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This article discusses the use of electronic badges to analyze employee behavior. Over all it found that employees that spent time together were more productive. Other options to track and analyze employee behavior are with cell phones. The use of technology in badges to track and analyze employees was developed by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Media Lab. The article discusses the next challenge is to learn from the data collected and then influence how people work together. The badges do not collect actual voice discussions of the employee. The data collected is limited to employee movement, the tone of their voice and with whom they are talking. Office design is one area that the data is being used. For example, a water cooler may be placed is a specific location to make sure certain employees come in contact with each other. Other studies have shown that employees, such as programmers, who work in groups, are 8% more efficient when collaboration on a project is needed then working remotely. Overall the general consensus of the article is that creativity and productivity are better when people work together on site.

As always Google always seems to highly compete with its Apple, Amazon, and Microsoft. Google Assistant will now introduce the ability for a individual to check in or book any domestic flight, check in or book a hotel room, and also to translate. According to Skift, "the translations were serviceable but included too many mistakes". Google plans to continue to integrate more hardware in the technology industry.

The article reports that the great majority of hotel guests desire to have state of the art innovation for their convenience, such as casting and voice interface technology. The type of innovation stems largely from guests being able to use their laptops or phones on the TV, while also access hotel services such as restaurant hours and possibly food services from the same interface. They assert. however that it is important for hoteliers to know how guests may be able to keep their identity hidden from potential practices such as "integration with the platform that may use this data for remarketing", integrate a system that can understand an manage foreign accents. It also brings up concerns of how to measure return on investment, showing a increase in revenue and that it is possible to update the interactions with guests once the technology is deployed.

This article discusses the popularity of voice searches have become along with the advancement of technology and the impact it has made with hotel industry.

I find it interesting that corporations are doing research on voice command technologies like Alexa and Siri down to the specific wording, that because of the "conversational nature" of the voice command searches being executed by consumers, these companies are able to know what specifically to aim for, whether it be to be considered one of the "best" hotels in the area or "prettiest". I wouldn't think there would be a notable difference between google searches and voice command searches.

This article discusses how emerging technology is impacting the hospitality industry. The article mainly focuses on Amazon's new platform, Alexa for Hospitality. This technology allows guests to book flights, order room service, etc. through voice commands, thus providing a more personalized experience. I think that this could be a controversial addition to hotels as many guests may not want a virtual assistant listening to their conversations. I feel that as long as there is a way to turn off the technology guests will be less resistant to this form of technology being used.

The future of the hotel industry is in voice,keyless and robots are a great buzz for hotels to leverage in PR. The concept of "all in one PMS" is a thing of the past as more companies lean towards mobile cloud PMS that is user friendly. Second Generation cloud PMS could be implemented in a day with no training needed and free integrations to dozen of apps.

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 takes a deep dive into the emerging tech trends in 2021. They briefly touched on how SaaS is slowly taking over the traditional PMS and how venture capitalist can't get enough of these programs. Another honorable mention in this article is the explosion of guest room tech such as streaming services, voice activation, and guest room tablets. OTAs that have traditionally been top dogs when it came to hotel bookings are slowly declining and big data is becoming super insightful to hoteliers. This article touches on so many avenues of tech and it's definitely a must read!

Just last year Shangri-La have launched a mobile application for its diverse guests to make reservation on their smart phone. The application is  available in Ipad and android phone. Guest can view special promotion and their membership points (Golden Circle). Guests can redeem their points to book complimentary nights for their next stay. In addition, the applications will have built in QR code scanner.  Shangri-La plans to add features in the first quarter of 2013, that include room text, voice message, special requests, local weathers and to set up wake up calls. User that download the application can also share stories about their stay in "Your Circle". 

Mobile web access for emarketing is used more than desktop computer because they are cheaper. Mobile phones connect to the outside world through Web access, voice communication and text messaging.This accessibility is facilitated by an industry that relies on large numbers of micro-payments and subscriptions for revenue.Some countries doesnt have access to phones for example in Africa. Mobile phones have the potential to connect educators with those needing to be educated.Mobile phones and their ability to facilitate communication and provide access to global networks and the Web could change the face of emerging economies.

This article talks about 3 stages for the telecommunication development in hotel. Hotel could absolutely use the phone 2 decades ago which is much more convenient to keep in touch with each others because of the lack of the mobile phones. But after the cellphone came out, hotel couldn't make more benefit from the phone calls which were just used for internal communications, morning calls, housekeeping and so on. After 2000, another technology was created which is call VolP( voice over the internet or IP phone) which could do more than a phone, such as Ads on the IP PHone. but it could not be widely used because of the complexity and cost. There is a new technology coming out called cloud which combines all the stuffs-- Telephones, PMS, Internet, and cable plant together and make employees or customers easier to learn. For example,a hosted provider of not only voice, but PMS, Internet access, premises infrastructure. Several hybrid IP systems now support a gateway mode - where the on-premises solution is effectively a gateway controlling all the analog rooms. Centrally managed and controlled - integrated into a multi-tenant web based PMS - backed by a 24-hour help desk and NOC, could be the ticket to get hospitality VoIP.

Telecommunication is an area in the industry that has driven the productivity of all employees and the efficiency of processed information and future growth. One of the examples of telecommunication would be the PBX voice switch which can be used to facilitate data and video communication, enhancing security. Offering a competitive advantage the PBX has become more then just a voice switch, since its improvement housekeeping is able to moderate the room status directly from the room and guest can choose to checkout by dialing out in the room. Inclusively, systems can be interfaced with videophones which allow the user to see and decide on the visitors they would allow entering their room using VoIP (Voice over IP). VoIP provides cost efficiency, productivity, customer capabilities and enhancing access to information. Another useful form of telecommunication is wireless paging systems where it keeps employees from different departments accessible incase of any emergency. In my opinion, telecommunication has been a great advantage in the industry. It has improved in various ways through out the years and it continues to grow and allowing the customer experience to become a one of a kind with the efficiency that it offers. Guest is able to become more independent during their stay even when checking out of their rooms. Telecommunication has even provided employees with more ease at work by creating a system where housekeeping department is able to press a button on the phone of the room, which changes the status of the rooms immediately instead of having to inspect the room and then change status on the computer system. I still believe this new technology is great, but I stand firm that the older crowd (baby boomers) and those that do not speak the language (English) still prefer the human interaction for instance, at checkout time. The Y generation is more prone to be excited about all these new gadgets and independent ways of getting things done.

Telecommunication provides many benefits for hotel. It makes the housekeepers' work easier by change the room status in room rather than on computer system. And each user have separate number, so the outside call will directly received without go through the operator. Hotel does not need to hire a telephone operator.

Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) is a technology that is evolving in the hospitality industry. Trending in 2015 will be the use of hosted PBX services which will take the place of the stand alone on-premise system. By utilizing a hosted service businesses should see a cost savings from the freedom of maintenance on a system that is owned and operated by the hotel to the required staff that is needed to monitor the system on a daily basis. With the use of a hosted PBX the host company will be running analytical data and sharing the results with your company, a hosted setup will also be keeping up with technology without you incurring additional expenses of keeping your software updated in the ever changing technology field. This article goes on to talk about mobile integration which in my opinion, will need some tweaking right out of the starting gate. The trend talks about migrating our mobile phones and tablets as a replacement to the desk phone and room phone. This idea will make front desk staff more mobile, but I do see how it will also cause issues with employee abuse on personal calls acting like they are working and also with customers seeing an employee on the phone and automatically thinking the employee is on a personal call. There are still people out there that have not moved up with technology like the vast majority of the population, and they will be the first to complain loudly at the advances coming.

This article goes into details about the new technology emerging in the hospitality industry and how it is that hotels are able to stay ahead of the cutting edge trends of today.

I found this article interesting as it is closely related to the discussion board topic for this week. It touches on the point that guests expect the same level of convenience that they can experience at home when they are travelling. Voice recognition devises are on the rise and this new technology is affordable enough to be a regular house-hold item. It's difficult for hotels to have a competitive edge while trying to stay one step ahead of the game. Maintaining excellent customer experiences while avoiding unnecessary touch points for the guests is the goal for many businesses. The article mentions that Hilton as a technology "test" property, where all new technology is transparently tested on staff and guests and valuable feedback in derived. I think this is an excellent idea that more hotel brands should incorporate.

Technology is on the rise with many hotels beginning to use property management systems to create guest profile's. Hotels are also using more artificial intelligence, and voice-enabled devices like Siri, Amazon Echo, and Google Assistance. The hotel industry is looking to invest in more high end technology to increase travel and guest experience.

This article is the resultant of a survey by Hospitality Technology as a deep dive into the minds of Restaurant Technology experts and executives. The results of the survey, commented by various executives from POS provision companies details their thoughts on the needs and direction of POS systems in the industry. The article, though lengthy, outlines current additions to existing POS systems and upgrades they are or will be implementing as a contrast to the opinions of the Technology executives. Out of this, several distinct trends emerge. POS will no longer be just cash register alternatives. They as a class of products are evolving quickly, integrating data, inventory management, third party integration (both service and distribution side) as well as an emphasis on Cloud-Based and managed implementations. All seem to concur that the future of the POS is not merely operational and operator functionality but also payment systems integrations that will make payment by the consumer friction-less and more diversified. On-line ordering is a distinct focus for all POS providers as online ordering grows exponentially for the foreseeable future. This includes critical items for brand based application ordering as well as third party aggregators. This includes the integration of omni-channel ordering including mobile, amazon-echo, Google-Echo and other AI/Voice based systems and the implications of their increasing usage. Data Security will be at the forefront of POS implementations with Restaurants having to increase their focus on vulnerabilities in their current systems and look to Cloud based systems to offer greater safeguards against hacks and data compromise. Finally, there seems a general agreement that a POS needs to be ready for the future, that is is extensible, up-gradable, and flexible to meet the rapid changes in technology in as bio metrics, payment methods (ie Bitcoin), new devices and services come to market. .

This article highlighted how I.T has impacted the guests' experience in a positive way by providing modern technology to gain a competitive advantage among its competitors. This article indicated how they are staying ahead of the curve with modern technology to stay competitive with other hotels

This article is about AI (Artificial Intelligence) and its impact in the hospitality industry. Although innovations in voice recognition, biometrics, and AR (augmented reality) are not expected to replace human contact, AI technology will revolutionize the industry by taking over mundane, simple, and routine work. Since these ordinary tasks could be time consuming, AI will allow hospitality personnel to focus on more meaningful and complex transactions. AR, for instance, was already implemented by Holiday Inn during the 2012 Olympics to provide realistic thematic and virtual representations. Biometric technology allows customers to authenticate their purchase without a wallet or human interaction. Nevertheless, the article also touches on an interesting concept called 'tech detox.' Some hotels already have promotions for guests willing to stay disconnected in order to be aware of their surrounding environment. In my opinion, AR is the best innovation, especially in a hotel. From TV programming, internet access, interactive city maps, hotel information, restaurant menu, and room service, this technology has endless opportunities to make any hotel experience unique.

I believe the article glosses over many of the potential implications of AI in the industry. For one, to date, technology advances have actually increased the workload of the more highly skilled management personel. A General Manager in a hotel now has to have degrees of knowledge in pricing system logic and demand economics, knowledge of systems and system implementation and the skill sets of individuals required to implement and sustain these systems. As AI and AI logic does begin to invade the Hospitality Industry, it is going to require our leaders to become far more cognizant of the uses, and maintenance costs involved in these technologies. This is not to say that this is necessarily a negative, however the implications for the skills sets required in the industry are a necessary talking point when citing that this technology wont replace jobs. Those mundane tasks which the article refers to are deemed as simple processes, but when discussing the already complex process of an agent reserving a guest in a Forbes rated property (as an example), this is going to get even more complicated in how we leverage these technologies, how we approach to market with the consumer.

Technology is continuing to revolutionize daily. All industries are experiencing such change but the hospitality industry will not completely take away is human employees. In fact, tech revolution will simply take away from mundane tasks simultaneously assisting with efficiency and customer satisfaction. With the advent of augmented reality (AR) guests are now able to electronically visualize themselves at the location. Technology cannot outperformance the warmth of guest service reps. yet, the future of hospitality will integrate both the advances of electronics and human interactions.