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All of the big three global distribution systems were still expanding as well as increasing productivity and revenue as of June 2014. Amadeus, Sabre and Travelport have each made significant moves in the hospitality industry, although primarily for airlines. Amadeus is by far the largest and currently most successful GDS with the highest profit, booking volume, and market share (air travel). As of 2014 Southwest Airlines was their biggest client, but they provide GDS services and access to over 100 other airlines as well. Sabre is second best to Amadeus. The company elected to go public in 2014 and since then their billable bookings, booking share and growth have all increased modestly. During the same year they gained American Airlines, newly reformed at the time, as a client. Presently, the company expects continued improvement in revenue. Travelport has made the decision not to compete directly with Amadeus or Sabre in that they have chosen not to provide "full passenger services systems to airline on a multi-host basis." However the company is still working closely with Delta Airlines and researching "add-on" features with their main focus being the continued growth of "beyond air" activities. Honestly, I was shocked that Amadeus is the largest and most successful GDS. I truly expected it to be Sabre. This belief was based on what I have personally experienced: every OTA I have used required a link to the Sabre GDS, but I can only recall one that required one to the Amadeus GDS. After reading the chapter 8 of D.V. Tesone's "Hospitality Information Systems and E-Commerce, along with the research report from our discussion forum I have changed my paradigm. Regardless, GDSs are still used widely in the hospitality industry. Different segments of the market prefer to book in different ways: via offline Travel Agents, OTAs, hotel websites or on the phone. Those that use either form of TA are using a GDS.

Leisure guests tend to book for themselves with rare exceptions including some forms of international travel and cruise travel. These guests use OTAs or intermediaries such as Travelocity (Owned by a GDS company) or TravelZoo. In the case of TravelZoo, a guest uses the TravelZoo website to access information such as availability and pricing that TravelZoo pulls from a GDS before making a selection and processing a transaction. On the other hand, business and corporate travelers are more likely to use an offline TA. An offline TA is better equipped to meet the needs of a customer whom is travelling for business. Offline TAs require less information when booking a hotel room then an OTA does, making it simple for a secretary to book the travel arrangements for the guest. In addition, offline TAs can work easily with a hotel to make special accommodations. The hotel receives contact information for the travel agency that booked the stay in case clarifications on requests are needed. In conclusion, as long as either form of TA is in the market, a GDS will be necessary to streamline bookings and ensure that each TA has the correct pertinent information when making a booking or completing a transaction. As a result, as new OTA options or hospitality enterprises enter the market GDSs are continuing to morph, merge and grow.

This article brings up some great points on building your Brand on a mobile App. As a whole, we are attached to our cell phones and using apps for everything. Creating a Brand for your Mobile App is a must have in our industry and it is the direction most hotels, cruise ships, and resorts are taking when you are on property/ship. Personalization and Onboarding is important to the user as they want to be able view their interests/preferences/needs. By providing a personalized experience (interactive maps, videos, etc.) via App we hope to provide the most positive guest experience. As the article states, providing a positive user experience creates happy users which results in Brand loyalty. The end result is always to capture repeat business and Brand loyalty.

This pretty much what we have discussed in class along with the history of  the way hospitality companies have grown so much since the 60s. 

This article describes the development of the GDS, and also introduce its role as a non-air hospitality services marketing channel. The authors introduce the evolution of GDS, and show some points about how hospitality marketing through GDS.

This article goes into depth with the development of the primary electronic distribution channel. Surprisingly, as early as the 1960's travelers and travel agents where booking reservations via letter, telex, or telephone. Most of the reservations for airlines, hotels, and car rentals were conducted via telephone. Because of such an increase in demand of the service, airlines installed computer terminals to reduce cost and increase bookings for the airlines. Airlines believed it would be cost efficient to install such system instead of hiring extra staff. The airlines also predicted that travel agents would reserve more with the airlines that supplied the GDS terminal, which in fact turned out to be true. After, the travel agents became heavily comfortable with the system, they noticed that it could also accommodate to bookings for hotels, car rentals, and travel services. The potential of the travel distribution was obvious and many non-air travel companies became major participants within the system.

Swiss Cruise company is starting to use a virtual assistant to answer passengers' questions.

MSC Cruises is rolling out a virtual assistant in passenger cabins called Zoe that will answer spoken questions. It can improve its answers with continual research based on the interactions it has. Zoe was programmed to answer the 800 most common questions - queries about excursions or onboard restaurants, for example - and variations of those questions in seven languages. The questions were gleaned from staff members and from data collected from the ships' guest services desks.

Professor Susskind said that traditional marketing in the travel industry had evolved: "You run the risk of not being able to compete effectively in the marketplace without these enhanced approaches."

I chose this article as I am an avid user of Trip Advisor! After watching the E-Commerce lecture, I actually started researching more on facial recognition used in the hospitality industry, both in marketing and to keep guests safe. Using facial recognition for safety actually came up quite a bit; specifically as Professor Cilli mentioned on cruise ships to help track and potentially stop a predator or threatening guest. This article is on Trip Advisor's new badge system, that intends to flag hotels if reports or media comes out including sexual assault, crime, and other potential threats to travelers. The idea started from a case filed against Trip Advisor for taking down comments claiming a security guard at a Mexican resort had sexually assaulted a guest who had stayed there. Trip Adivisor claims that at the time, the comment was removed due to explicit material. Not only has Trip Advisor promised to keep comments like this published on their pages, but if taken down they will tell users what exactly flagged their system to take it down. Users will easily be able to adjust their wording and repost. While the exact wording of the badge does not specifically detail why the hotel was flagged (see wording annotated above), as a traveler it would definitely make me think twice. From a management standpoint, getting flagged like this on one of the most used travel websites could completely halt business and create financial strain for months. The badge will last for at least three months and in that time could be seen by thousands of visitors. I hope this small step for Trip Advisors forces hotels to take big step in terms of safety and security with who they are hiring and tracking who is on property.

The first products distributed by GDS was hotel lodging reservation system, such as different types of rooms, description and price categories with the airline system. GDS has been increased on the travel market, such as number of flights. Travel Agencies (TA) also use GDS to offer complimentary products, such as car rental, hotel and other related forms of accommodation, bus tickets, vacation tickets, yacht rides and even flowers and champagne,That means, GDS has become more important distribution channel for nay product through TA. Also TA had more opportunity of more products their own system and GDS system from increase number of booking volume with lower operating costs. It was the first and major goals of GDS being used in the hospitality industry. Even though hopitality ingustry use GDS system, there are few problems, such as show only simple structure. For example, there are 4 different kinds od room and 3 categories od comfort, it means they have 12 different kinds of combination. Because of the GDS database structure, only there 12 combination could be displayed. It took a while to fit all the multiple types of comport rates, rooms and services in GDS standard database structure. Instead of choosing GDS system, they cans choose other alternative system with develop several computerized system to make a database structure closer to product specification. Nowadays, GDS using all of the hospitality industry from reservation hotel rooms to car rentals and Travel Agencies. Through GDS as globally, people are able to to book different kinds of hotel rooms in different destination all around the world, tours, airline seats, cruises and eeve limousines.

Looking at these numbers it becomes very clear how important GDS are to the hospitality industry, more rooms booked means increased revenues and more jobs for hospitality professionals. I am sure that this technology will evolve and transform so it is important to stay current and understand how to get the most out of it.

What's global distribution system? This question is kind of cliché in our group, but this article gives a very good introduction about GDS and it's quite easy to understand comparing to many other articles introducing GDS. This article tells us: How GDS develops from being used only in airline industry to being generally adopted in hospitality industry; What is the working idea behind the GDS; Four major GDS including Amadeus, Galileo, Sabre and Worldspan; Advantages provided by GDS.

This article explains how devices like Disney's MagicBand technology might become a tracking device during your vacation.

This article greatly described the importance and significance event management has for the tourism industry. Special events definitely draws individuals in to multiple destinations, which delivers a huge boost for the tourism industry.

This article talks about how different types of events are important for tourism. Events such as mega, hallmark, major and local events attract more tourists such as the olympic games or the Superbowl. Some destinations are visited only for special events, driving more tourism to that destination. As tourism has become very dependent on effective event management, small events such as arranging tours in a destination have led to an increase in tourism. The development of tourism and the introduction of new destinations reveals the huge perspectives for the growth of event management. The majority of most social activities, such as festivals, and other recreational events have become possible due to the successful event management and the travelers that they attract.

Event Management can be both local and global, it is the management of various activities including conventions, meeting and other major activities. Tourism is not considered a part of event management; it is classified as a set of tourism related activities. Tourism is thus divided into various niche activities. No matter what tourism type you choose, event management will always be a part of the activity. There are various types of classifications. Events may be condsidered Mega, Hallmark, Major or local. It is necessary to recognize the importance of events to the tourism product, and as such, you should never take for granted the need for proper and effective coordination. It is also important to note that events such as cultural activities also aid in destination development. A key factor in having these events is to promote the destination and attract more visitors, particularly at times in the season when things are slow. The introduction of events can serve to stimulate local economies and draw attention to unseen parts of the destination, as well as aid in the building of infrastructure in those communities. It is also important to note any event requires significant planning, the who, what, where and how allows a better understanding of how a proposed event may impact a destination's image and can help with building a stronger global brand. The significance of tourism in event management is centered around possible offshoot activities such as tours and entertainment or any other economic benefits that maybe be derived beyond the event itself. By creating such signature activities, it is likely that you broker relationships with visitors, which could likely create loyalty to your brand.

Using biometrics to allow people access to events and keep track of their whereabouts is becoming more and more common across several industries including hospitality. Although seemingly helpful and more efficient that regular tickets or keys, there also seem to be concerns about the security. However, many believe that although these concerns exist, the use of biometrics is one of the safest verification routes currently.

This article is about a group called Worldcom PR group and they assist a variety of different groups and organizations in their communication skills with the customers in their market, and their competition. This company has realized the changes happening within the hospitality industry and they are prepared to help and consulate different groups and companies.

Twenty years ago marked the beginning of a new period in Royal Caribbean Cruises Limited (RCCL) and helping the environment. They proposed a Save the Waves program, which allows guests to choose when towels and linens are ready to be washed saving numerous amounts of water and energy as well as reducing, reusing, and recycling. Today, their green initiative goes even further, and as the arictle discusses RCCL is implementing a plan to improve their waste, power, and most importantly, their future. Protecting and conserving the environment is a priority this company is willing to stand for. They constantly plan their efforts to maintain environmental protection and to continue to be environmentally responsible.

Norwegian Cruise Lines is launching a new ship next year "Norwegian Breakaway." Their main target market will be young adults and teenagers. It features the Splash Academy and Entourage that is a youth area dedicated specifically for three different age groups; teens, babies and toddlers, and a designated space where parents can play with their kids. Teenagers in the evening can enjoy the Entourage area that becomes a teens-only nightclub with a dance floor, large screen television and music, including a video jukebox. Using the latest technology Norwegian e-Youth tablet-based electronic registration allows parents to swipe their keycard and input a password to sign in their children to many activities and programs.

This article emphasizes the importance of building structure in 11 Hotels around the world. How customers are attracted and willing to pay to stay in this unique hotels based on their inspiring architecture. Seven out of the 11 hotels are under $200 a night! The famous Marina Bay Sands in Singapore just opened in 2010, this trio of 55-story towers consists of 2,561 hotel rooms, plus a casino, museum, convention center, waterfront promenade, shops and restaurants. The towers are connected at the top by the cantilevered, two-and-a-half-acre SkyPark, home to gardens, 250 trees, a public observatory and a 492-foot swimming pool -- all perched high in the sky like a fantastical cruise ship forever suspended in midair

In the highly competitive hospitality industry, it is the intangibles that encourage guests to spend more, provide positive feedback and return to the property in the future. The most powerful of these intangibles is service. No amount of hiring, training or incentives can ensure top-notch service if employees don't have appropriate systems providing information at their fingertips. In addition, as properties incorporate more services and amenities, the need to integrate these functions becomes increasingly challenging - and important. Here more and more hotels use the PMS, Property Management System. As we know, the PMS also has the function that developed to administer a seamless process in the management of a hotel's room inventory and audit, customer relations, as well as invoicing and billing, the Amadeus PMS features inter-hotel communication capability for hotel chains and an email confirmation facility. We compare PMS to the other system webrezpro. We find that the PMS is more and more comprehensive now. The functions of PMS are useful and improve day by day. Another important thing is that PMS links to GDS technology, which means PMS should collect the data more and more effective and quick. From the GDS system, the materials that GDS provides are in details which are very useful for PMS to deal with and save the time for hotel. From the view of manager, it means more gross profit for hotel.

This article talks about Hotel H2O and Amadeus, they have come together in order to operate the Amadeus Property Management System. This system was developed to manage the inventory of room and audit of a hotel, as well as customer relations, invoicing and billing. The General Manager of the Hotel H2O mentions "We have conducted an extensive survey of the various hotel property management systems available in the market and have come to the conclusion that the Amadeus Property Management System (PMS) best meets Hotel H2O's requirements. With the growing sophistication and demands of hotel guests, the Amadeus PMS will enable us to properly cater to our guests' needs and provide them with the unique experience that only Hotel H2O can offer". Amadeus is the system that global travel and tourism industry chose to partner transactions processor. The company delivers distribution and technology solutions to assist its customers in the fast changing industry.

The EcoTex Advanced Laundry Oxidation System enables to use the power of Ozone (03) and Oxygen (O2) to save money and improve in commercial laundries as well as detergent and water savings. This is great for hotels, spas, cruise ships, etc. Use of chemicals and hot water will be replaced with cold-water programs that use the power of ozone for disinfection and detergent activation.

Commentary - Corporate meetings and events are on the rebound after the recession, but many organizations are also rethinking how technology can help them plan a more budget-friendly and productive business meeting.

Since corporate meetings and events have been suffered recession for quit a while, new they are facing a revolution of high-tech event planing to be more cost saving and more productive. This article mainly introduces those tochnology tools like database tools, attendee registration tools, video/web conferencing tools and even room diagramming tools for event and meeting planing oever the Internet.

I read this article and it looked really interesting . Many people all over the world are traveling every where. The people of utah are looking for good travel deals . The article talks about all the differnt travel agents in utah and all the new trends

A website for a hotel, restaurant or cruise line company is important in making your guests want to book a reservation or not. Almost all sales are done over an internet search. That is why it is crucial to keep your websites up to date and with the latest technology software. As promotions change monthly, websites need to be updated also. Hotels need to have their websites designed in an organized, easy to read and interesting manner. This makes it appealing to the eye and has their guest wanting to stay in a heartbeat. To conclude, a popular way of marketing your hotel is done through the internet so keep your website looking its best and your sales will go up annually.

Radio frequency identification (RFID) is an advanced technology. It is the use of a wireless non-contact radio system to transfer data from a tag attached to an object, for the purposes of automatic identification and tracking. Tags do not need battery and they used radio waves to read them. The tag has electronically stored information, so it can use far distance. Unlike a bar code, the tag is not as same as bar code. Line of sight of the reader is not necessary. Radio frequency identification is used in different area. A lot of entertainment use tags as tickets. Some theme parks used tags for gaming, eating and lodging. I think in the future the hospitality industry really needs this technology. More and more new program join in hotel such as rock climbing, spa, casino and so on. These different programs need convenient tickets for guests. Because of this technology used in hotel, the ID card will not just for opening the door. It will include many functions. And the guests do not need any other card or cash in hotel.

This is an informative article on Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology. I found an article talks about RFID in cruise ship last week and got impressed with the advancement of technology in hospitality industry. Hopefully, we will see many hospitality properties equipped with RFID soon. This technology just reminds me of Korean style sauna called "Jjimjil bang" and many of the saunas in Korea are equipped with RFID. A wristband with a sensor inside is given to people when they chenk in and people just need to wear the wristband to pay in the sauna.