Hetras Selects McObject® Embedded Database for New Hotel Management Software-as-a-Service (SaaS)
December 14, 2009 — McObject®, an innovator in the field of database systems for real-time applications, today announced that Hetras GmbH is using McObject’s eXtremeDB™ in-memory database system (IMDS) in its new Web-based hotel management solution. By incorporating eXtremeDB as a highly scalable data cache, the company’s hosted HMS product is faster, more reliable and delivers richer detail than other solutions in the market.
Hotel management software faces significant challenges, including supporting an extremely high number of users, connected systems and complex queries. Travel web sites require integration with these internal systems in order to provide Internet users with up-to-date room and billing information, adding further complexity.
Founded in 2007 by hospitality and software industry veterans, Hetras has introduced a powerful, cost-effective new hotel management software-as-a-service (SaaS) that addresses these issues head on. By providing room selection, booking and property management functions in a hosted solution, Hetras saves its customers – ranging from small inns to large hotel groups – the time and cost associated with maintaining these functions in-house. The system’s ease-of-use and rich 3-D presentation of available lodgings strengthen participating hotels’ value to users and increase customers’ loyalty.
But providing this level of detail to users instantly, while accommodating the high traffic load inherent in a hosted solution, entailed a significant data management challenge. After extensive testing, Hetras selected McObject’s in-memory database as the best solution to meet its speed, scaling and storage requirements.
“Hetras HMS manages millions of guest activities with speed, accuracy and an enhanced level of detail—and that is only possible because of McObject’s eXtremeDB in-memory database system,” said Michael Heinze, founder and managing director of Hetras. “In addition to minimizing data retrieval latency, eXtremeDB expands Hetras’ ability to provide detail about every room a hotel has available. Guests not only get the rate, but can also identify features associated with a room, helping them obtain the views and locations they prefer. For Hetras, this granular insight is a major competitive differentiation.”
Traditional hotel management systems rely on caching technology to support the millions of room and data requests Internet users make every day. Obstacles to meeting this demand include high data access latency, expensive data storage, and system scaling demands. Because of the large amount of storage (memory) required, typical cache-based systems usually only deliver the most basic cost and room data. Recognizing these limitations, Hetras built the HMS software using eXtremeDB as its in-memory cache for critical real-time data. With its rich computational abilities, eXtremeDB can respond to a much wider range of user queries, providing prospective guests with deeper insight into a potential hotel experience.
“Hetras understands it will succeed by offering a hosted solution that saves hotels money, while offering superior service to their customers. This will result in growth, which makes it extremely important for Hetras’ data management solution to scale up,” said Steve Graves, chief executive officer and co-founder, McObject. “McObject’s innovative real-time database system is ideal for rapidly-growing companies like Hetras, whose SaaS offerings must deliver the highest level of reliability, performance and advanced features for end-users.”
Using McObject’s eXtremeDB, organizations eliminate the need to create custom data management code, reducing development and support costs for real-time systems and gaining higher performance. For manufacturers, eXtremeDB’s frugal appetite for memory and CPU cycles lowers hardware costs, resulting in savings that drop to the bottom line—or can be used to reduce end-user price, to gain market share. Whether handling critical data for a combat jet’s navigation system or caching real-time Web data for financial services, eXtremeDB offers multiple features – from a type-safe programming interface to an optional High Availability database subsystem – to build in rock-solid reliability, durability and data integrity.
About McObject
Founded by embedded database and real-time systems experts, McObject offers proven data management technology that makes applications and devices smarter, more reliable and more cost-effective to develop and maintain. McObject counts among its customers industry leaders such BAE Systems, Siemens, Phillips, EADS, JVC, Tyco Thermal Controls, F5 Networks, DIRECTV, CA, Motorola and Boeing. McObject, based in Issaquah, WA, is committed to providing innovative technology and first-rate services to customers and partners. The company can be reached at +1-425-888-8505, or visit www.mcobject.com.
About Hetras GmbH
Hetras is the first company to build a fully internet-based management application for hotels and hotel chains of all sizes. The Hetras hotel management software combines traditional property management systems (PMS), central reservation systems (CRS), customer relationship management (CRM), channel management and internet booking engines into a unified application. The Hetras product is offered on a SaaS basis, meaning the customers pay a flat fee per month per room. The 100% service oriented architecture (SOA) not only enables unprecedented scalability and security but allows third parties to extend the Hetras application with additional functionality and custom front-ends. To find out more about Hetras or join the Hetras mailing list, www.hetras.com.
McObject and eXtremeDB are trademarks or registered trademarks of McObject LLC. All other company or product names mentioned herein are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners.