained by Dallas-based Pegasus Solutions, Inc. (Nasdaq: PEGS), at four properties, including the Omni Dallas Hotel at Park West, the Omni Mandalay Hotel at Las Colinas, the Omni Berkshire Place in New York and the Omni Ambassador East in Chicago. The innovative program is scheduled to be operational in all of Omni Hotels’ more than 40 properties in North America by the end of 2000.

The proprietary data warehousing platform is a transaction-based system that collects large amounts of customer data that Omni Hotels can then use to differentiate the needs of its special customers chain-wide and market to specific groups of travelers. The system also will enable Omni Hotels to evaluate and fine-tune the company’s guest programs, perform trend analysis and personalize Internet service for guests.

“The new guest relationship management program that Omni Hotels is implementing mirrors the company’s overall strategy to become an even more customer-centric organization. In simple terms, we want our customers to drive the decision-making process at all Omni Hotels properties,” said Jim Caldwell, president of Omni Hotels in Irving, Texas. “Using this state-of-the-art technology, Omni Hotels will be able to better target its customers and understand exactly what they want and need from a travel partner.”

Omni Hotels’ customer data will be fed from each hotel’s Libica property management system to Pegasus Solutions where it will become part of the data warehouse. Each Omni Hotels property will be able to analyze hotel-specific data or company-wide data to identify individual customer needs and trends.

“This program will allow Omni Hotels to expand its one-to-one marketing approach, and become the leader in the hotel industry for providing the highest level of personalized, attentive guest service at every property in the company’s portfolio,” said Peter Strebel, vice president of marketing for Omni Hotels. “By truly getting to know our customers’ preferences and always going one step further to cater to individual needs, Omni Hotels will be able to differentiate itself from the rest of the lodging companies in the luxury hotel category.”

According to Kevin Short, senior vice president of Pegasus Business Intelligence, Omni Hotels’ strategic utilization of Pegasus’ data warehousing tool will provide a significant competitive advantage for the luxury hotel chain.

“Using our data warehousing solution, Omni Hotels has access to a cost-effective key to unlocking the incredible value of its customer information at the property and chain levels, ultimately enhancing the hotel company’s ability to make more informed guest-related decisions,” Short said. The addition of the new guest relationship management program follows on the heels of Omni Hotels’ four-year, $1 billion brand-wide capital improvements program, which included extensive company-wide renovations that produced a lavish portfolio of hotels and resorts unmatched within the upscale hotel segment.

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