10th Edition, 2013

HOTELIER

HICAP UPDATE 2013Indonesia Hotels Investment World 2013

RIOKONDO

Indonesia Hotel Investment Trend

HOTELIER INDONESIAJOBS | EVENTS | HOSPITALITY NEWS | MAGAZINE

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PHILLIPS support GREEN HOTEL

EDITION 11TH, 2013

HOTELIER INDONESIA

INDONESIA

Phuket Market Report

THE INTERVIEW

THE TOP 10 ‘FRESH’ ASIAN DESTINATIONS FOR 2013

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PANORAMA GROUP AND CARLSON REZIDOR

BILL HEALEY INTERVIEW

We’re pleased to have the opportunity to chat with Bill Healey, an international journalist and consultant focused on the hospitality and leisure industry.

[HI] You’ve been involved with leisure and hospitality technology for quite a few years. Could you give us a summary of your profes-sional background?

[BH] My start in the industry predates the birth of many of the current trend-setters in the technology industry. In 1982, hours after my graduation from Michigan’s Alma College, I was on the road to Westchester Country Club in Rye, New York to start with a small and upcoming golf technology firm.

Bill HealeyInternational journalist and consultant focused on the hospitality and leisure industry.

42 • HOTELIER INDONESIA | APRIL 2013 www.hotelier-indonesia.com

CLOUD-BASED PMS SOLUTIONS ARE NOW AVAILABLE

AND WOULD BE A VERY GOOD FIT FOR

THE SMALL TO MID-SIZED MARKET.

THESE SOLUTIONS ARE WEB-BASED

AND SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCE THE HOTEL’S

TECHNOLOGY INVESTMENT.

HOT Profi le

The firm Handicomp had been in business since 1968 as one of the lead-ing data processing firms in the golf industry. They were in the process of developing software to manage membership, accounting and golf handicapping for the country club markets. The code was developed for both the Unix operating system, and MSDOS (developed by a small Seattle-based company named Microsoft). The system quickly gained market share, and had a solid client base around the USA.

In 1993, I decided to make a move and focus more on the global market. At that point I created a new firm with a partner in Geneva, Switzerland. The firm, Cosmos International was also focused on the golf technology market, but allowed us to stretch our reach around the world. We had projects as far afield as Guam, Japan, Singapore and Kenya. Over the past decade, I’ve been involved in consulting on golf, club, spa and hotel systems around the world.

[HI] International consulting on golf, spa and hospitality systems must have taken you to some interesting places? What are a few?

[BH] I have enjoyed the journey. Though I’ve bounced around to 45+ countries, I’d have to say it’s the people I meet along the way that have made it interesting. A few include:

Kenya: I’d worked with the Kenya Golf Union, which is their national golfing body. We implemented the world’s first 32-bit golf handicapping system at clubs throughout the country. With our development team’s close ties to Microsoft in the mid-1990s, we were able to implement Kenya’s national golf handicapping system on a national basis in 1996-1997. I personally took on the task, which took a few of us on a several implementation trips from the coastal city of Mombasa all the way to the Uganda border.

Guam & Japan: Following on our successes in Kenya, we later carried-on into Guam and Japan in 1997-1998. I got to know the directors of the leading golf organisations in both areas, and spent considerable time with them.

Korea: This was my first international trip for golf systems. It was in 1986 when I installed a system for Handicomp at the USA’s 8th Army Golf Course (later renamed Sung Nam Golf Club). The three weeks I spent implementing the system at the military golf course allowed me ample time to get to know Seoul. It left such a positive impression that I think it is what drove me into the global system’s market.

[HI] You’ve been living in Bali now for 8 years. What brings you here?

[BH] I had spent quite a lot of time traveling out of a suitcase, traveling between the USA, Hong Kong, China, Thailand, East Africa and the Middle East. I felt it was time to make one place somewhat permanent. As one who like warm temperatures and nice beaches .. and also having access to the golf & spa market, I thought Bali would be a good place to be. I certainly don’t regret it.

[HI] You’ve seen the market change quite a bit, from your early days working with Unix and MSDOS to today’s world. What do you think of it?

[BH] Software technology has always been a quick moving market. You’ve got to keep your wits about you to stay up with the younger guys. We had to understand that just because we had a leading software system written in COBOL for MSDOS, that we shouldn’t rest on our laurels. As a successful firm, we needed to realize that though we were a market leader with one technology, others were likely lurking around the corner with something potentially more impressive.

I’ve seen the need to be ready on multiple fronts: as one of the firm’s directors I had to be able to ensure the consumer’s requirements were fully understood, and that we properly conveyed these ideas to the development team. we also needed understand that the requirements may vary from one region to another. An American system, or a western system cannot simply be copied and brought to the Asian market. There are countless examples where a western leader failed in their attempts to enter Asia, simply because they didn’t understand business operations in the new market. This is more than a simple language translation from English to Simplified Chinese, Thai or another. Rather it’s an operational shift.

There are also significant differences in social media from one region to another. Many parts of the world are connected through Facebook, Twitter or one of several other social media products. A western firm that relies solely on western social media cannot expect to have the same level of success in China, Korea or Japan. They must adapt to the leading social media platforms in each country, which takes having a team-member capable of communicating through microblogging programs like Weibo or QQ in China.

[HI] What do you think about the hotel systems market in Indonesia?

[BH] There are several levels. The international five-star hotels and resorts are likely required to follow the directives of their corporate office, which is typically Micros Opera, Par Springer Miller, Infor or one of several others.

The mid-range and five-star hotels not tied to an international direc-tive have a good selection of locally develop solutions (developed in Indonesia, Malaysia or Singapore). These options are generally lower-priced and offer very good solutions.

Cloud-based PMS solutions are now available and would be a very good fit for the small to mid-sized market. These solutions are web-based and significantly reduce the hotel’s technology investment.

[HI] How do you view corporate social responsibility (CSR) and volunteering?

[BH] I support CSR and feel it should be a part of any company able to contribute. It’s important for business to give back to the communities they’re involved in. Personally, I’ve been involved in several community development projects in northern Nigeria where I assisted in projects aimed at agricultural sustainability and cooperative development.

[HI] Being involved with golf clubs and spas around the world, do you have any favorites?

[BH] The vagabond in me enjoys the “newness” of a first time on a golf course or trying a new signature treatment at a different spa. I’m not one for “sameness” and enjoy the differences in a wide range of experiences, whether it be a new spa experience, food or culture.

[HI] How can people connect with you if they wish:

[BH] Various ways to connect:

Email: healeywe@gmail.comTwitter: https://twitter.com/HeyBillLinkedIn: id.linkedin.com/pub/bill-healey/5/3bb/484/Weibo : http://weibo.com/3218030862QQ: 1926222923@qq.com

HOTELIER INDONESIA | APRIL 2013 • 43www.hotelier-indonesia.comwww.hotelier-indonesia.com

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