Archive for the ‘News’ Category

August 27th, 2010

umi builds online booking engine for small accommodation providers

BY Simon

Umi hotels and web agency 2am have released a new accommodation booking engine which enables users to book a room from their smart phone and helps independent hotels compete against larger industry players with greater online visibility.

BookItWith is a secure online booking system that has been seven months in the making and is now available for “white-label” license inclusive of office-hours technical support.  The PHP-built software is a dynamic system, with plans to add a new feature every six weeks so that it remains the most capable booking software on the market.  The online engine can be found independently of the accommodation provider’s website through a sub-domain of BookItWith.com, on any device with web browsing capability.

Hotel owners will be able to access a conversion report showing exactly which keywords people have used to find and book their hotel.  This knowledge will allow them to adopt a better seo strategy, targeting keywords that provide a better conversion ratio.  The cost of the software is calculated on an individual basis, with commissions and support levels taken into account.

An online survey conducted by umi found that the top two “most off-putting aspects of making a purchase online” were security levels and complexity.  When testing the new BookItWith software, 97% of respondents rated the booking engine as “easy or “very easy” and 90% said the amount of room features available to choose from were “good” or “great”.

Founder of umi hotels and originator of the concept, Steve Lowy, said “It’s been a long and difficult project but working with 2am and thoroughly researching the market from all points of view will make it a success.  We have designed the software to be individually branded and assist independent hotels with their online sales strategies. This platform will also allow us to advance our franchise expansion plans by giving our member hotels a comprehensive sales tool that can drive their direct business.

He went on to say, “this product is not just aimed at hotels but all accommodation providers and very much aligned with the ethos of umi, we aim to offer a five star service to companies without breaking the bank”.

Designed with both customers and owners in mind, usability testing has led to increased page load speeds, optimum layout designs and the integration of Yahoo Money to give users an accurate estimation of their local currency rates.  The software also has intelligent features such as offering all available room types relevant to the number of guests and taking a payment pre-authorisation if guests would rather pay in person at the time of their stay.  BookItWith can be integrated into existing websites, be adapted for alternative languages and currencies and be used with a wide selection of payment gateways.

Whether your existing booking engine is slow and lacks performance or you are only just considering the right model for you make sure you contact Steve Lowy at steve@umihotels.co.uk for more information and make sure your guests Book It With your hotel.

June 30th, 2010

Founder of umi hotels receives prestigious Acorn Award

BY Rachael

Steve Lowy, owner and managing director of umi hotels, has been named one of the 2010 recipients of Caterer & Hotelkeeper Magazine’s Acorn Award that acknowledges flair within hospitality.

Each year “thirty under thirty” emerging hospitality industry figures are chosen to receive the reputable Acorn Award.  In the award’s 24th year, Steve Lowy, 29, became an honoured recipient of the award which lists household names Gary Rhodes and Marco Pierre White amongst its previous winners.

The Acorns celebrate the industry’s top rising stars, from chefs, to operations managers to entrepreneurs.  Winners of this award are nominated by their fellow employees for making a positive and outstanding impact through their work. Acorn recipients are then selected by a judging panel who recognises them as the future of the industry.  The judges obviously saw the qualities that they were looking for in Lowy.  His enthusiasm and determination for the success of the umi hotel brand have proven to be exceptional.

After studying hospitality and tourism at Salford University, Lowy became the general manager of a backpackers hostel in London.  In 2007, he opened the umi London, in the former Westminster Hotel.  The umi group now boasts three locations including Brighton and Moscow and there are plans for further international expansion.

Lowy is not unfamiliar with recognition for his work within the industry.  Umi London has been named one of the ‘Top 50 Budget Hotels in the World’ by the Telegraph.  In 2008 Lowy was recognised as the North and West London Business Person of the Year and was then named the “one to watch in tourism” in The Courvoisier The Future 500 list.

All of the Acorn Award winners attended the weekend-long recognition ceremony at the ABode hotel in Chester.  Team-building activities took place, such as making chariots from cardboard and racing them through a course, providing the winners with an ideal opportunity to network with fellow industry professionals.  The celebration continued with a reception and gourmet dinner in The Michael Caines Restaurant before the formal presentations the following day.  Winners were praised for their achievements and then became members of the respected Acorn alumni.

June 9th, 2010

Nurturing home-grown talent

BY Rachael

A young hospitality student from the University of Salford has become the first umi hotels intern to graduate into management through the umi hotels internship program.

Yogesh Mistry is 22 years old and currently completing his degree in hospitality and tourism.  Having worked his way up through reception, concierge, conference and events roles at umi hotel London, he is now moving into a senior management position.  The new role of Management Trainee involves living on the hotel premises, financial analysis and overseeing the daily running of the 117-room hotel.

Umi hotels Founder, Steve Lowy, has made the effort to work with many academic institutions both in the UK and abroad to help train hospitality students right from the moment he began his business.  Ranging from 1 week GCSE work experience to 6 month language and hospitality placements, over fifty students have worked at umi so far, covering more than 15 different nationalities from as close as France and as far as Argentina.  Steve also speaks at universities several times a year on topics including hospitality marketing and business management.

Yogesh, known as Yogi, said “My roles at umi have helped me understand how the business world really works, particularly aspects of hotel management and hospitality management. Umi has helped me become a confident communicator, a leader and also provided me with the opportunity to achieve my career ambitions.”

He went on to say “one reason why I want to stay at umi is because of the company’s passion to provide the best service it can to its customers. There are a lot of opportunities and I feel that I can learn and develop myself even further”.

Patrick Trodden, Lecturer at the University of Salford said “I am delighted for Yogi.  The focus of programmes at the University of Salford is to combine the academic world with the world of enterprise.  I believe that the internship offered by umi hotels reflects this partnership and will continue to allow Yogi the opportunity to consolidate the knowledge he has gained on his degree programme in a vocational setting.  This will enable him to develop an effective management style which will be responsive to the needs and pressures of the real world.”

Umi hotels receives around thirty applications for its internship program every year and the success of the program proves that young ambitious people are more than willing to gain the experience they need to achieve great things in a competitive industry.

June 8th, 2010

umi Grill Competition Winner Announced

BY Simon

Congratulations to Pauline McGee who was selected at random from the entrants to the May umi Grill competition.

Pauline guessed correctly that Simon Cowell was the famous TV Judge hailing from Brighton.

Pauline is from Ireland and goes to London around 4 times a year, often with her daughter to see her son and shop, regularly staying at umi Hotel London.

Visit umi’s competition page at http://umihotels.com/competitions our June competition is for a staycation at umi Hotel Brighton for 4, as well a railcard giving the winner the opportunity to explore the local area.

May 20th, 2010

umi hotels get physical!

BY Rachael

On Sat 22nd May, employees of umi hotels will be put through their paces in Hyde Park by former Royal Marines Officer Rob Suchet, all in the name of team-building.  RJS Fitness, as part of their corporate service, are going to run a bootcamp-style team-building fitness session with activities designed to improve staff cohesion while improving their individual fitness levels. 

The aim of the session is to take umi staff out of the workplace and get them working as a team completing physical challenges and team-building exercises.  It has been shown that a workforce who are physically active are more productive and take fewer sick-days than their inactive counterparts.  In addition, it is becoming increasingly necessary for every employer to cater for the health and wellbeing of their employees.  The session will certainly be fun but physically demanding at the same time, taking into account the different fitness levels of the group.

“It is really important for all my staff to look after themselves in regards diet and fitness.  I know myself from playing sports and cooking fresh food what a difference it makes and I really believe that a healthy body leads to a healthy mind.  With life being so hectic these days it can be hard to take that extra few minutes to walk somewhere and it’s easier to buy a microwave meal rather than make something yourself.”

He went on to say “Rob will show our staff how easy it is to stay healthy and it’s also a great way of getting people together and doing something fun with long-term benefits.  I think it is important for employers to look after their staff, and guide them in looking after themselves where possible, particularly in the demanding world of hospitality.”

« Older Entries