CSM Lodging Begins Installation of MTech's PMWorks

Minneapolis-based lodging firm turns to Internet-based preventive-maintenance management solution

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. October 14, 2008

MIAMI, FL, November 21, 2006. CSM Lodging, the hotel division of Minneapolis-based real-estate developer CSM Corp., is more than halfway through the planned installation of PMWorks, MTech's state-of-the-art Internet-based preventive-maintenance management solution, in all of its hotels nationwide.

Miami-based MTech is an industry leader in developing software and Internet-based solutions that help hotels improve communications, increase productivity and maximize guest satisfaction. PMWorks, powered by MTech's award-winning HotSOS (Hotel Service Optimization System, pronounced hot sauce), is the first Software as a Service (SaaS) specifically designed to handle the day-to-day needs of hotel maintenance.

CSM Lodging develops, owns and manages 37 hotel properties in 11 states in the Northwest, Southeast and Midwest, with two properties in Massachusetts and one in Florida. CSM Lodging's portfolio includes properties that fly the brand flags of leading quality- and service-oriented hotel companies such as Marriott, the Carlson Companies, Hilton Hotels and others.

Robb Gulner, Corporate Engineer for CSM Lodging, is in charge of standardizing, tracking and scheduling all preventive maintenance while getting consistent updates from each of CSM's hotels. He said those tasks are accomplished with significantly improved more easer and efficiency in the CSM hotels that have PMWorks already installed. More than half CSM's hotels now have PMWorks up and running, with the remainder scheduled for installation over the next few months, Gulner said.

"Our properties that are currently on PMWorks have shown labor savings, guest-service score increases, stable preventive rooms and equipment maintenance, and higher brand-quality assurance scores," Gulner said. "In addition, one of the most important items PMWorks tracks and schedules is the life-safety items in our facilities-and that's the most imperative to our guests' safety and security."

Gulner said PMWorks has had a major impact on work orders-only three months after PMWorks had been installed, daily work orders in those hotels decreased by half.

"The work-order decrease is a welcome one, since work orders are generated by the guest most of the time, so it's pretty clear where our higher guest-satisfaction scores are coming from," Gulner said. "With PMWorks, the weekly work lists that we send to the property managers are priceless. Weekly service orders are thorough and have the toll-free number on each ticket for fast, efficient reconciling when work is completed. Meanwhile, the Monday property-update reports allow me to follow up with properties that are out-of-state and to track their preventive maintenance at a glance via a color chart."

Ease of use, top-notch technical support

"PMWork's straightforward Web site is simple to navigate for us 'old school' engineers, and the technical support at MTech has been fantastic. tThrough all of the property set-ups-there have been few, if any, problems that weren't solved quickly," he added. "We're totally pleased with PMWorks on the corporate side-and on the property level, our people love it. Like one of my chief engineers said to me not long ago. '"We all know what to do, but when to do it and where we left off are another thing. PMWorks takes care of that!'

"Consistency in providing preventive maintenance is critical to successful hotel operations-even though preventive-maintenance programs have long been viewed as a rather low priority in the lodinglodging business," said MTech President Luis C. Segredo process. "Finally, hotels and hotel management companies are seeing what forward-thinking, savvy companies like CSM Lodging have already discovered-that a solid, effective preventive-maintenance program boosts guest satisfaction and return rates, in addition to prolonging the life of ff&eFF&E and the hotel itself." Clyde Edson, MTech National Accounts Manager for PMWorks, said an effective preventive-maintenance program should have top priority in any hotel or hotel company.

"We're proud to say that there's nothing on the market that matches PMWorks in helping hoteliers maximize the effectiveness of their preventive-maintenance program," Edson said.