Lufthansa Systems today announced that the Norwegian cruise company Hurtigruten has opted for its Guest Service Portal. The entire fleet of 12 ships will be equipped with this interactive guest portal from Lufthansa Systems starting in January 2013. Hurtigruten is the first customer for this new product, which was presented to the international cruise industry in March of this year. Lufthansa Systems will also provide maintenance and support services until 2017.
The Guest Service Portal was developed on the basis of Lufthansa Systems’ established iTV solution. It is the hospitality industry’s first fully-integrated platform with interactive guest services and operation-enhancing business intelligence. The Guest Service Portal impresses with superior business intelligence functionality and interactivity derived from its robust, future-proof architecture and several key components.
“The ability to interact with guests throughout a cruise and the system’s user-friendliness for passengers and crews alike convinced us to opt for the Guest Service Portal,” said Frid Fastbø, CIO at Hurtigruten.
The Guest Service Portal’s five Unified Guest Interfaces allow guests to interact with staff anywhere, anytime during the travel cycle via their mobile devices such as tablets or laptops, via television and the ship’s digital signs. It features seven guest modules (Entertain, Book & Shop, Dine, Concierge, Housekeeping, Socialize and Inform), which guests can use to make inquiries, book a service, make dinner reservations or select personal preference settings. They can also watch a movie, chat online, or plan an excursion or the next leg of their vacation. There is also an option for guests to obtain information about the ship’s key facilities such as restaurants, spa and fitness center and access the ship’s social media page.
“We are very proud to have acquired the first customer for our innovative Guest Service Portal which was launched this spring. With this new system, Hurtigruten will be able to offer its passengers an unparalleled standard of services,” explained Bernd Appel, Senior Vice President Industry Solutions at Lufthansa Systems.
Lufthansa Systems will have one year to equip all 12 ships with the solution. To meet this tight deadline, Hurtigruten and Lufthansa Systems have chosen a project approach which has already proven successful with the iTV solution. All systems will first be set up and tested in a simulated ship environment in the Lufthansa Systems Test Center in Hamburg. Then the solution will gradually be installed on the actual ships.
