Major global hotel chain adds to its existing global usage of SunSystems

Hilton International has selected MICROS-Fidelio Financials powered by SunSystems (MFF) – a leading business and financial management software solution developed specifically for the hospitality sector – for its 17 Egyptian hotels.

To upgrade Hilton International’s current solution in Egypt while sustaining and extending its competitive position in the region, the hotel faced an expensive and time-consuming upgrade process. By comparison, MFF could offer the group an alternative delivering quality financial and business information at a fraction of the cost and time.

Widely recognized as one of today’s leading hospitality companies, Hilton International is an operating division of the UK-based Hilton Group plc. Its portfolio comprises some 400 hotels around the world and includes some of the world’s best known and highly regarded brands including Hilton, Scandic and Conrad.

Having first implemented SunSystems in 1997, Hilton International was already aware of the quantifiable business benefits offered by the solution when making its selection for its Egyptian properties. In addition, the majority of its hotels in Egypt use both the MICROS PMS and POS products.

James Wright, area IT director, MEAP at Hilton International commented: “We were in no doubt as to the strengths of the SunSystems and MICROS proposition. We have been impressed with the quality of financial data we can generate, the scalability and cost efficiency of the solution and speed with which we can install the MFF solution in any location around the world. In fact, we now have around 500 concurrent users of the SunSystems and MICROS solution across our diverse portfolio of hotels in Africa, Asia, the Middle East and the Americas.“

The need for a truly global, enterprise-wide financial and business management system combined with the highly competitive landscape in the hospitality sector in Egypt led Hilton International to re-evaluate its existing finance system and ultimately its choice of solution.

James Wright explained: “Having conducted a comprehensive review of our business and operational requirements we found that SunSystems and MICROS delivered not only leading financial and analytical capabilities, but also more rapid implementation times. In fact we can install MICROS-Fidelio Financials powered by SunSystems and be actively using the system in a 5-6 month time frame compared to a multi-year installation programme with other alternative providers. As a result, we are already recognizing a return on our investment. The solution has also been able to offer us the flexibility and scalability required to ensure that our finance system will grow with our business.“

The importance of integration between finance and other line-of-business applications has become paramount as organizations are under increased pressure not only to comply with new reporting regulations, but also to provide timely access to business and financial information in a consistent format. In addition, an increasingly global market requires the ability to manage complex transactions involving multiple languages and currencies. Indeed, the hospitality sector is actively seeking solutions that can access, consolidate and deliver business critical information from multiple locations, sources and business units in a unified view.

SunSystems and MICROS, both world leaders in the fields of back- and front-of-house solutions for the hospitality sector, have developed MFF in response to this changing requirement. The solution meets perfectly the needs of Hilton International in Egypt. The ease with which MFF integrates with other business applications and its ability to be readily customized to suit the individual reporting needs of global hoteliers were among the key attributes required by Hilton International. In addition, MFF offers the Hilton International team comprehensive analytical tools that facilitate the consolidation of statistical and financial data. It enables the system to provide key performance indicators such as gross operating profit per room available (GOPPAR) or room revenues per available room (RevPAR) automatically at user specified schedules.

Wright added: “As the alliance between MICROS and SunSystems leverages the rich functionality and proven capabilities of both company’s solutions, it was a logical choice for us to select MFF for this particular project. Indeed, we have been impressed by the ease of use, rapid implementation time, depth of functionality and enterprise wide reporting capabilities offered by the MFF suite.”

Hugh Stafford-Smith, EMEA managing director for SunSystems, commented: “In having a comprehensive understanding of the key performance indicators that govern their operations and a more immediate insight into emerging trends, global hoteliers have the ability to manage and understand their business operations more effectively and improve their strategic decision making processes. Designed specifically for the hospitality sector, MFF is one of the few truly global solutions that it is capable of delivering on these requirements cost effectively while ensuring that users rapidly maximize the return on their investment in the technology. We are delighted that Hilton International has selected MFF for its Egyptian hotels and this project represents a significant step in further strengthening our relationship with this global hotel group.”