Stayflexi Launches Empower Tool: Revolutionizing Market Intelligence for Small and Mid-Tier Hotels

Stayflexi Launches Empower Tool: Revolutionizing Market Intelligence for Small and Mid-Tier Hotels

By Nishang Narayan

Published on August 18, 2024

In today's data-driven world, access to market intelligence is crucial for staying ahead, particularly in the competitive hotel industry. For far too long, vital metrics such as city demand trends, price predictions, and market opportunities have been the exclusive domain of top-tier hotel brands like Marriott and Hilton. This disparity has left small and mid-sized hotels at a significant disadvantage—until now.

Enter Stayflexi, a Y Combinator-backed company dedicated to leveling the playing field. In line with its mission to empower independent hotels, Stayflexi has launched the Empower tool, a groundbreaking solution designed to close this critical gap in the market.

The Empower tool is nothing short of a game-changer, offering three intelligent features: City Demand Trends, Price Predictions, and Competitor Analysis. These features work together seamlessly, allowing hotels to dynamically adjust room prices and optimize revenue based on real-time demand fluctuations.

Unpacking the Empower Tool

  • City Demand Trends: This feature provides hoteliers with a comprehensive view of demand patterns in their city. By analyzing data from multiple sources, the Empower tool identifies peak periods, low seasons, and emerging trends. This insight enables hotel operators to plan ahead, capitalizing on high-demand periods and strategizing effectively during slower times.

  • Price Predictions: Leveraging advanced algorithms and historical data, the Empower tool forecasts future room rates with remarkable accuracy. This predictive capability helps hoteliers set competitive yet profitable pricing, avoiding the pitfalls of overpricing or underpricing rooms. By aligning room rates with market demand, hotels can maximize occupancy and revenue.

  • Competitor Analysis: In a competitive industry, understanding the strategies of nearby hotels is crucial. The Empower tool offers in-depth competitor analysis, providing data on pricing, occupancy rates, and promotional activities of rival hotels. This feature enables hoteliers to benchmark their performance and adjust their strategies accordingly, ensuring they remain competitive in their local market.

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Integration with Stayflexi Hubs

The Empower tool seamlessly integrates with Stayflexi's comprehensive platform, divided into four hubs: Operations, Sales, Guest, and Payments. Each hub addresses specific aspects of hotel management, and the addition of the Empower tool enhances the overall value proposition for hoteliers.

  • Operations Hub: Comprising the Property Management System (PMS), Point of Sale (POS), Expenses Manager, and Inventory Manager, this hub automates up to 70 percent of manual tasks. By integrating the Empower tool, the Operations Hub now provides additional data-driven insights that streamline operations further. For instance, predictive data from Empower can inform inventory and staffing decisions, reducing waste and optimizing resources.

  • Sales Hub: This hub includes the Channel Manager (CM), Booking Engine (BE), Revenue Manager (RM), and Direct Billing products. Historically, Stayflexi's Sales Hub has boosted hotel revenues by 35 to 50 percent. With the Empower tool, the Sales Hub's capabilities are amplified. The price predictions and competitor analysis features ensure that hotels can set optimal rates and implement effective sales strategies, driving higher bookings and revenue.

  • Guest Hub: Featuring Magic Link for automated check-ins and check-outs, QR Kiosk, Guest Reviews, and Guest Messaging, the Guest Hub focuses on enhancing the guest experience. Empower's city demand trends can inform guest engagement strategies, such as targeted promotions during high-demand periods or personalized offers during low seasons, thereby improving guest satisfaction and loyalty.

  • Payments Hub: This hub consists of Flex Collect, Flex Pay, Flex Settle, and Flex Protect, automating end-to-end hotel payments and reducing cancellations. By integrating Empower's predictive capabilities, hotels can anticipate revenue streams more accurately, manage cash flow better, and reduce financial uncertainties.

Affordable Innovation for All

One of the standout features of the Empower tool is its affordability. Traditionally, access to such sophisticated market intelligence required substantial financial investment, often running into lakhs of rupees, placing it out of reach for many small and mid-sized hotels. Stayflexi, however, has made the Empower tool accessible to all, offering a powerful solution at a fraction of the cost typically associated with similar tools.

An Exclusive Offer for ET Readers

To celebrate the launch, Stayflexi is offering a free one-month demo of the Empower tool, allowing hoteliers to experience firsthand the transformative impact of advanced market intelligence. This trial period is an excellent opportunity for hotels to explore the tool's features, understand its benefits, and see how it can drive their business forward. Hoteliers interested in this exclusive offer can reach out to Stayflexi at info@stayflexi.com.

In an era where data and intelligence are paramount, Stayflexi's Empower tool stands out as a revolutionary product for small and mid-tier hotels. By providing insights previously only available to top-tier brands, Stayflexi is democratizing access to crucial market intelligence. The integration of the Empower tool with Stayflexi's existing hubs creates a comprehensive, all-in-one platform that addresses every aspect of hotel management. As a result, hoteliers can operate more efficiently, compete more effectively, and ultimately thrive in an increasingly competitive market.


Meet Chai Magic: Your New Best Friend for Brewing Chai

Meet Chai Magic: Your New Best Friend for Brewing Chai

By Hariharan U

Published on July 31, 2025

Wonderchef has introduced something every chai lover will want in their kitchen "Chai Magic", the world’s first fully automatic tea maker built just for Indian-style tea. The launch, hosted in Kolkata, saw the presence of Chef Sanjeev Kapoor and Mr. Ravi Saxena, co-founders of the brand, as they showcased what might just be the future of chai-making.

How It Works

 All it takes is loading your ingredients—tea, spices, water, and milk—into the machine, pressing a button, and letting Chai Magic handle the rest. Milk gets added at just the right moment, and the tea brews to perfection. Once it’s done, the machine switches off on its own. That’s right—no more burnt milk or tea spills.

"Chai Magic brings tradition and technology together. It makes everyday tea-making simple, stress-free, and delightful," said Chef Sanjeev Kapoor during the live demo.

He added, "You can add any masala—ginger, clove, pepper, saffron—and Chai Magic will brew it just the way you like it. It’s consistent, hands-free, and honestly, a joy to use."

Mr. Ravi Saxena, CEO of Wonderchef, called it a “magical appliance”, built for daily use in Indian homes. “It’s a product rooted in our tea culture but powered by modern convenience,” he said.

Coming Soon Near You

 Chai Magic will be available across retail stores and Wonderchef’s website in the coming weeks.

New Store Launch in Kolkata

 Wonderchef also marked the launch of its 31st exclusive store—and the first in East India—at City Centre Mall, Salt Lake, Kolkata. Chef Sanjeev Kapoor inaugurated the outlet, part of the brand’s plan to double its store count over the next two years.

 About Wonderchef
Founded in 2009, Wonderchef is known for its premium cookware and kitchen appliances. With over 600 products, it has built a strong presence both in India and globally—spanning 22,000+ retail outlets, 80,000+ women entrepreneurs, and availability in 25 countries.

This new launch adds one more feather to their innovation-first approach, making everyday cooking smarter, easier, and a little more magical.


Invisible Infrastructure: Reimagining Security in Hospitality Spaces

Invisible Infrastructure: Reimagining Security in Hospitality Spaces

By Author

Published on July 29, 2025

In luxury hospitality, the guest experience is meticulously crafted to feel effortless. Yet, behind the polished marble floors and ambient lighting lies an invisible yet vital layer — security. When done right, it’s not just a system; it’s an ecosystem of trust that operates quietly in the background, ensuring safety without ever disrupting elegance.

Today, hotel security has evolved beyond conventional surveillance. It’s not about how many cameras you install — it’s about where, why, and how they integrate into the environment. Smart surveillance strategies combine analytics with human insight, mapping guest behavior, anticipating pressure points, and aligning seamlessly with the tempo of operations. Think of it as an unseen concierge — alert, adaptive, and always one step ahead.

Access control, too, has become a sophisticated architecture of trust. Whether it’s guest keycards, staff movement, or vendor logistics, every access point is an opportunity to blend efficiency with discretion. The best frameworks balance hierarchy with hospitality — offering layered security that respects both guest privacy and staff autonomy.

But even the most intelligent infrastructure is only as strong as the people who operate it. Hotels that foster a proactive security culture — through training, simulations, and clearly defined accountability — gain an unmatched edge in both daily operations and crisis management. In such environments, security is not just protection; it’s empowerment.

Importantly, security should never be a generic overlay. It must reflect the soul of the brand. A wellness retreat in the hills may need subtle, almost invisible systems, while a corporate hotel in the heart of a city might benefit from visible, high-tech deterrents. Every hotel has a story and its security design should narrate it with purpose.

This is where independent expertise becomes invaluable. Too often, security is bundled into IT or MEP contracts as an afterthought. In reality, it deserves its own voice — one that understands physical risk, guest psychology, operational rhythms, and architectural intent. A seasoned security consultant can decode these variables and craft bespoke, scalable systems that serve both safety and sophistication.

Col Deepak Kajla, a techno-security expert with over 22 years of military and corporate experience, offers exactly this level of insight. His unique approach blends strategic thinking with hands-on implementation, helping hospitality brands design security that is intuitive, unobtrusive, and deeply effective. From five-star properties to eco-resorts, he brings clarity, control, and creativity to every project — transforming security from a backend function into a seamless extension of guest experience.

For hotels aiming to modernize their security approach without compromising on brand or ambiance, the path forward begins with a simple idea:

"Invisible infrastructure creates visible confidence"

CONTACT deepak.kajla@securesec.in 
https://www.securesec.in/


Empowering Hospitality: The Bingoforge Journey from Vision to Innovation

Empowering Hospitality: The Bingoforge Journey from Vision to Innovation

By Manu Vardhan Kannan

Published on July 26, 2025

At the heart of Bingoforge lies a vision that has remained unwavering since its inception, to equip the hospitality industry with intuitive, intelligent, and fully integrated CRM solutions. This journey began from a deep, firsthand understanding of the hurdles faced by hoteliers, restaurateurs, and sales professionals. Disconnected systems, outdated processes, and fragmented data had long plagued the industry, slowing down growth and innovation. It was this very gap that inspired the creation of Bingoforge.

The company’s story dates back to 2017, when Zubin Bilimoria, a seasoned professional with over 30 years of experience across airlines, travel solutions (GDS), and hospitality technology, founded the brand. Operating initially under the name Zubin Hospitality Solutions, the humble beginnings took root in a neighborhood CCD coffee shop. During his stint as Global Sales Director at RezNext in 2015-16, Zubin noticed the glaring absence of a specialized Sales CRM designed exclusively for the hospitality ecosystem. With insight, experience, and a clear purpose, he set out to build a solution that would transform how sales teams in the industry functioned.

With strong support and feedback from senior leaders in hospitality, the first version of the product, MyHotelCRM was developed in collaboration with a hotel chain, ensuring every feature was born from real-world challenges and use cases. What started as a basic contact and lead management tool soon grew into a robust, scalable platform that caters to the needs of all hospitality stakeholders, from sales executives to ownership and management teams.

Today, MyHotelCRM is available in three distinct versions, LITE, BUSINESS, and ENTERPRISE and serves a wide array of properties including hotels, restaurants, and clubs of all sizes. Its compatibility with both one-way and two-way integrations with leading PMS platforms has made it a preferred solution across the sector. Among its integration partners are IDS Next (IDS Fortune and IDS FX), WinHMS, WinCloud, InnKeys PMS, Protel, and MyCloud Hospitality. The platform is also working toward integrations with global players such as Opera Cloud, among others.

In keeping with its vision of seamless connectivity, Bingoforge has been steadily expanding its interface capabilities. This includes planned integrations with hotel websites, social media platforms, IVR, WhatsApp communication, and Revenue Management Solutions, ensuring users benefit from a truly centralized and intelligent CRM system.

From those early coffee shop days to becoming a leading sales solution provider in the hospitality domain, Bingoforge’s journey has been marked by passion, innovation, and a relentless focus on simplifying workflows. The company’s offerings now extend to corporate ERP solutions as well, designed to match and adapt to customer-specific workflows.

The most recent milestone in Bingoforge’s evolution is its partnership with Trillion Global Innovations, with Mr. Pankaj Kumar Goel, Director and Co-founder, joining as a Consulting Sales Partner. This collaboration is set to amplify Bingoforge’s market presence, taking its trusted solutions to an even wider audience.

For more information, visit www.bingoforge.com or reach out via email at bd@bingoforge.com.

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