Keystep are proud to sponsor HOSPA’s Members Meeting ‘Guest Facing Technology’ to be held at the CitizenM hotel, in London, on Monday 29th April.

Renowned as a hotel group that challenges the norm, CitizenM has embraced technology and turned it to a competitive advantage. Guests have tablet PCs in their rooms that control the environment and the entertainment system – with movies and Internet offered inclusive within the rate. The hotel receives excellent reviews from guests and benefits by attaining high occupancy rates.

Aimed at IT and Finance Directors, the evening will commence with a tour of the hotel, followed by a reception and panel session. The panelists will share insights into latest industry trends and themes, followed by Q&A discussions.

Keystep’s Managing Director Andrew Evans will speak as part of the Panel Discussions.

Keystep Limited, IT services provider to the hospitality industry, has been supporting all of the Vingcard Electronic Lock Systems within the Shire Hotels Estate since 2011, so when the Group looked for a reliable supplier to support their EPoS Hardware, Keystep were the natural choice.

Andrew Evans, Managing Director of Keystep Limited commented “As we already had a good knowledge of the hotels and their infrastructure, Keystep were able to tailor a support package that met exactly the requirements of Shire Hotels”.  He continues “We never take for granted the relationships with have with our customers, and appreciate the faith Shire Hotels have shown in us by extending our scope of operations for them”.

Keystep understands the highly competitive hospitality market, and supports many of the famous hotel brands across UK and Europe.  Keystep accredits its success by continually delivering on the demands of its customers, always meeting, if not exceeding, response and repair times.  It was these reasons that Shire Hotels IT Manager, Irvin Aldridge, selected Keystep to support their electronic lock systems and EPoS hardware.

Aldridge comments:  To be able to select a single partner that we can rely on to support both our EPoS Hardware and Electronic Lock Systems is a great propostion that provides us with a single point of contact for two of our most critical front of house applications”.

The upgrade was prompted by Malmasion’s desire to replace its ageing hardware and improve system reliability. The range of KeyPOS hardware selected allowed for backward compatibility as well as plenty of capacity for new functionality by offering outstanding performance. The KeyPOS terminals are rugged and compact with a slim design catering to a wide variety of applications for the retail and hospitality sectors. Adapting Intel’s latest technology, the KeyPOS terminal is a fanless and power efficient solution offering uncompromised reliability and robustness.

In addition to providing all the EPoS terminals to the hotel group, Keystep also supply hardware such as receipt printers, kitchen printers, cash drawers and all manner of EPoS consumables, they also support their Vingcard Electronic Lock Systems  This provides the hotel group with a single point of contact for all of their EPoS and Electronic Lock System requirements.

Keystep Limited – a company experienced in supporting systems for numerous hotels in the UK and Europe – understands the highly competitive hotel industry and has a proven track record of stepping up to meet the demands of its customers by meeting response and repair times.  It was for these reasons Red Carnation’s IT Manager, Andy Evers, selected Keystep to help.

VingCard™, the door locking system used at the Chesterfield Hotel in Mayfair, was the first site Keystep reviewed.  Replacing the VingCard™ server and completely re-installing the Vision software left Red Carnation with a stable solution, and the confidence to award Keystep a contract to support and maintain all other locking systems for their London and Geneva based hotels.

This contract required Keystep engineers to visit each of the properties and carry out a system audit as well as a full back up.  The result of this exercise paves the way for quick resolutions of any future hardware failures, allowing the systems to be replaced and restored quickly and easily.

Andrew Evers, Red Carnation’s Group IT Manager comments “With their obvious experience in such industries, our requirements posed no challenge for Keystep, who were easily able to provide high standards we need in order to stay on top of our game.”

MD of Keystep Andrew Evans adds “We are delighted to have been awarded a contract to support an estimated 400 door locks within 4 hotels in London and Geneva.  We accredit this to our reputation of expertise and excellence of service we provide to our customers.”

The upgrade was prompted by QMH’s desire to replace its ageing hardware. However, the new hardware needed to be flexible enough to operate its existing legacy EPoS software, and its new cutting edge EPoS solution. The range of KeyPOS hardware selected allowed for backward compatibility, whilst also offering outstanding performance. The KeyPOS terminals are rugged and compact with a slim design catering to a wide variety of applications for the retail and hospitality sectors. Adapting Intel’s latest technology, the KeyPOS terminal is a fanless and power efficient solution offering uncompromised reliability and robustness.

Commenting on the upgrade, Managing Director of Keystep Andrew Evans confirms “Keystep have worked with QMH for several years and the hardware upgrades have led to a dramatic decrease in the number of support calls and the improvements in system reliability have helped QMH concentrate on the guest experience – and for a hotel group that’s what it’s all about

HOSPACE is a one-day annual conference and exhibition hosted by HOSPA (formerly BAHA) which is the UK’s leading educational organisation for Professionals involved in Financial Management, Revenue Management and IT within the hospitality industry.

The theme of this year’s eagerly awaited HOSPACE 2012 Annual Conference and Exhibition for hospitality finance, revenue management, IT and commercial professionals has been announced – ‘Taking the Investment Forward – Making the Most of the Investment in Your People and Business to Create Value’. This prestigious HOSPA event will be held on 22 November 2012 at the Sofitel London Heathrow, at Terminal 5.

Wi-Fi is a true business enabler. Providing wireless internet access can help increase revenues, reduce costs, enhance the customer experience and provide new opportunities. Public Wi-Fi has become a necessity. Consumers now take wireless internet connectivity into account when choosing venues and the quality of the connection is vitally important. A user-friendly wireless internet service helps attract and retain customers.

A recent survey detailed 86% of guests see Wi-Fi as a must when selecting a venue. Therefore ensuring that your venue has both a reliable wireless network and suitable internet connection is essential.

In preparation for the influx of new students and the massive party nights Gatecrasher wanted additional EPoS terminals installing. Keystep were happy to help and were able to supply, configure and install the additional EPoS terminals within 2 weeks. A fantastic sized dance floor with its own unique bar providing the finest spirits, shots, bottles and champagne, its no wonder the venue is always packed out.

Already supporting their systems at their other venues, Keystep where the obvious choice to bolster Gatecrashers EPoS systems at the flagship Leeds venue.

Already operating the KeyPOS EPoS solution they are the first site in the UK to have Keystep’s all new EPoS terminals, which have been designed from the ground up specifically for the hospitality environment. In the past Keystep have used off the shelf EPoS terminals, but now they have there very own terminal. Drawing on 20 years of EPoS experience in the hospitality sector the terminal is built to last.

The KeyPOS range of terminals comes in several colours and is incredible robust as it has no moving parts, which makes it ideal for the tough hospitality environment. You also have the option of customer’s displays, Dallas Key or Mag card readers as well as receipt and kitchen printers.

Don’t be surprised if you see a KeyPOS terminal in your local next time you pop in!

Keystep were happy to help and were able to configure and install the additional 10  EPoS terminals within 2 weeks. This takes the total number of EPoS terminals at the venue to 45 in preparation for the 4000 expected party goers.

Already supporting their systems at their other venues, Keystep where the obvious choice to bolster Gatecrashers EPoS  systems at the flag ship Birmingham venue.