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A leaked MGM Grand memo posted by Vital Vegas states that beginning Feb. 4, "All guest elevators at MGM Grand will be modified only to allow access to the floor to which the guest is registered.

An MGM spokesperson told KTNV, "Our processes and procedures are always evolving as part of our focus on providing the best possible service and keeping guests and employees safe." The spokesperson said that the security change is not in response to any specific incident

The MGM Grand in Law Vegas is implementing new changes into their security protocols in response to different violent events that have occurred within the last few years. Changes like this are necessary to "stay on top of the bad guys". In the past, anyone had access to most floors in the hotel. Additionally, this will allow the hotel to track and record any suspicious movement occurring and report it.

This article states a number of technology utilized in the hotel of Las Vegas for the convenience and comfort of their guests. Hotels in Las Vegas have come to realize that the plain phone near the nightstand in every room just does not suffice the every growing world of technology. Tablets placed individually in each rooms provide a convenient access for guests to control the lighting and temperature of their rooms. An example of the convenience of tablets is portrayed at the Aria and Vdara hotels where guests can not only control lighting and temperature with the tablets, but also place a specific time for breakfast delivery. Hotels such as the MGM Grand and The Mirage boasted special rooms which display different lighting based on the body's needs and enhances the the body's internal clock just with the lighting itself. They also have technology which infuses Vitamin C into their showers so they can reap health benefits by staying at the respective hotels. Several hotels launched a program called "Ivy" which is the world's first smart texting service for hotels. This is a big money and time saving software. Trained employees will answer any complex questions, but Ivy is programmed to answer common guest questions almost instantly. At the Mandarin Oriental, a robot named Pepper, holds a place in the lobby to answer a set or pre-programed questions for the convenience of the guest. Examples of such questions include the check out time, the location of the amenities of the hotel, and directions on connecting to Wi-Fi. Due to the ever growing advancement of technology, hospitality and tourism never ceases to keep up for the sake of the convenience of their guests.

AI technology has been on an uprising for the past few years and it has finally arrived in the hospitality industry. The Tipsy Robot is able to prepare and serve delicious cocktails to customers without the help of a bartender. This specific Tipsy Robot can be found in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Tipsy Robot is expected to revolutionize the bartending industry by creating personalized service from a machine. In this machine, the user is able to create their own user that they can access on a later date to reorder a cocktail or create a specific one for their tasting. This technology is still on the uprising in the hospitality industry which is why there are limited locations where you can find a Tipsy Robot.

As close to home as this hits, with a security breach at my hotel recently, I'm happy to see that companies are upgrading their systems. The Black Hat cyber security conference in Vegas had a hacker present how easy it was to gain access into a hotel room. He had less than $50 in equipment that he used to infiltrate the locks on the hotel doors. In response to this, Onity, the company whose locks were tested, came out with a plan for a "two-tier" security upgrade. This makes me feel a little bit better but at the same time, it seems like hotels aren't being proactive about protecting their customers, so maybe more hotels needs to be exploited.

I don't see this how it make anyone feel a little better, all the company is doing is giving price discounts and tightening up some locks, make it harder to pick apart. The problem is the avg their or experienced theif can take a part a lock in minuets if not seconds. Chances are you wouldn't even hear it if you were asleep, on the phone, watching TV. The system isn't very good if it can be hacked with up to 50$ of equipment

WinTech, LLC, a Las Vegas-based technology company, announced today it has launched "Who's ALICE?" -- an online contest for businesses nationwide to win a 'front desk makeover' featuring the new ALICE Receptionist system.

The ALICE Receptionist software uses features such as motion detection technology to greet visitors, notify employees of the vistor's arrival, and even uses audio communication with the visitor. The ALICE software allows for hotels with small lobbies that cannot afford a 24 hour recptionist to have an opportunity to interact with the guest-at a fraction of the cost. ALICE stands for "A Live Interactive Communication Experience" and it will be introduced to the industry in 2013.

This article talks about a conference that took place in Las Vegas concerning how hospitality organizations should automate accounting processes. Representatives from BlackLine Systems, a financial software developer, alongside panelists from MGM Resorts Intl and Caesers Entertainment will be discussing how hospitality organizations should utilize technology to automate accounting processes. Technology and software can reduce the often frustrating feelings associated with spreadsheet accounting. Additionally these tools will help organizations run more efficiently especially for hotels that operate on a global level. These automated systems can increase productivity and reduce costs with the ultimate goal of achieving balance sheet integrity.

This article gave us a five new online travel trends.Because travel is a hyper-competitive industry, the most pertinent emerging themes in onine travel are considered and experts insights and predictions are provided in the Las Vegas TDS North America event. First trend is the travel industry need be ready for a mobile-only world. Researches indicates that the mobile sales will increase extremely. Because it is expensive to develop mobile app, so traditional travel companies and online travel companies do not such into launching a mobile app in a short term. Convergence, commerce, content and how these impact customer behavior will be an ongoing theme. There is a risk of firms focus too much on one channel, Customers are using a range of different devices to plan, research, book and review their travel experiences.  Revenue management became essential for the business. It needs to integrate with sales, marketing, channel optimization, loyalty marketing , and operations. Think new markets and new customers like China, India, Brazil and Russia. Firms need to be actively targeting this market and make adjustment such as develop local website etc. Last trend is that there are lots of new development in the industry. Facebook start to monetize travel. Google and Apple are also developing their travel related products. This social travel planning tools become successful. Technology develops and standards emerge, mobile bookings may not just be for the last minute.

With Disney hotels already having incorporated the use of smart technology in wristbands to make purchases and enter hotel rooms without a key card, it was only a matter of time before technology in other forms started to trickle in to make guests' stays easier and more accommodating. In this article, the introduction of Ivy, a 24-hour virtual concierge service, is discussed. Caesar's Entertainment Las Vegas Resorts are the first, according to the article, to debut this technology. It is also the first text message service that has artificial intelligence built-in. So, in other words, during their stay, guests have (assuming they have an iPhone) two Siri's. According to the information provided in the article, it's as simple as guests having the ability to send text messages if and when they need something. In over 6,000 rooms of the Caesar's Entertainment Resorts, Ivy is currently live. Already this February, it is expected to expand to Planet Hollywood Las Vegas. The SVP, Michael Marino, asserted that the new technology allows for the hotel to increase the quality of the guests' experience and improve efficiency. It is automatic, so as soon as guests provide their phone numbers, they are greeted with a text message from Ivy prompting them to text her with any questions or concerns they may have during their stay at the hotel. Surveys are also held during the stay so that if anything is going wrong or a guest is unhappy, the circumstances can be improved in the moment. Overall, the use and implementation of this new technology is an example of technology boosting productivity, speed and efficiency in the customer service aspect of the hospitality industry.

This article discusses how to stay ahead in the hospitality industry. During a hospitality conference in Las Vegas, leaders in the industry discussed where the industry is going and the power of foresight. Being great at your job is not good enough anymore. Hotels needs to stay ahead of trends and find ways to innovated before guests do. Here are a few ways hotels and hospitality companies could be proactive to stay ahead of the curve. 1) Embrace Innovation: Using Marriott International as an example, they are always thinking outside the box. At their headquarters, they have an innovation lab that constantly manufactures new ideas. Some of their designs features are looking to implement communal rooms. Where guest will share a kitchen, dining room, and lounge areas. 2) Make Technology Your Friend: Whey a company embraces technology, it has the power to take a company to the next level. The issue is that most people don't normally like change and have trouble adapting to new ways. To be ahead of the curve, it is important for hotels to use technology to their advantage. 3) Personalize Employee Communication: Communication is the key to success in any company and in hospitality, it is very important to personalize employee communication. The staff is the backbone to all hotels and communications between management and staff need to stay constant. In today's society, the guests expect to communicate anywhere, anytime and employees are now expecting the same.

StayNTouch and SnapShot have actually joined forces and together they have 75,000+ hotel rooms globally.

This article focuses on the ways AI and automation can help the hospitality industry get back on track by helping guests to feel safe while they travel during the COVID-19 pandemic. By using different software guests can have a contactless check-in, request digital room keys, use AI based devices to control lighting/TV and/or make housekeeping/front desk requests, and housekeeping can use electrostatic sprayers to help mitigate the chances of guests contracting or spreading COVID. It notes the losses in revenue and occupancy by several major hotelier groups, especially some Las Vegas properties, as well the high number of furloughed employees that COVID has caused while showcasing ways that hotel groups can help get back on track by easing the fears of guests. It offers data to show that through these technologies, guests are returning because the feel their safety concerns have been addressed. comment by Jwilc019 " https://diigo.com/0ica77

This article discusses the wave of facial recognition technology coming to the Las Vegas casinos for not only safety but also for data analytics purposes.

A thief was caught in Las Vegas due to the facial recognition technology utilized in the building. Also, casinos and hotels are adding internet connected devices like temperature monitors, call buttons and door sensors, and surge in demand is lowering the cost and can be implemented for as little as $1per month

3-D mapping is allowing casinos and hotels to better understand their guests. So much data can be gathered that the difficulty is employing a team of "PhD's," to analyze the data. The article finishes by stating that there is a huge amount of competition for capital inside a casino. Casinos are in a constant cycle of upgrading and that it is difficult to convince everyone of the value of the investment.

While Covid-19 has caused some major challenges to the hospitality industry, the industry is particulairy known for changing and adapting to an ever evolving world around it. Covid created a big push for hotels and large properties to begin to assess their technology stratagies moving forward and the industry is expected to continue to see a large push for new advances in technology that not only will help to create more sustainable properties but an overall better and more enjoyable guest experience. While this does potentially create an overall more enjoyable guest experience, the upfront capital expenditures for properties could cause potential impacts to the bottom line as well as disrupt the guest experience during renovation times.

To gain a competitive advantage in Vegas, Station Casinos set up a new platform calls GourpMAX for profession and occasional meeting planners. The added ease of use helps planners maximize bookings by accelerating their booking pace, increasing reservations within contracted group blocks and mitigating attrition risk. 28GroupMAX even helps planners with the very granular details of event planning by giving them an easy way to capture individual guest information, such as meal preferences, arrival and departure times, RSVP details and more.

This article discusses the different environments in which a Smart Bar may be functional and efficient.  It intelligently discusses both sides, positive and negative of the Smart Bar and defends itself against trying to take away bar tender positions.

As with any new technology, I believe this product must find its niche. I don't believe that it will replace a face to face bartender in every situation. In areas where the customer needs to "grab a drink and go" (i.e. Theaters, Stadiums, Hotel Lobbies, etc) I think this is an excellent option. This system cannot completely replace a bartender, but it can make a drink quickly and accurately in situations where that is all that is required. This system cannot upsell, suggest particular menu items, create complex or frozen drinks, communicate with a lonely customer, etc. I believe that there is a tremendous market for a product like this, and, as a former bartender, I am jealous that I didn't come up with this idea myself.

Fieldman's intentions for the target audience for this technology may be overstretching the capabilities. I do see the movie theaters as a great option for this product. Certain areas of casinos and stadiums as a possibility for locations, such as the poker room areas in casinos or boxes in stadiums would be good locations too. I would see volume of business being the biggest enemy of this technology.

With sustainability at the forefront of hotel operators and investors hotels are becoming conscious of the guests needs as more and more travelers are requiring and are staying at properties that are serious about environmental conservation. The article highlighted the fact hotels are big consumers of energy, therefore have construction that are LEED certified will not only benefit the environment but also the bottom line of investors.

Travel Weekly takes a look at hotels taking real initiatives to their commitment to going green, especially in Sin City. Hotel groups are looking not to save money through transparent initiatives asking guests to simply reuse their towels, rather the article looks at "hotel owner-developers to invest in systems that cut energy usage, save water, and reduce waste". It seems in addition to other environmentally conscious west coast cities, Vegas has set a standard by setting goals for increased recycling, decreased energy consumption, switching over to LED bulbs, composting food waste, reducing overall carbon footprint and emissions. In light of continuing green development, Sabre Holdings has launched an Eco-Certified Hotel Program taking the lead out of the other four major GDS's to tip their hat to eco-friendly hotels. As travelers, GDS's, hotels, travel websites, and developers alike place greater emphasis on the preference for environmentally conscious lodgings, the more likely the industry is going to continue adopting these measures.

Hotels are becoming more green world wide. MGM hotels is on board with a green initiative. Hotels electricity and water add up because they have to cool a building , clean and maintain the hotel. IT costs about 800 per room annually in electricity and water costs. MGM hotels reduced the electrivity they use which can help power 12, 000 houses. HOtels are also trying to reduce its carbon emissions. Although as the article states " its very difficult fot hotels to be trully green by their nature" every little bit helps.

On January 2012, President Obama announced an executive order that would allow travelers from Brazil and China to receive travel VISA faster than before. A study from Huffington Post.com showed that on 2010 Brazilians spent $5,400 per visit, more than any other tourist. This executive order will help increase tourism travel across the nation that will help the economy. The order will help the travel industry, retail and housing. The property that I work at Walt Disney World hosts the majority of Brazilians that visit Walt Disney World. You can spend eight hours in our lobby in the afternoon, and you can experience the amount of money Brazilian guests spend on shopping inside and outside Walt Disney World. Stores like Best Buy and Wal-Mart are the most popular; online shopping has also become very favorable for guests. During the summer season, the hotel processed over 6,000 packages received from Amazon.com and other online stores that were purchased prior to arrival. It is amazing to see the items received and how much luggage guests take with them. With this economic boost, more job creations will occur. The most popular US cities visited by Brazilians are New York City, Las Vegas and Orlando (http://www.traveltobrazil.org/post/20-most-visited-places-by-brazilians-in-brazil-and-abroad.html).

This article is about a customized service provided by Google to hotels in Las Vegas. first they rolled out the Google Maps function to provide indoor floor plans for assorted airports and shopping centers. Then they customized Maps to display the convention center lay-out for CES '12 so attendees can more easily locate booths. This service makes travelling a more convenient and enjoyable experience for customers and business people.

The Stations Casino in Las Vegas was in Ch.11 bankruptcy before installing new IT equipment. The recent network installations include a variety of Cisco Systems Inc. technologies, according to Baltz and Bryan Miles, director of networking and telecommunications. The company has deployed 3,000 of 9,000 Internet Protocol phones so far, and it is using Cisco's new Unified Computing System (UCS) technology to consolidate data center operations. Miles said UCS allowed the company to cut the number of data center server racks from 12 to one. Take a look at the article as it goes in depth on how they have used the system to create an online gambling site using the intranet among other guest friendly services