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This article is about how being a small business is not always easy but Internet has made some parts of it just a little bit easier for small businesses. For the marketing/event management side of it is that anybody could make a business through social media which includes promoting and selling for the business. Now a day, there is more technology use and people are more updated with technology and the advantages of it. Putting together eCommerce and events/marketing breaks things down to make it easier for businesses.

CWT M&E has created a new website platform to help hotels and other venues streamline the process of booking meetings and small venue events. This is a helpful tool for meeting planners who are able to access over 250,000 meeting rooms easily and be able to book and modify any meeting room reservations directly through this website, instead of going through a variety of different channels in the past. The reason why this website was developed goes to show the first kind of solution for small meeting bookings which represented over 70% of client's budget before the pandemic. My take on this is that once pandemic restrictions are lifted, there is going to be a huge surge in demand for these meeting spaces so it will be crucial for hotel properties to be able to list their availability on this website which would be reducing any additional costs that go into booking meetings.

This article tells us how Marriott never forgets a guest. First and foremost, the author told us a little story about a guest's experience in Marriott. He told the hotel about his trip, the hotel let the planning coordinator to make an itinerary for the customer including trip details and their favourates. The experience in Marriott made him very satisfied. In addition, the software which made Marriott's velvet-glove treatment come true is called customer management software from Siebel Systems Inc.. This technology aims to combine the customers, hotel and planning coordinator together to share the information of the customers such as the size of the bed, the view of the room or some specific needs of the customer. In this way, people will arrived at the room prepared just as what he liked, which will made the customer satisfied and gains the hotel loyalty and hotel profits. Marriott owns 1850 hotels and resorts worldwide and began using the software in late 1998. Until now, this software has brought a large number of guests and increase sales for the hotel. Many people would like to find the planning coordinator to book their stay during Marriott or by the hotel booking system. More and more people are choosing Marriott instead of other hotels of the personize service provided by the hotel. Finally, Marriott is transforming its sales teams to aggressive marketers for all the Marriott properties. So this makes it easy for the salesperson to book hotel rooms worldwide for his local customers. With the advantages of the software, many hotel chains such as Hilton Hotels Corp. are staring to follow the Marriott's technology lead to satisfy their customers.

This article introduce hotel systemspro system. This is a new idear for PMs to apply in hospitality industry, it is include every traditional function from existing PMs system and also provide mobile device access. That means the hotel manager will not only use the computer to control the software but also the mobile device like IPad or other Android tablet.

The federal government has recently promoted a new plan that will combine smartphone applications and energy companies to help consumers monitor and manage their utility bills. The Green Button initiative was first welcomed at the Silicon Valley event by California's biggest utilities companies. The government is now hoping that the rest of the country will be able to jump on the bandwagon. The initiative is led by Aneesh Chopra, the chief technology officer, who hopes that private sector utility companies will create a standard format across the board so that a wide range of consumers could potentially benefit. Consumers will have virtual access through applications to their energy consumption. Ideally, the plan is supposed create energy saving efforts for consumers who will have greater access to managing their bills and levels of consumption. There already are major energy companies, like Opower and Tendril, which are producing Green Button compatible applications. It shows how energy companies are treading the online and smartphone waters. This initiative will also require consumers to put their part in adopting smart meters and smart phone applications. I think this a great move by the government in a time where both energy consumption and costs are increasing. As a future homeowner, I would be more than willing to contribute to participating in this type of plan. People today are interested in having their life bundled up and having access to it through their online services, this effort was definitely inevitable.

When Pilot Travel Centers chose to deploy the NCR RealPOS workstations in 306 travel centers nationwide, it was a definite sign that POS has become a standard tool for the travel industry. Pilot operations are the largest sellers of over the road diesel fuel. Also initiated was the utilization of this and NCR's RSM (Retail Systems Manager) which monitors and manages retail operations remotely with a help-desk interface which ensure ongoing operations in the event of the onsite workstation is operation. Pilot commented that this technology ensures their commitment to customer service, and includes such features as self-service kiosks which allow OTR and RV customers to obtain receipts without standing in lines.

Future technology is making the consumer's hotel experience more accessible and convenient. With mobile apps like Applepay, the hassle of traveling with multiple cards could reduce the risk of identify theft. Another helpful app while traveling is having a personal concierge service right on your smartphone. It is great that hotels are branching out on advancing technologies for better ways to improve their customer service. With many major competitors, having the most advance technologies in a hotel will keep them standing out against the rest.

The author introduced a recent study, which uncovered that information technology (IT) spending in the hospitality industry was expected to increase in 2011. Even though the article and survey were conducted in 2011, we can tell that the hospitality industry paid attention to the importance of IT investment and made good use of IT to improve customer service. In the article, the survey revealed that 56 percent of hospitality organizations planned to raise new technology investments to better equip their workforces, improve operational efficiencies and enhance the customer experience.

With technology evolving and changing at a fast pace it is changing both what consumers expect and how the Hospitality industry responds to these expectations as well as how they do business themselves. The article highlights the many trends in the Hospitality industry. These trends include the improving and overhauling of a Wi-Fi network, conference rooms that offer Audio visual equipment, Smart room keys and many other different trends.

In today's world we are surrounded by technology; however, sometimes we do not realize the extreme of which we are surrounded by until we stop and look around. The Hospitality industry is quickly adapting to the technologically world we live it. I read an article written by Jeff Robinson, Technical Director for Aurecon titled "Technology in the hospitality industry - exploring the very latest trends". This article was beyond interesting because it touched on some on the way technology has already changed the hospitality industry and ways it will be changing it for the future. Robinson tells us in his article that "some of the trends in industry are leading to great improvements and savings for hospitality industry companies; while some are changing how hotel developers plan their buildings, infrastructure, management structure and staffing requirements". This means its not only about the bottom dollar, but the experience of each guest when they stay at the hotel. Robinson also states the obvious fact that travelers these days do not see Wi-Fi as a perk, but more of a must have. Full access to audio-visual is also on the must have list especially for business meetings and conferences. What I found most interesting from Robinson's article was the introduction of the Near Field Communication (NFC) technology. This technology give you the ability to share information from a short-range frequency wireless communication. This technology is also ideal for self check-ins by guests at hotels as well as smart room keys.(Robinson) Hotel room keys have come a long way. From an actual key, key card in which you insert, to a key card you simply pass close to the reader and now the birth of the smart key. "Smart room access system allow guests to unlock their doors by simply swiping their phones across a keyless pad on the door.". (Robinson) Now how awesome is that. Robinson also talks about other new technology just as the future of hotel in room entertainment, hotels offering

It has been well described and defined that technology impacted the hospitality industry in which it has advantage and disadvantages. The update and development of software creates a change in the business. This justifies that better software leads to better customer service. For this development has given most business opportunity to grow as they give them better tools.

This research article looks at how social media has been used in recruitment for the hospitality industry. It highlights that while it has become common practice, there are many layers of concerns including it violating certain legal rights of potential employees, generating biased decisions based on gender and race, and the practice not producing demonstrably better results than hirings done without reviewing potential employee Social Media Profiles (SMPs).

This article is about The Albion Hotel in Miami Beach. It talks about how they were losing business due to their outdated PBX (Private Branch Exchange) phone system. It was not reliable. They switched to a cloud based system called TCN (Total Connect Now). They are now, not only saving money, but they are able to work from anywhere at any time. This shows the benefits of cloud computing!

In the hotel world, as technology is ever evolving and change it is most times necessary to keep up with change. This hotel was at least 20 years old in the business what worked back then to five years ago even one year ago may not work today. Granted not all hotels need to be tech savvy but if that's the majority of their clientele due to their location they may want to keep up to date to ensure that they are meeting their customers needs.

This article was pre-COVID and budgetary restraints I fear will force many initiatives to be placed on the back burner for a while. What I really liked about this article is that it shows the hospitality industry being a driving force in sustainability technologies and taking accountability for amount of resources it uses and waste it produces. I found the "three-zero-concept" particularly interesting for new builds, since it takes a ground-up approach to sustainability. It talks about education and training for staff, which is extremely important for sustainability initiatives to be successful. The article highlights different protocols being used to lower waste, emissions, pollution, and natural resources used.

Radio Frequency Identification or RFID continues to appeal to leaders in the hospitality industry as it allows for so many opportunities. RFID is a cost-effective technology. It utilizes radio waves to send signals from a chip to a receiver somewhere. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, RFID technology usage has increased because of the consumers' desire to have contactless options. This article provides quite a few great examples of RFID technology in the industry. It mentions Disney and Coachella as they have switched to using RFID wristbands. Hotels, as mentioned in this article, can use RFID technology for a multitude of things. Some examples include: for door locks, on-site payments, controlled amenity access, inventory management, and theft prevention.

The RFID is a very interesting and powerful system. Many industries have been using such system for a long period of time. In the aviation industry, the RFID helps to track and sort checked baggage at the airport by reading several inlays at one. Airlines that use such system has a higher customer satisfaction rate.

This article discussed the pros and cons of mobile proximity marketing and how to possibly overcome the downfalls of the type of marketing.

privacy concerns, complex management, excessive opt-ins, conversion issues

There can be many benefits and negatives to introducing new technology into your company. While it can be interesting to see new marketing methods for a company, these results can also be temporary. A company wanting to integrate these new marketing methods into their business will have to identify if their audience would react well with this new form of marketing and make their choices based on those results.

 The hospitality industry encompasses a wide range of sections from lodging, restaurants, special event planning, conventions, and many more.  The hospitality is unique in the fact that scheduling employees often times varies from week to week depending on the occasion. One week you may have a wedding that requires 50 employees while the next week you may only need 10 employees. ZoomShift provides the flexibility for managers to schedule around the demands of their clients with employee availability in mind.

Author Michael Kasavana's article discusses the advancement and prevalence of mobile technology applications with regard to the hospitality industry.  According to him, "the common goals of mobile technology implementation are acceleration of guest traffic, heightened interactivity, promotion and sales of goods and services, and gathering of feedback relative to the guest's experience". Mobile and proximity marketing techniques are gaining in popularity and in some cases (Buffalo Wild Wings) are a large factor in the company's success. Their mobile marketing campaign was deemed a huge success due to large numbers of repeat customers, improved attendance at special events, and higher sales revenue. Mobile marketing has proven extremely influential in attracting new customers and creating brand loyalty. This marketing method can really make the difference in one company having a competitive advantage over another. Kasavana also advises restaurant and hotel owners to follow some best management practices guidelines. These include: "creation of a mobile-optimized website with simple navigation tools; apply user-friendly, intuitive, and logical lead-through processes; sponsor video (YouTube), social (Facebook), and mobile (LBS) content; employ opt-in marketing campaigns that encourage customer engagement; provide instant rewards, discounts, and incentives to qualified clientele". Mobile technology applications are definitely the wave of the future in the hospitality industry and "getting in on the ground floor" is an excellent opportunity for business growth.

This article briefly introduces Cloud Computing and the advantages of it. 

POS systems have become a key in the hospitality industry. With these invention the hospitality industry, is able to provide the best and efficient service to their guests. Also, POS systems allows to have the correct information on profit, inventory, etc. In the market, we have hundreds of companies that are competing in providing the best prices and services....

POS systems have revolutionized the Hospitality industry. The deployment of these systems have decreased service times and increased efficiency of the orders.As a result, the hospitality industry is able to provide better and efficient services to their guests. Further, these systems help the hosts differentiate themselves from their competition; thereby increasing their market share and improving their revenues. Moreover, these systems help the industry in managing compliance & regulations into their business practices. Hospitality is the act or practice of reception and entertainment of guests with kind and generous liberality. It is a relationship between a guest and a host. The hospitality industry includes hotels, restaurants ,casinos,catering, resorts, membership clubs, conventions, attractions, special events,and other service for travelers and tourists.

POS systems have revolutionized the Hospitality industry. The deployment of these systems have decreased service times and increased efficiency of the orders.As a result, the hospitality industry is able to provide better and efficient services to their guests. Further, these systems help the hosts differentiate themselves from their competition; thereby increasing their market share and improving their revenues. Moreover, these systems help the industry in managing compliance & regulations into their business practices. Hospitality is the act or practice of reception and entertainment of guests with kind and generous liberality. It is a relationship between a guest and a host. The hospitality industry includes hotels, restaurants ,casinos,catering, resorts, membership clubs, conventions, attractions, special events,and other service for travelers and tourists.

This article discusses how a convention manager for a Chicago planning firm keeps the SIGGRAPH convention happy every year the convention takes place. It explains that SIGGRAPH brings in 30,000 to 50,000 graphic artists and software designers to the convention, so it is important that planning company keeps their technology up to date. There is a positive side to SIGGRAPH convention goers, which is they understand that small glitches in technology do occur and they do not get frustrated when those glitches do occur. They had to implement a technology that will occur in real time, so they do not have to waste time inputting information, this is something that the SIGGRAHPH convention required if they were going to continue their business with the planning company. The software they developed allowed for everything to be in real time, all the staff had to do was review to make sure all the registration for their conventions were correct. I think that this article is a great example of why event planning firms should stay up-to-date on technology that will aid them in the planning process and keep clients returning.