Gaylord, the large convention hotel brand of Marriott International, is delighted with the functionality, speed and accuracy of Adaco’s purchasing system, since being adopted by the chain in 2012.
Adaco was installed by Gaylord following Marriott’s deal with owners Ryman Hospitality to take over the management of their five sites across the US, including a 1,511-room Texas property. Adaco has long been used by Marriott in their hotels around the world.
Jay Bohland, Director of Purchasing at the Gaylord Texan, which encompasses nine restaurants and bars, a spa, two pools, five retail venues and a nightclub, was particularly impressed with the functionality of the system, after multiple purchasing changes in previous years.
“When we converted our systems to Adaco, it was our third solution in three years following changes in management companies,” he says.
“We therefore really needed the new system to be super user-friendly, and Adaco is exactly that. It is a great inventory and procurement system, which is well-structured and the reporting is fantastic.”
All Gaylord end users needed to be retrained following the switch to Adaco, and the data, including inventory lists and purchasing templates, needed to be cleaned up to ensure that the best return on investment could be achieved from the system.
Although, this may have initially caused concerns with other systems, Bohland says the user-friendly nature of Adaco ensured the training was very straightforward.
“Over 40 staff use it across our property and it is universally loved by them because it is easy to navigate. Maintaining the data as per system requirements does take time and planning, but the results we get from the system as a result of clean data are worth it.”
It is not just the functionality which has impressed Bohland and Gaylord – the biggest benefit of the system has been the impact on billing.
“The sheer speed of the Adaco system, and its accuracy, means that we can keep on top of vendor statements very easily,” continues Bohland, “We can see exactly what’s been paid and when, and it enables us to ensure expenses are captured in the month in which they are incurred.
“With 92%, or $19m, of our total spend on engineering, F&B, horticulture and housekeeping going through Adaco, this is very important.”
For Bohland, another key aspect is the live, on-demand reporting.
“It’s easy to manoeuvre, and easy to set report parameters, so I can slice and dice the data exactly as I want it. No more inaccurate monthly reports, just clean statements,” he says.
Further benefits for Gaylord Hotels include:
- Total purchasing control: control of what is purchased and where from, in line with Marriott contracts, enabling regular rebates and enhancing profitability
- Operations efficiency: less admin and more time for value-added analysis
- Immediacy: instant generation of purchase orders
Bohland continues: “I would definitely recommend it to any group of hotels needing optimised inventory and procurement processes and tight purchasing controls. It has eliminated unnecessary procurement costs for us.”
Fueled by the brand’s hallmark “Everything in one place” concept, Gaylord Hotels resort vacations blend magnificent settings, luxurious rooms and world-class entertainment, and operate five sites across the US, with properties at Opryland, Tennessee, Florida, Washington, DC as well as Texas.