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There is a new email phishing scam that is currently targeting military members, retirees and civilian employees.  The emails are asking the targeted audience to send copies of their IRS documents and various VA award letters so they can receive additional benefits.  However, this is a scam that identity thieves are using to seal the identity of these individuals and possibly clean out their financials and ruin their credit.  People are being warned and noted that the IRS will never ask for personal information in an email.   

According to this article, the IRS is considering changing the way Automatic gratuities are processed in restaurants. Often when gratuity is included, more than one issue arises. Parties tend to not leave additional tips and there is also an issue with what if a customer wants to leave less than the automatic 15 or 18 percent tip? Bennet Ackerman, owner of a Melting Pot in Indianapolis, says that "some servers tend to get a little lazy when they know they already have that automatic gratuity." If a large party is given a check of $200, some parties will tip $20. If gratuity was included, they would receive anywhere from 30-40. After tip out to the bartender, hosts and other support staff, the server is actually making about a 6% tip off of that table. I agree that with large parties, the reward sometimes does not pay off, no pun intended. More money can be made off of smaller parties, and the turn over rate is faster. Some restaurants are doing away with automatic gratuity, and instead, they are adding suggested tip amounts at the bottom of the check. This, will at the very least, give the guests dining, a reference guide. The issue at hand here is whether or not to consider the automatic gratuity as a tip for a server, or as a service charge. This will greatly affect taxes at the end of the year and budgeting for the employees. With the economy the way it is, servers and other tipped workers are seeing less tips. The issue is of great concern for restaurants and come January 1st, there may be some very unhappy employees as well as restaurant owners.

As there is a rush to fix emission gases in our ozone, some scientists are invented new technology to help eliminate CO2 gases in our air. One of their inventions helps take CO2 gases from the air and fixes it into basaltic rock. Another stores CO2 gases for power for natural-gas power plants. However the USA is still waiting for approval from the IRS to implement a carbon capture tax credit.

The hotel industry has experienced a lot of change and cloud based hotel software continues to do so.With a good understanding of this technology it will make it easier to interact with guests. It provides real time updates and data that will keep people up to date, keeping things quick and efficient.

This article goes into detail on proximity marketing and beacon technology. It gives various pros of these technologies both for businesses and consumers.

This article talks about the recent agreement that Marriott and Iris Software Systems have signed for using an app that will allow Marriott restaurants to take a fresh approach to their menu presentation by turning them digital and presenting them on tablets for their diners. Therefore its restaurants can present their wine cellar or bar on a modern, clear, enticing and informative platform. Moreover the customers can view as much or as little information as they want. The app has two features called iRiS' "Shortlist" function and "Sommelier Specials". They allow customers who are unsure about a dish or drink can have an informed conversation with the Sommelier, bartender or waiter.The design, look and feel are made tailored for each specific brand of Marriott and are offered in three separate categories: Sommelier, Bar and Menu. According to Martin Bookallil, VP of IR at Marriott the Mobility in their Hotels is one of their key priorities. He said that iRiS Software Systems will provide them with practical software tools that enable Guest facing operation to present and engage with their Guests in fresh new ways.

Following a robbery at a Houston hotel in which thieves exploited security flaws in Onity locks first revealed at the Black Hat conference in July, Hotel Management spoke with Todd Seiders, director of risk management at Petra Risk Solutions and former director of loss prevention at Marriott, for tips on how hoteliers can keep their rooms secure.

Though this was posted in January, I can still remember the situation like it was yesterday. Of course news articles tend to reach the public later than the issue arises; however, we try to be on top of our game. We heard rumor of the break-ins happening, so we did our research and actually found videos on You Tube on how to create the hacking device and use a dry erase marker to conceal the microchip. It was ridiculously simple, yet a huge threat to the entire industry. We called Onity immediately and had our locks all updated with the new software and hardware to prevent the issues. It was a ridiculous charge per lock for them to come out and manually fix them all, which wasn't at all in our budget, but definitely worth the security increase. That's where there is a problem. Most hotels didn't predict this kind of an issue, so it wasn't accounted for in their budgets. Some are willing to spend the extra to ensure safety and security, but some would prefer to do the "mail-in" procedure to get the motherboard replaced for free. That being said, most hotels do not carry an entire second set of locks, I would estimate 10-20% of the number of rooms is the number of extra locks on hand at any given time, functional or not. So, this process takes up quite a bit of time in doing it in the "mail-in" way, as it would take a minimum of 6 shipments to get all locks replaced. That is beyond time consuming and way too long to wait for this important of a matter. I hope all hotels are done with this by now, but still something for everyone to keep in mind while travelling. Always use your deadbolts and privacy locks, never leave your valuables in plain sight, use the in-room safe or safety deposit boxes where available, and use your instincts. Even as a guest, you can still follow the 5 foot rule and greet everyone you see, not only to be nice or courteous, but also to try and weed out the potential thieves!

Some advanced accounting systems are necessary for hotels and restaurants to achieve productivity operation. More and more properties have installed those kinds of systems providing inclusive accounting maintenance and support. On the other hand, a plenty of software companies are delivering different kinds of accounting software to the market to meet this common demand. Any competent accounting software must have three abilities supporting daily operation, one of which is the ability of storge, process any data covering any dataduring actual. In addition, the analysis of operation and output of accounting or financial reports is also necessary. Last one is the ability to provide business or operation suggestions automatically, which can assist managers make presice decision with moew confidence.

With the great advances in technology, accounting no longer needs to be a complicated process. In the past, it was necessary to hire bookkeepers and/or accountants for many of the internal office functions. However, today this is no longer necessary, greatly reducing internal accounting costs. Determining a process that works best for you and your operation(s) is key. Some of our clients have no internal office help at all. For others, they have their managers enter the invoices that fall under their control directly into the system.Other clients choose to have an "administrative assistant". Some systems they prepare:Monthly financial statements,Monthly bank reconciliations,Monthly meals & sales tax returns,IRS Annual Tip Report,Annual breakeven analyses, which will help the corporate a lot. So, regardless of whether you want to keep your accounting internal or on the web, determining a process that works best for you (now and in the long run) is the key. There is no need to spend thousands of dollars on complicated accounting systems that then require a bookkeeper or accountant to run. Furthermore, these systems require someone to set them up and to design the financial statements, another cost involved. Keep it simple and get timely and meaningful reports - you can have both.

Apple has made an announcement regarding the release of the iPhone 5 this Friday September 15.  How does this affect hospitality?  With all of the enhancements that apple has pressed forward with this new iPhone, hospitality will feel pressure to adapt and change with the times and you nailed it, they will have to continue to buy new tech.  If apple is able to make their iPhone 18% thinner and 20% lighter while making it larger and more durable, the hospitality industry will have to respond in their own tech.  Also, this new technology enables hospitality firms to direct their efforts more effectively with better tech.

The fashion merchandise retailer store, Nordstrom, has joined the venture of equipping employees with mobile POS devices in order to increase customer satisfaction, in a focus toward convenient efficient checkout. The fundamental incentive is to minimize the customer's inclination to over analyze their potential purchase by waiting in the line for a lengthy period, thus, maintaining the impose of the customers to purchase the item. The mobile POS devices are equipped with a scanner and credit card slider in order to complete the transaction for the customer, the same type of technology is visible in Apple and Home Depot stores. According to the company's sale report, a visible increase in sales has occurred for the Nordstrom Company, an estimated 15.3 percent from $1.5 Billion to $1.73 Billion in the same fiscal year of 2011. As well, the creation of a Nordstrom app allows salespersons to check inventory and availability, in a further aim to increase customer satisfaction and their business. Without a doubt POS system are branching into different spectrum of business in order to increase efficiency and customer satisfaction.

The article shows how a unified computing and communication system helps a company implement a new technology. While the new technology system is worth a multimillion-dollar investment; the benefits have provided the company excellent financial results. It allowed the company to consolidate 18 room reservation and telephone operations into a single location. Another advantage from the update is the capability for Station Casinos to connect 15,000 different devices which include some of the newer slot machines that have been installed. The new technology reduces downtime; this is an advantage as downtime could lead to potential monetary loss. Finally, the update while costing millions of dollars, the financial return on the investment is tremendously impactful to the company.

This article speaks about a seemingly successful turn around for a struggling casino group in Las Vegas after making multimillion-dollar investments for I.T. over a period of time. While it has not completely eradicated all their problems, Stations Casinos Inc., which operates 18 hotels, and casinos off the Vegas Strip has saved tremendously by providing a cohesive communication computer system that has allowed greater efficiency ultimately saving money. An example of efficiency is cutting down data center server racks from 12 to one. More advantages showed with reduced cost due to less power and energy being used to maintain more infrastructures. An upgrade in network allowed for their slot machines and security cameras to connect across the board. This is important because, " about 80% of revenue comes from slot machines," said Baltz. These are just a few advantages the Stations Casinos Inc., has experienced since their investment. After reading this article, it just goes to show how important the I.T. department can be to the profitability of a hotel, casino or other hospitality entity. Usually we think of the product or service as the revenue generators of a business, but this type of article shows that, by saving money, the trickle down effect of increasing profits will occur when you cut expenses.

If there was ever any question that IT investment could drastically benefit companies, this scenario is the proof. A group of struggling Las Vegas Casinos really turned there negative situation around with the use of new interactive technology. This interactive technology is not only beneficial in the hotel world, but apparently casinos as well. The possibilities for this technology are endless, as long as it continues to advance. Guests and costumers who continue to be satisfied with their enhanced technological experience, will give companies and businesses large profits. Just as the casinos had a drastic turnaround by utilizing technology, other groups will do the same.

The IRS and auditing as been behind the curve on technology in the past. This new audit process will help and improve the process. The software does depend on the cloud, so in will be interesting to see what kind of security measures will taken.

Sam Colt wrote an article for Business Insider titled Tablets Are Making Waiters Obsolete - An Chilli's Is Leading The Way. This article bothered me a bit, because knowing what I know about Hospitality we build our brand around customer service and customer satisfaction and how can we do that if we are eliminating the person to person interaction. In his article Colt mentioned Chili's "has recently introduced tablets in dining rooms nationwide that customers can use to place orders, browse the menu, and entertain otherwise noisy children". I understand the thought behind keeping your guests entertain while they wait for service; however, I believe it should be just that, entertainment not self-service. Dine in restaurants should not be treated like a fast food restaurant and guests should expect a reasonable wait time. Having that person to person interaction makes a dining experience more enjoyable. E la Carte co-founder and CEO Rajat Suri argued "if someone does not want to spend time with a server, they're going to ignore the server anyways." My thoughts are why would you dine in a restaurant if you do not want to be severed, why not go to a fast food restaurant. Chili's states the tablets are solely for increasing customer satisfaction and increase revenue and suggests the tablets are making the life of waiters better.

"Now a new kind of commercial drone phenomenon has taken off in the United States. People now use small quad copter drones to even shoot photos and videos for their weddings. What seems like a stranger than fiction phenomenon is actually a new craze across the country." The wedding and hospitality industry finds itself forced to conduct business illegally because the FAA is holding onto an outdated rule that essentially states drones cannot be used as part of a commercial enterprise. From Disney's recent application for four drone-related patents, to the ever-widening array of hospitality connected, drone-related applications (parking lot security, large event coverage, wedding photography, etc), the industry finds itself in a quandary. Does it forego use of drones and wait for an FAA ruling (no earlier than September 2015) and risk being left behind by the early adopters, or does it seize upon and expand the use of drone technology while risking the ire of a powerful government agency? In all likelihood, the market will speak with its wallets, forcing regulators to ultimately play catch-up with an industry that is on the verge of a technology driven explosion.

This article explains a recent contract struggle with the airline Air India and two Global Distribution Systems, Sabre and Amadeus. Because of the new contract with Amadeus, Sabre has been forced to nullify their old contract with the airline. Air India has chosen to prioritize the GDS Amadeus because of the global reach that it affords.