EUREKA PROJECT > 4469 BEAUTY
- SUMMARY
- OUTLINE
- PARTICIPANTS
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SPAIN
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SPAIN
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SPAIN
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GREECE
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SPAINRevenue Management based on Business Intelligence for the Tourism Sector
Create a technological solution to cover the needs of Hoteliers to better cover and visualise current and future needs, enabling these to make better business decisions.
Status > FINISHED - 25-May-2010 Technological Area Market Area Start Date > 01-Jan-2007 Duration > 36 Months Participating countries > GREECE, SPAIN | Main contactB4Tech Software S.L. (Etooltech) Mr. Juan Tomas-Verdera > General Manager Organisation type > SME |
Project Description
One of the key points which supports this project and its need within the Tourism Sector is to consider the amount of Travel Agencies and Hotels with Web Portals, or further more how many have an email account? Now the question is: Would you reserve the accommodation of your upcoming holidays at a hotel without a Web Page? The answer is NO! A surprising answer if we consider that only 5 years ago, we would have pondered upon the question and answered doubtfully. The BEAUTY Project and its envisaged product allows substantial improvements to the tools currently deployed within the Yield and Revenue Management departments of hotel chains and enterprises, allowing greater competitiveness and assuring the sales prices of rooms within the E-Commerce market; B2B (Business-to-Business) and B2C (Business-to-Customer) market which up until now has been anything but easy. The BEAUTY Project has been developed to address these issues and many key business aspects which up until now have been complicated, difficult and time consuming for the ever growing tourism industry within the competitive world of E-commerce, a market with a new competitive argument for the tourism sector. The objective to achieve is the development of joint solutions in order to create a range of tools which can be offered directly to the market for mediation as well as a profiler tool for the calculation of tariffs and the best sales prices at the right time for the tourism industry. Tourism, as one of the main and leading industries in SPAIN, has undertaken within the past few years numerous amounts of radical changes which in turn have obliged the industry to adapt to and adopt new technological advances taking place in order to keep up with industry competitiveness within the global market. This affirmation is, if possible, of greater impact within the Balearic community, where tourism represents the greater percentage of the Balearic GIP (Gross Internal Product), and at the same time the industry which generates a greater number of jobs both directly and indirectly for the community. The commercialisation of products directly through the World Wide Web, has supposed in the past few years a revolution without precedent on a global level, where the tourism sector has not been left behind. The rapid advancement of Virtual Travel Agencies, also known as PORTALS, has generated a new method of offering their products, where the final consumer receives, and is alerted to, direct product information instantly. Taking into account all of these aspects, reinforces the need for organisations within the tourism sector to encounter and take on new technologies in order to keep up with this new method of commercialisation, much more dynamic and competitive, which without a doubt is provoking great change within traditionally known management modules and in turn making ICT SMEs (Information and Communications Technology Small and Medium-sized Enterprises) and their specific products designed for this sector, (such as PMSs (Project Management and Scheduling), CRSs (Central Receiving Station ), CRMs (Customer Relationship Management), Yield Management, Revenue Management, Demand Management, etc.) be adopted on an increasing and greater level in order to make this industry much more competitive and innovative. The concepts of Yield Management are not at all new to the tourism industry in general, and let alone to the Hotelier sector in particular. The art of fixing prices and optimising capacity for a particular service in order to maximise income have long been incorporated within the management systems of each organisation. The old Yield is inherent to any commercial activity. In tourism this is much more important because the product to sell has a fixed inventory. The evolution from Yield to the new concept of Revenue Management is the necessity to calculate the bid price; the best price at each moment for each client. Merge statistics, accountancy, reservations and data directly from on-line sites where the product is being sold, to later be able to define the parameters and rules to calculate the bid prices is the handicap that our project wants to overcome by creating programs for use in different scenarios. The difference within the global market is that the Internet has introduced a valuable variable which at the same time is complicated to manage: time. Keywords: revenue management, business intelligence, on-line distribution.
Technological Development Envisaged
The technology to be considered and undertaken for the correct development of this project can be globalised by the capacity of information exchange based on XML (eXtensible Markup Language) to XML and multidimensional data warehouses, capable of managing an infinite amount of information for analysis of any type of criteria. The implantation of information interchanges between central reservation systems and by the same means, implicit solutions within the main PMSs available on the market, make the relatively simple and above all standard method of data extraction possible. The appearance of WSs, (Web services) has brought along with it an infinite possibility of sharing and offering this technology to different platforms based on the standard treatment of information, always assuring a result or a trace of the same. Business Intelligence, as a technological solution, offers the possibility to create data warehouses used for storing information obtained from different data sources, in other words, applies redundancy of information, a necessary aspect to consider in order to manage the ever more complex and heterogeneous systems from hoteliers. The scalability and traceability offered by this technology is indispensable for the tools to be developed in order to make them accessible for any of the departments within the organisation. Database engines incorporate multidimensional data structures at the core of the licence as well as environments for design and programming, each time more sophisticated. Programming based on objects allows us to create dynamic data models and apply over these complex econometrical models. The technologies on which Revenue Managements tools are implanted, no matter how basic, are varied, although at the same time a wide variety of solutions that can be integrated with various systems in order to provide a unified solution has not been found. The actual general status of this technology is in the form of tools which analyses a certain amount of data and emits a few results, and can by no means interact and provide feedback to the exploited systems from where the information has been generated. On the other hand, the following important differentiation must be highlighted within the Hotel sector of the tourism industry: The Hotels or Hotel Chains dedicated to city-break or urban tourism have completely different characteristics and therefore needs as opposed to those Hotels or Hotel Chains dedicated to leisure tourism, also predominately known as coastal tourism or in some instances Sun n Sand. Within the two sub-sectors, the acquisition of an adequate Yield depends upon distinct variables in both cases, even though the activity, at first impression may be the same, therefore this is logically an important aspect to be considered, as the objective to achieve is for the tools to be adopted by all the sub-sectors within the industry. At the implementation and execution level of these types of tools, the outcome is that the tools adjust to the profiles mentioned below, resulting in firstly; that large international hotel chains with more than 150-200 hotels acquire these tools, and secondly; that the main activity is linked to city-break and urban hotels instead of hotels within coastal areas. The technology must include the possibility to define different enterprise profiles and at the same time offer distinct information generating rhythms in accordance with the profiles defined. In the case of On-Line sales, another aspect to be considered are those organisations dedicated to offering Hotel market information in respect of direct competitors, to be considered such as a market of values. Examples of these organisations are; Channelmanager, Ratetiger, Travelclick, etc., which offer a lot of valued market information used when generating prices for the On-Line market. Undoubtedly these types of offers add a new variable, to which this product must take into immediate consideration if the end result is to be viable and valid, especially due to the probability of comparing the results at each moment with market offers in order to decide upon publication (or not) of the product on offer. Curiously, upon revision of such tools, the majority of Hotels which either directly or indirectly offer their products through the virtual market, have indeed, contracted these types of systems, and in most cases even before Revenue Management or Business Intelligence Systems. This remarkable fact underlines the importance that this market has for the tourism sector, and as such demonstrates and that those systems capable of offering services which do not implicate a large economical or timely investment are those that are better, more widely and rapidly adopted by the majority of organisations. Evidently, the Advanced Service Providers also denominated ASPs, are going to have an increasingly greater acceptance, especially among those Hotels in which the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) is unreasonable with their business performance. Included with these are the manufacturers of Operating Systems and Database Engines, that have already started to offer software licenses with these formats, promoting the same software manufacturers as hosts or offer hosting for the services they develop.
Main contactRiusa II S.A. Mr. Miguel Reynes > IT General Manager Organisation type > Large company |
Contribution to project
Counting on the broad experience of the international hotel chain RIU provides very important values when constructing Business Rules as well as application testing. More than 50 years have gone by and today RIU HOTELS & RESORTS is Spains second biggest hotel chain enjoying international prestige with 45,000 beds in 110 hotels in 18 countries, 18,000 employees, and 2.1 million clients per year. In the world of sun and beach holiday accommodation, RIU is a mark of quality, both in management and product, quality which has merited numerous acknowledgements. Thus, in SPAIN the weekly magazine Actualidad Economica in 1999 announced RIU to be the most admired Spanish tourist company. In GERMANY, 31 RIU hotels were chosen in 1999 from 10,000 competitors for the select list of best 100 holiday establishments in the world and awarded the honour of number one spot in the ranking to RIU Palace Maspalomas in Gran Canaria. In SWITZERLAND, travel agents have recently named RIU the worlds second best hotel chain. In HOLLAND, travel agents for two years running have named RIU as the best hotel chain in the world. And just the same thing has happened in the Scandinavian holiday sector. RIU has built its prestige on constant and successful efforts aimed at achieving complete customer satisfaction, hence the success of the companys maxim: service with a heart. That is maximum quality and attentive, personalised service. At the present time RIU operates in SPAIN, PORTUGAL, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC, CUBA, FLORIDA, MEXICO, JAMAICA, ARUBA, TUNISIA, BULGARIA, MOROCCO, BAHAMAS, MALTA, CROATIA, ROUMANIA, CYPRUS and CAPE VERDE. The quality of RIUs product results in an exceptional yearly occupation average (87%), and a high loyalty index (35% of guests are repeat clients; half a million are holders of the RIU Class brand loyalty card). Other factors in the successful marketing of RIUs product are the chains agreements with the worlds top tour operators, particularly with Germanys TUI, Europes largest tour operator and partner and shareholder in our company since 1976. Product quality and its successful marketing plus efficient management of the whole hotel chain all make RIU Hotels one of the most profitable companies in Europe.
Expertise
RIU Hotels, founded in 1953 as a small family business, is at present the largest hotel resort chain in Europe. With over 120 hotels in over 17 countries, and with a growth policy of developing hotel resort products that offer customers a renowned quality service as standard, more than certifies the number 1 position within the Sun n sand sector of the tourism industry. In 1985, RIU decided to put into action its growth policy with the construction of its first hotel in the Canary Islands, and in only 10 years time became one of the most prominent hotel chains of the Canary Islands with more than 20 hotels throughout the Spanish territory. Continuing with the growth policy initiated in 1985, 1990 benchmarks the start of RIUs internationalisation with its first hotel in the Dominican Republic, and just 6 years later RIU had expanded with another 5 hotels in this country, 2 hotels in Miami, 1 hotel in Cuba and the first hotel opening in Mexico. 1993 saw RIU and TUI unite to create the largest tour operator in Europe, thereby becoming an integral partner of RIU from the very early stages of the Hotel chain, a company dedicated exclusively to operating RIU hotels. RIU hotels, on average invoice over 1,000 million euro per year (as per 2006 reports), and has currently more than 18,000 professionals employed around the world. It currently forms part of the German giant as shareholders take part in the administration committee in addition to active participation during recent moves within the tourism market, such as the First Choice merge which has seen the birth of the new giant TUI Travel.
Main contactSolid Quality Learning Iberoamericana s.l. Mr. Antonio Soto > General Manager Organisation type > SME |
Contribution to project
SOLID QUALITY MENTORS are the suppliers most trusted globally for offering training services and advanced solutions for Mission Critical applications, Business Intelligence and high availability for your company. SOLID QUALITY MENTORS combine their broad technical experience and real world implementation with a strong commitment to knowledge sharing, due to the unique combination of coaching days and professional experience offered by our mentors. The combination of these aspects allows us to help meet the technological requirements of our clients as well as increase the technical capacity of their professionals, providing them with a competitive market advantage. For this reason our experts are known as mentors, thanks to their commitment to providing companies with the knowledge required to succeed in their sectors by professionally training their team of professionals. Our expert professionals are renowned worldwide, with over 100 MVP (Most Valuable Professional) awards to date. There are authors and rapporteurs taking part in the most important conferences within the sector as well as hundreds of exhibitions in international conferences over the past few years, as well as experts who designed the recent Official Microsoft courses for Microsoft SQL Server 2005 and have had the honour of providing specific training courses to specialised Microsoft employees the world over, in subjects such as database systems and application development technology.
Expertise
Our participation with Microsoft does not end here, as we have had key roles in three Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Official Training Kits and have taken part in over 15 Tutorials of Microsoft Press covering all areas of the Microsoft Data Access Platform. Our mission is to transmit all our knowledge acquired over the years by resolving real life problems for thousands of clients, keeping up knowledge levels with new advancements, publishing texts, articles and whitepapers, creating education content and training tens of thousands of IT Professionals the world over, so that our clients goals are reached and they achieve greater success. Knowledge transfer and expansion are offered by two main services: * Training. Scheduled training offered in our centres of Madrid and Barcelona or privatised in clients offices. * Mentoring. Our individualised consulting service of short duration and increased added value, whereby we solve your specific problems and also equip you with the knowledge required to undertake your projects.
Main contactB4Tech Software S.L. (Etooltech) Mr. Juan Tomas-Verdera > General Manager Organisation type > SME |
Contribution to project
ORANGE TECHNOLOGIES is the main participant in this Project, and as such contributes to the Project assuming two differentiating although equally significant roles: a) Co-ordination and product precursor. b) Experienced Developer and Business Intelligence Consultant. * Project Co-Ordination. The organisations contributing to the Project have a significant, direct and undeniable influence over the end result. The composition of work groups, tasks to be performed and compliance of the same maintain the final objective of reaching the hitos defined for each and every phase of the project, implicating broad knowledge of the scope of the project and a systematic dedication by part of ORANGE TECHNOLOGIES. * Experienced Developer and Business Intelligence Consulter ORANGE TECHNOLOGIES as a company specialising in software development is comprised of selected professionals that have integrally dedicated their entire careers in offering solutions to the tourism sector. Hospitality, Travel Agencies and Tour Operators are the three basic pillars on which we have spent the past 23 years creating software solutions both nationwide and abroad. During the last 3 years, we have dedicated and focused our experience on developing Business Intelligence Projects for Hotel Chains and Travel Agencies with the main purpose of equipping them with Budgeting and Reporting Tools as well as Control Panels. Aside from this, a new product named EIS Hotelier has been developed in conjunction with the partner entity WINHOTEL SOLUTIONS which is destined to cover all the On-Line necessities of the product WinHotel. ORANGE TECHNOLOGIES is also providing the project with its own infrastructure, services and know-how acquired during the past 25 years of experience within the tourism sector, as well as all of the advantages associated with being a Microsoft Certified Partner within the ISV (Independent Software) Category. The following are being made available for the project: Hardware such as Application Servers, (Windows), Backup Systems, Work Stations (Domestic PCs, Portable Computers, and Professional PCs) and Software such as Microsoft Windows 2000/2003 Server, Microsoft Back office (ISA Server & SQL Server, 2005), Microsoft Windows Vista, XP, Microsoft Office 2003, 2007, Microsoft Visual Studio Team System, Microsoft SharePoint Portal, Backup Software, Corporate Antivirus (Bit defender) and Personal Antivirus (Bit defender). ORANGE TECHNOLOGIES also has agreements with DATA CENTRE, SPAIN so as to offer qualified assistance within the fields of telecommunications and technical assistance, which at the same time provide us with the peace of mind of continuously trained staff on hand to provide the following services: LAN/Wan Networks (structured cabling and wireless).
Expertise
Main products and services: Our main products of software development are oriented to the tourism sector, and more specifically to electronic commerce or e-commerce. Within this area we develop programs that allow On-Line connectivity with organisations within the same sector with XML messaging. In reference to Reporting through Business Intelligence, we have developed a program called EIS Hotelier, which is due to be incorporated as a standard value in one of the most recognised PMSs in the Spanish market. Advantages of the software developed by ORANGE TECHNOLOGIES for the tourism industry: Our software basically covers On-line connectivity between organisations within the industry. In other words, it offers a standard environment with which Hotel chains can publish bookings and fares on the most well known portals (Transhotel, BedOnLine, Galileo, Europcar, Expedia, etc.) at the same time. This means that new distribution channels opened do not suppose new costly interface developments. In conjunction we offer Operative Reporting and On-Line Management accessible by the Internet through Collected Business Intelligence technology. The need for up-to-date information available at any moment in time is vital in order to keep up with the rhythm of the virtual market place. Taking into consideration these two aspects allows us to offer the market added value solutions. Main client and customer profiles: Our main clients are basically hotel chains, travel agencies, central booking offices and virtual tour operators. The software development entities and distribution channels are official distributors of ORANGE TECHNOLOGIES products. Projects and objectives: Our main objective is to be a leading software corporation of reference, dedicated to the virtual market place and with Business Intelligence allowing companies to open new frontiers of product commercialisation. Microsoft Certified Partner ORANGE TECHNOLOGIES S.L. is a Microsoft Certified Partner having achieved the competency of ISV/Software solutions, being the first company within the Balearic Islands to have achieved such a status for software development.
Main contactWinhotel Solutions S.L. Mr. Jaume Alzina > Manager Organisation type > SME |
Contribution to project
WINHOTEL SOLUTION is a software company specialised in hospitality management (PMS-CMS) and focused on advanced services: consultancy, training, technical support, system integration and development. WINHOTEL has a solution for any hotel typology; be it independent hotels, hotel chains, cities, resorts, SPAs, etc. It offers solutions in all areas of the Hotel Business: Front & Back office, Warehouse, P.O.S, housekeeping, maintenance, SPA, Events, Business Intelligence, central reservation systems, etc. Experience and knowledge of the hotel sector: compression of business logic in all its dimensions and needs. Available software: PMS, databases, reservation systems, budgeting and forecasting, events, EIS B.I., and essential items for developing and running RMS (Retail Management System) solutions. They also define yield class, combined optimisation rates and rules, diagnostic modules and finally the yield management system.
Expertise
Our origins can be traced back to November 1994, from the moment when Jaume Alzina and Antonio Perez left the hotel sector to establish WINHOTEL S.L., since they were looking for a gap in the IT (Information Technology) industry for solutions designed for hotels, based on the knowledge and experience gained within the hospitality industry. They were looking at aspects such as management, administration and operations after having experienced the lack of valid market solutions relative to this sector at that time. They were convinced ten years ago of the unstoppable force that Windows would have (from which the name WINhotel derived). We were among the pioneers to launch a product in 1996, using Windows, 16 bits. Our first version, one of the first to be based entirely on Windows, received an outstanding ovation for its user friendliness, agility, modularity and its wide range of resources when proportioning information. WINHOTEL SOLUTION S.L. is dedicated to the manufacturing and commercialisation of software specialised in Hotel Business Management (PMS-CMS) as well as offering advanced services. Consulting, training, technical assistance, system integration and personalised development. Since 1994, WINHOTEL has set up more than 300 hotel and accommodation establishments throughout SPAIN, ANDORRA, PORTUGAL, GERMANY, POLAND, SANTO DOMINGO, CUBA, HONDURAS and CHILE, and will soon be expanding into MEXICO, GREECE and HUNGARY. The solution can be applied to any type of hotelier category, be it independent hotels, hotel chains, cities, resorts, spas, vocational wellness centres, rural, nature, etc. WINHOTEL offers tailored solutions for all areas of the hotel business: front and back office, sales control, warehouse, checkout sales, housekeeping SSTT - maintenance, wellness centres and spas, events management, external device interfaces (switchboards, OCRs (Optical Character Recognition), TVs, robotics, cards, etc.) and financial accountants, business intelligence, data grouping, commercial management, booking distribution, etc.
Main contactFUNDACION IBIT
Mr. Esteve Llado > Head of Tourism and NNTT Unit Organisation type > Research Institute |
Contribution to project
The IBIT FOUNDATION - a technological R+D+I centre - will undertake several key responsibilities in this project, using their wealth of tourism experience and expert technological know-how. Research and Development has played a large part in IBITs continuity, driving it towards its goals of inspiring the Balearic Islands Innovative achievements. One of IBITs roles in the BEAUTY project will be dedicated to the Analysis, Design and Integration of its own booking engine AVANTHOTEL for the BEAUTY product. It will provide connectivity to AVANTHOTEL including formatted messages necessary for downloading available Accommodation Establishment rooms and reservations. Boasting quality Sun-Tourism know-how given its years specialising in this sector, IBITs vision and attention to detail will prove vital components in the identification of potential markets. That said, IBIT will also play a role in the search for potential markets. Its function will serve later to carry out the exploitation for the Hoteliers of AVANTHOTEL and the Balearic Islands. IBITs ample knowledge of the Balearic Islands market and its international tourist inflow will help to ensure sound and efficient advice on the most effective and productive algorithms of econometrics of BEAUTY given the multiple complex variables needed for maximum efficiency of the product. This work will cover a wide R+D aspect. IBIT will subcontract the UNIVERSIDAD DE LAS ISLAS BALEARES (UIB) for responsibility of this work which will be carried out at the FUNDACION IBIT. This work will be carried out with the support of IBITs know-how of the markets. It will encompass the analysis and design of the algorithms along with the development and testing of the mathematical and economic models which are required for the optimisation of income through the BEAUTY product.
Expertise
The IBIT FOUNDATION is a non-profit research centre, with ample experience in the tourism industry and above all in the leading innovative technologies sector. Its mission is to combine its expert knowledge in both these fields to promote, develop and transfer knowledge and innovation to support the incorporation of the Balearic Islands Society into the knowledge society and to increase competition within the regions enterprises. IBIT fulfils its task by focusing on the following key areas: - Innovation Dissemination (training, technological watch, workshops, etc.); - Technological Innovation Fostering; - Pilot Application Development and Implementation (telecommunications and Internet services). The core competence of IBIT is centered on information and commercialisation systems for SMEs (Small and Medium-sized Enterprises) and public administrations, and the dissemination of high-quality products at both national and international level, useful for the Balearic Islands enterprises and citizens. IBIT currently has 38 employees, 23 of which are technicians and experts working in the following main areas; - Tourism and new technologies; - E-business; - Telecommunications; - Services to the citizens; - Knowledge transfer and management. The IBIT FOUNDATION has taken part in over 35 R+D projects with over 100 companies and organisations involved, with around 20 of those projects having received funding from the EC through ESPRIT, Framework Programmes (IV, V and VI), and INTERREG programmes. The rest of the projects have been co-founded by national and regional ministries of Science and Innovation. IBIT has also published monographs on topics relating to new technologies and has successfully organised several courses, seminars and conferences. The IBIT FOUNDATION has ample experience in helping SMEs and public administrations to get the best out of ICT (Information and Communications Technology), mainly through international and national projects. Among its successes is the AvantHotel Online Booking System for the Management, Publication and Marketing of tourist accommodation places via the Internet. It has proved quite an exciting and attractive engine with negotiations currently underway in PORTUGAL, BULGARIA, THE CZECH REPUBLIC, POLAND and GREECE. The ascendancy of this Balearic Islands booking engine has given IBIT the opportunity to create the Latin-American spin-off, iberAvantHotel on-line reservation system. Successful projects such as the AvantHotel and iberAvantHotel booking engines have cemented IBITs status in Technological Innovation in the Balearic Islands Tourist Sector.
Main contactRTEL S.A. Mr. Dimitrios Kilias > Managing Director Organisation type > SME |
Contribution to project
RTEL develops products and services targeting the hospitality, business and public sectors. As one of the most trusted names in the region, RTEL is a supplier of advanced computing and networking product solutions. Key personnel include: * Dimitrios Kilias, who holds an MSc in Computer Science Engineering from the University of Florida and an MBA from the University of Phoenix. Since 1994, he has been Project Manager and Chairman of RTEL. * Ioannis Petridis, who holds an MSc in Software Engineering methodologies for Information Systems from the University of East Anglia, was an infrastructure development assistant at the same University and was a senior web developer at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. * Michael Roussos holds a Master of Computer Science and Studies from Sheffield University. He has various work and research experiences and is presently responsible for the company R&D Department. The main products of software development are oriented towards the tourism sector, and more specifically to electronic commerce or e-commerce. Within this area, RTEL develops programs that allow on-line connectivity with organisations within the same sector with XML messaging. The software basically covers on-line connectivity between organisations within the industry. In other words, it offers a standard environment with which hotel chains can publish bookings and fares on the most well known portals, at the same time. This means that new distribution channels opened do not suppose new costly interface developments. In conjunction, RTEL offers Operative Reporting and On-Line Management accessible by the Internet through Collected Business Intelligence technology. The need for up-to-date information available at any moment in time is vital in order to keep up with the rhythm of the virtual market place. Taking into consideration these two aspects allows RTEL to offer the market added value solutions. RTELs main objective is to be a leading software corporation of reference, dedicated to the virtual market place and with Business Intelligence allowing companies to open new frontiers of product commercialisation.
Expertise
The company was established in 1993 and its headquarters are based on the Island of Rhodes. It specialises in Telematic Services, LAN (Local Area Network) and WAN (Wide Area Network) Computer networks, as well as Internet services. There is sound knowledge in Information Technology and communication systems such as CISCO IOS, Voice over IP (Internet Protocol) Networks, Wi-Fi (Wireless Fidelity) Networks etc. Since 1998, RTEL has become an official telecommunications company in GREECE. RTEL provides advanced products and services for the tourism industry, and business and public sector. The companys annual revenue is more than 1.7 million euro and it employs 16 engineers, scientists and technicians. RTEL has developed solutions that enable the authentication, accounting and billing of single or multiple wired and / or wireless hotspots. The solutions and added-valued services include centralised management, credit-card billing, advanced radius server configurations, etc. Some of the IP Telephony Services (IPTS) products include: (a) a state-of-the-art accounting and billing system for Cisco Call Manager and the Call Manager Express, and (b) a portfolio of dynamic value-added services offered through the XML capabilities of Cisco Systems IP Phones. RTEL has extended know-how on technological innovation through active participation in national and international RTD (Research and Technological Development) projects, e.g.: 3D (Digital Design and Development of tourism products and services) consisting of various modules provided by tourism suppliers such as hotels, incoming agents, airlines, tour operators, etc. (IST), W3DS - Web Decision and Sales Support System for Business and Consumers through an open GIS Platform (a software solution composed of a decision support system and a sales support system. RT2002 - aiming at the SMART Kid application that provides a technological solution to the issue how a kid spends the money in school.