Update on Timing of Marriott’s Global Property Management System (GPMS) and Global Point of Sale (GPOS) Rollouts
As part of our ongoing commitment to keep you informed about Marriott’s initiatives, we would like to share some details regarding changes in rollout timing for the Global Property Management System (GPMS) and Global Point of Sale (GPOS) projects.
GLOBAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM (GPMS)
Update on Rollout Schedule
We are committed to ensuring that the GPMS is implemented with minimal disruptions to hotel operations. In light of some technical issues that surfaced during the initial installs, the GPMS conversions in CFRST (FOSSE) hotels are being temporarily halted.
As a result of additional challenges, we will also need to halt the rollout of GPMS OPERA to new opening hotels. Some properties scheduled to open in the coming weeks may move forward with GPMS OPERA given the late stage of their opening process, however by mid-April, the project team will be installing FOSSE for new openings. FOSSE will then be installed for new openings until the issues have been resolved; once the issues have been resolved, GPMS OPERA implementations will resume. To minimize the cost impact of this delay, new openings installing FOSSE during this interim period will be scheduled to convert to GPMS OPERA in 2018, at the end of the rollout.
Resources & Next Steps
We appreciate your patience and continued commitment to this project, and we want to assure you that we take the decision to halt this rollout very seriously. It is our goal to ensure that properties have a stable solution that meets their operational needs. While we are working through these issues, we will support GPMS OPERA properties by providing on-site support as needed, and conducting regular GPMS OPERA calls to ensure issues are addressed quickly.
Updated FAQs are available on the GPMS MGS page. We will continue to keep you up-to-date on the GPMS project, including the timeline for resuming the CFRST rollout. If you have any questions about the GPMS project at this time, please contact Kermit Littlefield.
GLOBAL POINT OF SALE (GPOS)
Update on Current Rollout
During the initial GPOS rollout to hotels with a POS on the Marriott network, we encountered both product and service issues which we are addressing across Marriott’s iT and Global Operations teams, as well as with Oracle. In particular, we are working to address extended wait times for properties when calling Oracle for support. We are tracking issues from the GPOS rollout daily and are working to bring them to closure as quickly as possible.
Impact on Brand Standard
As communicated on August 19, 2014, we intend to migrate all POS systems to the Marriott network and make MICROS Simphony a Global Brand Standard. While the initial communication indicated an effective date of January 1, 2016, based on feedback from many of you regarding vendor capabilities, we have determined that this deadline will need to be extended. As such, GPOS will become a brand standard effective January 1, 2017 for all hotels with a POS system.
Resources & Next Steps
All hotels not under contact with another provider as of March 31, 2015 must contract to have GPOS installed by January 1, 2017. We understand that franchisees may be under existing contracts with expiration dates beyond the implementation deadline and these varying contract expiration dates will result in different dates for adoption. However, as contracts expire, franchisees should move to the brand standard.
The GPOS standard will ensure all Marriott-branded hotels use a single, secure POS system to mitigate the risk of a high-profile security breach and provide a single platform for innovation. Since being announced in August, the detailed standard has been developed and we will share important details about the standard, as well as an update on costs and next steps for implementing the new system, in the coming weeks.
In the meantime, we encourage you to review the FAQs for additional information. Should you have immediate questions, feel free to contact Page Petry or Kermit Littlefield.