Manila-based hotel management firm wants to help SMEs compete with the big boys

A pair of former honchos of a now-defunct Singapore-headquartered OTA has set up a hybrid hospitality management company in Manila, targeted at small and medium-sized hotels and resorts.

Unlike a typical hotel management company, SMS Hospitality Network (SMS) offers clients the option to choose sales and online revenue management only; online revenue management including rates, inventory and reputation; or full management including operations as in the case of the 30-key Gilmore Tower and Suites.

SMS Hospitality Solutions aims to help hotels increase their visibility on OTAs and maximise their revenue potential

Furthermore, SMS can also represent province-based clients in trade shows and business events held in metro Manila.

“The pandemic has shown very clearly that small and medium-sized hotels and resorts need support. If they are just going by themselves, they will have difficulty competing with the big boys,” said Nikki Rocha, SMS Hospitality CEO and president.

Rocha was previously the group executive vice president and president in the Philippines of the now-defunct Asiatravel.com, which closed in 2018.

There are over 5,000 hotels and resorts accredited by the Philippines’ Department of Tourism, and a significant number of them, mostly SMEs, are not listed in OTAs.

“In terms of network, (these SMEs) need support on how to be more visible on OTAs. So with our team, experience, network plus the technology we will provide, we can help them manage their hotels and resorts to achieve that,” said Francis Asuncion, SMS managing director, who was Asiatravel.com’s vice president in Thailand.

SMS’ value proposition is to achieve the full revenue potential of the properties by using high-technology and mastering OTAs’ algorithm. “A lot of owners don’t realise that they can earn much higher than what they currently do,” Rocha said.

Asuncion said SMS Hospitality is the exclusive Philippine partner of Japan’s OTA Rakuten for hotels, while India tech partner Street Gooser provides the real-time, cloud-based property management system.

Correction: In our previous version, we stated that the company name is SMS Hospitality Solutions, which is the registered name of the company. SMS Hospitality Network is the name that the company is known by in the industry. This article has also been edited for accuracy. 

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