Leading UAE-based smart and green facilities management (FM) company Farnek, is to launch ‘Trendz’ a new standalone hotel management company, at Arabian Travel Market (ATM), which takes place at the Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC) on 9-12 May 2022. “‘Trendz’ offers a unique 360-degree service for hotel owners and operating companies with an accent on technology and sustainability, two of the most important trends in hospitality today,” said Walter Knight, Director of hospitality at Farnek.
“Farnek, which has over 8,000 employees, has traditionally provided manpower and outsourcing services, such as cleaning, security and property maintenance. However, ‘Trendz’ takes that market proposition one stage further, managing front office requirements, reservations, concierge, housekeeping and room service – we can also manage sales operations, marketing and PR.
“It is a cost-effective and totally flexible hospitality proposition. Hotels can engage with us for specific operational requirements or contract us to manage an entire property, either under the ‘Trendz’ brand or as a white label product,” added Knight.
One of Farnek’s most recent accomplishments, was the development of an app called ‘Flexi-Guest’ which digitalises the guest journey from pre arrival to check out.
The app, which was developed in-house, interfaces with a hotel’s property management system (PMS) affording guests a whole suite of services from uploading travel documents, such as vaccination certificates, ordering a car on arrival, room service and laundry. The hotel app can also send automated electronic updates and alerts to the guest, as well as e-registration documents, e-invoices and e-receipts, all in one convenient space.
“This gives the guest an enhanced experience, providing a seamless pre-arrival and check-in procedure. They can order room service in advance, have laundry picked up or delivered, request early or late check outs, view and pay invoices with secure online payments.
“If the guest experience is good, that develops loyalty and improves online ratings. The hotel operates more efficiently, saving staff time and expense and has the added advantage of driving revenue through F&B and e-concierge services,” added Knight.
Farnek has just completed a successful trial of the app, having secured a contract for the Expo Village, situated on the Expo 2020 site. Farnek was responsible for managing the reservation services, concierge, front office services and housekeeping, for 2,273 apartments during the show.
Sustainability is key to Farnek’s hospitality strategy and Flexi-Guest can estimate the carbon emissions generated by any guest during their stay and provide a cost should the guest wish to offset their carbon footprint. Indeed, visitors to Farnek’s stand at ATM, will be able to measure their own carbon footprint, with an option to contribute to a range of sustainable projects to offset their impact on the environment, while participating in the show.
“The fact that Flexi-Guest can interface with any hotel property management system, makes it extremely marketable, hotels can simply pay a licence fee to use it and we are already looking at upgrading Flexi-Guest, so that management reports can be generated in real time,” added Knight.
Hoteliers will also be able to take advantage of Farnek’s Hotel Optimizer software, which records, analyses and benchmarks energy and water consumption, as well as waste generation, resulting in a more cost-efficient and sustainable operation. Farnek can also support hotels that wish to develop and implement Net Zero carbon strategies.
Furthermore, Farnek is a preferred partner and auditor for Green Globe the worldwide sustainability accreditation system based on internationally accepted criteria for sustainable operation and management of travel and tourism businesses. An essential attribute for green listings on booking.com, or to be labelled ‘Eco-Certified’ in Google search results.
“We believe that our 360-degree market proposition for the hotel sector, is unrivalled and our participation at the ATM provides us with an ideal platform to showcase our services to a targeted audience of over 20,000, local, regional and international travel and tourism professionals,” added Knight.
