Group items tagged

This article is about technology of combining the room key with the iphones. Holiday Inn will test this technology next month. Though this is a creative idea, some people may feel skeptical to try the new room keys. As this technology is new, some guests may not accept that use the cell phone as their room keys and there are many questions come into being with this new technology. For hotels, they must think about the using guests' iphones as the room keys is optional or required. The article also illustrates how the iphone works and what will happen if the iphone is lost or stolen. Besides, more hotels will test this new technology and the technology will work with regular cell phones. In my opinion, combining the cell phones with the room keys is a good idea, because many customers today use iphones today, and almost everyone takes a cell phone when live in the hotel. It is convenient for the guests to use their cell phones as the room keys. This technology can give guests fast check-in because before the guests arrive, they will receive a text massage containing their room number and a unique and encrypted sound code that they'll use to unlock their hotel-room door. When they arrive at the hotel, they can directly go to their rooms. It also can reduce front desk's work. . However, security is still the main factor that the guests will concern and there are some risks if the cell phones lost or stolen. Besides, some guests may prefer to use traditional room key and may not accept the change. It relies on the Open Ways (the secured network) and can work with more brands of cell phones. I consider hotels can provide this technology for the guests as an option because some guests prefer the traditional room keys while some like the new technology.

This article is about the use of I-Phone of Blackberry as your room key. It explains that Holiday Inn will be trying this new technology and many guests are not sure about trying it out. Many guests are not sure about trying it and question how safe it can be. The article explains that this new technology is not required and is rather an opinion. The article explained how it works and is simply a code sent to the customer to their phone and this is used to open the door and the code is only used once and resets every time. The article goes on to explain that there is no issues if the phone is lost or stolen because the codes aren't saved to the phone but rather the server the app runs on. I feel that this is a new cool way to technology. However, I don't see where it is anymore secure than a room key and really it doesn't make the process any easier. I feel its new and innovative but its not the best idea.

Hotel de Paris in opulent Monte Carlo, Monaco pleasantly surprises as a forerunner in the hospitality industry's green revolution. Prince Albert II leads by example after having a 'sustainably' lavish wedding using local and fair-trade products. Even though "mullet carpaccio" does not sound delectable to me; I am sure world renowned Chef Alain Ducasse knows how to transform the ordinary into extraordinary. Prince Albert II went so far to even have his cows supply the milk for his ice cream dessert, I call that dedication. With such excellent leadership and funding in the green initiative the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation addresses three major environmental issues: climate change, biodiversity and water consumption. Because of the Foundation visitors to Monaco participate in the green initiative with or without their knowledge. The casino, four hotels, several restaurants and spas all educate their staff on how to "be green." Hybrid shuttles, organic farming, reclaimed watering, on-site herb gardens and the banning of bluefin tuna are all examples of how the hospitality industry in Monaco has gone green. Monaco's will and initiative in the green revolution is inspiring. I hope that every hotel worldwide can try to adopt some of these practices and look to Monaco as a role model.

Tripleseat offers a cloud-based system that keeps client information-even little details- and can be used to assist event planners. Private parties/events represent over 30% of a restaurants revenue and event managers lose time and money conducting their planning the way that they have before. Tripleseat streamlines the process and makes finding leads and simplifying the planning process. 

This article talks about a Tripleseat company a cloud base sales and event management application for the hospitality Industry, announced they have recently achieved the milestone of having over 400 restaurant hotel and unique venues as costume. Tripleseat has delivered over 200m in leads and managed over $500 million in event in cities around the country. THE EVENT BUSINESS IS a $26 billion a year industry and it is being run on past it notes. Tripleseat, a web base sale and event application that can deliver and capture leads while simplifying the book and planning of event

This article discusses a program called Tripleseat that was created in 2008 as a way to better organize sales and even planning within the hospitality industry. The program is a cloud-based software that provides a competitive edge that event managers need. The founders of the software said that the idea came when he realized that Event sales managers were still using paper and pens to organize their events. He said that event planners were losing sales by not having a simple organized system to track their events. The point of Tripleseat is to provide a fast yet simple to learn program that allows event sales managers to easily book and plan any sort of event no matter the size. It keeps track of little details as well as past client information, there is less paperwork, and managers are able to focus on sales. Since this is a web application it can easily be integrated with other websites as well as social media. It is a sophisticated event planning system, but is also offered at a manageable cost. This type of system sounds like a great system to use. I only wonder if it is able to interface with a property management system of a hotel? Especially one that isn't cloud-based.

This articles goes about descriping about how great and productive PSAV audio visual company is; and how it benefits for both hoteliers and guests "site inspectors". Nevertheless, Hotels such as The Westin has carry on a responsibility for its guests and future guests in providing the best quality as far as visuals and audio sounds is concern. Furthermore, PSAV has been producing large amount of revenue as well as new customers especially in the hospitality industry; as it is one of the most greatest and rapid growing industry in the United States Nations.

This article is a series of several blog contributions for successful emarketing on Hotels magazine's website. "Will the Hospitality Industry Tango with Tingo" discusses the introduction of Tingo.com, a new Online Travel Agent (OTA) website affiliated with Expedia.com that guarantees its' customers to refund the difference if the price booked for the room drops after booking. This sounds great right? While of great value to customers, especially those who are money conscious, the article explains that Tingo.com is another industry basher that ultimately makes hotels appear to be ripping their customers off. This type of marketing tool should be two fold- both industry and advertiser friendly and an OTA website such as Tingo.com will potentially strain its relationship with business in the hospitality industry sooner than later. Tripadvisor is pointed out as an example of a major hospitality industry resource that has damaged its reputation with hotels and is continuing to do so. An analysis of Tingo.com is presented including the evaluation of several factors Tingo.com does not consider under its business model. The article deems both Tripadvisor and Tingo.com as "confused and misguided." In conclusion, this article presents valid points that I have never considered prior to reading about the challenges and perception some hospitality industry leaders have. From the customer perspective, both Tripadvisor and Tingo are highly favored for obvious reasons but not consistently for hotels and restaurants.

Summary: The variety of gifting options has grown from a simple plastic gift card to virtual cards delivered by email, text, debit/credit cards and more. The prediction for 2013 will exceed a billion dollars of digital gifting for the holiday season and continue to grow. Digital gift cards have made giving easy due to the convenience of redemption. Paper coupons have proven to be successful to draw in consumer activity, but the digital revolution in virtual gifting is expected to explode as people are so connected to their mobile devices. Even with the convenience and growing popularity of digital gifting comes barriers and security issues. Such issues include personal banking security and privacy. Some small to midsize businesses may not be able to participate in digital gifting due to cost barriers or lack of technology. Due to electronic process, paper receipts will be obsolete. Computers aren't perfect so how does one resolve dollar discrepancies. One benefit of virtual giving is the bar codes/QR codes. Companies are able to collect and retain additional information of givers and receivers by scanning the bar code/QR Code. Often people are reluctant to provide contact information, but in this case they aren't being asked, they have no choice. This is a benefit to the companies because they can make other promotional offers to engage and possibly retain both parties, thereby increasing sales. There are a variety of methods of virtual gifting and redemption. One example is Giftly. Giftly adds the value of the gift to the recipient's credit or debit card which can be used anywhere. This is super convenient for many people and they are able to choose whatever they wish rather than receive a gift chosen for them. This is certainly the digital age version of sending a check via mail to a loved one. Other corporate examples that have impacted the transition from plastic gift cards to virtual gifting are Burger King, Dunkin Donuts, Applebee's and Starbu

3VR security Inc launches new technology that can track almost anything that enters hotels. With facial recognition, license plate recognition and motion analysis, guests should have no problems feeling safe. According to the article there are over 7,000 lost items that end up in the hotel's lost and found each year. With this new technology, that number will drastically reduce. There is a 90% accuracy rate attached with this new system. With this system, managers will be able to staff appropriately if they know when vehicles are most active in the parking garages as to avoid accidents or any theft. I think this sounds like a great idea for personal items. It is a little alarming that a system like this can track any guest and see what they are up to in the hotel. Are there any privacy concerns or issues that you think will come along with a system like this?

Neon is a new app designed by Eventbrite to be used by Event Planners in order to help organize the events they are coordinating. The app is available for iPod, iPad and the iPhone making it conveniently accessible through one's mobile device. The app allows event organizers to sell tickets in advance to an even as well as provide last minute deals to fill all remaining spots. The app even allows payment to be taken right from the event organizer's mobile device. The app also allows the user to manage guest lists and even helps those who have access to the app to make customer service decisions so that disgruntled guests are not sent to a different location to settle ticket disputes. With all the data the app collects even organizers are able to see important data pertaining to popularity of certain events as well as price variations. The app was designed to be used in dark places. This feature, along with many others makes it user friendly and it is helping event organizers to keep track of important data that will allow them to better assist customers in the future.

I think I'd need to see it in action. The Forbes article sounds a lot like an Eventbrite press release. I like the idea in principal, but it almost sounds like too much to jam into a single app. Tickets sales, venue status, customer service, revenue tracking.,,, Deployed and linked across multiple tablets, each with it's own purpose and/or scattered across the event venue (with users in some sort of identifiable uniform), I can see it being useful. This also seems like a bit of a departure from straight tickets sales. Who else is in the market space? I'd be interested if Ticket Master is also coming online with event software.

My article this week is about how GDS (Global Distribution Systems) can be compared to a seatbelt. The author opens the article discussing the main reasons we still continue to use seatbelts; even though they aren't the most comfortable or fashionable items to use, they still do their jobs in saving our lives when it comes to a collision of some sort. The author is in favor of GDS and makes the claim that like seatbelts, the GDS may not be the most up-to-date or may not appear to be as nice as other local systems to each individual airline, but they get the job done and there are no other systems out there like it that we know of (no other systems that do everything he GDS system does that is). The main topic of discussion that the article is concerned with is the recent decision made by the company Lufthansa to start charging its customers an additional surcharge for using GDS systems instead of going through its own system. The author clearly makes it know that she doesn't believe Lufthansa when they say they are charging this additional surcharge because GDS is the most expensive channel to go through. "Because there's no reason to think that an airline should expect to distribute its products without any cost, Lufthansa's recent gambit seems more of a tactic for increasing lagging direct distribution... Its strategy seems to rest in shifting distribution costs to corporate buyers" claims Rose, the author of the article. The author also points out some of the draw backs of using agency portals, the main reason being that a customer cannot compare rates of other competitors and that agency portals cannot handle high volume transactions like the GDS can. It is also made known that there are costs that come with other channels as well, like the prices you pay for building airline websites and keeping them updated. The author concludes that "Given the history of negotiations between airlines and GDSs, it's impossible to know whether Lufthansa is using DCC as

Artificial intelligence may sound like a topic for the future but this article helps to enlighten just how much we are using AI's and shows how they are the "now". The benefits that come from integrating artificial intelligence are incomparable. Examples of the limitless things an AI can do can include, controlling reward programs, detail occupancy patterns and adjust price accordingly, control chat rooms, create personalized experiences, organize marketing and social media, and so much more. It is so powerful that it can practically control and accomplish any task in any hospitality department.

So, being an event professional in the hospitality industry this article intrigued me. Some of the trends listed are trends that my clients and I have already been using for a few years now like livestreaming events, I had a wedding in Jamaica in 2015 in which my clients live-streamed their nuptials for those daily and friends who could not make the trip. What I did find intriguing was the Facial Recognition aspect of Event Technology. That is unbelievable to me. I know we now have iPhoneXs and SnapChat that already do this so I guess its just a matter of having the right type of phone and app that is compatible with this feature.

The article discusses seven event technology trends that are trending in 2018. Event planners are on the hunt to discover the next new products or services that will help them stand out in a coward full of competitors. One trend, that I find so interesting is facial recognition technology. Event planners are using algorithms to reach out to new audiences via social media, improve check-in and security! Another trend, that caught my eye was artificial intelligence for events. Technology such as "chatbots." Chatbot is an automated customer service that helps both guests and event organizers. It will alleviate some of the duties of the staff to be more efficient and address guest issues faster. There are also the right APPs that are being created for events for guest to search, book, post and review events in one place. Also for event organizers to price, communicate and organize all in one place.

This article reveals the 7 latest trends in technology. The most impressive trend is the use of Facial Recognition for registration purposes. It also features new and upcoming AI technology such as Chatbots, "Crowd" Streaming and the use of "Social Media walls" to generate for free event promotion.

"Plainly, the physical plant is nothing but the destination with sound and catchy architecture that enhances tourists' experience." But it doesn't stop there. The physical plant must have an interaction with other topics to complete the product, to make it appealing to our guests and lately to create a loyalty to the brand. Physical plant, service, hospitality, freedom of choice and involvement are the steps for developing a product.

Technology is changing the overall event management experience making events more productive and fun. This article touches on things like advances in event organizing software, real-time feedback for speakers and data collection of attendees that can lead to personalizing activities throughout the event. I think most professional public speakers would say they already get real-time feedback from their audiences; no technology required. But for more novice speakers, that type of feedback would not only improve their session, but also help them hone their speaking and delivery skills more quickly allowing them to become better speakers faster. Personalizing an event to each attendee sounds pretty cool. Read the section about using the data collected during the registration process. It's interesting to think the data could be cross-referenced to bring delegates together for networking opportunities. Making important business contacts is a key reason people attend events.

In the event industry, new apps and software are popping up daily and some of them really change the way that we deal with events management. This is an interesting and useful article in which the author introduces 15 app and tech tools for event and meetings. Some of the apps attract my eyes and I think they will be applied widely with a further development. For instance, if planners who want an app for a conference or meeting, now they have a do-it-yourself option.  Yapp launched in April and allows users to create custom mobile apps. Users can customize their theme, event invitation, the agenda and so on. They can also show their guests the final products via YappBox app for IOS. It is easy for them to update  the app and allow guests to chat or upload group photos. This app sounds great and it will leave more flexibility to its users in event planning. Great tools like this are listed in this article, and some of them may become popular in the near future.   

I found this article interesting because it is based on a concept that is spearheaded by a local Chicago design firm where I live. The Gettys Group hosted their second "Hotels of Tomorrow" think tank. Over 300 participants from all aspects of hospitality and tourism participant to generate unique and innovative ideas for the industry's future. This past year's think tank was particularly focused on incorporating technology in a post COVID world. Some ideas include: a customized sleep platform that has special engineered fabrics that can control the bed's temperature and clean the room's air, robots being used to serve guests wherever the choose to dine inside or outside the hotel (no longer confined to your room or restaurant), and a self driving adventure vehicle that is intended to target and compete against the latest RV getaway craze.

what I enjoyed about this particular article is that it actually not only explains the concepts of AR and VR and hw they elate to AI but also how it contrasts them: see the highlighted excerpts in quotes below; "Augmented Reality Definition Augmented Reality (AR) is the overlaying of computer-generated objects upon the real environment. The application recognizes some element in the real environment and then places objects in relation to it with differing levels of interactivity." And, "Virtual Reality Definition Virtual Reality (VR) is a completely digital experience that is viewed inside a closed visual environment. It may also include physical elements from the outside world such as movement, temperature, and sound." I discussed these contrasts in my academic journal in which VR is a completely digital experience in most cases, although there can be some physical animation involved that may be perceived as a type of AI or AR incorrectly. it does however allow a greater margin that the its counterparts to create a complete fantasy world that has no similarities with reality whatsoever. Ai however presents a more reciprocal thinking addition to the equation which in my opinion at some point will blend seamlessly with VR. AR on the other hand in a way does this by allowing the concepting of augmenting the reality by definition. They all have advantages and limitations, to where these are pushed will be the real question in the future.

This sounds like a great tool to have, monitoring, analyzing and improving is much easier with the help of HRIS. Determining which departments within a specific organization are not performing well and which ones need a different strategy is very beneficial, as future managers and owners it is important to see the importance of these systems. 

The following article mainly focuses on Human Resources Information Systems, HRIS for businesses in particular the article focuses on companies utilizing such IT systems. For instance, since different companies utilize different requirements for their employees customizing such HRIS's will benefit financially and timely; Companies will spend less time working on such types of data if in their requirements they customize their HRISs to produce such data required.    

The article believes that Human Resource Management System can boost business bottom line in several ways. It is an investment to most of the companies, instead of an expense. The system includes HR metrics, which helps the manager get a deeper look at his/her own company by tracking different data from the system. Another is that the system improves the working effectiveness of the HR department. The Human Resource system not only benefits the corporate HR department, but also benefits the non-HR employees by allowing them log in to the system and get some information about the company. Last but not least, the article emphasizes that the system can help boost corporate profits.

The problem of the security in the internet is always risky for companies. Even though the customer trust the companies, but acctually, the companies sell your information without ask you if you want to share your information. For me, the organization for keeping the customers' information secured is useful and make sense, but I don't believe any companies want to pay for such service. They want to get income through selling the customers' information to other for comercial using. However, if the government make policy and establish law for protecting the customers information, it will be different. I think it will become a trend to promote. 

This article was about this new Samsung technology that is now on the market that is better than the traditional DRM softwear that most hospitality firms still use. The article stated "Samsung invested in a multi-year effort to secure the highly selective Digital Transmission Licensing Administrator (DTLA) approval, running the technology through rigorous forensic testing to pass just the first level of approval". This showed that the softerwear was thoroughly tested before it was put on the market ensuring its security. Also the article talked about how it saves money because of the lack of labor required with this system and how it creates a better guest experience because it fosters a home away from home technology environment.