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The role of GDSs in the travel industry has a major impact on revenue, competition, and reservations. In this article, Sabre, one of the largest known GDSs was sued by US Airways for failing to provide a fair contract to the airline. The lawyers from US Airways claimed that Sabre threatened to "cut off the airlines from a network of thousands of travel agents worldwide who depend on inventory that the tech giant provides via desktop software". The jury concluded that Sabre indeed violated antitrust law. Sabre, apparently, charged US Airways increased fees though their cost per transaction decreased because of the advances in technology. According to the article, Sabre argued that the fees were justified relative to the cost that an airline would incur to distribute its fares by other methods. This helped the agents have access to a plethora of information regarding price comparison. In my opinion, this is just a messy situation. However, it goes to show how important and how much of an impact that GDSs have on airline companies. They determine what consumers or agents readily see on the site. They determine how much of a presence a company has. The GDSs provide company information to a worldwide network that markets to consumers. Having a GDS system hold back or increase fees has proved to be detrimental. Ethical issues have come into play. The fact cannot be ignored that the technology being used by Sabre is helping lower cost for transactions. This decrease in cost should have resulted in a decrease in fees for the airlines. Nevertheless, the key to this article is that GDSs have the power (though Sabre did illegally) to determine which avenue a company goes through in regards to apparent competition and markets. The advancement of GDSs is resulting in lower cost transactions and giving agents and consumers "more bang for their buck". So it is important that the relationship between GDSs and airline companies remain ethical in all ways, especially dealing with

Cloud-based hotel software is able to host a property management system from a remote location which therefore allows hotel staff to access data from wherever they are in the world. It is showing positive signs of increased efficiency and overall cost-effectiveness.

A general trend is that hoteliers are considering to use cloud-based systems more. Data have proved that hoteliers will invest more in cloud technology. Cloud-based hotel software can provide its users with many benefits like cost-efficiency, increased accessibility, and user-friendly dashboards. Furthermore, it makes remote/offsite information sharing and real-time offsite management possible. With a cloud-based system, staff can spend more time on guests and improving service. For security issues, cloud-based systems upgrades often and therefore reduce the risk of being hacked. Cloud-based systems are also enough flexible to meet the future needs of users. In sum, cloud-based technologies can help the hospitality businesses to deal with the changes better.

Hotels are beginning to transition to cloud-based software because they are realizing the great impact it has caused on their business. The article mentioned, "in the next two to three years hoteliers are expected to invest 7-8% on cloud technology". This percentage exhibits how hotels are going to be ran in the future. Cloud-based software has brought positive impact to a hotel business such as "increased accessibility, greater profitability, and user-friendly dashboards". All of these benefits have caused hotels to run their business smoothly bringing back satisfied guests. This software allows check ins/out to be more quick and gives easy access to areas in the hotel for employees. Another gain received by using this software is that its cost-effective. It has been disclosed that a hotel has saved "60% on software costs". Using this software has saved a hotel a lot of money that can be used to satisfied guest more. Security on data is more secured using cloud-based software because the vendors take it seriously making it harder for hackers to retrieve information. Some hotels may halt to install new technology such as cloud-based software but with all the benefits it has given to other hotels, this is going to be the future for the hospitality industry.

(1 of 2) "The hospitality sector has always been a popular target for cyberattacks." This is the first line of this Recorded Future article published in January. The article discusses breaches that happened for both Marriott and British Airways and how this is a regular occurrence in the industry as it is such a big target with so many possible points that can be attacked. While the statistics for the hospitality industry have improved greatly in the last decade, in 2019, they were still accounting for 10% of all breaches. Not only does a breach affect the way an organization operates, but also it also severely effects their bottom-line and takes quite a but of time for them to recover. "According to Ponemon's 2019 Cost of a Data Breach Report, the average hospitality data breach costs $1.99 million to contain, at a cost per record of $123. These high costs are due in part to the time needed to adequately respond to a breach. On average, it takes 200 days to identify a hospitality data breach and a further 75 days to contain it." The article continues by stating that hackers are typically seeking payment card data when compromising the hospitality industry.

(2 of 2) The article then discusses the many reasons why it is so difficult for hospitality-oriented companies to secure their assets versus other organizations of similar stature. Some of these reasons include the large, complex networks which are typically publicly accessible and contain many customers in the databases, the fact that customers are always onsite and so are attackers, the high turnover leading to inconsistent training and sharing of credentials, franchisers owning the responsibility of security yet not knowing much about it, and the risk associated with all of the various third parties the hotels do business with. While intelligence has come a very long, "security professionals in the industry are tasked with defending highly complex networks with many endpoints against a constant barrage of attacks and a constantly churning workforce… [AND] they have limited security resources to work with." Comprehensive security intelligence systems are now capable of protecting many aspects of the organization. Some of these updated features include responding rapidly to security incidents, blocking online brand abuse and impersonation, managing third-party risk, reducing breach containment times, and better allocating security resources. Property data security is so important to the hospitality industry. If a business does not take the proper precautions to protect their systems and their customers, then it could lead to a devastating event for the business. While security intelligence has progressed within the last decade, a business needs to make sure that they have chosen a reliable agent to partner with who will produce consistent service. If the business keeps up with their system updates and protections, they should not have to worry about their security system failing.

When it comes to deciding whether you should switch to cloud computing or remain with on-premises PMS, it all depends on your company. Many people fail to see the hidden costs associated with on-premise PMS such as hardware costs, IT staff to manage the infrastructure and expenses coming from 3rd party software integrations. Although on-premises PMS can be more customizable for companies, cloud-based systems are dominating. They reduce costs, are highly accessible in real time, fees are consistent, and are highly secured.

Expenses relating to telecommunications in the hospitality industry have seen an increase despite a decline in returns for products offered to guests like fees for phone calls and internet. The article explains the rising costs and how operators can control costs regarding telecommunications. "Between 2015 and 2019 telecommunications costs went up faster than operating costs across the board." One reason was due to the complimentary phone and internet offered at some properties. IT Audits, consolidation of telecom providers, and technology upgrades are three ways organizations can manage costs. IT audits involve looking at an organization's current tech plan and its performance. What does it need beyond what it has? Then consolidating the vendors used. Controlling costs especially when technology is changing will benefit owners and operators as it helps them "limit disruption and use the best tech".

Coming from a culinary background controlling costs is everything especially when it comes to food. In tech, it's way more than just what the customer sees or eats. I think IT audits would be a must nowadays in the hospitality sector as it provides a clear view of what is being utilized and a road map to where we can go and how we can skim the fat to make a better product for management and customers. I suppose consolidating tech would be like using one provider for a variety of tech solutions or software that includes many BOH applications in one place. That would be handy to have and management effectiveness would increase as you wouldn't need to educate employees on multiple platforms.

Green IT is an aspect of technology that many people do even consider when thinking about sustainability. According to Computer Aid International, "The production of a computer requires 22kg of toxic chemicals, 240kg of fossil fuels and 1,500 kg of water. 80% of life-cycle energy use is accounted for before we even switch a PC on for the first time." This statistic alone should be enough for us to take action. Marriott has started taking action, however. They created an underground data center where the power consumption goes down and efficiency goes up. Cloud computing is also a massive help due to the fact that the physical software wont be on the desktop computers or laptops being operated so the power consumption will be lowered there as well.

Green IT is an aspect of technology that many people do even consider when thinking about sustainability. According to Computer Aid International, "The production of a computer requires 22kg of toxic chemicals, 240kg of fossil fuels and 1,500 kg of water. 80% of life-cycle energy use is accounted for before we even switch a PC on for the first time." This statistic alone should be enough for us to take action. Marriott has started taking action, however. They created an underground data center where the power consumption goes down and efficiency goes up. Cloud computing is also a massive help due to the fact that the physical software wont be on the desktop computers or laptops being operated so the power consumption will be lowered there as well.

This article focuses on the importance of having green IT in business. It shows example of other hotels that have already adopted green IT. Not only this but it offers tips for businesses that are looking to adopt green it. It highlights the issue of recycling computers instead of reusing it . They recommend to use the appliance until it doesn't work.

This article focuses on sustainability and methods in which technology is utilized to conserve energy and waste, while also not hindering the guest experience. Hotels, similar to the Salvatore Grand Hotel, have began implementing systems such as the Verve Living System, by Zeno Controls, LLC, that provide wireless connections to the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system, as well as the lighting in the guest room. It utilizes sensors to activate such amenities, and enables the guest to enter the room, place their key card into a slot, and it will begin to adjust to the preferred temperature and the preferred lighting levels. Once the key card is removed, such as when the guest is leaving the room, after a very short delay, it sends a signal that verifies the room is unoccupied, and turns off these energy-consuming items in the room. Many guests, when staying in hotels, do not consider turning off their lights or air conditioning when they leave the room, and simply leave everything running. They do not realize the impact this has not only on costs for the hotel itself, but also the impact that it has on energy consumption and sustainability. With the growing awareness of being "green", guests are focusing more and more on conservation, however, they may still be slacking in these areas, leaving things on, being absent minded. This system will allow guests to not have to worry about such tasks, and controls the system of turning these items off for them, adding convenience for the guest who is environmentally conscious. I have personally seen a similar system being used in a hotel room, and thought it was a great idea, and an amazing way to control costs and eliminate waste of resources. It is also very surprising to read that the Verve Living System detects low battery levels, constant occupancy, problems with room connectivity, and rooms that are not communicating with the hotel PMS or other systems. This enables the maintenance team of a hotel to fun

Depends on the worst killer in the restaurant profit, in my opinion is the financial analyzing only in the tax day. This managing decision that not summary the financial statement everyday will lead to the confuse cost management and missing the chance for the maximize profit margin. Especially, cost is the most important part for the daily financial analysis. This article talks about how to manage the cost under effective way and make the property working for more net income. For instance, this article introduce about how to pricing the menu depends on the historical selling data and how to make some development and promotion encouragement for the guests loyal consuming behavior under the low-season.

The current trend hotels executives and owners are adopting is green and sustainable practices. First, because of the marketing and positive public relations it brings to the image of the hotel and second, because of the energy and cost savings to the bottom line. The implementation of these practices with new technologies and software's designed to streamline processes and keep routine calendar of projects make easier for management to keep track and follow through.

In the late eighteen-century, customers use postal service to reserve lodging. After that telegraph became effective way to book and reserve. Until 1940s, airlines build a relationship with travel agents and their hotels, an original network was formed. In the end of the 1970s, the airlines provide electronic system for travel agencies to checking availability and reserving airline seats which we called GDS. It offers efficient and costless booking channel. On the other hand, the hotel suffer three commission costs for a single booking which are travel agent, switching company and GDS proprietor. In 1994, Hyatt developed internet distribution system (IDS) which reduce some costs but add intermediary cost. In the last century, the OTAs became a new channel. Customers booking is variables and each channel have its own attendant costs. The hotel should flexible when dealing with the rate, meanwhile carefully monitored the cost of each channel. Therefore the automated channel management system become a trend. Softeware systems now can analyze real-time market data and adjust rate across all the channels 24 hours a day.

In this weeks reading, the article, "Why Investing in Hospitality Technology is Investing in Good Business", mentions how due to the economic downturn hotels have turn to cutting technology and staff levels as a method to minimize costs, yet this is a recipe for disaster, if not conducted adequately. Technology is continuously evolving, it is important to make decisions regards IT investment that will be useful in the coming 3-5 years. Technological infrastructures should operate to facilitate a process or procedure for the overall benefit of the hotel, rather than take a day-by-day approach. In an ever-demanding industry, it is critical for hoteliers to be adequately prepared with automated systems, reducing if not eliminating important manually conducted tasks which are damaging the operations of the hotel due to the lack of real time information which will help revenue maximization. In moments of recessions, companies minimize their cost reducing what is foreseen as unnecessary such as IT investment, yet is important to maintain a level of preparation and not losing the opportunities presented by the market.

Hotel owners and managers are putting eyes on technology in the hospitality industry slow recovery period. All pundits agree this method can bring some recovery. The international hotel organizations have made many plans of improving investment in technology and staff. Progressive hospitality organizations have updated and invested in new technology and training, change the industry requirements and market. Before investment, the most important is to look at what operational efficiencies the technology can bring and how the technology will benefit the hotels. There are many technologies are good choices for investment, such as Revenue Management Systems. This technology is efficient and can help hotels track historic data, forecast future demand and so on. We also need to technology is changing all the time. So this is a big challenge of managers to make decisions for a long development. We also need to realize that the hospitality industry is changing, strategies will not always be applicable to new, unique situations. It is important for hotels to increase advantages in the competition.

Those hotel groups that fail to recognize the speed of change in technology and what this can bring to the business will find themselves significantly under prepared when the market starts to strengthen. While "its never too late" to act - there is a significant opportunity cost in doing nothing or worse still, cutting technology out of the day to day operations. For a hotel to effectively operate and ensure it is maximizing its incoming revenue, the right technologies needs to be in place. Through investing in the right technology at the right time, savvy hoteliers will be ensuring that their facility(s) are able to effectively maximize their ongoing revenue capability now and into the future.

This article is about how technology can reduce the cost using sustainability. Although that some people believe that green operation is more expensive and that guests are not interested in hospitality. According to Cornell University for hospitality research, the reverse is true for both. Recent advances in technology related to renewable sources of energy are beneficial and have cut the costs for energy. Not only that investment in environmental technology reduce the costs but also has a positive impact in our guest experience.

This article is about how technology can reduce the cost using sustainability. Although that some people believe that green operation is more expensive and that guests are not interested in hospitality. According to Cornell University for hospitality research, the reverse is true for both. Recent advances in technology related to renewable sources of energy are beneficial and have cut the costs for energy. Not only that investment in environmental technology reduce the costs but also has a positive impact in our guest experience.

This article explains the various sustainability efforts of hoteliers in effort to limit their negative impact on the environment. Although, going green is beneficial to the world around us, hoteliers have also realized its benefits within the industry. One important factor has been its cost savings and economic incentives. Going green also enhances the brand image of hoteliers which in turn creates a market for a specific type of traveller, whom deems it necessary for a hotel to maintain sustainability efforts.

In this article we discuss the issues that airlines are having with the GDS system. They give an example of someone attempting to purchase a ticket through an airline website, and then through a travel agency. The direct airline method was only cheaper, if the guest provided information to a direct bank account. The cost for airlines to sell is a bit less than 10%, and they are sold mostly through indirect channels, like travel agencies. The main reason this can happen, is the integrated GDS system. A GDS system is a data facility that shares inventory information for various airlines to different 3rd party channels. The issue with this, is that the total in fees for the use of the GDS system was around $7billion, which is twice the amount of net profit they are receiving. People state that the airline system cannot survive without the GDS, but is that statement really true? Airlines like Air Asia or Ryanair have really attempted to focus on selling tickets directly, and really expand on their profit. How can this be achieved? Well, airlines are making the booking process easier for guests to manage, which gives them more of a reason to book through there. Also, they are offering greater loyalty rewards for directly booking through the site. Different incentives need to be created to attract guests to book directly. Lastly, they would like to create another distribution system, to put GDS out of business. This new system will work to allow guests to handle meal and baggage fees. Concepts that the GDS cannot handle. With that said, will this new system reduce costs for airlines? I guess they will have to wait and see.

This article includes ten ways smart technology is reshaping the hotel industry. Smart energy management, predictive maintenance, smart guest experience, big data protection, smart reserved parking, remote check in and check out, mobile room keys, smart room service, smart marketing practices, and online reputation management technology are all highlighted in this article.

This article is about 10 ways that smart technology can help and reshape the hotel industry that would be beneficial in the long run.

This article explains 10 ways of smart technology in the hospitality industry. 1- Smart Energy 2- Predictive Maintenance 3 - Smart Guest Experiences 4 - Big Data and Big Data Protection 5 - Smart Reserved Parking 6 - Remote Check-in/Check-out 7 - Mobile Room Keys 8 - Smart RoomService 9 - Smart Marketing Practices 10 - Online Reputation Management Technology We all know most of these, but Smart reserved parking caught my attention because I've only seen this once where hotels now have smart sensors and hotel apps that allow to reserve parking spots in advance and it reduces labor since there's not really a valet person assigned. It proves guests a smoother experience from the moment they pull in.

The article I read was called "Accounting Software for Restaurants" in the article it said that many restaurants owners opened their business for their desire of food or their love for friendly surroundings. Most restaurant owners highly ever talk about their finances or accounting systems, yet they all should know how much money they are making and what percent of that money is profit. Every accounting system has a general list of assets and liabilities for the restaurant, which in other words means what the restaurant owns and what it owes. "These bookkeeping functions can be performed with a checkbook and a ledger pad (not recommended), a general-purpose accounting package like QuickBooks or Sage 50, or with special-purpose financial systems designed specifically for restaurants. High-end packages include point-of-sale terminals, menu planning, cost accounting, inventory, payables, receivables and other food service-specific features." Accounting software's allow you to see the general ledger, profit and loss, cash flow, and basic inventory. These software's are not only easy to use but they also save you a lot of time in the long run. When choosing software for your restaurant, start by looking at the business plans and see what your business can afford. It's best to talk with an accountant to find out what will be needed for tax reporting and license renewals, they will help you find out how much to spent up front and each month.

Not everyone may not familiar with the accounting journal entries that happened in restaurants and hotels since food sales and staying at a hotel are not quite the same as normal goods being sold in a retail sore. In this article, the author has introduced the accounting records and record journal entries which restaurants and hotels set to keep track of business transactions. The whole process includes four main parts: recording revenue, costs of sales, operating expenses, and capital purchases.

The article introduces how to manage revenue and cost strategies for boutiques and independent hotels. Compared to big brand hotels, boutique and independent hotels have less brand power, and less power of a brand sales team. So, they need to find the right tools to adapt and fit their own property. Firstly, GDS is a good source to gain an exceptional return on investment, but it costs a lot to adopt for small or mid-sized hotels. Thus, direct bookings can be the most cost-effective way for them to choose. By identifying the sales from group and OTA, revenue can increase and optimize profits. Hotel can hold events as one of the ways to increase revenue. Mixing F&B and event can achieve financial success. Also, independent hotels can use destination marketing to emphasize tourist spots and host more business trip. Lastly, the importance of social media and website is very high for boutiques and independents. As they constantly update their site, search engine optimization should be kept up with. Considering GDS system in the context of small property, they are not afforded to adopt the system though it has a lot of benefits to increase revenue. Thus, they should find the right tool to adapt while considering the budget or common booking tool utilized.

This article outlines four assets that cloud computing can present to the Hospitality Industry. Cloud computing essentially aids the industry in providing the best possible service to its guests - while also simplifying the working lives of employees which is always a big plus. Cloud computing helps cut costs, solutions are secure and remote, gives flexibility to work anywhere at anytime, and improves the guest experience. All in all, the pros outweigh the cons with the cloud computing.

Cloud computing is a popular new wave, and not only individual users are its beneficiaries, but also travel companies are promoting the use of cloud computing technology to increase their competitiveness