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AI has tremendously helped the hotel industry especially in the realm of revenue management. Instead of having to compile mountains of data and make calculations by hand, we have AI software that can not only analyze all the compiled data, make predictions based of trends, and set rates but it also learns from this data to become smarter with time.

This article covers the how AI has played a big role in helping the food industry especially with food waste. This is through inventory control systems, monitoring and providing analysis on how the food gets to farms, predictive metrics, personal health data, and developments in machine learning.

This article captures the current and future issues we are having concerning farming, agriculture, supply and demand and so forth. AI can become a valuable asset in helping professionals in these fields work in a more efficient manner regarding to producing more from less. For instance, a drone can be a useful tool in helping farmers understand their crop's condition by taking preventive measures. Furthermore, AI can help forecast the weather and help understand environment related patterns such as floods and atmospheric conditions.

Disruptive Innovation: Self-checkout

Technology in the Fast Food Industry, McDonald's Big Mac ATM is free, short-term and Customers friendly. This new method of dispensing food to the public is convenient and it help improve guest experiences versus in store production

I think this article goes along with our "Smartbar" discussion. The Smartbar may actually be useful in certain locations where a full time bartender may be too costly. There are obvious legal regulatory issues to contend, but at least some room for growth for the Smartbar. For other products like cupcakes, donuts or small bites, established restaurants are now tapping into the 24 hour convenience business model through the use of vending machines. I think this is a great idea for customers who want more variety than what we have been seeing at vending machines the past 10 or 20 years, which is potato chips, candy bars and nuts. For the company, this would give them more exposure and increased revenue stream at locations such as airports, hotels and hospitals where there is always people around. Some companies like Apple or Sony have been doing this for years. I can understand that they are selling a non-perishable good and the customer is ultimately only paying for the end product only. Restaurants are often involved with proving a level hospitality service as part of the product they sell and automation was not really in their best interest. But now with the explosion of Ipods and automated POS taking over the servers job, we may see more of these stand alone units serving customers. Overall, I think this is a business concept/technology that we are behind in. The article mentions that Japan has been using this concept to sell fresh food items and other items such clothing as well. From a business standpoint, given the increasing rise of competition, rent/property prices and variety of choices consumers have, these are some major recent factors which will propel this concept more.

This is a multi-part series by AP News on how the fast pace of technology is wiping out millions of jobs globally. Technology use is in every economical sector and nobody is immune from job losses. It is terrify to think that our world has become so automated and reliant on technological use. While there are many pros on technology use such as being more efficient, accurate, cost savings, speed and others, it has no doubt taking a toll on the economy as a whole. In the hospitality industry, a few quick examples that come to mind include online travel reservations, IPads taking over the jobs of waiters and waitress or our favorite machine the Smart Bar. These advances are unique but we are slowly moving away from human interaction. The point is while we are taking advantage of technology to improve business operations we must keep in mind that in the hospitality field we are about proving as service to others that should be as individual as possible. It will be interesting to see if this series leads to suggestions on possible future applications of technology that would revitalize the job economy or create new possibilities.

This article introduces a new security tech at airport checkpoint. As the article mentioned, security check can be sad and embarrassing experience when before get onto a flight. The new imaging technology uses waves instead of x-ray to detect metallic item or other potential dangerous material on passenger without showing privacy image. And less scanning time gives a faster and more comfort experience rather than traditional invasive check. The new checkpoint machine will implement in more airports in recent future.

Travelers prefer to stay at green hotels. Major corporations such as Marriott, Hyatt, and Hilton & Starwood are looking for ways to integrate green into their hotels while conserving water and energy. Not only is the focus on going green going to impact the environment but also will impact the bottom line which is the dollars. This article shows how the Hyatt Regency McCormick Place in Chicago, Illinois has been able to go green to benefit both the company and the environment. The amount of items they are able to recycle is amazing; it is great that the company can also focus on the disposal of foods. As we continue to focus on the environment, more and more companies will continue to find ways to help reduce cost while protecting the environment. At the Walt Disney World Resort, guest can tour facilities and are educated on how the company impacts the environment through their recycling programs worldwide.

This article talks about the Hyatt Regency McCormick Place and the different steps they have taken to Go Green. They have significantly reduced their water and electricity consumption with the "When not in use, turn off the juice" project. Along with saving water and energy, they have also begun recycling. They recycle, paper, plastic, cardboard, light bulbs and the list goes on. They are also taking the time to educate their employees as well. "To encourage participation in programs such as 'When Not in Use, Turn Off the Juice,' employee awareness days are held. Compact fluorescent light bulbs are given to employees to help them save energy at home." The hotel has a green team who meet quarterly to continue growing in their sustainability initiatives. The Hyatt Regency McCormick Place is Green Key certified and has been recognized and awarded for their Green efforts.

No matter what telecommunications strategy a property takes, one thing is for certain, it needs to be a different one from the past. The early 1980s marked the beginning of an era of profitable hotel telephone departments. The advent of call accounting systems (thanks to deregulation) enabled hoteliers to easily mark up calls to a profitable (some say too profitable) level.

In modern society hotel need more attrahent thing increase revenue. The traditional way may lose competitiveness, like telephone services. Because almost everybody using personal cell phone and more and more people prefer to use internet to communicate such as email and skype. In my opinion if hotel build some telecommunications use internet such as physical skype phone and provide cheap service that may be attract more people to use that.

With the emergence of "self-contained guest," hotel telecommunications departments must change its offerings because old strategies no longer apply. A self-contained guest is one that does not need the traditional amenities hotels would offer for telecommunications, such as fax machines and printers. Guests now look for a fast, free internet connection as an amenity. Some may not even need wifi, because they have a faster mobile service that they use. Even hotel telephones, guests no longer want to use the land line and pay hotel fees to make a call. Cell phones have eliminated that need (even for international calls). So hotels must not stay the same, and must change their strategies for producing revenue from their telecommunications department.

This is a great article that discusses the upcoming technology that restaurants are looking into (and starting to use). There are five trends when it comes to the industry's technology: Energy Reduction, "Smart Operations", Multiuse equipment, Custom Equipment, and Mobile Ordering. This article shows how technology can help on reducing waste, but even the technology itself is smarter and greener, using less energy and recycling the energy it has already used (reclaiming steam from a dishwasher to use in future washes-an example of energy efficient equipment ). Mobile ordering saves wait time for consumers and reduces waste from tickets/receipts being printed. "Smart" equipment is assisting in reducing food waste in kitchens. And Multiuse equipment is reducing energy use/costs. This article is a perfect example of how technology is helping to reduce waste and energy.

While is may seem like the future promised to us on shows like "The Jetsons" may have never really arrived, we might be one step closer to seeing the gadgets and gizmos of the cartoon world become a reality in the hospitality industry. Starwood's Aloft Hotels, an upscale, modern hotel line that appeals to Millennials, recently introduced Boltr - a check-in and delivery robot. This machine was created by Savioke - a Silicon-Valley design firm. Like other startups, Savioke aims to minimize unnecessary work and increase efficiency. There is no reason an employee needs to be paid to walk back and forth to deliver items when a robot can do the job. Royal Caribbean has also introduced its own robot, specifically for bartending, in its new luxury cruise ship, Quantum of the Seas.  Hotel staff unions see robots as a potential threat to their member-employees. Nonetheless, robots replacing employees is not just unique to the hospitality industry. 

Very much like the computerized bartender we've already studied, when does automation become too much? We are a "high touch" industry that relies heavily on our guest relationships. The human wait staff can make the guest feel welcome and spoiled (isn't that why we go on cruises in the first place?), the robot cannot. Let the machine prepare the perfect drink, then let the bartender add a smile and place it in the hands of the guest. It'll keep them coming back for more.

This article describes five new trends in information technology for the restaurant industry. This first is Touchscreen Food Vendors, which is a device similar to the e-bar that allows a customer to choose many items from one machine. The second is Tablet Restaurant Management, which allows one to view menu items and manage delivery tickets to the kitchen. The third is Automatic Biodiesel Converters, which allows cars to receive eco-friendly fuel while at a restaurant. The fourth is LED Alert Systems, which allow the kitchen to be alerted to time-sensitive tasks. The fifth is Webcam-Enabled Monitoring, which allows the kitchen and floor to be watched at a remote site. The article also lists the price of these various innovations

This article helps us to better understand the information systems being utilized, why they are important and what difficulties they bring about. In the Hospitality Industry, customer service is put at the top of the list of must haves. With customer service comes knowing information about your customer and without Information Technology services put in place, these expectations will never be met. Having a computer based IT is crucial because it allows the employees to work more proficiently which in turn creates a better experience for the guest. Multiple hospitality leaders have been applying fully Internet based technological systems within their organizations. IHG group has implemented an easy to use system so it is simple for every position within the hotel. For a company like IHG with over 500 hotels, it was imperative they eliminated the manual system to provide better quality control. Because of this system they can get better quality products at lower costs. Although this new system is much more user friendly, the overall cost involved is still not confirmed but this system is still predicted to have positive impacts long term. For example at Marriott Hotels, they use a company website, POS Micros, Property Management System and Central reservation system just to name a few. On top of stellar service and quick/ easy information submissions, guests are looking to have the best technology at their disposal to use. Things like computers with full internet access, printers and fax machines to make sure they can still be functional while displaced. An advanced system called MARSHA is being used as a reservation system and stores the rewards system information for Marriot guests. Micros-Opera is a popular property based system provider and has become common within the hotel industry. Vendors usually use this since it gives them the ability to connect to other vendor's applications. MICROS 9700 HMS is the most popularly used point of sale system. There are some

The Nino Robotic cocktail maker is a larger scale version of the roboctic bartender discussed this week in class. One of the main highlights is that guests are able to order and craft drinks from a smartphone app, and the robot is able to make as many as 800 cocktails per night. The architect of the machine explains that his concept is is not intended to replace human interaction, but instead is just one of the first of many tech-based amenities that will inevitably be part of every day life in the future.

Yes, I believe this technology is our future. There are so many avenues to be explored in the drink world. Concocting a drink at your fingertips is daunting. Having this system placed in facilities, like cruise ships, would be beneficial because of the quantity of patrons in a single place. As far as other places, like hotels, I'm not sure its necessary. It seems like it would take up a lot more space than a traditional bar.

The article focuses on how artificial intelligence will shape the casino and hotel industry in Las Vegas and beyond. AI currently used at all but one Caesars Entertainment Inc. properties in Las Vegas is called IVY. This virtual concierge is able to answer a multitude of questions that front desk would be called for which reduces call volume and lines at the front desk. On the casino floor Konami and Scientific games have AI technology with facial recognition for slot machines that provide personalized service, user login, and gambling recommendations. The article also discusses how crowd tracking technology and in security helps with the floor layout and what guests are on the floor. As stated many of the security features may be in place now.

The Florida Theatre had been using standard cash drawers and credit card machines to process their guest payments. They had been having multiple issues as far as cash drawer balancing or credit cards not being read correctly. It was affecting their financial statements. They implemented a new POS system to modernize themselves.The POS prophet systems involved the theatre to have to use less equipment and help keep track of their inventory. The POS system overall was a success for the theatre and showed results of having all the cash drawers be balanced . The POS system handles the theatre's inventory and accounting.

In this article, BigHospitality describes 12 tech predictions that will take place in the restaurant sector. With advances in AI, robotics, and payment technology, the impact will effect the restaurant space to shift towards adopting these technologies for everyday use. Such technologies are: harnessing AI to provide menu recommendations depending on user, robotic waiters and kitchen equipment, intuitive dining rooms, and using biometrics for payments.

This article dives into the ways that technological innovation is disrupting the hotel industry. Hoteliers are struggling to keep up with guest needs and demands. Technological innovations, while a necessity, can never replace human touch. This rapid change represents a challenge and opportunity for the industry to overcome.

This article explains the technological advances in the hospitality industry and how this has been attributed to being a crutch for the industry and/or a burden. With the utilization of technological software such as kiosks, automated checks in's, and mobile ordering, the hospitality industry has had a disruption in the product that they are offering. The article also undergoes the understanding of taking the implementation of technology and the human interaction and combining them to work cohesively in the hospitality industry. Understanding that it is a balance that both must intertwine in order to find success in hospitality.

In this article, all the incredible sides of innovative technology within the hospitality and tourism industry are highlighted and discussed. Along with the discussion of what some of the newest technology is, it touches on how it positively and negatively affects the industry. For example, the article talks about how the average person is so much more willing to go about self-service check-ins and hotels and airports, as well as ordering from a kiosk at a restaurant. From this, while it can be super convenient for the customer, it can also cause extreme damage to the business. Because so much of the industry has transformed to just being at the will of your fingertips, it leaves customers forgetting that not everything comes with instant gratification. "Long queues to check in at the hotel become unacceptable; unresponsive or slow room service lead to negative hotel comments on TripAdvisor; and some expect 24 hours' housekeeping even in a budget hotel", a quote from the article reads. The article also talks about how while there can be many negatives, there are equally as many rewarding positives. For example, "Due to the large numbers of internet users, including mobile, online review platforms, attract lots of traffic which, in turn, means plenty of business potential for the online travel agencies (OTAs) in particular". One of the main points in the article talks about how even though many hospitality jobs are being taken over by computers and AI, the one thing a robot will never be able to grasp and give is human interaction. "A machine can cook dishes exactly to order, but it cannot experience how the guest feels; a robot might be able to deliver a pot of hot water to a hotel room, but it is unable to tell whether the guest is feeling unwell; an advanced voice control system could make it easier to order room service, but it cannot tell whether the guest enjoys the meal". In conclusion, while there are indeed many disruptive changes that have bee