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The Savoy Hotel Goes Green! Patterson is the Sustainability Manager at the Savoy and she states "environmental responsibility is a core value of the Savoy and it factors into all of our business decision making." Their goals are toe become socially, economically, and environmentally responsible. Some of the initiatives that they have started on the property include reclaiming heat from the kitchen refrigerator to preheat water, as well as combined heat and power plant (CHP). The CHP chip uses heat generated from a gas engine which is used to heat the building and promote hot water. This CHP chip produces 90% of our summer cooling and 50% of winter heating. Guest rooms on property have Inncom AC and heat systems which help control the temperatures in the room. The property has LED lighting and they use metering and water bottling plant systems, food waste recycling.

The element by Westin brand for extended stay have revolutionized the market and found a niche for travelers who are environmentally conscious and eco-friendly. This brand uses green initiatives from design to construction and eventually during operation. Element hotels use this as a branding strategy but more hotels should adopt this model for conservation and to reduce expenses.

LEED is developed by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). Its responsibility is to promote sustainable building and development practices through a suite of rating systems for buildings that implement better environmental and health performance. There are two new LEED certified hotels opened in Los Angeles. One is the Shore Hotel. This hotel a Silver LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) registered property that offers eco-friendly accommodations with stunning views of the Pacific Ocean. Shore Hotel owns some sustainable features such as 50% of construction waste was recycled or salvaged, wood used in the project is from sustainable forests, 10% of all building materials are from within a 500 mile radius of the project, 'Low flow' water fixtures, significantly reducing water consumption and native landscaping, reducing the extent of required irrigation. The hotel took significant measures to ensure that the design, construction and operation of the facility will reduce the impact on the environment. Another is Hotel Wilshire. It has the sustainable features such as use of building materials with high recycled content. For example, carpeting was made of recycled materials and installed without harmful VOC adhesives, high efficiency HVAC systems route heating and cooling throughout the building based on individualized, local controls using much less energy than traditional temperature control systems and all lighting is LED or compact fluorescent, significantly reducing electrical usage.

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

Hotels chains as well as independent hotels are using retargeting as a way of making internet advertising campaigns more effective. According to the article one hotel brand said that the average returns of investing in retargeting are between 5-1 and 10-1. Retargeting helps companies to keep advertising to prospective clients even if they have already leaved the page. Advertisements are displayed to users as they visit other sites. According to John Hach, VP of e-marketing solutions for TravelClick, hotels are looking for ways of making advertisement more efficient and what better way of doing this by already knowing who is interested in your product. One of the main advantages of retargeting is that with a small investment and specific information hotels can give the impression that they are advertising through the entire internet. Although there are different media companies that offer retargeting, Google is the leader. Trough Google AdWords a code can be built in a website and when a customer leaves the page a cookie is installed showing they visited the page. After that the user is shown ads that are part of Google Display Network.

I'm trying to understand the re-targeting method explained here. So once the user leaves a webpage Google's 'AdWords' sends them an ad based on key words from the page they just left?

This article is focussed on the risk involved if the proper impact study is not undertaken prior to implementation of extensive IT projects. Several multinational companies were referenced in the article, highlighting failures with smooth implementation resulting in the loss of millions and sometimes billions. Below is a summary of some companies referenced in article and the impact of IT implementation gone wrong: 1. Levi Strauss: In 2003 Levi Strauss examined its technological capabilities and concluded that its systems were inadequate for its multi-national corporation operation within 110 countries. A budget of US$5 million was created for a system upgrade. Many challenges along the way resulted in the inability to sufficiently report financials resulted in three distribution canters in the USA closing for a week. As a result of this, the company lost US$200 million and the termination of the chief information officer in 2008. 2. Hong Kong Airport: IT problems resulting in glitches in flight information system and database for tracking cargo shipment resulted in a US$600 million loss between 1998 and 1999. 3. Hershey: About 10 years ago Hershey wanted to implement a new order taking system. Problems with implementation resulted in the inability of the company shipping US$100 million worth of candy in time for Halloween thus impacting the company's bottom-line of an 18.6% loss in earnings during the quarter. 4. Kmart: in 2000 Kmart embarked on aUS$1.4 billon IT modernization project. In the midst of the project Kmart discovered that the project had too many customized application which would result in an exorbitant maintenance costs. An additional US$600m was spent on integrating a supply chain management system. Failure of this project led to bankruptcy filing by Kmart in 2002. This resulted in the closure of 600 stores and the loss of over 60,000 jobs in the USA. 5. Auto windshield (UK): Auto windshield was considered to be the second largest auto glass c

The L2 ranking measures the digital competency of 52 hotel brands via 350 data points across four dimensions: Site, Digital Marketing, Social Media, and Mobile. (As new technology changes the face of travel, Four Seasons is committed to being at the forefront of digital innovation, engaging guests in the ways that are most meaningful to them. It also reflects the brand's long term strategic investment in digital. Examples that led to Four Seasons #1 ranking from L2 include: innovating with Emerging Platforms, creating a powerful and global social presence, mobile access, and the new FourSeasons.com.

Priceline has launched their online same day booking application for iPhone users.  The app will soon be available for Android users as well. Travelers are able to search for last minute inventory from 165 countries and 200,000 properties, the app shows a list of available hotels in the area of the device the user is using to search for hotels.  The quick 2 step process to booking a hotel is easy to use and user friendly, guests also get a map with directions on their display to help them find their hotel.  This technology was introduced last year and had secured $1 billion in transactions 40% of the mobile bookings were for the same day reservations. Today's travelers and consumers are looking for instant deals, bookings, and conformation, with the technology of this app and the continued improvements consumers continue to be in their favor. 

Copyright 2011 In 1991 I started consulting to hotels, specifically regarding technology. Since then I've been lucky enough to be published in this magazine, to have spoken at HITEC and IHMRS, and also to have presented to many hotel companies.

After reading this article, I thought about my travel experience over the years and how technology has advanced greatly. I clearly remember stay in hotels with 27 box tv , standard alarm clocks and brew style coffee pots.Luxury rooms had VCR and I'm talking circa 1999. Fast forward five years and high speed internet, dvd players and docking stations began to make waves, out with the old and in with the new. Today, with a world filled with smartphones, sleek and slim TV and laptops, social media and WI-FI, staying connect is a must. Hotels are finding innovative ways to keep guest coming back. LCD, LED, HD, 4G are all acronyms that keep guest happy. From access their social media site, using keyless Wi-Fi door openers and having an apps makes a world of difference to tech savy guest, regardless of age. A recent hotel stay left me in speechless, I checked in using the app I downloaded to my phone, I customized my movie selection, orders my favorite snacks from the room service, used my phone to swipe into my room. Yea I was blown away by that fuzzy bar code scanner thingy, actually work. And be part of it all, I used didn't have to change the configurations on my laptop to access any of my favorite sites, I log into everything via a wireless keyboard and there it was 37in HD LCD screen updated me on the happening in my world. Technology, oh where we would we be without you?

This article demonstrates how easy it is to check in and out of your hotel as well use the services that feature at the property. There is no longer a need for room keys or itemized receipts to be printed. All the agents have to do is scan the mobile app and all charges can be seen from your smart phone. Asides from all charges being posted, yourphone will be unlocking most doors including your guest room, spa, and. fitness center. You don't have to worry about misplacing your room key and having to take it out everytime you want to use the elevator or get into your room. This type of technology has been produced in France and has been adopted by Comfort Xpress in Oslo, Norway. I don't think it will be long before the US adopts this policy. All they would have to do is create or purchase the software and hardware from Ariane Systems and Openways or create there own verison. Personally, I would love to be able to use something like this, I always misplace or forget my room key but never my phone. I also don't have to wory about putting change in my pocket and having the room key be defunct. My only question would be how many mobile apps could I have? If I was traveling with a guest or partner, could they get a mobile app as well at no additional costs?

Many of the individual elements of the tech-led hotel are in place, but a hotel in Norway has joined all the dots together, creating a completely human-free experience. Combining check-in/out and guest management software from France-based Ariane Systems with room door technology from OpenWays, visitors to the Comfort Xpress Hotel in Oslo will soon be able to complete their entire stay without ever speaking to a member of staff.

Most future trends for Customer Relationship Management are predicted to be online marketing and competition. However, companies realized they are losing touch with customers, which brings up attention on customer service. So more and more companies are trying to mix technology with customer service. For example, mobility is still coming on strong and a long way to go with Microsoft announcing strong mobile options in the last month. The customization of IT and the "Bring my own device" movement add new pressure to mobilize CRM. Social CRM is a long way to go here with increased investment in linking Social analysis into CRM via customer sentiment as well as networking and key decision matrices through connectors to LinkedIn becoming popular. However, all the apps or software designed for CRM solely emphasizes from management perspective, such as marketing, pricing and reading reviews, which lost reaction with consumers. Instead of only reading customer reviews, we should arrange more agents to respond to build two-way communication.

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.

This article discusses 'E-Tourism Evolution' from tourism initial goal of establishing an online presence (96-99) to acquiring customers (99-03) and then retaining customers (2003-now). E-Tourism started with a focus on getting travel industry members in front of consumers on their computers, then offering attractive travel site features such as direct booking for customer convenience. This course has shown that while travel providers increased online travel options and services, consumers were finding a lack of personalized customer service which prompted increased dissatisfaction with the eMarketing providers. This led to the current focus by the tourism industry seeking to provide exceptional customer service within their eMarketing platform to ensure effective service and enhanced customer satisfaction, thereby ensuring increased customer retention. Whereas eMarketing has greatly increased travel to under developed countries, such countries must gain greater access to information and communication technologies to capture more of the tourism market. Tourism is utilizing a variety of communication channels including social media. Facebook booking engines are utilized by online travel sites, and travel packages and services are auctioned or bought direct on eBay. An online brochure, VBrochure by VFM Leonardo provides virtual tours and marketing content for mobile applications as well.

In the beginning of this article, it uses a chart to depicts the transformation and evolution of e-tourism over the past 15 years. According to the chart, we can easily find out that the goal and focus has changed as the year changes, from just to establish an online presence to customer retention. Then, it uses the changes of the number of tourists visiting Cambodia, one of the poorest countries in the world, as an example to say how information and communication technologies impact the tourism industry. However, this trend seems put more good impacts on developed countries. So next, the article gives some solutions to reverse this trend. In the end of the article it shows a chart to compare the percentage that people use e-market with the percentage that people use traditional methods.

E-tourism represents the paradigm-shift experienced in the tourism industry as a result of the adoption of ICTs and the Internet. It is evident that all best business practices have been transformed as a result, and that the each stakeholder in the marketplace is going through a redefinition of their role and scope. There are both challenges and opportunities emerging but the competitiveness of all tourism enterprises and destinations has been altered dramatically. It is evident that the "only constant is change." Organisations which compute will be able to compete in the future.

The federal government has recently promoted a new plan that will combine smartphone applications and energy companies to help consumers monitor and manage their utility bills. The Green Button initiative was first welcomed at the Silicon Valley event by California's biggest utilities companies. The government is now hoping that the rest of the country will be able to jump on the bandwagon. The initiative is led by Aneesh Chopra, the chief technology officer, who hopes that private sector utility companies will create a standard format across the board so that a wide range of consumers could potentially benefit. Consumers will have virtual access through applications to their energy consumption. Ideally, the plan is supposed create energy saving efforts for consumers who will have greater access to managing their bills and levels of consumption. There already are major energy companies, like Opower and Tendril, which are producing Green Button compatible applications. It shows how energy companies are treading the online and smartphone waters. This initiative will also require consumers to put their part in adopting smart meters and smart phone applications. I think this a great move by the government in a time where both energy consumption and costs are increasing. As a future homeowner, I would be more than willing to contribute to participating in this type of plan. People today are interested in having their life bundled up and having access to it through their online services, this effort was definitely inevitable.

This article is all about hotels going green and trying to get LEED certified. The one Boston hotel is doing things like having dual flush toilets, low flow showers, shampoo and conditioner in bulk dispensers, and a roofing material that reflects the sun to save energy costs. Another thing involved with getting LEED certified is getting energy from abouther source, this particular hotel is using the wind. It is expensive to do and doesnt appeal to everyone, hotel managers must figure out whats in the best interest for them and getting people in and out of their hotel.

To add onto Marilyns comment, not only are hotels doing the basics to go green, but a lot of hotels in california are taking the extra step, such as The Kimpton Hotels, and The orchard. They have changed the carpets and wallpaper for lower emission. They added recycle bins in every room in all 40 of their hotels across the country. Lastly, and one of the the additions I find most beneficial is their implementation of key card energy control, where a room key will be needed to activate the electricity in each room, and also shutting all electricity off when they leave.

This article is about how starwood hotels are trying to become fullscale eco-friendly but some are hotels are only greenwashing. This article is stating that it is not enough to use one green practice and call yourself an eco-friendly hotel.

This is an interesting article that teaches us eleven useful methods to be energy efficient in running hotels. According to authors' experience, it is not unusual for hotels to save $10,000 to above $30,000 per year, per property, by employing the right measures. For me, I like the lights saving part which can be simple and effective. For instance if we install a motion sensor in the bathroom per suit, it can help to keep the lights off when no one uses it and this can save at least $50 per room per year. For the decorative using lights, like the night pool lights, if we turn it off, we can save at least $250 per year. We can also install motion or occupancy sensors to light hallways and stairwells. Besides we can control the parking lot lights to a saving of $250 per year.  Energy saving methods can be everywhere and if we pay much attention to details of energy usage, it puts money in hotels' pockets.

This is an awesome article. I think that if people would just think a little more when they are using electricity it can save money but when people are staying in hotels the mind set is that they are not the ones paying for the electricity so who cares -- leave lights on all day and leave the TV on all day. There are so many ways to help save money in hotels by putting up lights with sensors in so many locations that really will help the planet as well as help the property save money. Great article!!

The Basel Convention is a great step forward in controlling e-waste, the US still needs to get on board and deal with electronic waste within its own territory and not send it abroad to be dealt with. Once this happens then the reality of how much waste is produced will be evident and actions will be taken to reduce, reuse and recycle.

It is important for companies to get involved in protecting the environment. The need to ensure that we are recycling e-waste properly to protect our lands is vital. The government needs to mandate that technological companies protect the environment and force them to ensure that e-waste is being performed correctly. It is great to know that both Dell and Microsoft are working together to make this happen (http://venturebeat.com/2010/04/22/microsoft-joins-with-dell-to-tackle-e-waste-on-earth-day/).

Marriott Corporation set up an eco friendly program, which is called LEED volume program. Towneplace Suites is the main leader of this program and they created it because of they would like to teach and tell about what it really means to be social responsible. The goal of the program is to provide a pre-certified hotel design as green hotels. More than $100,000 can be saved per project and company will do all the work with owners pre-opening and post-opening. They usually focus on lighting and towel. They prefer to use motion sensors rather than regular light bulb and try not to change sheets and towels too often. They are some hotels trying to be green hotels but it is very rare that big corporation hotels try to be the one and lead industry. I believe it will bring positive effects to whole tourism and hospitality industry.