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Best practices for companies in the hospitality sector to protect data include:

Always encrypt payment card information. Operate a continuous training program in cybersecurity to maintain a well-trained workforce. Always adhere to relevant regulations, such as PCI DSS. Use cybersecurity measures such as firewalls, network monitoring, anti-malware, and traffic filtering to protect against common threats. Conduct tests against your organization’s cybersecurity defenses in which you mirror the behavior of an actual hacker. Know where your data is and enforce the principle of least privileges to limit access to sensitive information.

groups may use different computer systems to store information, and the information can also frequently move across those systems.

As was mentioned above, the retail POS systems help in the sales transactions processes. The POS systems are one of the simplest and they are created in a way to operate with the purchase processes in ease and efficient way. Hence, the software has options for entering data which could possibly represent the whole inventory in the shop, for example. Additionally, when the purchase is made, the system automatically counts down the item from the inventory list and helps in that way contributes for improved inventory management. Also, regarding the customer relationship management and providing sales reports, there are other settings that could additionally be set in the particular POS software and all that for the purpose business operations to be more productive. Apart of the retail businesses, hotels and restaurants should have more complex POS systems. This is due to the fact that in such businesses which are service orientated, the POS software applied should be able, for example, to customize various orders from different tables and in alignment with that to keep track on price variations. The fact is that the POS systems that apply to service sector businesses such as restaurants, hotels and fast food businesses should be able to customize and manage multiple orders. Either the example is for fast food business, or dining out restaurant or even a hotel, POS software should operate with various orders made during the service process, and still providing the right bill for the right table, or the right bill for the right room order if the hotel business is taken into consideration. Clearly, when starting a business it is important to take the industry specific POS system into account. Therefore one should not just trying and finding the best deal, but rather invest in the system that will work best to make the everyday businesses activities more effective. Understanding why each system is unique will help when trying to make the decision for what type of POS system to purchase.

The goal is to have the cleanest hotels in the nation. And to do that, Best Western is using two new gadgets.

And the new wands and flashlights have paid off.  During the past two health inspections, Best Western Empire Towers has scored a perfect 100.

successful marketing is driven by a mix of complementing strategies — and email is still one of your best tools

successful marketing is driven by a mix of complementing strategies — and email is still one of your best tools

Email marketing is a very effective way to build guest loyalty, encourage brand engagement and increase direct bookings through well-targeted communications. It’s cost efficient and easily automated, making it an ideal marketing technique for busy hoteliers without a lot of time on their hands.

An HRMS includes separate HR modules to take care of specific HR and admin tasks leaving HR staff free to focus on creating a better workplace. These are the core functionalities of an ideal Human Resource Management System:

odule to track and monitor applicants

inbuilt accounting module, automated tax computations, frequent audit & reporting tool, tabular data storage, and configurable rule-based engine.

The best hotel PMS system in 2023 is Preno,

a cloud-based platform that combines usability and powerful features of hotel PMS, booking engine, guest management, and accounting solutions to deliver top-quality hotel management capabilities. By streamlining workflows, it maximizes productivity while minimizing costs.

There are new post-pandemic preferences and demands that include holistic health and wellness offerings and digitalized guest experiences. These entail new investments, best practices, and, of course, new technology.

To better understand the security issues in the hospitality industry, we need to examine two distinct parts: the hotel network that processes payments, stores personal information about guests and conducts routine services as a part of everyday business, and the Internet connectivity offered as an amenity to guests.

Most of the reports tend to label the industry as one of the worst with regard to information security

To better understand the security issues in the hospitality industry, we need to examine two distinct parts: the hotel network that processes payments, stores personal information about guests and conducts routine services as a part of everyday business, and the Internet connectivity offered as an amenity to guests.

ecognizing that operating hotels is a global industry, HFTP determined that there is not a globally accepted method that financial professionals, ownership structures, investors and benchmarking information services can use to support efficient operations. There is also not a globally accepted method to monitor investment performance from region to region without significant assumptions and data mining.

Currently, research is being conducted into current practices. This research will identify who is doing what in different parts of the world, with a view to establishing best practice and providing practical guidance for students, practitioners and professionals involved in the industry.

In order to create a global resource for the hospitality finance industry, Hospitality Financial and Technology Professionals (HFTP®) began development on a global hospitality accounting system users guide this past March. Recognizing that operating hotels is a global industry, HFTP determined that there is not a globally accepted method that financial professionals, ownership structures, investors and benchmarking information services can use to support efficient operations. There is also not a globally accepted method to monitor investment performance from region to region without significant assumptions and data mining. HFTP’s Global Hospitality Accounting System Users Guide (GHASUG) will address this need. Where does the project stand right now? Currently, research is being conducted into current practices. This research will identify who is doing what in different parts of the world, with a view to establishing best practice and providing practical guidance for students, practitioners and professionals involved in the industry. The guidance will be formulated by industry experts, based on the research findings. To date HFTP has commitments from major information benchmarking companies, hotel corporations, hospitality associations and globally recognized hospitality schools around the world. Once completed, HFTP will make the outcome accessible online, together with analytical tools. It will be available at a minimal cost and users will have the capability to print versions if they desire. The hotel sector currently enjoys the benefits of an accounting structure developed in the USA specifically for the industry.  The Uniform System of Accounts for the Lodging Industry has been widely adopted, principally by US based operating companies, and linked to management contract terms.  HFTP has been involved in this project for many years and will continue to sponsor the 11th edition in support and via a monetary contribution.

Some believe the vendor RFP process allows a hotel company to pick the most qualified service/product provider through an unbiased decision process. Perhaps this is the case for commoditized supplies or services (housekeeping supplies, linens, laundry, etc.) where the RFP process allows for comparing the proverbial "apples to apples."

At a typical hotel, who is equipped with the latest best practices in digital technology and marketing to sufficiently and adequately prepare a vendor RFP? Very few hotel companies have the bandwidth and depth of knowledge to adequately identify the digital needs of the property. Nor can they convey the property's needs and wants in the digital space and where it needs to be in 6, 12, 24 and 36 months from now. Lastly, who at the property can afford to devote considerable time to research and prepare a vendor RFP that asks the right questions, conveys the right objectives and provides a solid framework for evaluating and comparing one digital technology and marketing firm to the next?

On the hotel side, the typical vendor RFP process easily takes 50+ hours from beginning to end. On the digital technology and marketing vendor side, time to review, respond, and present takes upwards of 25-40 hours. Typically, three vendors compete and with all parties combined the entire RFP process will cost upwards of $15,000-$20,000. Beyond the cost, this process consumes the time and energy of multiple people and departments on an average of every two years for the hotel company.

TouchBistro is one of the most cost-effective POS systems for restaurants, especially for small businesses.

TouchBistro is an affordable and easy-to-use POS system that focuses solely on your unique needs. 

With TouchBistro, you don't need to invest in a lot of hardware, as you do with traditional restaurant POS systems. At the minimum, all you need is an iPad or iPad mini and a cash register to get started.

Some of the tastiest margins in the travel business are enjoyed by the “global distribution systems”

The airlines’ chronic unprofitability is partly the result of a wave of competition

But it is also due to two moves by the airlines, from the 1990s onwards, that in retrospect were strategic errors. One was to stop paying direct commissions to travel agents. The other was to set the reservation systems free to become (as the airlines see it) profit-gobbling monsters that devour their parents.

The trick to selecting a hospitality call accounting system is to know how to eliminate unsuitable options quickly by asking the right questions.

The trick to selecting a hospitality call accounting system is to know how to eliminate unsuitable options quickly by asking the right questions. There's no shortage of supply just suitable solutions. Different properties have different requirements and we have yet to find a solution that fits every type of property from a hotel chain through to a single location motel. The best way to choose between the dozens of call accounting systems is to have a checklist identifying requirements in descending order from mandatory through to "nice to have." If a short-listed candidate doesn't satisfy a critical requirement waste no more time, move onto the next and repeat the cycle. The objective is to identify one or more call accounting systems that satisfy all mandatory requirements. It's only at that stage that cost should be considered. Cost is irrelevant if a "solution" can't do the job. If you're lucky enough to find two or more options that are fully compliant then cost becomes the final consideration.

allowing customers to order ahead

consumers today value personalized, contextual mobile engagement, built around their current location, interests and buying preferences.

80% of consumers prefer receiving personalized, context-aware branded content through their mobile app.

Managing payroll is a constant challenge, so it’s critical for hoteliers to have a way to monitor daily labor costs, manage overtime, oversee daily payroll transactions, and have access to simple reporting functions.

Adopting a cloud-based reporting system can offer seamless labor monitoring and management from clock-in to paycheck while giving hoteliers on-demand management of earnings to manage transactions in real time.

Hoteliers may have a difficult time deciphering what story the data is telling and which levers to pull to remedy an issue or to replicate success. Business intelligence and analytics tool can point to where efficiencies can be improved and how to best reduce expenses.

In his experience, Pestronk said, Amadeus offers the best deals, followed by Travelport, followed by Sabre, because of the latter two GDSs' size and presence in the U.S. market.

It would be wise for agencies to shop around and get competing offers while GDS offers are so strong, Pestronk said, as it's a phenomenon that likely won't last forever.

Penalties for using another GDS or aggregator are also getting lower today.

Ask any hotelier and they will all agree that a hotel management system plays a key role in their hotel’s success.

At the back-end, hotel software is even more important. The front office module, point of sale, accounts receivable, banquets and conferences, restaurant module, housekeeping, inventory, HR and Payroll, along with a host of other modules and apps in a hotel software must work in an interconnected and smooth manner.