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In this article, it talks about the importance of human resources management for hotel industry. First, one of the human resources manager 's job is to find those kind of people who are willing to work in hotel environment. Second, a lot of people  is not plan to work in one place as their career goal so that they are not stay in a company for a long time. But this will have a negative impact on hotel management and customers service. So HR manager should curb the desire and likelihood that employees will move to other jobs quickly by providing incentive programs. Those programs could contains of the English lessons for employees who are come from foreign countries and do not speak English well or offer ways for employees to advance in position. If employees can see a good prospects of their career in this hotel, they will work harder and try their best to make a promotion. Good employees benefit satisfactory customers and reflect on hotels revenue. Satisfactory customer is the best marketing tool for lodging industry. 

This article discusses how new demand of customers within the hospitality industry is driving current point of sale systems such as micros to re-term their systems to focus more on customers. It includes several factors that are potentially driving POS systems to be revolutionized. The possibility of POS systems becoming more "from the palm of your hand" is growing each day as more POS systems are converging with wireless devices. As other outside factors influence hoteliers to emerge and update their POS systems, the development and progress of having the most profitable POS systems requires close examination of what works best for each company. One example the article touched on was the change from regular cashier systems to IPad based interactive systems and interactive kiosks. In addition, the enhancements of POS systems overall seem to be increasing F&B profit-a section of the financial statement that was historically less profitable. As with all technology, It is best to refrain from making a large capital investment into emerging systems, starting slow and monitoring how the bottom line is increasing and specific areas such as Room revenue or F&B revenue is the ideal choice.

Excellent Article! POS systems are becoming more user friendly than before. The systems allow companies to track revenue and inventory at the same time. The Walt Disney World Resort tested a POS system that allowed hotel guests to simply flash their room key and the charges would go directly into the POS system then PMS. Hotels have added POS systems to spas, recreation locations and retail stores...(http://www.restaurant.org/nra_news_blog/2012/04/pos-systems-must-accommodate-new-secure-payment-technology.cfm).

Theodore your article proves a great point on the benefits of POS technology. Having a POS system adds more value that will cover its initial cost. Handles greater product volumes. Makes complex business logic possible. Provides more management possibilities of your daily operations such as sales tracking, refunds, time clocks, menus, pricing, revenue maximization, etc.Provides advanced functionalities such as reservation and table management for restaurants, hotels, bars, and any business in the food service industry. Realizes enhanced savings with greater efficiency. Delivers better workflow for staff. Improves customer service and increases customer through-put. Easily manage large numbers of customers and groups. Allows restaurant businesses to combine multiple services into a single invoice (hotel room, meals, events, services). Graphical management of store assets such as table, rooms, bar, etc. Delivers superior reporting and analysis features. Streamlines inventory management. Back Office integration. The purpose of POS system is to accommodate your employees and your customers. If you have happy employees this results in customers having a smile. You have to spend money (POS SYSTEM) in order to make money.

So Best Buy is becoming more environmentally friendly by turning it's home energy section into an interactive layout, designed to get people talking about saving the earth. "Home Energy control panels are connected to refrigerators, lamps, lights, heating and cooling systems, showing shoppers how the digital energy home could be connected. An interactive booth where customers can turn lights on and off and an employee can talk to potential customers enabled shoppers to learn about the benefits and price points of LEDs vs CFLs. For many Best Buy shoppers, it could be the first time they've even thought about using these types of efficiency tools to cut home energy usage." What we have, in this store that focuses mainly on video games, DVDs, and flatscreens, is an initiative centered on all of us who need to be educated on the reality that the earth is losing it's natural resources because of our selfish overspending and lack of care. Hopefully they will be able to expand to all of their stores and not just the few they are doing this test run in.

There are several ways for small business to track income and expences. At first checking with a business accountant is an important step of choosing right accounting software. Checking business forums also can be a good idea of finding best solutions for owners of small enterprises. If the business owner is into service business he needs accountung software which can track time and billing but if he is the owners skill level must also be considered. Some accounting applications in the internet offer trial runs, so trying them can be a good way of finding whats best for this particular business. Cloud applications can also be very helpful, avaliable and accessible anywhere, anytime and very mobile, because you can use them from phone, pc or a tablet. You don't need to buy servers to host the software hosted in icloud. For sure it has some disadvantages like privacy, security, and fees, if any problems in the system occur the owner will need to wait for vendor to resolve it. Choosing the best solution for accounting of small business enterprise owner will have to weigh all advantages and disadvantages in order to find what is the best solution for its business.

i agree!! choosing the proper accounting system can make operation goes smoothly.

The hospitality industry is experiencing a technological transformation. Current technology is improving and being put to better or new uses. According to this article in Hospitality Magazine, there are seven technologies that are taking the industry by storm. 1. Online Booking Systems I agree with the many industry insiders that now consider an online booking system essential. Penetrating the online marketplace is an absolutely mandatory part of the formula for success. However, opinions differ when it comes to how to accomplish this aspiration. As expressed in the article "Taking back control of the direct channel for hotels" posted on the class ScoopIt!, using online travel agents as a properties online booking system has easy setup and maintenance but lacks true customization and can put a sizable dent in profit margins, but building and utilizing a 100 percent customized system does not necessarily grant instant access to hundreds of travels sites on the web. Over all, I am of the opinion that online travel agents are still the best option-for now-because the pros out way the cons. 2. Electronic Point of Sale (EPOS) Primarily used for mobile or self-ordering, EPOS systems can replace waitresses' use of paper orders and remote/hidden POS systems. In my opinion, this streamlines the look of the restaurant floor and provides better and more instantaneous service. Panera Bread uses self-order tablets as some of their locations that allow customers who know what they want to order traditional menu items quickly and independently. Having used this system, I find it more of a novelty than a convenience because the system isn't exactly self-explanatory. Currently, the technology is much more enjoyable as an aid to waitresses where the restaurant can experience increased efficiency and a higher standard of service while guests can experience the "that's cool" factor without the frustration of having to navigate the service themselves.

3. Customer Relationship Management (CRM) CRM technology provides efficient electronic storage and management of contracts and customer information and many versions also feature cloud-based applications that provide easy access to frontline employees. Electronic storage and online back-up are not totally new ideas (i.e. the floppy disc) and despite the long way these technologies have come is, in my opinion, not enough to do away completely with paper back ups. Even with electronic files, my previous property kept basic papers for 1 year and more sensitive files for much longer. Basically, CRM technology is something we should utilize more, but I doubt many will do away with a paperback up system anytime soon. 4. Marketing Automation Automatic email and text communications have been made possible by the development and improvement of marketing automation technology. Having worked with this type of technology, there is not an overabundance of companies/technologies from which to chose; however, the technology available various greatly in effectiveness and quality. In my opinion, Constant Contact is the best marriage of quality and ease of use for marketing automation technology available. This type of marketing can really step us a properties game, but beware of poor performing products. 5. Social Media According to the article, photos are the most popular posts by social media users, but the arena has become a bonafide space for reviews. While sites such as TripAdvisor and Expedia provide a niche arena for travel/tourism/hospitality related communication, general social media sites also invite open, unfiltered discussion. Whole social media is BIG, it is important for companies to assess and utilize only the social media outlets that their demographic are actively using.

6. Smartphones Smartphones are already super convenient. They are constantly being integrated and synced with our daily lives. Applications such as Apple Pay, in combination with CapitalOne, have provided another level of integration. Currently, there is talk and work on guests being able to use their cell phones as hotel room keys but I wouldn't be surprised if in the future we will have QR Code or RFID storage for our driver licenses, insurance policies and other important information. 7. Smart Appliances A part of American households for sometime, smart appliances are beginning to make their way into the hospitality industry. Luxuries such as electronically controlled blinds, thermostats, lights and more are something we can expect to see in hotels sometime in the future. My biggest concern is the time between now and implementation because while these products are available for purchase by consumers directly, they have not taken off nor seemed to gain any ground in the typical household. Could the hospitality industry be just as slow to adopt these technologies? I believe that it is likely so-mainly due to the high cost of implementation. In conclusion, technology is still advancing and most industries are feeling the pressure to update existing technology and adopt new technology. In the hospitality industry this is especially true.

Security has different meanings in different countries and is extremely important in creating and maintaining international leisure travel. In the United States this means technology: security cameras and monitoring, rapid communication and response technology. In developing countries such as Nigeria, the security conversation centers around much more primitive ideas. "A hospitality and tourism consultant, Emeka Attamah, has made a case for the establishment of 'Local Tourist Security'…in Nigeria." This idea centers on the belief that locals should be involved in the policing of public places because they are well versed in the terrain and the criminals that operate in these areas and are therefore in the best position to fish them out. After all, the success or failure of a tourism destination depends largely in part on how safe tourists perceive the destination to be. The idea of a Local Tourist Security in countries such as Nigeria means recruiting indigenous youth to provide surveillance and security near tourist sites. There are benefits and disadvantages to this proposal. These individuals will be well versed in the region and the people who live there. Many of them will have lived in the area for generations and have insider knowledge on who's who and where's where of the town in which they are operating. However, these youth would be more malleable and perceptive to outside influence. More than likely they would be easier to pressure into certain ways of thinking or actions than their adult counterparts. In addition, initiatives such as Local Tourist Security seem to potentially promote child labor (although potentially milder than the stigma would have us believe), which is looked down upon internationally. In conclusion, Local Tourist Security groups may be the best answer for areas such as Nigeria at the current time, but security in these countries is still miles behind the developed world. As a result these measure may attra

This article goes into details about the new technology emerging in the hospitality industry and how it is that hotels are able to stay ahead of the cutting edge trends of today.

I found this article interesting as it is closely related to the discussion board topic for this week. It touches on the point that guests expect the same level of convenience that they can experience at home when they are travelling. Voice recognition devises are on the rise and this new technology is affordable enough to be a regular house-hold item. It's difficult for hotels to have a competitive edge while trying to stay one step ahead of the game. Maintaining excellent customer experiences while avoiding unnecessary touch points for the guests is the goal for many businesses. The article mentions that Hilton as a technology "test" property, where all new technology is transparently tested on staff and guests and valuable feedback in derived. I think this is an excellent idea that more hotel brands should incorporate.

This article is a good overview of POS benefits. Although it is also a sales pitch, I thought it was worth posting it because it serves as a general guide for different business applications. As the concept of smart cash register is becoming the norm, the new trend for modern businesses is point of sale. Regular cash registers simply record sales, give change, and store money. Moreover, they don't even take credit card payments since you need a separate processor for it. Yet, POS systems not only take credit card payments but also cash, can provide detailed sales reports and analytics, marketing tools, customer relationship management, and loyalty programs, just to name a few. It can also tell us the busiest times of day or week, the best-selling items, when stock is running low, and how many are new or returning customers. It can even be used to manage employees' schedule. For bars and restaurants, a POS with menu options that can split the check and accept cash seems like a good choice. For retail stores, the most appropriate POS will provide inventory management and could be connected to a bar code scanner and receipt printer. For contractors, a mobile POS that can be used in offline mode or remote locations would be the best option. Because a POS can be adapted and customized to different business needs, it will soon become business standard.

The articles discusses about the eight major function of PMS. The PMS has become on of the key factors for the operations in hotels. The system literally connects all the departments of the hotel under one umbrella. It is easier faster and useful for any hotel organization. The PMS should include these 8 parts: Dashboard: The dashboard should be simple and easily understood by the employees, this will make the check in and check out process quick, even in restaurants the staff would be able to handle orders from the guest quickly. Sales and Cancellation: This will provide a better daily picture about functioning of the hotel rooms. Calendar: This function will help in tracking the booking, noting down occupancy for a particular day. Housekeeping: The housekeeping department would be able to have a proper track of rooms, dirty, clean, dirty vacant and occupied. The housekeeping staff would not have ton call at the front desk all the time to check status of a particular room. Best available rate: The system will give a broader image of rates which needs to be set for the future months, comparing the sales from previous years. Direct booking engine: This what all the hotels wants, to save commission which needs to be provided to the third parties.

"IT solutions can be used to help a hotel to manage its environmental impact (CO2 emissions, energy consumption). Siemens analyses the customer requirements and then implements best-in-class solutions. In addition we provide the required process consulting to establish sustainability reporting within an organization. Here are a few highlights of our "Sustainable Impact" offering: Benchmark customer's own position in sustainability issues vs. competitors and improve own sustainability processes to become best-in-class. Integrate sustainability / energy management into company strategy, organizational framework and corporate behavior Target setting for company-wide KPIs (e.g. CO2) and creation of transparency by setup of IT supported controlling process Support fulfillment of regulatory requirements, voluntary reporting (e.g. GRI, DJSI, CDP) and company positioning (e.g. sustainability report) Manage environmental and other sustainability projects"

in order to keep the green hotel the manger should use the IT solutions. especially in the environment impact, we cannot control the hotel environment sustainability development only by the manual. using the IT solution is fast and convenient. we can use it to analysis and conclude the best solution or advice for the sustainability development of the hotel. we put the data, operation statement and expenses into the system and then the computer can help the hotel to establish the frame for building the green hotel. also we can use the Siemens technology to assign the employees everyday so as to avoid the situation that is over-staff or under staff. moreover we can use the Siemens system to decline the waste of paper, water, energy and so on. This way can save the money and protect the environment.

Nowadays, all hotels are trying to improve their IT with their sustainability efforts. In this article, Siemens has introduced a new system "IT for Sustainability". The new system will help hotels improve energy, resource-efficiency, and save costs in two ways: greening the hotel IT environment and using IT as enabler to lower carbon footprint.

The article talks about the integration of a new system called Rainmaker and RoomkeyPMS. The trend of using the "cloud" is ongoing, as RoomkeyPMS is software that is "cloud-powered" which helps to facilitate the way the front office handles their operations. Rainmaker integration with the PMS, on the other hand, is to help the back of the house. It is meant to increase hotel bookings and "streamline operations and revenue optimization processes". Highlights the first boutique hotel in Charleston, The Spectator Hotel, are the first to adapt this new collaboration to improve the way data is being accessed. Based on the article, the hotel is using these cloud based systems to be able to offer more innovative service to their consumers especially when it comes to how revenue is being handled. I think that having to cloud systems working together can be kind of difficult especially when they serve two different purposes. But with that being said, both softwares seem to work for the best individually. Having the ability to try this out on a smaller boutique hotel would be for the best because it allows hoteliers to conduct analysis for the systems on a smaller scale.

The article briefly reviews the digital marketing branch in the hospitality industry. In this modern age, hotels need to have an updated and optimized website running. Most guest or OTA rely on hotel websites to gain information about the hotel and amenities and prices they have to offer. They must be visually appealing and easy to access. Apart from using hotel websites, search engines are also popular amongst bookers. Search engines like google or bing use keywords to narrow their search when finding hotels so having such keywords or phrases in the hotel main page on the website will allow people to access their hotel website quicker. Hotels also rely on advertising on sites like Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Heavy populated social platforms is one of he best ways to have a business advertise themselves to the public. The best part is that social media marketing can be cost-effective.

This article presents suggestions on POS selection for companies sized from small to large. I found this article really interesting and reiterates that the selection of the POS is going to be based on company needs/culture. Their research was extensive and conducted market research repeatedly, before suggestions were made. It also touched on the different pricing options, in addition to any special features the POS may offer.

This article talks about the best POS systems for 2020. What I found interesting is that the majority of these systems are cloud-based and offer integrated information services for a variety of industries, not just hospitality. A lot of the systems also are ipad based and work well with third-party POS hardware. They also have automated payment options integrated, for people who like to process payments electronically (i.e. Apple Pay). I think its important to know about these POS systems and what they can accomplish for hospitality companies.

In this article, they talk about the best pos systems to use for 2020. They list each pos system name and then summarize the benefits and give a full review. The first system they talk about is lightspeed, which Ipad pos system has solutions for retail stores, restaurants, and online businesses. It's fully mobile, so you can check inventory from anywhere in the store, show customers product images and descriptions, and ring up orders and accept payments on the sales floor or, for restaurants, tableside. The next system is Vend that has real-time reports, inventory management features, and access to various integrations that can help you run your business, save time, and boost sales. This POS software is suitable for nearly every type of retailer. Whether you run a clothing store, a sporting goods store, or a specialty service-based business such as a car wash or computer shop, Vend has the features you need. Touch Bistro is a simple and affordable POS system that focuses on the unique needs of restaurant owners, with tables, reservations, and delivery management features. It's suitable for all types of food establishments - fine dining, casual eateries, cafes, pubs, food trucks, and more. Lastly, there is eposnow has both retail and hospitality versions of the software are available, each with a robust selection of features to help you run your business. It also has more than 80 integrations, so you can add extra capabilities and connect to the business programs you already use.

It used to be that an event planner had to use multiple applications to run one event. Nowadays, there are hundreds of event planning companies that are "all in one". Choosing the one that best suits the needs of the event is hard with all the options. However ease of use, customer success and support, longevity, online trust, and features should highly considered. One of the most popular event management software companies is Bizzabo. This company allows you monitor your marketing success, change ticket pricing, check in on emails and also offers an application for users.

This article discusses the strategy of drive direct booking for attracting the millennial travelers. There have 5 key insights into the millennial market and the ways to gain the revenue for the hotels. The hotel has to learn how to drive direct bookings through technologies. Market trends are changing fast, especially in hospitality industry. Thus, the hotel owners need to focus on finding the strategy that can help themselves to gain the income. The big benefit of direct booking is hotels can pay less to maintain our own brand website than pay OTAs and other third parties. First of all, the internet is the key that can help the hotel growth the demand. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Millennials have overtaken Baby Boomers as the America's largest generation. Hotel owners have to know that 90% of millennials go online every day. Thus, we have to move our attention to online as well. Second, hotels can take advantage of search engines. Almost everyone would like to use the search engines every singer day. For example, "Just Google it" has become a common refrain for the younger people. No matter search hotels, restaurant or airplane tickets. That is the best way they must be used. Just like the article mentioned "hotels should focus on quality, not quantity" of their website. Third, mobile phone or smart phone, the best hotel for the Millennials, that must be the hotel can provide the best technology in order to help them to save times. For example, my favorite hotel in Las Vegas is Aria. They provide the smartphone check out and check in service. Customers would like to choose the online service in order to avoid the line. Last, video marketing and social media. I believe the video can attract customers rather than the pictures. The article mentions that "2016 is going to be the major year for video on mobile". For customers, social media is the best way to let them know the hotels better. They will read the feedback from other travelers.

Smaller properties such as independent hotels don't need an elaborate PMS (property management system). They can go by with some advanced ones without having to pay an outrageous cost. The ones listed in this article are Opera, Ezee Master, Roommaster, Hotelogix PMS, MSI Cloud PM, Frontdesk Anywhere, and Rozlynx PMS. The property's needs have to be compared with what the systems have to offer and from there, the management can select the best one. Larger properties that belong to corporate companies usually have their own PMS systems that they use at every brand that has their corporate logo. For instance, Hilton has OnQ PMS system, which whether you are at a large Hilton property such as a resort or a small Hilton property that is a franchised property, they will use the OnQ PMS system.

This is a very important feature. Where the system can go either work off the cloud or can be installed.

I found this article to be very interesting. This article gives us a walk through 9 different software solutions for small hotels. This article made it very clear to me that in the hospitality industry it is crucial to find the right software that best matches your hotel. Software has an immense impact on the overall experience of the guests and that brings credibility and customer loyalty. The articles gives us the positive and negatives of each of these systems. This made me realize, that as an aspiring hospitality industry employee and manager, it is crucial to learn about these programs and use them properly.

This article gives you 8 of the best choices of POS systems linked to their websites, so you can explore the options and compare. It suggests recommendations on choosing the proper POS system based on experts' reviews. It shows the many reasons why businesses would benefit when choosing a POS system over a traditional cash register. It says that any business would benefit from POS systems, but it suits better the retail and restaurant industry. I think POS system is perfect for restaurants!

This article discusses the 10 Best POS systems of 2019. These POS systems include Square, Vend POS, Bindo POS, Erply, Intuit Quickbooks POS, NCR Silver, Shopify POS, Shopkeep, Lightspeed Retail POS, and Revel System POS. It also discusses the different benefits to each POS system and why it is important to choose a good POS system. There are also some negatives that come with these POS systems. This article also offers steps on what to do if the POS system fails and how important it is to have product support. "A backup solution is essential here and that's especially true in the case of cloud-based POS systems. These systems can suffer not only from software problems but also from internet connectivity issues." This states how essential it is to have a backup solution if the POS system goes down, and ensuring the POS system will be there to assist with any issues that may arise. Choosing the right POS system is very necessary when owning a business and being able to properly take advantage of everything that the system offers.

the article highlights how companies can benefit from sustainable design and gives tips on preventive maintenance