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This article introduces the benefits of the facility management software in hospitality industry. Physical plant software keeps tracking and scheduling the maintenance so work will be more efficient and productive. Three advantages of the software described in this article. First, the software performs tracking maintenance and repair work. Thus, it makes easier to identify the need for the maintenance, repair or replacement, and it prevents facilities from breaking down through regular check-up. Second, workflow will be more efficient. Most maintenance jobs are already scheduled through the software, so it allows work tasks to be streamlined. Lastly, information will be stored in the software so anyone can have access to the data, and it makes a report for everyone to share.

In this article they speak about the balancing act of giving guests what they want and being sustainable. The importance of making small changes that will not necessarily be noticeable to the guests but will benefit the hotel in terms of sustainability. They also spoke about the importance of providing engineers with the tools necessary to continue to make sustainable improvements to the hotel.

This article was released back in 2013 when technological advances were still not in place. It was interesting reading over the article and seeing what was expected to be the "future" advances compared to what is to date. Ultimately the idea is the same, we do not want our customers to be uncomfortable with any of the changes but we are trying to become more sustainable with water, electricity, and power overall. I believe that as we advance in the generation more technological advances will appear and what we use today will be a past term, but we must continue to cut down on the usage of water, electricity, and waste in order to head in the right direction.

This article talks about the struggle in hotels today to be sustainable. Most resources used by hotels cannot be recycled yet. Waste management is extremely important, but not all hotels are investing in it. Thousands if not millions of dollars could be saved a year with the proper recycling methods and technology.

This article goes over the fine line of giving the guest a great experience while also being a sustainable business. It talks about what you can do to remain sustainable while remaining an enjoyable place for guests. It also goes over why its beneficial to be sustainable.

This article takes a look at the future trends in facilities management. Including: technology, employee recruiting, data collection, & green buildings. All of which will create better solutions and client performance.

The following Press Release describes the Marriott La Jolla was showcased by a tour by the Department of Energy of its Better Building Challenge participants. The three-day tour took place in California and highlights the energy-efficient and energy savings practices and technologies in which the hotel offers.  The Marriott La Jolla-is owned by HEI Hotels & Resorts and recently was selected by President Obama to the Dept. of Energy Better Building Challenge as a part of the initiative to reduce energy consumption by 20 percent. HEI's commitment has led to enhancing its properties by energy efficiency upgrades and renovations-HEI has installed Energy Looking Glass (ELG), as well as the Energy Set-Point (ESP) program which defines optimum settings for key systems (domestic hot water, chilled water, etc.). Additionally, the hotel's BUZZ Committee gets all hotel associates engaged in conservation efforts. Core energy upgrades such as lighting and HVAC are proven technologies that were adopted and implemented years ago by the Marriott La Jolla and other properties in the HEI portfolio.

This article primarily discusses HEI Hotels & Resorts' Marriott La Jolla and their past showcase during "Tour of Department of Energy's Better Buildings Challenge Participant Facilities". Fundamentally, this hotel is using and produced an energy efficiently program which will allow the hotel to annually save $200,000 each year. That is an incredible savings that will keep the hotel tremendously environmentally friendly, while hopefully starting a trend for other hotels to do the same. This hotel is now facing great benefits with their energy saving initiatives and great operational systems such as HVAC, ELG, and ESP which will overall save water, the consumption of energy, and reduce waste.

San Diego, CA - August 30, 2012 -The Marriott La Jolla, owned and operated by HEI Hotels & Resorts, was showcased on Tuesday by the Department of Energy during a tour of the facilities of its Better Buildings Challenge participants. The visit was part of a three-day tour in California to highlight the energy-efficient and energy saving practices and technologies implemented by the participants.

The article highlights new advances in technology trends that has captured the attention of numerous businesses in the UK due to the significant reduction cost and savings that can be achieved. The trends include cloud computing which businesses view as a low initial cost or capital investment to undertake. Eliminating the need for hard drives storage, maintenance, and giving way to quick upgrades and updates of an It system. A company's main goal is to provide the best products and services at the lowest cost, and if cloud computing creates this ease of burden without compromising the quality of products and services offered to guests then transitioning to this new technology remains one of the best and newest innovation as the savings will undoubtedly add to the company's bottom line. Smart phones, tablets and other mobile devices has definitely revolutionize the way people communicate and hotels in the United States, China the UK and other parts of the world are capitalizing on this mobile trend as a way to improve customer service. Whether it may be making reservations, or checking in and out of hotels from any location without having to wait in long lines at the front desk. Mobile computing is definitely a way to save cost, and time. It's important to note that this trend does not only benefit huge companies but it's a viable option for small businesses who definitely wants to position itself as a company offering the best and most unique service. Social media is extremely paramount for business exposure and that's why hospitality companies continued to capitalize on this growing phenomena. From Trip Advisor which informs potential guests about the facilities, products, and services to Facebook or Twitter which not only help to market or promote the company's products and services but these are great resources and tools for companies to capture and address comments or concerns that can potentially put the business in a negative light.

This article discusses hardware and software trends in the hospitality industry. Article discusses six points that are having a major effect on the hospitality industry. The first area is the definite shift from software held in-house to software used in the cloud. The article estimates that around 85% of all inquiries are from companies that are looking to use the cloud for software needs. The second item article discusses his mobility. The use of devices such as tablets and smart phones are revolutionizing the way people interact with technology this is also revolutionizing the hospitality industry. The third area that the article discusses the social media and the profound impact it has had has had on the hospitality industry. Article points to trip advisor who has become one of the major sources of information for people researching holidays travel, hotels and leisure facilities. The fourth area in which hardware and software is changing hospitality industry is the feeling of a personalized experience. People are expecting that their experience within the hotel to be personalized and technology is helping the industry personalized their experience. The fifth area is the integration of the hardware and software from the many specialized facilities within a property. Traditionally golf spas have operated their own individual software system now that software system is integrated into the overall properties software system. The last area of hardware and software trends that is changing industry is an area of globalization. Properties will need to adapt their two different management approaches to survive in high levels of economic uncertainty. Consequently, brands with large chains must look at their business from a global perspective.

The nation's largest Army Reserve training post is "going green" . A new

According to this article, HVAC systems are responsible for more than 40 percent of total energy use. Having proper HVAC maintenance services allows for companies to save cost and prevent them from losing revenue due to damages. As stated in this article, "reactive maintenance is most costly way to maintain building HVAC systems". HVAC systems are the least noticed by organization because its not visible unlike other visible things such as lighting systems, carpet ect. Documentation is key, if facility executives want to level the playing field, they should consider investing money in HVAC maintenance that will provide the organization a rate of return that is equal or even greater than what others are promoting. There's up to 15 to 20 percent less energy used than when those systems are left to deteriorate. Therefore, regular inspection, testing, and maintenance of the damper will keep it operating properly minimizing energy use.

This article was very interesting because it shows how the maintenance of the hospitality facilities can really impact a business. We learned in this article that insufficient maintenance can render a lower profit for an investor or the owner regardless whether they want to sell the hotel or not later. We learned that proper upkeep reduces the expense of improvement projects. What can help run a sustained well-run hospitality operation is a preventative program. The only thing that can help you control your maintenance budget is a preventative maintenance program that can help you calculate when to replace carpeting, air conditioner, etc. Meeting up with the hotel supervisors repeatedly allows facility managers to really have a good evaluation on maintenance issues.

Its from the company Lowe's perspective of the maintenance of hospitality facilities

Great article! A preventive maintenance plan or program is definitely a must in order to reduce costs in the long run. It is important that the staff be trained to properly implement the plan and make sure that things are being done properly.

Physical plant or mechanical plant engineers can be found in almost every business sector and industry and are responsible for maintaining large facilities. These individuals usually monitor their facility's heating, cooling and ventilation systems. Additionally, physical plant engineers must also service and repair their facility's plumbing and lighting. According to 2010 data published by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the national annual mean salary for a stationary engineer was $52,620. These individuals earned a national mean hourly wage of $25. Physical plant engineers, stationary engineers and boiler operators have a strong background in mechanics. Individuals working in this field often receive formal apprenticeship training with the International Union of Operating Engineers or formal education through vocational or trade schools. Certain states may require licensing for positions in this field. Generally, employers prefer to hire people with at least a high school diploma or GED who have experience in the field.

"Physical plant or mechanical plant engineers can be found in almost every business sector and industry and are responsible for maintaining large facilities. These individuals usually monitor their facility's heating, cooling and ventilation systems. Additionally, physical plant engineers must also service and repair their facility's plumbing and lighting. Physical plant engineers are paid an average salary of at least $50,000 to make sure a plant's systems run safely. "

This was a very interesting article about how Salvatore's Grand Hotel will be the first to benefit from the integration of Zeno Control, LLC and Verve Living Systems. The hotel will immediately begin installing Verve Keycard Switch, which is controlled wirelessly and uses sensors and control products to control HVAC, lighting, and other electric loads in guestrooms. Verve Keycard Switch doesn't require batteries. When a guest enters their room, they place the card into the Keycard Switch and then have complete control over all the electric devises in the room. Once the card is removed, the electronic devices in the room turn off or go into eco set back mode. The system can not only turn things on and off, but can defect problems in the room and track energy usage. The hotel expects to see a return on investment within two years. I thought this article was right on target with this week's module, and it seems this system would definitely help facilities be more energy efficient. I think it also supports preventative maintenance. Since it tracks problem areas, the facility manager should be able to address them before guests have to point them out. One possible problem I see is if guests forget to remove the card when they leave the room.

Verve Living System by ZENO Controls LLC has a new guest room energy control system. The system concludes guestroom swithches, sensors, thermostats, and lighting control. The system will turn off all electronic facilities when the room is un-occupied. So the system can get immediately financial benefits to hotel from the saving on energy expense, which is a big spender of entire expense.

Hotel facility managers challenged by demand for wireless communications

Point of sale systems are utilized in many industries, however, it is prevalent in the hospitality industry. Point of Sale Systems is also referred to as Point of Service. A POS system encompasses various hardware and software such as touch screen display, barcode scanners, cash registers, scales, and receipt printers. Improvements in technology such as POS have made cash registers, paper tapes and journal tapes almost obsolete. During the late 80's and 90's credit card processing was implemented making it easier for customers to easily transact business with operations. Today hospitality POS systems are among the most sophisticated, powerful and user friendly networks. Many POS systems are fully integrated so managers can track inventory, sales, rental services, accounting and customer relation management. Depending on the size of the hospitality facility, management may be primarily concerned with implementing POS systems. Some o f the questions pertaining to POS that managers may have include: a) How many POS terminals do I need? b) Should I run credit cards through my POS system? c) Which style of computer is best for my facility? d) Do I need pole displays or customer displays? e) Should I have a back office computer?

The Grand Cancun has been designed to anticipate natural disasters climate change, as well as incorporated amenities that will make it self-sustaining and even beneficial to the city in which it resides. Including a wind and underwater energy farm, desalination plant, ocean waste facility, wind turbines and solar panels. Not only this but its design will avoid destruction of the underwater ecosystem during development and construction. This is not only a hotel but also it incorporates a facility for marine research. The design appears expensive but it has the opportunity to recapture its investment through the building's own energy savings, the sale of the energy it generates to external users, its ability to remain largely unaffected by rising sea levels or other climate change and the incremental business related to the research laboratories.

In the wake of the recent fire that wreaked havoc on Chicago area airports this past weekend the FAA is planning to review its security measures. On Friday, an employee at a radar facility in Aurora Illinois set fire to a telecommunications room in an attempt to commit suicide. The fire caused thousands of departing and connecting flights bound for the Chicago area and around the country to be canceled and grounded. Not only were flights canceled on Friday but many continued to be canceled on Saturday and Sunday as well. Chicago's O'Hare Airport is the second busiest airport in the nation and an issue in security can disrupt not only the Chicago area but also flights around the country. It was noted that this incident was one of the most challenging situations air traffic controllers have had to work through since 9/11. Air travel is incredibly important to most Americans and a breach in security can be devastating. It is most important to keep travelers safety in mind especially when it comes to traveling by air. Although it is very important for travelers to make it to their final destination it is much more important that they get there safely and this is a topic the FAA is going to review as a result of this incident.

I think the question to be asked is "Can we do anything at all when a crazy person is in our midst?" If he was working at the center, he must have had some sort of vetting or clearance that he had to complete for employment. Did no other employees see any signs that he was suicidal (someone ALWAYS does)? What kind of measures were being employed to secure this clearly critical piece of infrastructure? How long did it take for anyone to respond? Clearly, lots of questions need to be posed. The effects of this one fore will ripple for months to come.

The article reveals how tablet devices offer many advantages to hotels, because many business processes become more and more independent of location. Allowing your employees to work more effective is the main objective for the hospitality and tourism business. A few examples: Hotels can use iPads as "floating front desks", offering guests mobile services like check-in or check-out. iPads could even be employed as support work stations to reduce demand peaks. The ability to having a floating front desk and being able to accomodate guest is beneficial." The app offers access to guest relevant functions of the property management system like booking services. It also offers access to location based services, advertising local events and facilities, and to the hotel's social networking sites" Having the application to allow guest to have 24 hour service is a convenience comparable to none.

         This article introduce us a new hotel software technology, the iPad property management system. Nowadays the table devices offer many advantages to hotel. Ipad is a good example for the table device use in hospitality industry. A German company design a PMS on iPad for hotel, its name is protel Air. Use this device, hotel can provide the mobile service like check-in and check-out to support the employee's job. Protel Air is a full-service solution and a true "Software-as-a-Service" application, that is hosted in a secure data centre environment. The only requirement of this device is the Internet; it can update and maintain the date through Internet. It also protects the data by its security system. They also design an application called protel Voyager for guests. It offers access to location based services, advertising local events and facilities, and to the hotel's social networking sites. The protel Voyager will encourage guests to report positive feedback.          I think to use new technology to help the operation of hotel is a good idea. Even it will cost some money to purchase the equipment and training the employee. It will save time for the employee especially in the peak season. My only concern is the app for guests. Guests may not use to this kind of new technology. They prefer the human service more. But it is worth to try.  

German protel hotelsoftware presented the world's first property management system for the iPad. The tablet devices give hotel a lot of benefits.  It helps the hotel reduce demand peaks, and offer guests more convenience. Protel doesn't need the support of additional hardware and installation. it can run in the internet browser. One of Protel's product is Protel Voyager, which is designed as a web app, the customers do not need to install this app, because it can runs in the mobile browser. It offers access to guest relevant unctions of the property management system like booking services. It also offers access to location based services, advertising local events and facilities, and to the hotel's social networking sites such as Twitter, Facebook or You Tube.  

Augmented reality is flooding the hospitality industry with its many features. As stated in the article, "AR is an interactive experience or enhanced version of the real world to be presented in a more understandable way". Anyone is the hospitality industry knows and are aware of the convenience and satisfaction AR/AI/VI brings to both the guests and businesses. A great example mentioned is the article is how AR can aid travelers from out of the country where there is a language barrier. This provides an untroubled trip, and not to mention a safer trip for someone in a new country. A feature we are seeing a lot now-a-days and many hotels using is 3D models of their rooms and amenities. This allows the guest to tour and experience the hotel without even stepping foot in the hotel yet. AR/AI/VR provides a realistic experience as well as aids in collecting data for businesses and creating better and even personalized experiences.

This article delves into numerous different uses augmented reality (AR) could have in hotel properties. AR is an interactive experience and/or enhanced version of the real world. AR has the abiliy to mobile with internet connection and cell phones. This article suggests interactive hotel rooms, maps, or even guest recognition. They even mentioned how Holiday Inn will allow for cameras on phones to show celebrities in the hotel or even Starwood Hotels utilizing beacon technology to send keys to guests smartphones.

So I'm a beer person. I brew with 'Brew FIU' team and I'm a TA for Professor Gump. This story just makes me smile. Leave it to beer people to find another reason to make more beer. In the brewing process malt, barley and other grains are used as a sugar and flavor source. It's what makes beer, well beer. After the grain has been used it's considered spent due to the fact that most to all of the sugar and starch has removed. At this point it's common to dry the spent grain and turn it into flour for cooking or send it to a farm for animal feed. Which is a green thing to do as is. But the Alaskan Brewing Co. decided to turn it's spent grain into fuel. Now their entire facility is run off of spent grain. How cool is that?!

This article talked about Jamaican hotels are going  to upgrade their facilities' service with new technology which allowing visitors to access various hospitality options throught applciations on their smart phone.  Nowadays a lot of hotels they public their products based on this technology. Local mobile service provider Digicel on collaboration with New jersey based telecommunications company Avaya and Pennsylvania based mobile technology company Movitas, revealed the new technology to hotel industry representative during a recent hospitality breakfast at the Haif Moon resort. it sounds really convenient , I mean based on several platforms like that for example Black Berry Android and on IOS any smart phone or tablet. it could be used widely not just for hotels also other business.

Palm Beach Hotel face some challenges, they are looking for a solution that is capable of managing the hotel front desk and guest transaction. In order to solve this challenge then use the Horizon property management system. This system can give the management full control over the challenges. It is also equipped with an advanced interface gateway, witch help to connect the front desk and other hotel facilities. This PMS also can implement in the finance department. However the training process is critical, hotel stuff need to be trained. Over all this new system is more flexible and user friendly  than other system they used before.