Group items tagged

Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. and Sabre Travel Network have signed a multi-year distribution contract that will distribute all Royal Caribbean, Azamara, and Celebrity cruise schedules and fares on the Sabre GDS system. With the Sabre system travel agents in Mexico can now make bookings on Royal Caribbean cruises and associated lines. This system. This system will allow travel agents in Mexico to increase productivity when booking Royal Caribbean cruises. I think this is an interesting step by Royal Caribbean to expand their relationship with Sabre Travel Network and a new region for booking. The impression I get from this agreement is Royal Caribbean is looking at opening their cruises to a new consumer market. This focus is aimed more on making sales and entering a new market. Now Royal Caribbean will be focusing on Mexican consumers. This system will allow travel agents in Mexico to have an easier time at booking a cruise with Royal Caribbean, Azamara, and Celebrity.

Royal Caribbean and O3b Networks have again signed a multi-year contract. O3b will once again be providing "high-speed satellite-delivered broadband service" to the Allure of the Seas. The system used is O3bMaritime and Royal Caribbean was one of the first cruise lines to use this system. This system will be on their two largest ships the Oasis and the Allure based in the Caribbean. It is also the only system that is on par with telecommunication standards on land. Soon O3b will deliver more bandwidth on these two ships than on all other cruise ships in the Caribbean. I personally feel internet access really lacks on many of the cruise lines right now and feel Royal Caribbean is taking a step in the right direction with O3b. My family and I like to cruise a lot and have received very spotty internet access around the globe. In today's world many people still have to check up on work while on vacation or keep in contact with family, it only makes sense for cruise lines to start working on faster internet comparable to on land. I read various cruise line message boards and this is a common complaint about slow internet access or virtually none. In the current economy where all the various lines are in competition against one another, this gives Royal Caribbean a leg up in the competition. Additionally, my understanding the only region where satellite internet is unavailable is off the coast of Japan due to government regulations. This system makes sense to have available one day in more regions.

I for one am very happy to hear this news. I too have experienced the snail-paced internet "access" on cruise ships. With the high cost per minute and slow speeds, cruisers can't help but feel that they wasted their money. This definitely gives Royal Caribbean an advantage over Carnival, NCL and other large cruise lines. By implementing O3b networks on their two largest and most popular ships, they will reach their target consumer and help spread the word.

Guests on 35 Royal Caribbean Cruise ships will now have an enhanced technology experience thanks to integrated and automated IT management solutions from CA Technologies. The goal of the new solutions is to give Royal Caribbean a competitive advantage through enhanced services for its guests. Now that Royal Caribbean can manage an increasingly complex IT environment with as few resources as possible, they may seek out new technologies to improve their guests' experience. The cruise ship line is using a variety of solutions from CA, including application performance management, infrastructure management, automation and project and portfolio management. They play a vital role in helping Royal Caribbean Cruise management in an efficient and effective manner.

The article revolves around new technological concepts that the main cruise lines are adding to the cruising experience. While they have heavily focused on the ships hardware, they want to implement new software that will make the experience more enjoyable and simpler for guests to enjoy. Carnival, would like to implement a "medallion" called the Ocean Compass, that is crossover between the Disney Magic Band, and the band seen at the Universal Volcano Bay water park. It fits the Disney aspect, because it holds information,can open doors, and links guest pictures to the technology. It is similar to Universal, because it informs guests of when to attend something, so that they do not have to wait in a line. Royal Caribbean, likes the band idea that Disney presented, and wants to make bands of their own, that have similar functions that the Ocean Compass from Carnival has. In addition, Royal Caribbean wants to expose their guests to Virtual Reality. They hope to create an immersive experience for their guests, from the comfort of their rooms. Norwegian and MSC are mostly developing smart phone applications, that allow guests to check-in, book excursions, and open rooms. It is obvious that Disney developed a great idea with combining a "magical" band and phone application. The concept is so successful, that other players want to utilize the same formula. Let us see how well it works in the cruising industry.

In 2017, Royal Caribbean announced they were making a huge investment in technology that will make the cruisers' experience easier, more seamless and a lot more fun. They are developing a new app that will first include a cruise schedule and on-board activities. This app will eventually grow and include registration, excursion bookings and facial recognition plus games built in. Royal Caribbean believes to stay competitive you need to stay on top of technology and include it wherever you can. As of this article, the app was available on 2 of their ships and will hopefully be added to their entire fleet (including all 6 of their brands) within the next few years. The company believes in creating this technology from within the company and outsourcing as little as possible.

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.

In this article, there are examples of what is going to arise in the upcoming years with Royal Caribbean newest vessels. They have an astronomical event for tasting. In this event the backgrounds will shatter and manifest into something else.

Twenty years ago marked the beginning of a new period in Royal Caribbean Cruises Limited (RCCL) and helping the environment. They proposed a Save the Waves program, which allows guests to choose when towels and linens are ready to be washed saving numerous amounts of water and energy as well as reducing, reusing, and recycling. Today, their green initiative goes even further, and as the arictle discusses RCCL is implementing a plan to improve their waste, power, and most importantly, their future. Protecting and conserving the environment is a priority this company is willing to stand for. They constantly plan their efforts to maintain environmental protection and to continue to be environmentally responsible.

The article gives a relative brief intorduction of how BlackLine's accounting software worke well in many brands hotels and casinoes.The Account Reconciliations and Transaction enables lots  of hotels such as Four Seasons, Royal Carriebean, Venetian Casino Resort and so forth can streamline the financial close and process the immense bolume of transactions they receive on a daily basis in a timely manner-especially credit cards, which will reduce more risk of credit cards frauds and maintian security  of cusotmers' consideration. One of good applications is SaaS delivery model. BlackLine enhances the application with a more unify  and complete structure and segregation, which prevents others from seeing its data. Another good example is Kempinski has greatly reduce their excess paper and simplified their account reconciliation process via BlackLine's tehcnology. The web-based application enhable hoteliers access to all stakeholders anywhere at any time, which makes hoteliers gain more valuable effiencies reducing time with audits.

In this article, it talks about all the new ways hotels are using technology to bring in more customers. They are trying to make everyone's stay as pleasant as possible, one example that they talked about is using in iPads to keep their guests entertained while waiting. The Royal Mansour in Marrakech has now set up every room with touch screen walls that allow guests to control the temperature and the lighting in the room. Another resort in Nantucket offers their guests Flip video Camcorders that they can use at their property, the guest can record all the different things that they have done throughout the week, they can record everything from the crazy storms to a beautiful hike that they did with their family! The last hotel that they talked about in the article was the Andaz 5th Avenue, this hotel allows guest to skip the front check out and they can just check in from the elevator with their credit card on the way to their room. This article really opened up my eyes and see that technology really is changing the way that we live!

In today's society, going green is become more and more important. Especially in the hospitality industry, companies are looking for ways to save a dollar and be more energy efficient. Same thing goes for cruise lines. With so many tourists traveling by ship every year, it is important for these cruise corporations to follow regulations and set their own standards for upholding the law. So far the leader of the pack, Royal Caribbean, has qualified for certifications. They have their staff trained in the company's Environmental Management System. Holland America, Celebrity, Norwegian, and Costa are also following suit by implementing their own green initiatives. 

This article talks about the different technology cruise lines have implemented and the future technology they plan to include as they move for a more touchless approach to certain things.

In the United Kingdom, the hospitality and leisure industry has become the third largest recipient of Funding for Lending Scheme loans. The only industries that lead the hospitality and leisure sector are agriculture and healthcare. This industry is a major lending market for NatWest and the Royal Bank of Scotland, which sees over £200m FLS loans to date. The current head of leisure for commercial banking at NatWest and RBS recently stated he was thrilled to help clients in this industry create cost effective funds. Additionally this team was created in September 2011 to focus on the hospitality industry. From 2011 to 2012 there was an increase in lending of eight percent. I find the concept of banking dedicated to the hospitality industry to be both beneficial and interesting. I feel this can help a business focus on creating the right types of investments in the hospitality field in order for a business to succeed. This can help small hospitality firms, hotels, restaurants, and other related businesses to seek financial help from someone who understands the field in the banking and investment industry. A dedicated system can focus on the needs of a hospitality business since it only focuses on this type of business for FLS loans.

From concept to completion our design team... comprised of designers, artists, carpenters, CAD engineers, audio and visual experts as well as logistical staff... interpret your imagination and create a reality just for you. We've taken our clients "Off to the Races" and guided others "through the jungle" out there. Whether your taste runs from elegance and sophistication to fun and whimsical-fantasy - let the Royal Productions team of professionals create the illusion just for you.

In class you mentioned the high surveillance and passenger monitoring on cruise ships including the alerts of children going into non parental rooms. I found this intriguing because there are always a slew of people in the media that had the misfortune of going missing while on a cruise. In the last two years 41 people have gone missing and this does not include the Costa Concordia capsizing numbers. While the camera's might be rolling and the identification cards can track if passengers left the boat or stayed on I still wonder what the cruise lines do to cover up crimes. In Hospitality Law we learned that wherever the next docking country is that is where the crime that occurred on the ship will be investigated by. Most of these Caribbean Islands do not want to deal with missing persons or rape that occurred on a cruise ship so the cases get swept away. So despite the fact that cameras are supposedly on for safety here is an article with some interesting cases of missing people from cruise lines. I think a better technology would be to have the RFID enabled wristbands worn by all cruise ship passengers so that they can be located at anytime. This should be mandatory but disguise the tracking part by selling the fact that the wristband allows the passengers to make purchases with it.  Royal Caribbean Oasis of the Seas has this but it is voluntary and mostly requested by families who need to keep tabs on their children. They have only made 1000 wristbands and the article is accessible here : http://www.rfidjournal.com/article/view/7415/1

This article is about GDS and cruise industry. What this article talks about is that UK's cruise market leader P&O Cruises, Cunard and Princess Cruises, will end its distribution through Amadeus, which is one of the largest GDSs in the world, in November 2011. The reason behind this is because these cruise lines figured out that almost 95 percent of its cruises are sold via its own website so they think GDS is no longer necessary for them. However, other major cruise lines such as Carnival Cruises, Royal Caribbean Cruises, and Norweigian Cruises will still continue to feature on the GDS. According to a spokesman of Amadeus, the company keeps investing in distribution solutions, easier and more secure cruise booking application for cruise lines. This article shows how cruise distribution in the UK is shifting. This change would probably affect not only cruise lines but other sectors such as hotels, airlines, etc. Yet, it is still uncertain if the impact of the change on cruise industry worldwide will be significant. Still, most of cruise lines including the three major cruise operators which have large market share in the cruise industry use GDS; as well as, it is doubtful if cruisers are willing to go on a same cruise ship over and over. Cruisers look for various cruise options while booking online so they will be more likely to visit GDS-based website where they can search for various cruise ships throughout the world; rather than to visit website where there are much less cruise options. Everything will be clear after we see if the UK's cruise operator is successful.

Cruise ships are creating software applications to enhance the guest experience. Long lines and long lines are a thing of the past with new software which bring excitement to the guest without running the adventure. With significant companies hopping on the software/guest experience, it's easier than ever to stay connected and get the most out of a cruise vacation.

Carnival's and Royal Caribbean's CEOs agree that cruising will resume when "society decides it's ready for social gathering." They emphasized that the decision to resume cruises is not theirs alone, but will be guided by the CDC and other regulatory groups across the globe. Initially, they believe that shorter sailings will probably drive the markets. They stressed that that can and will establish screening and hygiene protocols but will be guided, once again, by the authorities in charge, as well as, by the people who actually do the traveling. In other words, when the people decide that the likelihood of contracting the virus has been mitigated and only poses a reasonable risk, then they will be more likely to resume traveling.