RLH Corporation Unveils RLabs, a New Subsidiary to House Technology Innovation

RLabs’ first product, Canvas Integrated Systems, offers independent hotels the opportunity to leverage the technology and distribution benefits of a major hotel affiliation


DENVER, March 05, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- RLH Corporation (NYSE:RLH) today announced the creation of a new subsidiary, RLabs, Inc. RLabs was formed to be a travel technology-based innovator that houses and builds on the groundbreaking technology platform the company has created, including RevPak. RLabs will focus on new revenue verticals, and on developing unique technology and system offerings for the hospitality industry including software, robotics, and artificial intelligence.

The first offering from RLabs is Canvas Integrated Systems, an all-in-one cloud-based hospitality management suite featuring a collection of seamlessly-integrated tools designed to drive revenue, secure more revenue opportunities, automate channel management and reduce cost and friction for independent hotel owners. It harnesses powerful technology not currently accessible by most independent hotels to provide revenue management, channel management and global sales at the fraction of the price independent hotels (and many brands) are able to secure on their own. Canvas Integrated Systems also utilizes technology to provide additional desired platforms such as personalized loyalty programs and keyless entry. RLabs will also be able to offer third party management companies the capability to bring brand-level resources, pricing and technology under a white label to independent hotels around the world.

“At RLH Corporation, we have created a formidable platform with fantastic pricing that we are excited to now be able to offer through Canvas Integrated Systems to independent hotel operators who don’t want or need a brand,” said RLH Corporation President and Chief Executive Officer Greg Mount. “We see the industry moving towards being transaction-based in the future and believe Canvas Integrated Systems can provide a savings of up to 50% over what typical independent hotels are currently paying, and potentially even more for hotels that are part of a soft brand. We believe there is a real opportunity to use our technology platform in a more vertical way by building a subscription-style offering of technology on a transaction-based billing format.”

RLH Corporation has an agreement to provide services for up to 7 hotels to Canvas Integrated Systems with the first hotel, Monterey Tides having already converted in December 2018.

“Canvas Integrated Systems has given us the ability to quickly manage our channels without the day-to-day grind generally associated with the back-end of running a hotel,” said Ted Darnall, RLH Corporation Board of Directors Member and CEO Lodging and Technical Services Companies at HEI Hotels & Resorts, who manages Monterey Tides. “The fully automated system has saved us both time and money, and we have felt the impact of the benefits of being with a large brand, without having to sell out our independence.”

Canvas Integrated Systems is a fully customizable platform backed by best-in-class providers that allows independent hotels to choose components to get exactly what they need and avoid paying for unnecessary items. The service is supported by a transaction-based model that ensures that owners pay on actualized transactions while benefiting from the cost savings of a larger hotel base resulting from RLH’s significant economies of scale. Each hotel operator has a dedicated support team to ensure seamless execution and access to institutionalized knowledge to keep up with trends and best-in-class procedures.

“We built Canvas Integrated Systems to allow independent hotels to benefit from best-in-class systems and technology while remaining independent,” said Mount. “Hotel operators will receive many of the advantages and transactional costs of a well-established larger system structure without having to incur costs and meet expensive brand standards required by soft brands. Canvas Integrated Systems is not a hotel brand, has no brand standards and you only pay based on actualized transactions.”

Canvas Integrated Systems operates behind the scenes, allowing hotels and operators to remain distinct, unique and independent. Hotel operators will have access to the information and reports without the pain of being responsible for the systems, services, training, or trouble-shooting.

To learn more about Canvas Integrated Systems and RLabs, visit RLabs.com. We don’t wait for the future. We create it.

About RLH Corporation
Red Lion Hotels Corporation is an innovative hotel company doing business as RLH Corporation and focuses on the franchising, management and ownership of upscale, midscale and economy hotels. The company focuses on maximizing return on invested capital for hotel owners across North America through relevant brands, industry-leading technology and forward-thinking services. For more information, please visit the company's website at www.rlhco.com.

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