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About Marc Budie

During my day job, I am technology director at Quadriga, the trusted partner to many of the world’s leading hotels. I am charged with...

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Archive for the ‘Next generation’ Category

Sensiq, the intelligent guest portal

Posted on: 18-Dec-2009

Sensiq-original_Ambilight

You may remember us unveiling our next generation technology concept at HTNG Lisbon, back in October. We’ve been busy talking to current customers, other hoteliers and industry analysts in the meantime, and their feedback has been hugely positive. We’re also seeing more column inches devoted to the trend towards more internet content being delivered through the television.

Today, we’re formally launching our new guest communications portal, named Sensiq. You can find a video and lots of information about it over at the Quadriga website.

Our first two Sensiq hotels are up and running in the UK, with more being rolled out in other European territories in the New Year. If you’re interested in discussing the portal and its potential to transform the guest experience, do feel free to contact me directly at marc.budie@quadriga.com.

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Posted in Communication, Content, Guest, Hotels, Next generation, Portal, Technology | No Comments »

The future of social TV

Posted on: 20-Oct-2009

SPA for blog

Richard Kastelein really hits the nail on the head with his recent article on social TV. I couldn’t agree more that hotels are looking for ways to differentiate themselves from competitors, so using the TV to create a networked society within a hotel is an ideal way of achieving this.

Richard also imagined some perfect scenarios for how our new Next Generation technology platform could be tailored by hoteliers to suit their guests’ business and personal requirements.

For instance, I loved his idea about encouraging guests to access a social network via their in-room TV to build relationships with local strategic partners, or treat it as a digital concierge to find a reliable local taxi driver or the best spa treatment. He also sees a place for entertainment with a good recommendation engine built in – I’m pleased to say that we have also started on that journey too with the hotel’s blockbuster best sellers now appearing as a selection option for guests.

Richard’s visions of social TV are exactly how we expect our hotel customers to use our new portal, and we’re looking forward to sharing even more ideas about how it can be used in the future. Watch this space!

Posted in Community, Digital, Hotels, Intelligence, Network, Next generation, Television | No Comments »

Moving beyond entertainment…

Posted on: 15-Oct-2009

News and weather feed for blog

After months in the making and a lot of hard work, I am really pleased to be able to announce that today we are unveiling our next generation technology platform. It has been designed to help hoteliers deliver a fully branded guest experience, improve their in-room communication with guests and take advantage of new commercial opportunities.

We recognise that hoteliers are under a lot of pressure to differentiate their guest experience and brand from competitors, and need to provide the range of information and entertainment services their tech-savvy guests receive at home. We wanted to create a solution that would achieve these goals and transform the industry as a whole.

So, we have taken the original notion of the in-room TV beyond entertainment and developed a portal concept that responds to the way in which consumers now use technology to interact, shop and entertain.  For instance, guests will be able to access the portal through their in-room TV to view travel, financial and weather reports, browse hotel facilities; visit the hotel e-shop, or choose from an unrivalled range of entertainment in superb high definition quality.

This is not an out of the box solution, it will be tailored to specifically support each hotel’s business objectives and drive additional value.

As you can tell, we are very excited about this evolutionary concept. If you have any questions then drop me a line.

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Speaking with the media

Posted on: 05-Oct-2009
Source: www.businesstraveller.com

Source: www.businesstraveller.com

Last week, I had an interesting discussion with Felicity Cousins, features editor at Business Traveller magazine, about in-room technological advances and what business travellers should expect to see in their rooms within the next five years.

 

We also talked about the need for increased bandwidth within hotels, the issue of offering free WiFi and the changing technology habits of guests.

During the interview Felicity asked me an interesting question which made me think – do male and female business travellers have different technology requirements? Past reports indicate that the first thing a man checks when he goes into a hotel room is the television whereas women check the state of the bathroom.

So, what do you think? In your experience, have you found any notable differences in the male/female technology requirements? Please feel free to add your thoughts via a comment.

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Posted in Next generation | No Comments »

Welcome to the Quadriga Blog

Posted on: 15-May-2009

The digital revolution is creating a new generation of internet-savvy consumers who expect more sophisticated and varied entertainment options. Some in the hotel industry view that as a threat, but I see it as an opportunity.

Here, I share my thoughts on technology developments, consequent changes in user behaviour and ways in which hoteliers can benefit.

Please feel free to leave your comments – whether good, bad or indifferent – and I will do my best to respond in a timely fashion.

Marc Budie

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Posted in Branding, Broadband, CRM, Communication, Community, Connectivity, Content, Convergence, Digital, E-commerce, Entertainment, Guest, High definition, Hospitality, Hotels, IP, Information, Intelligence, Interactive, Internet, Media, Mobile, Network, Next generation, Portal, Promotion, Technology, Television, Wired, Wireless | No Comments »