Rainmaker appoints Vivek Bhalla as MD - AP; to open Regional Office in Singapore

The Rainmaker Group, an automated profit optimization software and services company for the gaming hospitality, whose clients include Wynn Las Vegas, MGM MIRAGE, Trump Entertainment Resorts and Harrah's Entertainment, is to open a regional office in Singapore as the next step in its expansion into the Asia Pacific market. Rainmaker also serves the serviced apartment/multifamily housing industry.

"Rainmaker is committed to bringing the benefits and discipline of profit optimization to Asia Pacific," said Bruce Barfield, President of The Rainmaker Group. "We have hired a new Managing Director in the area to help achieve these goals. In our frequent travels to Asia Pacific this year, we found an audience receptive to the idea of increased profitability through the 'total customer value' approach our solutions deliver. Now, we are moving to leverage these opportunities to build long-term relationships with Asian gaming operators and help them realize sustained revenue growth."

Vivek Bhalla has been appointed by The Rainmaker Group as its new Managing Director of Asia Pacific, responsible for setting up its regional office in Singapore and managing growth.

"The Asia Pacific gaming industry is ready to adopt the profit optimization practices that could guide its growth more profitably," said Bhalla. "Operators are looking for a way to track and assess 'total customer value;' that is, each customer's total spend, instead of only optimizing room revenue. Rainmaker's initiative to bring this practice to Asia Pacific through its revolutionsm Product Suite will benefit the entire region."

Bhalla, with more than a decade of international hotel experience, has a wealth of expertise in pricing and distribution strategies, implementation of revenue management systems, and consulting about the change management processes required to maximize revenue and profits.

He started his career with Hyatt International, and held regional and corporate roles in revenue management in both SE Asia and Chicago. He was Director of Revenue Management for Starwood Asia Pacific Hotels and Resorts for four years, based out of Singapore where he oversaw the division's pricing and revenue management strategies across all brands for the group's hotels. In November 2007, Bhalla moved into an operational role at the Sheraton Grande Sukhumvit hotel in Bangkok. He is a graduate of Cornell University's School of Hotel Administration and holds a Masters Degree.

Joining Bhalla in servicing the casino hotel market will be Bonnie Spalding, the company's Vice President of Business Consulting. Spalding has experience in casino revenue management and will oversee client implementation, installation, training and real-time support in Asia Pacific.

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