News & Press Releases

Libra OnDemand Expands Crew in the Cloud with Additions to Communications and Professional Services

2012-01-31T09:00:00Z

New Additions Will Expand Professional Services and Provide Valuable Marketing and Online Community Insight to Clients

Libra OnDemand Poised for Growth with Addition of Three Customer Success Managers

2011-11-15T12:40:06Z

Leading hospitality technology systems provider anticipates “significant growth” in 2012 —

Libra OnDemand, the leading provider of cloud based hospitality applications designed to drive sales and increase revenues for the world’s premier hospitality organizations, continues its rapid growth with the addition of three experienced Customer Success Managers to its staff. The new hires, Pam Vickers, Jennifer Trevino and Raemarie Roqué, are key additions to help Libra OnDemand meet the increasing demand for its innovative Hospitality Relationship Management (HRM) system.

Pam Vickers joins Libra OnDemand in the role of Customer Success Manager. A 25-year veteran of the hospitality industry with companies such as L’Ermitage Hotel Group, Beacon Hotel Corporation, and Hotel Information Systems, Vickers brings a wealth of experience in hospitality technology to Libra OnDemand and its clients. Based in the New England area, Vickers will primarily serve clients in the northeastern United States and abroad.

Vickers’ experience in the hospitality industry runs deep as evidenced by her participation as a guest lecturer at the Preston Robert Tisch Center for Hospitality, Tourism and Sports Management at New York University. For the past two years, Vickers was featured as an industry expert at HFTP’s annual Hospitality Industry Technology Exposition and Conference (HITEC).

Another key player with 14 years of hospitality experience, Jennifer Trevino, joins Libra OnDemand as a Customer Success Manager. As a recent seven-year veteran at Travelocity with progressive levels of responsibility, Trevino’s role as a regional sales director positions her perfectly as a trusted partner for Libra OnDemand’s vast clientele, ranging from small boutique hotels to the world’s largest hospitality chains. Trevino also excelled as Drury Hotel’s e-marketing manager during a six-year span. Based at Libra OnDemand’s headquarters in Celebration, Florida, Trevino will primarily consult with hospitality clients in the southeastern United States and abroad.

The hiring of Raemarie Roqué is the final piece of Libra OnDemand’s trifecta. Roqué brings more than 10 years of solid software experience gained during her tenure at CA Technologies. Skilled at consulting clients in Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) products, her reputation as a trusted technical advisor will continue at Libra OnDemand. Based in Orange County, California, Roqué will consult with hospitality organizations on the Pacific Coast and abroad.

Gregg Hopkins, President of Libra OnDemand, speaks highly of Vickers, Trevino and Roqué. “We are truly excited to have not just one, but three high-caliber consultants to accelerate our business development efforts for 2012. We are poised for significant growth next year.”

About Libra OnDemand

Libra OnDemand LLC is a leading Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) provider of hospitality solutions natively built using cloud technologies. The comprehensive Libra OnDemand Hospitality Relationship Management (HRM) system provides a suite of subscription based, easy to use, web applications: CRM & Email Marketing; Concierge Desk; Sales, Groups & Events; and, Loyalty & Rewards. Additionally, Libra Portals offers Libra Customer Portal (custom designed, consumer-facing websites) and Libra HMS Portal (mobile device accessible, employee collaboration tools). For more information about Libra OnDemand, contact info@libraondemand.com or visit www.libraondemand .com. Libra OnDemand is a division of Newmarket International, Inc. (www.newmarketinc .com).

Newmarket International, Inc. Acquires Libra OnDemand

2011-11-02T13:44:25Z

NEWMARKET® INTERNATIONAL, INC. (www.newmarketinc.com), today announced that it has acquired LIBRA ONDEMAND (www.libraondemand.com), a leading cloud based CRM (Customer Relationship Management) system designed to meet the needs of global hospitality. The purchase will extend the value and benefits of NEWMARKET INTERNATIONAL’S products and services.

The purchase of LIBRA ONDEMAND fits into NEWMARKET INTERNATIONAL’S strategy to provide the most complete sales solutions across hotels and venues of all levels of complexity and worldwide.

“The acquisition of LIBRA ONDEMAND is highly complementary to our existing solution set,” says Jeff Hiscox, President and Chief Executive Officer at NEWMARKET INTERNATIONAL. “Both NEWMARKET INTERNATIONAL and LIBRA ONDEMAND have recognized the benefits of delivering a true cloud-based delivery model on top of the Force.com platform from Salesforce.com®. Combined, the companies now offer hospitality business services for Above Property Sales, Property Sales, Clustered Sales, Loyalty Management, and Marketing Automation.”

“We are so excited to join the NEWMARKET INTERNATIONAL team,” stated Gregg Hopkins, President of LIBRA ONDEMAND. “The acquisition of LIBRA ONDEMAND by NEWMARKET INTERNATIONAL is a natural fit for us—to combine our teams and bring to market new, innovative, and unrivaled cloud-based solutions for hospitality and our mutual customers. It’s also great to partner with the market-leader in hospitality groups and meetings, NEWMARKET INTERNATIONAL.”

Hopkins will join NEWMARKET INTERNATIONAL, continuing as President, LIBRA ONDEMAND, a division of NEWMARKET INTERNATIONAL, INC. Hopkins will manage all aspects of LIBRA ONDEMAND’s business, and LIBRA ONDEMAND will continue to maintain operations and service existing customers out of their headquarters in Celebration, Florida, a suburb of Orlando.

About Newmarket International

Founded in 1985, Newmarket® International delivers proven business services that turn venue space into revenue streams. Today, our solutions are a cornerstone in the global hospitality marketplace, with more than 28,000 installations worldwide. Our flagship product Delphi® remains the industry standard for empowering hospitality to generate more revenue, lower costs, increase profitability, and improve guest satisfaction. Newmarket International is headquartered in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, with international offices in London, Shanghai and Singapore. For more information, please visit www.newmarketinc.com or contact marketinginfo@newmarketinc.com, and follow Newmarket International on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.

About Libra OnDemand

Libra OnDemand LLC is a leading Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) provider of hospitality solutions natively built using cloud technologies. The comprehensive Libra OnDemand Hospitality Management System provides a suite of subscription based, easy to use, web applications: CRM & Email Marketing; Concierge Desk; Sales, Groups & Events; and, Loyalty & Rewards. Additionally, Libra Portals offers Libra Customer Portal (custom designed, consumer-facing websites) and Libra HMS Portal (mobile device accessible, employee collaboration tools). For more information about Libra OnDemand, contact info@libraondemand.com or visit the website www.libraondemand.com.

Be Our Guest at IHMRS 2011

2011-10-13T14:48:10Z

Libra OnDemand invites you to be our guest at IHMRS 2011, the International Hotel, Motel & Restaurant Show at New York’s Jacob K. Javits Convention Center!

As the hospitality industry’s largest gathering in North America, IHMRS will feature three full days of exhibits from Sunday, November 13 through Tuesday, November 15. With more than 700 suppliers and approximately 30,000 attendees, this is an industry event you don’t want to miss! Come visit Libra OnDemand in the Technology Innovation Pavilion at Booth 3156A!

Best of all – we are pleased to offer you FREE ADMISSION to the show! Just follow our custom VIP registration link: Libra OnDemand Success and complete the online Attendee Show Registration form. For more information, you may also visit the IHMRS website. Then, when completing the Attendee Show Registration form, enter Libra OnDemand’s unique code – “SUCCESS” – to receive your complimentary discount.

If you have any further questions or would like to schedule an appointment with a member of the Libra OnDemand team, please contact us at info@libraondemand.com or 407.412.9296.

Come learn more about the award winning, easy to use, subscription based technology solutions and services of Libra OnDemand. Get a personalized demo of our cloud based, Hospitality Management System that enhances guest experience and ultimately helps your organization achieve more “SUCCESS!

We’ll se you there!

Libra OnDemand Cloud-Based Solution Provides Valuable Guest Intelligence To Dolce Hotels and Resorts

2011-10-04T13:15:10Z

Libra OnDemand and its comprehensive Hospitality Management System is providing Dolce Hotels and Resorts with a complete 360-degree view of the company’s global customer base, resulting in a better understanding of their guests. Libra OnDemand’s cutting-edge customer relationship management (CRM) functionality enables the creation of comprehensive guest profiles, including tracking of customer preferences, shareable across Dolce’s entire portfolio.

New Jersey-based Dolce selected Libra OnDemand as a guest communication tool, interfacing with its corporate marketing platform and using it to generate pre- and post-stay confirmation e-mails and other guest correspondence. As a result, Dolce hotels are now able to deliver personalization of guest experiences while also executing targeted marketing campaigns via an integrated email marketing platform. Just as important, Libra OnDemand is helping Dolce identify high-value guests and is helping ensure that the proper level of service is provided to them.

“We wanted to find out who our guests are—what their interests are, what VIP spend should look like—but it’s grown to become a property-level tool that can really affect guest service,” says John Edwards, Dolce’s Corporate Director of Information Technology. “At the hotel level, we will use Libra as a tool to look up guests and find out what we know about them, including their past guest survey scores and any issues they may have had. Libra is really a single point of reference—a guest data warehouse. This is what a CRM system is supposed to be.”

Libra OnDemand’s hospitality solutions are natively built using cloud technologies, meaning the applications available to interface with the system are virtually infinite. “Because it’s in the cloud, we can use Libra as a sales tool as well, leveraging the data there via add-on applications for a ton of flexibility,” Edwards says. “It’s suddenly data overload over here, with more information than we know what to do with. It’s a very good problem to have, believe me.”

The cloud aspect of Libra OnDemand has also saved Dolce considerable money and effort from a data security standpoint. Not only does Libra OnDemand require almost no new hardware, it also has international safe harbor and data security rules built in for nearly all major country markets. “Each country has its own unique requirements on data security, but the Libra system takes care of figuring all of that out for me automatically,” Edwards says. “More to the point, with a traditional CRM system, I would have to stand up data centers in any given country we do business in; with Libra, that’s not necessary.”

The dashboard tool within Libra OnDemand interfaces with an array of different property management systems, including all three platforms employed by various Dolce properties. “That has made data analysis incredibly easier,” Edwards says. “For the first time, we’re able to view and sort performance results across properties in a single, standardized report. We’re not only comparing apples to apples, but we’re now able to do it in a way that is intuitive and logical.”

Libra OnDemand provides a flexible, secure and affordable solution that streamlines and automates the way customer interactions are managed. Accessible through any web browser and compatible with almost every major property management system, Libra OnDemand requires no upfront capital investment, has no hidden technology costs and charges no fees for ongoing basic maintenance and support. For more information, please contact Libra OnDemand President Gregg Hopkins at ghopkins@libraondemand.com, or visit www.libraondemand.com.

About Dolce Hotels and Resorts

Dolce Hotels and Resorts, a privately held operator of 27 upscale hotels, resorts and conference hotels in North America and Europe, was founded in 1981. The company is headquartered in Rockleigh, N.J. and employs more than 4,000 worldwide. Additional information is available at www.dolce.com.

About Libra OnDemand

Libra OnDemand LLC is a leading Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) provider of hospitality solutions natively built using cloud technologies. The comprehensive Libra OnDemand Hospitality Management System provides a suite of subscription based, easy to use, web applications: CRM & Email Marketing; Concierge Desk; Sales, Groups & Events; and, Loyalty & Rewards. Additionally, Libra Portals offers Libra Customer Portal (custom designed, consumer-facing websites) and Libra HMS Portal (mobile device accessible, employee collaboration tools). For more information about Libra OnDemand, contact info@libraondemand.com or visit the website www.libraondemand.com.

Dreamforce 2011: Great News for Hospitality CRM

2011-09-13T13:24:51Z

Salesforce.com did it again – the recently held Dreamforce conference in San Francisco, California was a huge success in the world of CRM and ever expanding social enterprise! I joined the 45,000+ attendees at the Moscone Center for the largest cloud computing event of the year to learn how Salesforce is building a social community that, as Benioff himself described as “a whole new world” of technology. From this, Salesforce made key announcements that, as I described to one colleague, went from awesome to “awesomer!” What was all “the buzz” about for the upcoming year?

From how I see it, Salesforce is on the cutting edge of the “Social Revolution.” And, with the Winter Release 2012, users will be able to seamlessly connect to social media sites, such as Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn, through the power of Force.com platform technologies. That’s big – why? It expands social media into social enterprise for your entire organization. How does that translate into successful business practice for the hospitality industry? Users will be able to know their hotel guest better than ever, and ultimately provide them with personalized service. Just imagine – you could automatically view your VIP customer’s Facebook page, easily accessed from their Guest Profile, giving you personalized insight to know, for example, that they are exhausted from sitting next to a crying baby on their recent flight. You could be their hero upon check-in, by having extra pillows delivered to their room or offering them a cup of tea or glass of wine, depending upon their personal preferences noted in your CRM system.

But, the Salesforce social expansion doesn’t stop there. Enhancements to “Chatter,” the social collaboration tool were also announced, giving organizations more communication power through such features as Chatter Approvals, Chatter Service, and Chatter Connect. Even better – Chatter Now will enable users to see their colleagues online, instantly chat with them and share their screen – all in real-time. And, here’s what I think is the best news: Chatter Customer Groups. Users will soon be able to invite people outside their organization into their secure, private network, allowing them to collaborate beyond the four walls of their company. For a hotelier, that means the concierge could instantly notify the golf course located across property that a special guest would like to rent clubs, while also instantly communicating with the corporate accounting office across the country that the club rental fees on the guest’s folio should be complimentary.

Beyond the groundbreaking social announcements, Salesforce also launched Data.com, an effective integration tool that unifies contact information from Jigsaw and company information from Dun & Bradstreet into one place, allowing users to build and better maintain social customer profiles. Information can be merged with an existing database and/or new data can be brought in, segmented into categories, so the user can get a better understanding of the customers and organizations that give or do not give them business. Ultimately, Data.com can provide a hotel sales and marketing team the exact information they need to effectively strategize, target and execute sales and marketing campaigns to their ideal target audience, for example, business corporate travelers in the Western region or middle class families within a 50 mile radius.

And, here’s one final piece of news that yet again proves the flexibility and accessibility of Salesforce: Database.com Data Residency Option. In response to customer requests, this formidable option will allow companies that want to take advantage of the cloud computing model, but have requirements, policies or concerns that may prevent them from gaining these benefits, to store sensitive data in their own environment. This means that hospitality companies will now have the choice to keep private customer profiles or confidential accounting records in their on-premises data centers and/or in the cloud, based on their organizational needs.

Pretty awesome! And, this is the part that is “awesomer.” As the ONLY provider of customized hospitality solutions natively built on the Force.com platform, Libra OnDemand will be bringing all of these new Salesforce features into hospitality by automatically incorporating them into the application. This just reconfirms that Libra OnDemand, through the power of Force.com, is the best system for today’s hotel business needs. You certainly can’t do all this on a client server platform; you just can’t.

For current Libra OnDemand customers, these revolutionary enhancements will come automatically with their subscription. For those hospitality organizations that have been hearing all “the buzz” and have been considering CRM and cloud technologies, now is the time to improve your business and be part of “a whole new world” of technology.

Did you visit the Libra OnDemand Cloud at HITEC 2011?

2011-06-29T15:24:21Z

Libra OnDemand packed our “suitcase of hospitality solutions” and headed to Austin, Texas from June 21st to June 23rd for a successful HITEC!

Booth 925 was busy as visitors literally stepped “in the Cloud” to learn more about Libra OnDemand technologies and services.

Attendees received personalized product demonstrations from John Figueroa, Customer Success Manager.

Gregg Hopkins, President & CEO, and Nikolai Balba, CTO, met with customers, technology experts, press, and other industry colleagues during the week.

Gregg Hopkins, Irina Tikhonova, Nikolai Balba and John Figueroa from the Libra OnDemand crew! (Not pictured: Bob Fill, Glenn Garfold, Brian Goodyear and Diane VanLeunen)

Looking forward to HITEC 2012 in Baltimore, Maryland!

Libra OnDemand Introduces Full-Service Hospitality Marketing Solution

2011-06-21T02:59:21Z

New end-to-end service ideally complements company’s core CRM, email marketing and group sales modules —

Libra OnDemand, a leading Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) provider of hospitality solutions natively built using Cloud technologies, is adding an entirely new division to its long list of hotel business offerings. The newly-launched New Media Hospitality Solutions is a full-service marketing agency that provides interactive media and tactical tools for hospitality organizations to effectively compete in today’s marketplace, featuring a range of skills including creative content design, campaign management and database services.

New Media Hospitality Solutions is being officially launched during the 2011 Hospitality Industry Technology Exposition and Conference (HITEC), held this week in Austin, Texas. Libra OnDemand is exhibiting at Booth 925 in the Austin Convention Center, with CEO Gregg Hopkins on hand for one-on-one meetings and demonstrations.

Libra OnDemand’s New Media Hospitality Solutions team members have years of experience with interactive marketing, specializing in the specific needs of the hospitality and tourism industries. “New Media Hospitality Solutions fills a notable service gap in the global hospitality industry,” Hopkins says. “Libra OnDemand now provides hotels with everything they need to effectively understand, target and appeal to their customer base, without the need to search out an additional vendor.”

Just as importantly, because New Media Hospitality Solutions is being overseen in-house by Libra OnDemand, hoteliers no longer have to worry about those small but critical details related to branding and messaging being lost in translation. “Consistency is king when it comes to marketing, and with New Media Hospitality Solutions, we can finally deliver that for our clients,” Hopkins says. New Media Hospitality Solutions will be offered as an à la carte service, either on a recurring monthly plan or as a one-off campaign on an as-needed basis.

These are just a few of the services and technologies available to hospitality organizations under Libra OnDemand’s New Media Hospitality Solutions banner:

• Website design

• Mobile sites and apps creation

• HTML and CSS coding

• Strategic marketing planning and positioning

• Direct online channel marketing

• Search engine marketing and optimization

• Mobile marketing

• Social media management

• Loyalty program development

• Reputation management and monitoring

In addition to this latest foray into full-service marketing, Libra OnDemand continues to provide the hospitality industry’s most comprehensive, flexible, secure and affordable solutions to streamline and automate the way customer interactions are managed. Accessed through any web browser, Libra OnDemand’s Hospitality Management System requires no upfront capital investment, has no hidden technology costs and charges no fees for ongoing basic maintenance and support.

For more information, please contact Gregg Hopkins at ghopkins@libraondemand.com, or visit www.libraondemand.com.

About Libra OnDemand

Libra OnDemand LLC is a leading Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) provider of hospitality solutions natively built using Cloud technologies. The comprehensive Libra OnDemand Hospitality Management System provides a suite of affordable, easy to use, web-based applications: CRM & Email Marketing; Concierge Desk; Sales, Groups & Events; and, Loyalty & Rewards. Additionally, Libra Portals offers Libra Customer Portal (custom designed, consumer-facing websites) and Libra HMS Portal (mobile device accessible, employee collaboration tools). For more information about Libra OnDemand, contact info@libraondemand.com or visit the website www.libraondemand.com.

Libra OnDemand Helps Viceroy Hotel Group Better Understand, Connect With Guests

2011-06-17T04:26:36Z

Cloud-based platform’s deep, wholly customizable CRM solution gives luxury hotel company unprecedented 360-degree view of customers —

Libra OnDemand and its comprehensive Hospitality Management System is providing Los Angeles-based Viceroy Hotel Group with a complete 360-degree view of its customer base, giving it tremendous clarity and understanding of who its guests are—both on an individual basis and in terms of larger demographic breakdowns. The result is unprecedented personalization of guest experiences combined with the ability of the luxury hotel company to perform target marketing with a degree of specificity previously thought impossible.

Libra OnDemand’s cutting-edge customer relationship management functionality enables creation of comprehensive guest profiles, including tracking of customer preferences, shareable across a hotel company’s entire portfolio. Libra OnDemand is a leading Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) provider of hospitality solutions that are natively built using Cloud technologies, which means the applications available to interface with the system are virtually endless. That includes seamless integration of social media platforms like Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook, which Viceroy leverages not only to communicate with fans, but also to learn more about the guests themselves. “Libra OnDemand gives us a great advantage to do what we in the hotel business do best—take care of people on a personal level,” says Patricia Davis, Associate Vice President of Revenue Management and Reservations for Viceroy Hotel Group. “We now have all the tools we need to surprise and delight our guests in stunningly memorable ways.”

Viceroy executives marvel at the extraordinary depth of the technology’s CRM capabilities, but it was a different functionality that originally drew the hotel company to Libra OnDemand more than a year ago. Viceroy initially tapped Libra OnDemand for its integrated email marketing platform, which it uses in conjunction with the group sales management module to efficiently and effectively communicate with guests. Libra OnDemand makes email marketing campaigns a breeze, and combined with its searchable CRM system, Viceroy can now send out highly targeted promotions to extremely specific customer lists—wine-loving dog owners who live in Florida, for example.

Viceroy has also recently begun using Libra OnDemand’s performance analytics tools to measure major key performance indicators, both for individual properties and across the portfolio. At Davis’ request, Libra OnDemand even built a set of customized dashboards for Viceroy that track specific metrics that the company deems critical. The system automatically generates a series of detailed weekly performance reports, doing in a few minutes what it used to take Davis two days to accomplish. “We can take this data that was already available and crunch it more quickly and effectively, helping salespeople understand where their business is coming from so they can tailor their sales strategies to make the most of the market demand,” Davis says.

“We started using Libra for a very specific purpose—to manage our email marketing campaigns,” says Nicholas Clayton, President of Viceroy Hotel Group. “The longer we use it, the more ways we find to take advantage of it. Besides the ongoing rollout of the CRM and analytics applications across our portfolio, we’re also planning to soon add virtual concierge assistance. We’ve found Libra to be fully infinitely scalable, and their pay-as-you-go model makes it simple to add new applications as we need them.”

Libra OnDemand provides a flexible, secure and affordable solution that streamlines and automates the way customer interactions are managed. Accessible through any web browser and compatible with almost every major property management system, Libra OnDemand requires no upfront capital investment, has no hidden technology costs and charges no fees for ongoing basic maintenance and support. For more information, please contact Libra OnDemand CEO Gregg Hopkins at ghopkins@libraondemand.com, or visit www.libraondemand.com.

About Viceroy Hotel Group

Viceroy Hotel Group delivers one-of-a-kind lifestyle experiences that bring together provocative design and intuitive service in sought-after locations. The current portfolio of managed properties includes two luxury brands, Viceroy and The Tides. Viceroy Hotels & Resorts exemplify a passion for authentic, visionary design and personalized service. Signature Viceroy amenities and services created for the brand’s diverse business and leisure guests include dynamic dining venues featuring world-class culinary talents and destination spas specializing in health, fitness and beauty. Current Viceroy properties include hotels and resorts in Santa Monica, Palm Springs, Miami, Anguilla and Snowmass, Colorado with forthcoming openings in Beverly Hills (in what is currently L’Ermitage Beverly Hills), the Maldives and Sowwah Island in Abu Dhabi. The Tides brand offers chic beachfront backdrops that inspire reconnection through cultural experiences delivered with style and spirit. Every Tides destination interprets indigenous cultural elements, expressed in each property’s décor, cuisine, and spa. The Tides collection includes hotels and resorts in Miami’s South Beach, Mexico’s Riviera Maya and Zihuatanejo, as well as upcoming developments on St. Lucia in the Caribbean, which is currently operating as Jalousie Plantation. The Urban Retreat Collection includes Avalon Hotel in Beverly Hills, Maison 140 in Beverly Hills, and Sheraton Delfina in Santa Monica.

About Libra OnDemand

Cloud Day in Lisbon, Portugal!

2011-06-08T20:22:52Z

Join Libra OnDemand Channel Partner, Sulcus Solutions, on June 15, 2011 for a day of innovation and tourism technology -

The Libra OnDemand Cloud is in Europe! Sulcus Solutions will be hosting an informative, hospitality workshop at the Hotel Dom Pedro in Lisbon, Portugal. Morning and afternoon sessions will include such topics as “What is SaaS? What is Cloud Computing?” and “Sulcus CRM OnDemand - by Libra OnDemand.” To learn more, CLICK HERE. Attendee registration is required. For more information, please contact marketing@sulcus.es or +34 902 115 784. Don’t miss out on this educational event in the Cloud!