NEW group travel planner developed by UrVenue + Club Med to be launched at HITEC

CHARLOTTE, N.C., June 24, 2024 — A new tool developed by UrVenue and Club Med is being unveiled this week at HITEC, which runs through June 27 at the Charlotte (NC) Convention Center. The innovative Group Itinerary Builder offers hoteliers a centralized way to create group travel plans while travelers have a clear overview of their itinerary at all times.

“Demand for group events is increasing, and with it comes travelers’ desire for unique experiences like tennis, sailing, kayaking, water skiing, snorkeling and even trapeze flying,” said Tracee Nalewak, Chief Growth Officer of UrVenue. “Building on our long-standing relationship with Club Med – the pioneer of the all-inclusive concept – we have jointly developed a tool that allows group participants to explore the property’s activities and review their event schedules in an interactive guest portal with itinerary management features. We can’t wait to showcase this joint technology at HITEC.”

UrVenue pioneered the hospitality industry’s first Property Experience Management System (PXMS) in 2022, enabling commerce, operations, data insights and knowledge management for resort and entertainment experiences, bridging the fragmented booking process with its unified booking capabilities. The PXMS, called UV Enterprise, is designed for nightclubs, dayclubs, restaurants, lounges, pools, resort beaches, sportsbooks, special events/shows, recreational activities and more. Club Med was one of the first UV Enterprise users and together they have a successful track record of advancing the all-inclusive market. In fact, Club Med and UrVenue were finalists in the 2022 Skift Idea Awards for their joint technology contribution.

The Group Itinerary Builder was launched at Club Med Cancún in April 2024. More than 800 group participants used the solution and user feedback showed that the tool exceeded expectations. Comments such as “very user-friendly”, “it works perfectly”, “I loved having all this information in the palm of my hand” and “I saved so much time with this new automation” confirm the success of the implementation.

Common technology goals

The Group Itinerary Builder is designed to be an efficient, centralized system for tracking guest journeys. It gives group travelers more control over their experiences while giving hotels the tools they need to meet the increasing expectations of groups. The tool can be customized by hoteliers on the fly and allows group members to track all of their planned group activities through a guest portal. This centralized system provides hoteliers with an easy way to deliver the best possible guest experience while giving travelers the most control over their stay experience.

In addition, there is the group travel planner …

1. Improves the guest experience: Develop a digital trip planner/manager for group participants to explore and manage resort experiences alongside pre-planned events that combine work and leisure activities into a unified itinerary. Provide self-available information to groups and give operators the ability to create itineraries on behalf of guests.
2. Provides scalability: Create a new, globally scalable module within UrVenue’s PXMS (Property Experience Management System) that displays group event schedules and activities in a unified itinerary. (PXMS featured in the 2021 Skift IDEA Award Submission – Resort World/UrVenue – Finalist)
3. Improves group communication: Before arrival: Create an email invitation for group participants to access their personalized guest portal, which showcases their group itinerary and information about hotel activities during their free time. During the stay: Enable real-time messaging by integrating live updates into the itinerary for group participants.
4. Optimizes operational efficiency: Automate manual processes within Club Med’s Meetings & Events sales team and other resort interface departments. Also provide coordination tools through Trip Planner and Manager so staff can support group participants.
5. Increases sales: Increase revenue through activities and extended stays (bleisure) by showcasing all hotel activities and excursions to group participants.

“Club Med has a long history of innovation in hospitality, as evidenced by the successful co-development and rollout of this technology,” says Vikki Knudsen, Senior Director Sales Strategy – Meetings & Events, Club Med. “Group travelers are not served as proactively by hotels as leisure/transit travelers, despite making up a significant portion of the hotel customer base. They often have to take care of the hotel themselves because someone else booked it on their behalf. They are also typically not included in pre-arrival communications that include hotel information, booking links, or a link to the hotel app. Until now, there simply weren’t any options for trip planning, especially taking into account event schedules and other activities.

“Now that the Group Itinerary Builder has been successfully implemented and tested at Club Med Cancún, we are now ready to roll it out to more hotels in our portfolio,” she said. “We are incredibly excited to focus on revenue generation by incorporating third-party excursion bookings and exploring opportunities to drive additional room nights with group guests. What we have accomplished here at Club Med with our entire meetings and events industry is very exciting. We are on the cusp of a paradigm shift in group participant management that will result in happier customers and significant financial gains for the hotel group segment.”

Click here to schedule an advance meeting with UrVenue at HITEC Charlotte to demo the Group Itinerary Builder and see the hotel industry’s first PXMS.

About UrVenue

UrVenue is a hospitality technology company that launched the industry’s first Property Experience Management System (PXMS). As a full-stack technology solution, UrVenue Enterprise enables commerce, operations, guest experience, data insights and knowledge management for event and resort experiences, bridging the fragmented booking process with its unified booking capabilities. UrVenue is purpose-built for hospitality venues, including nightclubs, dayclubs, restaurants, lounges, pools, resort beaches, sportsbooks, special events/shows, recreational activities and more. Since 2011, UrVenue’s technology has been the trusted solution for clients ranging from independent venue operators to global organizations, including Fairmont Banff Springs, Caesars Entertainment, MGM Resorts International, Wynn Resorts, Club Med, Circa Resort & Casino, Tao Group, Resorts World, The Venetian, Mohegan Sun, Paris Society and Zouk Group. UrVenue has been a multi-year finalist for the Skift IDEA Awards. For more information visit www.urvenue.comFollow us on social networks: LinkedIn, Þjórsárdalur, Facebook, Instagram.

About Club Med

Founded in 1950 by Gérard Blitz, Club Med is the pioneer of the all-inclusive concept. The company operates nearly 70 premium resorts in stunning locations around the world, including North and South America, the Caribbean, Asia, Africa, Europe and the Mediterranean. Each Club Med resort offers authentic local style and comfortable, upscale accommodations, world-class sports programs and activities, enriching children’s programs, gourmet dining and warm and friendly service from its world-renowned staff with legendary hospitality skills, all-encompassing energy and diverse backgrounds.

Present in 40 countries on 5 continents, Club Med maintains its authentic Club Med spirit with an international staff of more than 23,000 employees from more than 110 different nationalities. Guided by its pioneering spirit, Club Med continues to grow and adapt to each market, with three to five new openings or renovations per year, including a new mountain resort every year. For more information, visit www.clubmed.uscall 1-800-Club-Med (1-800-258-2633) or contact a preferred travel professional. For an inside look at Club Med, follow Club Med on Facebook, InstagramAnd Youtube.

Barbara Worcester
+1 440 930 5770