The resort features more than 3,000 feet of private beachfront, a tennis facility, a membership beach club, an award-winning golf course, and accommodations that include condominiums, vacation homes and holiday rentals. The property had been using software systems from multiple different vendors before choosing to replace all of them with modern cloud-native Agilysys software solutions designed to work seamlessly together while also delivering best-in-class performance for each function.
The solutions previously in place did not easily share guest data nor transaction visibility and did not enable coordinated processes across the property, which led to frustrations for staff and guests.
Katie Avant, Director of Marketing for Kiva Dunes, explained the factors that led to replacing the property’s existing software solutions. “Our team would do a terrific job consistently going the extra mile to provide exceptional experiences throughout a guest’s stay, only for guests to have a complicated check-out experience when departing,” Ms. Avant explained.
“Data was not consistent nor accurate across the resort. When we raised issues with the different software vendors in place, they often blamed each other, which would result in our being asked to pay for additional software programming costs,” Ms. Avant continued. “In addition, training on multiple systems was expensive and time-consuming given our percentage of seasonal staff.”
Ms. Avant noted that recommendations from others contributed to Kiva Dunes’ confidence in selecting Agilysys. “We researched alternatives online and spoke to several industry peers who all wholeheartedly endorsed Agilysys software technology,” Ms. Avant said. “We didn’t realize it was possible for software to achieve such simplicity and elegance across a resort as complex as Kiva Dunes. We feel we have now found the perfect technology partner, and we are excited to experience the positive impact these solutions, working together, will have on our guests, employees and overall business,” she added.
Jeba Kingsley, Senior Vice President of Professional Services for Agilysys, said, “Like many properties, Kiva Dunes was using legacy technology that did not support the leadership team’s goals for optimizing revenue per guest, automating administrative tasks to free staff member time to interact with guests, and perfecting guest experiences end-to-end throughout every stay,” Mr. Kingsley said.
“Despite the team’s commitment, delivering exceptional guest experiences was undermined by systems not working together seamlessly, which led to delays in service, lost opportunities to delight guests and staff frustrations across the property,” Mr. Kingsley continued. “With an integrated, modern ecosystem of Agilysys solutions now in place, Kiva Dunes is well-equipped to achieve its goals today and in the future as the property evolves,” he concluded.
In addition to solutions for PMS, POS and Golf, Kiva Dunes implemented software that enhances payment efficiency and security; enables mobile transactions and information access; improves booking and check-in/check-out experiences; reserves dining and leisure activities; automates service requests; and simplifies retail and gift card purchases. The resort also has streamlined internal operations across its sales, marketing and catering departments and has eliminated repetitive administrative tasks so staff members can focus on delighting guests, confident that operations and service levels will remain consistent and efficient.
Another factor driving Kiva Dunes’ decision to choose software solutions across Agilysys’ ecosystem was the unique ability to complement PMS, POS and other hospitality software with easily integrated Membership and Residence Management software. Agilysys Membership enables Kiva Dunes to easily define and manage membership tiers, privileges and transaction flows and to provide members with a branded online self-service portal. Without staff assistance, members can use the portal to create individual and family accounts, manage profiles and preferences, add guests, manage dependent cards and spending limits, check balances, utilize privileges, view and register for events, book reservations and tee times and redeem loyalty points.
Agilysys Residence Management enables Kiva Dunes and its property owners to manage condo, villa and home rentals online, including residence availability and profitability analysis, bookings, statements, expenses and payments, with this information accessible in the PMS. The software also manages revenue allocations and splits among individual owners, the association and the property, and significantly reduces the time it takes the accounting staff to calculate, distribute and report revenues and expenses to owners.
