Hot Interview :: Craig Francis at Quasar Group International

from Hotelier Indonesia Magazine

Issue 17, April 2014

www.hotelier-indonesia.com

We have had the good fortune of interviewing the founders of Quasar Group in past issues.  In September 2013, Hotelier Indonesia interviewed the firm’s President & CEO Craig Francis.  In April 2013, we interviewed Bill Healey, Director and market advisor. In the current issue, we

Hotelier Indonesia Magazine
Issue 17, April 2014

expand our review to their multi-lingual, international management software for Spa, Golf and Hospitality.

Building on market experience in excess of 75-years in golf, club and leisure, Craig & Bill have brought their unique insights to leisure management software through Quasar Group International.  

Collaborating with leading club & leisure technology experts around the world, Quasar’s solutions are designed to enhance the processes in which a club and spa engage with their members and guests. Extensive client data and Social Media contacts are maintained by the system, allowing for an advanced level of interaction between club and client.

With a successful history in implementing Spa & Golf software around the world, Hotelier Indonesia is pleased to have Quasar’s directors back for further insight into their efforts.

[HI] Not sure we can pin either of you down to one city. Where are the two of you based?

[CF] We’ve both traveled frequently through the years. I split time between homes in Switzerland and the Bahamas.

[BH] It does seem as though we’re living out of a suitcase much of the time. I do spend some time at a family compound in Michigan (USA), but most often in Bali.

Though these would be where the two of us are based, we also have business partners in China, Thailand, Canada and a few other areas coming onboard soon.

[HI] As the two of you traveling and living quite far apart, do you ever catch up?

[CF] With the internet, we’re able to catch up at anytime through Email, Skype or other methods. We have been able to meet for corporate events in recent months. Back in November 2013, we had a 3-day management meeting at the Fairmont Hotel in Toronto where we introduced our Canadian partner to the industry.

Just a couple months back (January 2014), we had product introductions at the Raffles Hotel in Beijing, and the Shangri-La Pudong in Shanghai. It provided us the opportunity to meet each other, Quasar business partners and with industry leaders.

[HI] Having a look at the Quasar management solution, it seems to do well in providing for the leisure and hospitality industry.

[BH] Our solution has been designed to manage spas, golf clubs, golf academies and membership clubs. The advanced functionality provides for extensive membership

with features that include lifestyle & preference tracking, transactions history, social networking links (Facebook, Twitter, Weibo, WeChat, etc) and more.

A Spa will be able to manage advance spa bookings, therapists, inventories, Point of Sale and Revenues. Similarly, a Golf Club would be able to manage tee times, caddies, inventories, POS and revenues. CRM is a key component of the system, allowing the site to utilize data within the system to build stronger marketing campaigns.

With my base in Bali, we will be able to bring international features to the large spa market here in Bali and throughout Indonesia. Our frequent visits with our business partners in Thailand and China will allow us to fully address the growing leisure market throughout Asia.

[CF] Along with the system’s advanced data capabilities, we have invested significantly in the usability of the system. The user-interface was designed by one of Geneva’s leading graphics artists, giving Quasar a unique and sophisticated look.

We have also translated the system into more than 40 languages, giving both local users and foreign managers the ability to use and review data within the system with a language they understand. The system’s languages include Bahasa Indonesia, Thai, Vietnamese, Chinese, and the European languages like English, French, and Spanish.  We have also adapted to languages such as Arabic, Hindi, Burmese and Khmer which are typically more difficult for software systems to use.

Providing users of all abilities with an easy to understand Point of Sale and Management Solution will help the site achieve better standards of customer service and increased levels of business.

[BH] Quasar’s system is browser-based, allowing our clients much more flexibility in systems implementation. Our users can run on Windows, Apple MacBooks, iPad and Android tablet computers. We also offer the ability to use iPhones, Android and other smart phones. With Spa and Golf managers frequently traveling, they’re able to stay up-to-date on the current day’s sales and revenues through their mobile.

[HI] How is the Quasar System supported?

[BH] We work through our business partners who dedicate local staff to supporting our systems. They can best understand the user’s needs and respond appropriately. If the local team needs assistance, we then escalate the support requirement up to our programming team. Quasar is committed to maintaining long-term relationships with our system users. To achieve this, we need to build advanced systems and support them well to all user levels.

[CF] The line of communication with our clients is vital. Quasar products advance based on input from our users -- most of our product innovations come from market feedback.

Quasar thrives based on our ability to get back to the client with proper answers. Clients need their system to remain functional and also advance to meet new market requirements. They look to us as their trusted provider, to remain innovative and provide quality software and ongoing support.

[HI] How does Quasar provide for multinational hospitality groups?

[CF] A chief design component within Quasar is to address the needs of multinationals.

Taking Spa & Wellness as an example: twenty years ago very few hotels or resorts had a Spa and Wellness Center. Now it seems nearly every hotel property has a spa. For multinational groups, that would mean they’d have a spa in 50 or more properties around the world. Local properties would need to operate with their local currencies, while the traveling Spa Director would need a way to remotely access data from any one of their sites with the push of a button. Quasar’s web-design makes it easier to pull data from these remote sites.

One of Quasar’s intelligence tools allows for data mining in a single site, or across multiple sites. The manager is given the ability to create reports to query, sort and report on data throughout the system.

[HI] Thank you again for your time. We wish you success here in Indonesia and around the world. How can our readers get in contact with you?

As provided in Quasar’s advertisement with Hotelier Indonesia Magazine, inquiries can be emailed to: info@quasarinternationalgroup.com