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The Intelity's ICE is a new virtual concierge program, as a digital supplement to its renowned "GEM" (guest engagement manager) service, which is established in Mogans hotel in New York. By launching the Intelity's ICE, nearly all guests' requirements can be accomplished quickly, for guests can explore the amenities in the hotels, search for events in the city, buy tickets and communicate with the hotel working staff through an ipad in each room. Not only that, but the hotel managers also find it a great program to communicate with the working staff. To the hotel managers, they think that the program can enhance customer service and increase communication opportunities as well as heightening operational efficiencies

I found the mobile app to be most interesting because my article disscussed that as well. I feel that the mobil app will certainily create a unique experience for the visting guest. By going digital there are many benefits to not only the guests but the environment as well. There will be longer be a need for plastic room keys, or large amounts of paper. Hotels will be able to save expenses and man power by providing systems like the new virtual concierge program. In particular, you won't need to hire so many people to book reservations over the telephone. Everything can be done through the Ipad which most people have now a days anyway. However, I would feel better if there was trouble shooter around should the guest not be able to comprehend the technologic system.

This articles is a wake up call to many hotels that are looking for ways to increase profit. The concept of upsale has been around for a very long time. It is time for hoteliers to go back to basic marketing concepts but utilizing the latest technologies. Property management systems contain so much valuable information about the guests. Hotels need to utilize this information to offer unique experiences.

Technological developments are contributing to the redefinition of the functioning of hotels, resorts, bed and breakfast service providers, and others related to hospitality industry. Hotel software can be used to store and organize large amounts of information.It helps the hotel to provide guests with everything that they need to make their stay an enjoyable one. .With the use of advanced hotel software, customers are ensured of better services.Using hotel software can also prevents human error from becoming a problem.By using the right software, a hotel administration can easily administer data partaking to provisional rooms, special requests and checkouts.

a useful software is seriously important for a hotel's operation, such as the following areas: the reception; the billing process should be very fast;the technological compatibility, we should pay attention to the newest software' the visitor's profile, the software should have features to incorporate various details of customer's history; security is important for the details of no matter the hotel or the guests. the software should be integrated, comprehensive, timely and validated.

Yes, software helps hotel to manage the information and data in a easy way to control. For customers, it becomes easier to book and register and experience the service of hotel. It is a platform for the communication and operations.

After the tragic events of September 11th, 2001, the travel business was damaged for many years. Profits became much lower in the hotel business, but were not nearly as bad as airline profits. As a result, many larger hotel chains began innovation on their websites in order to streamline promotions, advertising, reservations and bookings. In the hotel industry, there are individuals who create hotel technology platforms and there are IT professionals that make sure they work properly when needed. Some of these IT professionals, for smaller businesses, work from remote locations. At larger hotels, however, they are often times required to be onsite. Onsite IT professionals are an important part of the hotel's staff. Some hotels, however, assign IT duties to hotel management, as well as other key employees, in order to not have to invest the salary of an IT manager. The author of this article, Christine Cadena, states that it is a better idea to invest in an IT manager with specific education and training, than just assigning duties to hotel management. She also touches on how many hotel chains fail to promote education and certification in IT, resulting in hotel managers learning the IT processes by trial and error or hands on experiences. As the hotel industry continues to recover, there has been an emphasis on improving technology onsite. Many hotel managers, however, are lacking the education necessary to help with technological improvement. When hotels begin to invest more in IT education and certification, they should see an improvement in levels of service, as well as profits.

Great Article Matt- I struggle with not having an IT department on site and not being too techie. Its a great advantage when you ring that extension, someone answers and can quickly identify why the credit card machine is not working or the projector has fuzzy lines right before a big conference. Too many times, we find ourselves being place on hold for countless minutes usually 10 or more for someone from support services to identify the problem. I'm a foodservice manager not the IT manager, so talking technology to me is like talking French. If companies invested in a manager with the proper training and skill level to fullfill the position of running the hotel, then the same should be done for IT.

This kind of advanced software provide the hoteliers with a good way to do the marketing research and do the analysis. All the hotels can get benefit. Even more, the customers can improve their experience if the hotels do a good job on marketing.

Vantage Hospitality Group utilizes ZDirect's Zmail to market to guests behaviors and preferences. The company has teamed up with Sabre Hospitality Solutions to simplify reservations. ZDirects data collection has created a personalized communication that seems less automated, while Sabre Hospitality Solutions has expanded their audience. They work together to achieve "maximum profit from unsold perishable room inventory."

This article is about the success eMarketing of ZDirect and Sabre Hospitality Solutions. The emarketing provides the hotels online and mobile communication tools which is a good improving of two-way communications. It is an efficient and dependable process that help guests to receive email confirmation immediately. 

The following article highlights new mobile technology and security within the lodging industry. This new technology is already being implemented in major hotel chains overseas and will soon be integrated in the US. 

With the rapid growth and increased use of the Internet over the past 2 decades, industry professional Andrey Smirnov gives 7 tips to other industry leaders on maximizing their presence in e-commerce and in consumer minds: (1) make your website quick to download and easy to find; (2) organize content by prioritizing information; (3) when offering promotions, clearly reflect it with a call to action; (4) distribute 'fresh' content on different channels (i.e., photo galleries, press releases, etc.); (5) maximize on mobile marketing; (6) embrace social media; and (7) continually improve by testing new things.

The internet is constantly changing, the way we communicate and they way we do business. The hospitality industry is always quick to capitalize on new technologies. However, the e-commerce growth in the hospitality industry has created an urgent need for simple changes to companies' presence online. So when every hotel is involved in e-commerce, why is it so important today? It is simple. Today, the internet is the lowest cost hotel-booking channel. As well as now, most travelers are searching and making hotel reservations online. Lastly, social media and online hotel reviews are increasing and have made an important decision factor. Now, hoteliers need to keep focus on what information customers are seeking and what they are looking for online. There are a few basic strategies that will help drive usage from the internet world. Some of those are: vave a search-friendly website, focus on usability and conversation taking a holistic approach and prioritize information, and lastly make websites compatible for mobile phones. If hoteliers can use the full potential of the internet, they will maximize their return on investment in e-commerce. The hospitality industry needs to constantly learn and look for ways to use the new developments and trends.

Andrey Smirnov in his article "E-Commerce for the Hospitality Industry highlights how the internet has changed the way business is done not only in the hospitality industry but as a whole. He stresses the importance of e-commerce in the hospitatlity industry and why hoteliers must utilise strategies to ensure they make the most of the marketing and sales opportunties the internet provides. There are a few things that hoteliers must do to make the most of what the internet provides. They include: (1) Search Friendly Website Design - "site download speed is one of the most important ranking factors in organic search" says Smirnov therfore hoteliers must ensure that their site is properly designed and compatible across any browser, any items that causes the site to perform poorly shoud be eliminated as internet users similar to hotel guests tend to only visit sites where they can receive the best experience yet. (2) Improve conversion and Usability - content on website must be properly organised and users must not be bombaded by information. (3)Search - Hoteliers must focus on Paid searches as well as Real time search to increase traffic. Paid searches ensure that your targeted traffic are directed right to you. Whereas with a great web design with strong content that is also timely the natural ranking of the oranisation website can be increased thus increasing tracffic to it. (4)Mobile - Mobile devices have become a popular means of conducting e-business related activities for consumers therefore the hotel that ensures that their online services are accessible from mobile devices will be putting themselves ahead of the game. (5) Embracing Social Media - According to Smirnov 93 percent of social media users expect companies to have a social presence and 85 percent of social media users want companies to interact with them on social sites. With this being said one can see why a social media presence is one that cannot be overlooked. It is important that co

A property management system (PMS) can sometimes refer to an online program or software designed for residential or commercial property management. However, more often it refers to software used in the hospitality industry to manage the day to day requirements of running a hotel or resort. Some property management software can integrate with hospitality applications already running such as revenue and yield management programs, front/back office systems and point of sale systems, while other property management systems offer complete solutions by including all of these functions in their package. Property management systems are utilized by hotels of all sizes, resorts, casinos, and even conference centers and multi-property organizations. They can be based online with an application service provider (ASP), or hosted internally on the current computer systems of the business. Property management systems can be used to manage single or multiple properties, and basic functions might include features like these: guest check-in and check-out, guest profiles, tracking services, report generation, auditing, front and back office services, and security systems. Additional features are generally highly customized and can include amenities like restaurant or spa scheduling, housekeeping schedules, and gift card management. The hospitality industry benefits from a wide array of property management systems today; with the range of features and integrations to choose from, there is a program that can be tailored to the specific needs of every company. Today's property management systems help hoteliers boost efficiency. A well-designed hotel PMS can operate in a disconnected state even if internet access fails, preventing bookings from being lost. It will allow you to easily access stored data to provide a better guest experience. And it will allow you to simplify your operations and reduce costs. Keep these potential benefits in mind and you'll make the best choice as you ch

MOD 9: This article is about some hospitality companies based in Europe using blockchain technology for travel booking purposes. The following hospitality companies, TUI, Air New Zealand and Nordic Choice Hotels have partnered up with a company called Winding Tree, which is a blockchain travel distribution system. The article mentions that Winding Tree is based on a B2B (business to business) platform, meaning that with this new technology only the businesses will be using it internally and not so much for the consumer use. During their first two weeks, upon completion of its initial coin offering, they exceeded their initial goal by 44% in Lif tokens, valuing at US$14,418,196. Lif tokens is what the companies use to send information about transactions within Winding Tree's system. The tour operator TUI is using Winding Tree to implement their "bed swap application" which allows them efficiently to manage their inventory throughout their markets in the UK, Germany and Nordic countries. With Air New Zealand, they're hoping to implement blockchain technology for cargo and luggage tracking. However, with new advancements in technology comes the blockades and hurdles that companies have to overcome. With Winding Tree, its system is limited in processing up to seven transactions per second versus a traditional distribution system being able to process 250,000 transactions per second. Speed is a primary issue in this case so Winding Tree will need to work on that in order to enhance their speed in processing transactions.

Open Key has made a partnership to run their application with the IBC hospitality group which caters to small hotels and boutiques. With this app they will be able to provide the guests with the most convenient and tech savvy way to enjoy their hotel, with being able to open the door, to receiving concierge services, to learning what is in the hotel. This technology is essential as hotels are trying to find the best way to make the guests experience the most convenient as possible and to attract new guests and to bring back returning guests. With this introduction of the Open key app into smaller hotels it will improve the communication with the guests, reduce overhead and increase customer loyalty and satisfaction.

Technology is providing travelers novel experiences and interactions. The new technologies include: Artificial Intelligence (AI), Internet of Things (IoT), connectivity, and other technology. Artificial intelligence is currently being integrated into chat bots for phone calls, but there are far greater uses. Facial scanning and voice recognition is starting to gain traction. It offers more secure, faster, ad better customer service. Some hotels have even added Amazon Alexa devices for their patrons. The internet of things features hotel guests to unlock the door to their room using only their smartphone. Blockchain and cryptocurrency transactions eliminate the need for third-party mediators. As a result, hotels that utilize blockchain and cryptocurrency can offer better rates to the consumer without affecting profitability. All of the emerging technology frees up the preexisting staff to provide and maintain excellent customer relationships. "Over the last few years, travelers have been meeting robot butlers and concierges in hotels like Hilton's Connie, powered by IBM Watson AI technology." "SoftBank Robotics' Pepper, a humanoid robot developed with IBM Watson, has been introduced at Munich Airport and Václav Havel Airport Prague, where the robot not only informs but entertains passengers by dancing and offering to take selfies." "Gartner predicts that 85% of customer interactions will be managed without a human by 2020." "At Intercontinental Shanghai Wonderland, face scanners enable guests to verify their identity at check-in, pick up a digital room key and gain access to the dining room at breakfast." "Two Roads Hospitality has partnered with Amazon and Volara to develop a customised Alexa for Hospitality platform that facilitates daily tasks for staff, such as identifying maintenance problems or signaling that a room is ready for check-in." "Luxury hotels like The Plaza New York, Aria in Las Vegas, The Torch Doha in Qa

This article highlights the benefits of GDS and how it is becoming obsolete to major airlines. Experts in the industry have been suggesting that the days of the GDS are numbered as technology evolves.

This article outlines how hotels are trying to become eco-friendly sustainable and still able to paramount guest needs. With this initiative, modern consumers are showing a definitive preference for experiential purchasing over material goods.

In this article, the author creates a platform where four of the best hotel POS Systems updated as of January 2020 can easily be viewed and compared simultaneously. Showcasing each of their pros and cons allowing you as the hotelier/business owner to choose. Armed with all the important information on each option, their capabilities and features categories ranging from the best, most affordable, windows-based, all the way to the most easily integrated with your PMS system.

This is a great publication that compares various POS systems for hotels. The article points out that POS systems in hotels reduce manual work, and thus manual hours. Besides, they streamline the flow of work and improve customer experience. However, the article only compares various POS systems by their software costs. I would like to see a comparison based on functionality factors. This would help hotel owners to make better decisions regarding the type of POS to acquire.

Since the invention of the internet, companies are moving towards the trending online sales of their products and hospitality businesses are not the exception. While some companies migrated to the online method of business, other companies were born in this new world and they have a lot to teach us. Both of these companies are adapting to the new game changers that the industry is experiencing. From virtual reality, to give the guests a taste of what their vacation will be, to contracting new "gamers or influencers" to be able to have more relevance on a certain business niche.

The article discusses how the inclusion of mobile platforms into hotels PMS and Master digital wallets have streamlined back of the house operations and the guest experience. Mobile PMS allows guests to check in/out, unluck doors, make requests, check information, and make payments all from their mobile devices, which enables employees more time to provide a more personalized service to each guest. Mobile Payment is an important part of a complete mobile guest experience and Master digital wallets can integrate various payment methods to a hotel's booking engine, POS and PMS that adds to the convenience and personalization of the guest stay.