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snesbeth

5 Future Ecommerce Trends of 2019 - Ecommerce Platforms - 0 views

  • Companies embracing ecommerce marketing strategies are experiencing rapid growth.
  • ecommerce is replacing the need for in-store retail experiences.
  • Using personal online data
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  • search queries, page visits, and purchase history, brands transform their online stores
  • consumers spend 48% more when their experience is personalized.
  • login to your Amazon account
  • recommended products based on your past purchases, ads tailored to your search history, and marketing copy speaking directly to you.
  • best serve the customer’s needs and interests.
  • showed 57 percent of online shoppers are comfortable with providing personal information to a brand, as long as it directly benefits their shopping experience.
  • robots will invade ecommerce stores. Well, robots such as chatbots and artificial intelligence (AI) designed to enhance a customer’s overall shopping experience.
  • chatbots can fulfill a number of customer service needs, from answering questions about a product to discussing a complaint.
  • even been projected that B2B ecommerce sales will increase worldwide to $6.6 trillion by 2020.
  • today’s technology lets us use virtual reality, 3D imaging, augmented reality, and more to interact with a product from the comfort of our laptop or smartphone.
  • cheesy infomercial has transformed into an immersive, 360-degree online shopping experience.
  • no technology can truly replace every detail of an in-store experience.
  • These brands open retail stores with less square footage and employees, but a more personalized and interactive in-store visit.
  • companies are creating ecommerce experiences within a retail store via digital kiosks.
  •  
    This article was mainly about the growth of ecommerce businesses due to the fact that the world is changing into a more technological environment. It stated five trends that would begin to show up more as time goes on such as interactive chatbots on store websites to help with customer complaints and even answer questions about products. It also stated that physical stores are going bankrupt but will try to accommodate with the change by providing smaller and more intimate customer service experiences in store because even though the internet is great it still does not provide the entire customer service experience for customers most of the time.
sbaut010

GDS, OTA and Meta: What's the difference? | HotelMinder - 2 views

  • GDS, OTA and Meta: What’s the difference?
    • ansonj55
       
      The article covers the topics discussed in this week's topics related to Global Distribution Systems (GDS) and Online Travel Agency (OTA). It goes in detail regarding the difference and benefits of each. The landscape of the traveling industry changed in the late 1900s with the introduction of the GDS from the airline industry. Although costly, hotels are able to provide unsold rooms at a cheaper rate in order to secure bookings. Similarly, OTAs have gained popularity with the rise of use and reliance of the internet. Most beneficial of a OTA is more visibility for the hotel, since they invest a significant amount of capital in advertising. Whether a hotel is deciding whether or not to invest in a GDS or OTA, it is important to do a cost benefit analysis in order to determine which may be more beneficial to the property.
  • how can they help your hotel gain more online visibility and sell more rooms?
  • Hotels usually sell their rooms for 30% cheaper on GDS
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  • GDS is a rather costly selling channel that mainly allows the sale of rooms in larger quantities to bigger companies (for corporate guests) or travel agencies (leisure travellers). Thus, small independent hotels usually do not need GDS.
    • ansonj55
       
      GDS is costly so it is not really beneficial for smaller, independent hotels.
  • With the rise of the internet, many websites began selling rooms without the need for human interaction. These sites very quickly gained important market share,
  • Metasearch engines are becoming important in the travel industry
  • We do encourage hotels to use OTA to be more visible online
  • OTA’s invest a lot in online marketing
  • Rather than trying to compete with them, it would be better to see them as another selling distribution channel instead.
  • many different accommodation options at one glance
  • developed metasearch engine tools.
  • With travellers using the internet more than ever to search and book hotels
  • Increasing your online hotel visibility can be done in many ways.
  • hey usually do many different searches and visit several websites.
  • GDS: Global Distribution Systems
  • OTAs: Online Travel Agencies
  • GDS stands for “Global Distribution System”
  • Travel agencies use GDS to get real-time availability, and preferred rates on flight tickets, hotel rooms and car rentals all over the world as it allows them to be very reactive when asked for a quote.
  • OTA stands for "Online Travel Agency"
  • They were first created by airline companies during the 1950’s to broaden hotel and car rental businesses by enabling automated transactions between travel service providers and travel agencies (traditional and online).
  • The three biggest GDS systems are: Amadeus, Sabre and Galileo (now owned by Travelport)
  • real-time availability
  • Central Reservation Services (CRS), such as Sabre, allow hotels to sell their rooms to all GDS simultaneously. However, it is up to the hotel whether to connect with only one or two GDS directly, without the need for a CRS. The good news is that some channel managers are also able to connect with GDS systems.
  • The most popular example is Booking.com, although Expedia (for corporate guests) and Hostelworld (for more economical accommodation options) are also well-known.
    • sbaut010
       
      GDS has become an industry of its own with its own markets.
  • Your hotel can usually be listed on an OTA free of charge by adding your hotel photos, descriptions, rooms, rates, etc. You can then choose how many rooms you’d like to sell through the OTA. The availability you’d like to sell as well as the room rate is your decision, and although appearing on the OTA is free, you will have to pay a commission of approximately 15% to 20% every time you get a booking.
    • sbaut010
       
      Through this system OTA, the middleman, will always take a form of commission.
  • Although they produce rather time-consuming work as you need to log into each of their extranets to update daily availability and rates, you can very easily connect an OTA to a channel manager to automate, or at least greatly facilitate these tasks.
  • They were created shortly after OTAs and display the current rates of many different hotels in a given destination.
  • Today, OTA’s are a must, and although metasearch engines are slightly more technical to manage, they can also be an attractive selling channel to consider.
  • For small independent hotels, GDS is usually too costly to be considered.
  •  
    This article introduces GDS, OTA and Meta in a short space. GDS stands for Global Distribution System, GDS is a rather costly selling channel that mainly allows the sale of rooms in larger quantities to bigger companies. Small independent hotels usually do not need GDS. OTA stands for Online Travel Agency. meta stands for Metasearch Engines. For small hotels, the cost of GDS is high and it is generally difficult to adopt. OTA and meta are two methods worth considering.
kdibe001

Top 5 Trends in the Modern Hotel PMS - StayNTouch - 1 views

  • Cloud
  • it’s also dynamic and scalable for the future. In addition to these savings, cloud-based PMS also offers immediate advantages like remote login allowing for anytime, real time access, distribution management, automated tasks, multi property management, mobile guest journey, and real-time data analytics, to name just to name a few.
  • Mobility
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  • However, with new PMSs, technology has evolved to the point where it has the capability to deliver any type of data to any type of device at any given moment.
  • Guest engagement
  • provides a real insight into guests stay and spending habits
  • Endless Integration
  • One of the biggest strengths of a cloud-based hotel management system is that it can be easily connected to other software applications, even if these applications don’t share the same provider
  • Sleek Design
  • business now also need to be mobile.
  •  
    This very interesting article explains the top 5 trends currently with the hotel property management systems. The obvious top trend is the cloud-based systems because the cost is so much less and the efficiency is so high, that many don't have more con's than pro's so there is almost little to no reason for hotel companies to jump right into this trend, if they haven't already done so. The other trends mentioned were mobility, guests engagement, endless ietegration, and sleek design, which all in a way tie in with the new cloud-based systems. The one I found most interesting was the guest engagement because with the cloud systems, employees are able to connect with a guest and other employees at any time and essentially anywhere because the cloud PMS is able to be used on mobile devices. The systems are also more integrated with other software that understanding the true nature of the guests is easier and therefore the best service can be provided to accommodate that guest to his/her specific needs, without him or her needed to ask for it.
Maria Zuniga

Event Planning In The Hotel Of The Future - 1 views

  • Combining today’s recognizable technology, such as touchscreen and virtual reality, with concepts that are beyond our time, these are some of the notable features hotels in the future will have.
  • he idea of using robots could help break down the language barrier that is sometimes the case when planning in other countries as these robots are naturally multi-lingual and can adapt to the language you are using.
  • This includes robot butlers, entertainment, greeters and business services which for planning events can be more cost effective and reduce human error, streamlining the process of communicating with the systems to get exactly what you want.
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  • As one of the strongest drivers for change in the event industry, technology plays a prominent role in the planning and management of events
  • It could also be the case that it loses that human touch for the guests and when quick problem-solving is needed, robots won’t be able to deal with this as intuitively as they follow set protocols.
  • With 3D bio-printing currently being researched, it is not a huge leap to consider 3D printers in hotel rooms that can accommodate products such as headphones or clothing and accessories
  • Based on votes and crowdsourcing, venues can be made-to-order and self-assemble the environment around them to suit.
  • Larger venues and associated grounds could create an event in themselves by recreating famous landmarks or even movie settings that could be explored.
  • Based on your DNA, own health and genetics you would be able to visit health centers and spas that could promote longevity. It could become the latest trend in bachelorette parties or healthy event experiences that cater to the health conscious.
  • A hotel that is short-term and could pop-up in limited spaces would work hand in hand with pop-up events and mean they could be reproduced on a larger scale.
  • It is suggested that fast and effective hovering, autonomous airport transfers would be able to go supersonic in order to beat the traffic and reduce the journey. If this is the case it could free up plenty of time on the itinerary for corporate or destination events and this means providing a better experience.
  • As sustainability and environmental issues are becoming an increasing concern and given prominence, it makes sense that future hotels and venues would plan sustainable events and accommodation
  • Sustainable hotels that produce and operate on clean, self-sustaining energy will become a viable option for the environmentally conscious guest and the suggestion is that all hotels would have the option to become sustainable.
  • These would work in a similar way to how a concierge app works now and would streamline the travel bookings and searches. In the same way that Siri can help you access items from the internet or your phone, these avatars would be a more complex and capable version that cuts out the need for travel agents
  • rom biometric payment systems which can greatly reduce the risk of identity theft to eye scanner room entry, DNA authorizations will be more popular. As technology develops, so does the need for security
  •  
    This article talks about the future of event planning. The efforts hotels will have to make to be competitive in the industry. It also talks about the technology that will have to be offered such as VR (virtual reality).
  •  
    This article is very interesting because it lists all the ways that event planning will be in the future because of technological advances. It talks about autonomous staff, 3D shopping, made-to-order venues, personalized longevity health spas, pop-up hotels, supersonic air travel, sustainable hotels, personal travel avatars, and DNA authorization. The article describes the benefits and downfalls to each one and puts emphasis on the fact that these advances are closer than we can imagine.
cvera019

Crypto is Targeting Hospitality Giants - Bitcoin Isle - 0 views

  • Considering that the global hotel industry was worth $494 bln last year, this will for sure grab the attention of crypto investors given the sheer size of the market and the number of transactions involved. On top of that, the nature of renting accommodation is tailor-made for a Blockchain solution, and as a result, several promising Blockchain projects are capitalizing on this.
  • The way that the Lockchain team plans to deploy the possibilities of Blockchain technology is through a ledger that lists all available accommodation, as well as pricing and transactions, accessed from a marketplace which property owners list their rooms on and customers can browse.
  • This includes instant currency conversion in order to make sure that users are not dissuaded by booking exclusively in a new cryptocurrency. Also, to insulate the ecosystem against price fluctuations, a hedging model as (used in the financial industry) will use Buy and Sell calls to balance the transaction (which is then liquidated when the hotel withdraws its money).
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  • “We aim to give users the opportunity to immediately use their tokens to book properties even during the pre-sale and the main event."
  •  
    Bitcoin and other crypto-currencies are slowly making their way into every industry, but the hospitality industry is of extreme interest to these due to the size and worth of the market.
mvinco18

Technology in Hospitality, Evolution, Innovation and Guests. | By Martin Soler - Hospit... - 1 views

  • The future of innovation in guest experience is through technology.
  • Today we have over four billion computer users, most of them using a smartphone.
  • The future of hotel guest experience is based on how good your technology is. Let me explain.
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  • today a lot of that experience happens through technology.
  • people aren't accustomed to waiting anymore.
  • As I mentioned previously, hotels are experience companies; they deliver an experience.
  • We should expect our industry to see a milestone innovation in the coming few years,
  • (significant processor change in a mainstream computer).
  • The next frontier in hotel comfort is going to come from technology.
  •  
    This article focused on how technology is changing the type of accommodation that hotels need to have for their guest. it focused on the different changes that the hotel industry have gone through so that they can give their guest the best experiences possible.
patrick021

Best 10 Property Management Systems 2020 | Find Reviews, Pricing, Buying Guide - 0 views

  • anagement system (PMS) is a hotel management software suite that property owners and front desk workers use to manage their business by
  • gement system (PM
  • A property m
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  • coordinating reservations, online booking availability, payments, and reporting in one central place. The PMS streamlines operations for front office staff and guest services in a hotel business to check-in and check-out guests, see room availability, make adjustments to existing reservations, and even can have back office functionality (schedule housekeeping or maintenance ).  
  • What are the most important features of a property management solution?
  • What makes a great hotel property management system?
  • How long does it usually take for a hotel to implement a new property management system?
  •  
    Property Management Systems is a software that helps manage businesses coordinate its daily functions for easy check in and accommodation purposes. It assist the front office management team with better tracking of request and repairs around the property. PMS has features that classifies it as an ideal factor for properties such as : payment processing, check in/ out access and most importantly being user friendly.
biancafavilli

The Features and Benefits of Hotel Property Management Systems | by Onix-Systems | Medium - 2 views

  • A centralized computer system allows to organize, schedule, and perform the day-to-day functions and transactions in hospitality accommodations and residential and commercial rental properties.
  • All hotel PMS include the critical modules of reservation, front-desk operations, and housekeeping. On top of all that, modern hotel PMS solutions include a range of features that promote the delivery of flawless personalized guest experiences.
  • A good hotel PMS should allow reservations for large groups, meetings, incentives, conferencing, and exhibitions, activity booking, and adding hotel amenity packages. Ideally, it should support mobile booking as well.
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  • The POS function of hotel operating systems helps manage all payments accepted through multiple point-of-sale terminals smoothly, automates transactions, and keeps the data in one location.
  •  
    Hotels implementing PMS into their day-to-day operations is the key for a successful and smoothly operating system. Having a PMS system allows for hotels to includes modules for their guests giving them the ultimate experience. For example, reservations, front desk operations, housekeeping, and a range of other features that allows each guests experience to be personalized to themselves. PMS is essential when it comes to hospitality, as it allows for everything to continuously run like a well-oiled machine.
ovila009

Global distribution system (GDS): Complete guide for hotels - SiteMinder - 1 views

  • More than 600,000 travel agents plug into the GDS every day on behalf of companies to book flights, hotels, car rentals and destination activities.
  • Despite the growth of third party online travel agencies (OTAs) like Booking.com and Expedia, the GDS remains the number one way to promote your hotel to the corporate travel market globally.
  • A GDS is a worldwide conduit between travel bookers and suppliers, such as hotels and other accommodation providers.
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  • The history of global distribution systems dates back to the 1960s when a more sophisticated method was needed to keep track of flight schedules, availability, and prices
    • anonymous
       
      This is how GDS started back in the day in order to keep track of things however nowadays it is used for so much more.
  • Hoteliers are always looking at ways to increase their reach to attract more customers, increase revenue, and make a profit
    • anonymous
       
      Hence why GDS is so beneficial for hotel companies and other industries.
  • As soon as a reservation is made on the GDS or an online booking website, the channel manager instantly reduces inventory across all channels, including the hotel’s own website, and automatically delivers the reservation details back into the PMS or central reservation system (CRS).
    • anonymous
       
      Reservations are now made quick and easy with this system. It gives customers a pleasant experience.
  • There are several major global distribution systems that house and process the majority of data from hotels, airlines, and other distributors. These include Amadeus, Sabre, Galileo, Worldspan, Apollo, and Pegasus.
    • anonymous
       
      Here we can see some examples of GDSs.
  • The Apollo reservation system was used by United Airlines until 2012, when it switched to SHARES, a system used by its former Continental Airlines subsidiary.
  • Sabre is seen as a pioneer for online travel agencies, corporate booking tools, revenue management, and web and mobile itinerary tools, to name a few.
  • Galileo traces its roots back to 1971 when United Airlines created its first computerised central reservation system
  • created by other airline groups in an attempt to gain market share in the computer reservation system market.
  • Worldspan is a Travelport platform, and is the technology leader in web-based travel eCommerce, offering solutions for all facets of travel business online. As a leading GDS, Worldspan provides travel distribution, technologies and services for thousands of travel companies worldwide, including travel agencies, corporations, travel suppliers and travel websites.
  • Amadeus has the biggest global footprint of any of the GDSs, with a potential reach to millions of guests.
  • Abacus was founded in 1988 and became a leading provider of travel solutions and services in the Asia Pacific region.
  • Pegasus Solutions pioneered the hospitality reservations industry.
  • The best systems will connect your hotel directly to the world’s most prominent GDSs
  • Using a software provider to tap into the GDS saves a lot of money and time.
  • Essentially, the GDS can increase hotel bookings and revenue by placing hotels on more ‘supermarket shelves’ globally.
    • anonymous
       
      It gives hotels the ability to expand and increase the number of customers they get by exposing them more internationally.
  • there are still more bookings being generated through the GDS than through hotel websites.
  • The GDS is indeed a unique and direct marketing tool for your hotel.
  • booked quickly and efficiently.
  • The GDS can help hotel managers uncover new market segments to promote their products to
  • More travel agents are relying on the GDS to find the best places for their clients to stay.
  • the GDS improves search positioning and displays your brand messaging during the search and booking process
  • Hotels generate more revenue through a GDS because it places the hotel’s information, availability and rates in prominent locations where it is easy for travel agents to find.
  • you can market all of your rooms to all of your distribution channels at one time.
  • Your GDS should help you maximise your bookings and increase your revenue
  • the capability for the GDS to integrate completely with your existing PMS, online booking engine and channel manager.
  • help you make the best decisions regarding your marketing strategy and distribution plan.
  • discover and tap into the most powerful and motivated market segments.
  • trial the GDS for a short time and measure results before continuing your subscription.
  • Because cruise travellers rely heavily on travel agents for their trip arrangements, it’s highly likely any hotel bookings will also be made through this channel.
  • A GDS is a worldwide conduit between travel bookers and suppliers, such as hotels and other accommodation providers
  • Cruises tend to rely on more conventional channels like travel agents to reach and convert guests.
  • With the cruise industry currently in a state of growth, it represents a chance for hotels to get a slice of the revenue.
  • It appears travel agents are driving most of this success, with 70% of cruise bookings made via this channel.
  • Cruises do all the hard work to book their guests but often they will arrive a day or two early or depart a day or two after their cruise, booking at hotels for the extra time.
  • Most prominent is your hotel description
  • you eliminate the frustration of signing up with each individual platform, and you can connect to all of the top providers without paying the individual fees.
  • The GDS is often used to tap into the corporate travel market because it has the ability to present hotels, flights, and car rentals in one simple interface which is convenient.
  • Live rates and availability are sent from a hotel’s property management system (PMS) directly to the GDS and online booking websites via a channel manager.
  • What are the major GDS systems?
  • here are several major global distribution systems that house and process the majority of data from hotels, airlines, and other distributors. These include Amadeus, Sabre, Galileo, Worldspan, Apollo, and Pegasus.
  • There are several major global distribution systems that house and process the majority of data from hotels, airlines, and other distributors. These include Amadeus, Sabre, Galileo, Worldspan, Apollo, and Pegasus.
  • Amadeus GDS
  • Sabre GDS
  • Galileo GDS
  • Worldspan GDS
  • Apollo GDS
  • Abacus GDS
  • Pegasus GDS
  • – like the ones mentioned above – so you don’t have to worry about signing up to each one
  • individually.
  • In one fell swoop you can access all the retail and traditional travel agents you want:
  • There are a few specifications which will greatly aid successful GDS connectivity: Being centrally located Being located close to an airport Room capacity of more than 20 rooms Lodgings that are set up for corporate markets and not affected by seasons
  • Here’s a checklist to ensure you’re using the GDS to its full potential:
  • 1. Pooled inventory
  • 2. Commission-free structure
  • 3. Integration capabilities
  • 4. Comprehensive reporting
  • 5. Ability to target specific markets
  • 6. No lengthy contracts
  • 7. Simple and affordable connection
  • Essentially, the GDS can increase hotel bookings and revenue by placing hotels on more ‘supermarket shelves’ globally. This approach is particularly effective at capturing international corporate travellers. You can gain lucrative international corporate business, particularly if you’re near a major airport gateway or close to government or commercial enterprises.
    • yoevelyn
       
      This article goes into how to optimize the use of GDS for a hotel operation and the author touched on a point we have discussed in the class before: how to market your local hotel to an international audience. The author suggests that adding your property to a GDS can be a cost-effective way to bring those international business travelers, specially if your hotel is near an airport.
  • The number of bookings generated through a GDS generally outpaces that of direct bookings
  •  
    This article goes in depth into GDS. It explains the concept of the GDS is and how eaxctly it works. It also gives examples of some major GDSs. It talks about the benefits of using GDS in hotels.
  •  
    The global distribution system in the hospitality industry is beyond vital in the act of keeping the ball rolling. GDS provides live products and offers to travelers across the globe. Whats really amazing about GDS is that live availability and rates are transferred through a channel manager directly to online booking sites. This allows guests to acquire the best rates the soonest as opposed to waiting to call a hotel or resort to see what they have and at what price.
  •  
    This article shows us everything we need to know about Hotel GDS. It includes GDS in the hotel industry, GDS work way in travel, seven major GDS systems, the way to access leading GDSs with GDS software, GDS conditions of use, benefits of connecting hotel to the GDS, and how to use the GDS to capture cruise travel bookings at hotel.
anonymous

Ditching direct: It may be time to reconsider your GDS and OTA connections | PhocusWire - 1 views

  • Interactive television, the internet and the rise of online travel, suppliers push for direct business, direct connects, alternate accommodations, among other have all driven the market to predict the demise of the GDS.
  • can your direct connect handle the requirements of personalization?
  • he GDS deliver some of the most valuable customers for hotels; business travelers, who tend to spend more on premise and pay a higher average daily rate (ADR) than their leisure counterparts.
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  • As it turns, out the cost and effort of maintaining a direct connect to the GDS may have been more than hotels had bargained for.
  • Look-to-book ratios are skyrocketing
  • Travelers are said to visit 38 websites before making a choice, but a traveler coming to your brand.com likely know what they want and often make the booking right there because of brand loyalty or previous rate comparisons on 3rd party websites.
  • look-to-book ratios can exceed 25,000:1 on these indirect channels.
  • First, creating the infrastructure that can handle this traffic is not easy or cheap. Second, unless you have advanced cache functionality, all that traffic hit your CRS which can fail to meet the demand at peak traffic times.
  • Lost bookings and another hidden cost of your direct connect.
  • In 2017, GDS hotel reservations exceeded 68 million, a two million increase over the previous year,
  • the industry is still managing around amenity fields with character limitations where there’s just no room to fully describe that amenity, e.g., “GYM” vs. “Spacious recreation facility with state-of-the-art work out equipment.”
  • limitations mean that you need to be able to normalize and standardize the field values in order to successfully distribute.
  • it’s a labor-intensive and never-ending task without powerful and specialized software at your disposal.
  • never-ending task of monitoring and making sure your content is used as you intended it and is consistent across both GDS and other channels.
  • without consistency and the right change management processes, your personalization is likely to fail.
  • If you’re going to maintain a direct connect, knowing how it performs is critical to its success.
  • It is simply that, as always, the world evolves. With this evolution, we are seeing a renewed interest in technology provider approaches, as opposed to DIY. 
  • there are many drivers behind this:  the realization of the costs and complexity of connectivity, the growth in shopping volumes, the requirements of personalization and the data necessary to manage that, and the desire of hotels to focus on what they do best.
  • Interactive television, the internet and the rise of online travel, suppliers push for direct business, direct connects, alternate accommodations, among other have all driven the market to predict the demise of the GDS.Yet, the GDS remains, and bookings are growing.
  •  
    GDS systems have been helping customers book hotel rooms, flights, and vacation packages for nearly two decades. This increases the convenience factor for the customer. Companies may be paying more to maintain a direct connection and may want to start reconsidering utilizing a GDS system. GDS systems do have limiting qualities such as character limitations within text fields, which can lead to unforeseen issues for companies looking to personalize filed values. Even though this issue may provide limitations for companies, the cost of maintaining connectivity, increased shopping volumes, and personalization issues are driving companies to ditch direct.
ghoafat

Hostelworld invests $3M in accommodation tech provider Tipi | PhocusWire - 1 views

  • Hostelworld
  • Tipi,
  • will take a $3 million "strategic investment" from Hostelworld as part of plan to provide tools and services for its portfolio of accommodation owners.
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  • The investment includes a number of initiatives to integrate different areas of the two businesses.
  • Tipi's tool kit includes digital key services, online check-in facilities and ancillary services - all via a property-branded mobile app.
  • The investment is in line with our strategy to invest in innovative technology businesses, to improve the experience for our hosteller customers and drive efficiencies and ancillary revenue for our hostel partners, positioning us as a market leader in the hostel sector.”
  •  
    This article is about Hostelworld, which is the global hostel-focused online booking platform and its $3 million investment in a company called Tipi Pty LTD. Tipi provides technology solutions exclusively to the hostel market, enabling guests to check-in and download their keys prior to arrival. Hostelworld is a go-to platform for hostel travellers and have a key focus on investing in the best technology for the hostel market. In my opinion, this article brings out two key points about a couple topics that have been brought out and one that is to come. One being the video about technology revolution and staying ahead of the curve. The other being Proximity Marketing, which is a future topic. By Hostelworld investing in Tipi, it positions them as a market leader in the hostel sector. This will generate a huge revenue growth in the company. In regards to Proximity Marketing, giving customers access to their brand centered platform during their stay, it will increase ancillary revenue and improve guest satisfaction scores.
anonymous

HNN - Sustainability, tech top 2020 hospitality predictions - 0 views

  • this column looks at trends hoteliers should be preparing for in 2020, which include sustainable accommodations and technology innovations that work seamlessly alongside hotel staff.
  • Experts predict the next wave of guests will largely engage via mobile, anticipate personalization, expect less human interaction and hope to book at the last second.
  •  55% of global travelers say they are more determined than ever to choose sustainable accommodations
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  • alternatives to single-use plastics, including bathroom toiletries, reusable or biodegradable coffee stirrers, plastic straws and water bottles.
  • Adobe discovered that 72% of travel and hospitality businesses see a mature digital foundation as very important in the coming years for ensuring personalized guest experiences. However, when it comes to integrating technology in a hotel, it is important to find a balance between human and non-human interaction.
  • the guest can take an active role and see the brands eco efforts first-hand.
  • Consider the guest’s carbon footprint when determining where to start on sustainability.
  • Hotels need to offer user-friendly and up-to-date technology from the online booking process to the personalization of a room.
  • integrating technology that guests already use in their day-to-day
  • No matter the technology, strong wireless internet connection while on property is a must for guests today and into the future.
    • anonymous
       
      All above are perfect examples of ways to easily integrate technology
  • Guests are becoming more interested in unique packages that allow them to live like a local,
  • bundles that offer incentives to visit local restaurants and attractions, and personalize these experiences
  • CBRE Hotels Americas Research forecasts consecutive growth for the U.S. hotel industry throughout 2022.
  •  
    This article briefly went over a few technology trends, sustainability practices and unique possibilities for future trends. While reading I was able to come to a conclusion on what types of experiences travelers like to have in 2020.
khadija2050

Property management systems "failing" private accommodation owners | PhocusWire - 0 views

  • Property management systems continue to be a significant challenge for vacation rental managers
  • no single system sticks out as “most valuable” for managers
  • PMS software was also the top fix for vacation rental managers who were quizzed on their priority if they could wave a magic wand.
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  • property management software still consistently fails on the hospitality side of things.
  • property managers with six or more listings appear to hedge their distribution bets saying they list across multiple platforms.
  • managers who counted one or more gaps in their PMS
  • fifth of respondents having between one to five listings listing exclusively on the service.
  • PMSs are mostly focused on helping property managers get the reservation
  • 58% of property managers unable to single out a technology that has most impact on their business.
  •  
    this article highlights the impact of property management systems on accomodation owners in the hospitality industry
rhera004

Technology in the hospitality industry - exploring the very latest trends - 5 views

  • Digital conference facilities
  • hotels also need to be able to offer access to audio-visual (AV) and digital facilities for conferences.
  • If a hotel has extensive conference facilities, network design becomes critical to ensure indoor mobile phone coverage, Wi-Fi connectivity, VoIP, real time location services (RTLS) and internet protocol television (IPTV)
  • ...51 more annotations...
  • When investing in digital apps for check-ins, room service and other customer-oriented digital interactions, hotel operators are investing in systems and technologies that can personalise the experience for guests, including a guest’s name being displayed on the welcome desk at a digital check-in station;
  • hotel staff can take a more innovative approach by using infrared scanners that will detect body heat within a room and tell cleaning staff that they should rather come back later if the room is currently occupied.
  • NFC technology can also be used to personalise a guest’s experience at a hotel or resort.
  • A boutique hotel that is nestled between Apple’s headquarters and other tech companies, called Aloft Cupertino, has a robot butler called Botlr that is able to move between the various floors of the hotel in order to take items such as toothbrushes, chargers and snacks to guests.
  • Near field communication (NFC) technology is the next-generation short-range high frequency wireless communication technology that gives users the ability to exchange data between devices.
  • Retina scanning is even more accurate and secure
  • than fingerprint scans and hotels like the Nine Zero Hotel in Boston have already installed an iris scan system
  • Marketing, management and hotel developers can no longer work in silos and these technology trends are giving them the opportunities, tools and solutions they need to create memorable experiences
  • 81% of respondents wanted access to mobile video content at hotels and 55% said that mobile content availability at a hotel would influence where they choose to stay.
  • Being able to provide entertainment on tap and mobile content has led to the trend of hotels investing in cloud services.
  • gives hotels the flexibility to expand and adjust their IT needs along with business growth
  • Cloud computing is becoming the norm and we will continue to see hotel groups replacing their legacy IT infrastructure with cloud solutions.
  • take full advantage of technology in this space is using it to communicate how well they are doing (in real time) with respect to their various environmental initiatives (such as real time electricity/water usage reporting, etc.)
  • local area networks (LANs)
  • building services can be automated in order to control lighting, refrigeration, air-conditioning and heating.
  • Besides reducing energy consumption, converged LANs can also be set up to provide a smarter, more personal experience.
  • Another innovative way to offer a keyless experience is through fingerprint-activated room entry systems and retina scanning devices.
  • Installing and maintaining a hotel-wide wireless network may be coupled with costs, but many leading hotel groups have started to install high density Wi-Fi and started to offer in-building mobile phone coverage as guests have come to expect these services during their stay (not only for themselves, but also for their guests if they are hosting a conference or function at the hotel).
  • While the amount of AV and digital equipment that goes into a typical conference room is fairly minimal, staging companies are often hired for various projects in order to equip the facility as required.
  • Guests want to be able to do everything from checking in at a venue’s automated kiosk to ordering room service with a digital device instead of standing in queues and moving around the hotel premises to order food.
  • investing in a check-in/cocierge app requires a small initial investment and can lead to greater efficiency and savings as hotel staff are able to focus on customer service and property developers don’t have to create large static reception desks at each entrance and hotel location.
  • can transfer data at up to 424 kbits/second and the communication is enabled when two devices touch each other, which makes mobile payments (by touching the smart phone to a credit card) an instant, secure process.
  • this technology could also be used to track loyalty points from a guest’s use of the conference facilities or room service.
  • Infrared scanners are now also used to minimise disruptions relating to housekeeping (which is a common complaint from customers).
  • All of these experiences need to be part of an integrated, dynamic system so that the guests’ experiences are at the forefront of the marketing and operational team’s mind.
  • Starwood (owner of the Sheraton, Weston and “W” hotel chains) has already upgraded 30,000 room locks across 150 hotels with this system and Hilton will be implementing a similar system at 10 of their US properties this year. In 2016, they will be deploying the smart room key technology globally.
  • This technology will mean that guests don’t have to worry about picking up keys and front desk staff won’t have to issue new keys in the event that a guest loses their room key.
  • The hotel room’s television, radio and clock are taking a backseat as travellers use their own technology to keep themselves entertained.
  • Many companies in the hospitality industry are already using social media to their advantage as guests check-in on location-based social media apps, tweet about their experience on Twitter and share their holiday photos with friends and followers on Instagram and Facebook.
  • his shift has led to many hotel and leisure groups developing active social media monitoring and communication strategies in order to stay on top of what’s being said about them online
  • Hotels will increasingly install smart room access systems that allow guests to unlock their doors by simply swiping their phones across a keyless pad on the door.
    • rhera004
       
      This section is talking about designing effective conference facilities/ ensuring your hotel/ facility can accommodate clients technological needs. My thought on this is how can we in the hospitality field accommodate this when we do not yet know the scope of need. We do not know what is to come. Ex. Roads in Europe are incredibly narrow as no one knew cars would be a thing in the future. It's crazy to think buildings and infrastructure can also become obsolete.
  • medical facilities;
    • rhera004
       
      Super important given the state of things
    • rhera004
       
      This freaks me out a bit b/c of devices which can aid people in stealing your credit card information in close proximity to you.
  • For example, advertising can be targeted based on gender and age (so if a child walks by a digital sign in the lobby, the advertisement can change to promote a local theme park or the hotel’s kids club
  • hanging a ‘Do Not Disturb
    • rhera004
       
      Eco-friendly option. I like this!
    • rhera004
       
      Wireless = More sanitary. No one really thinks about the amount of hands that have been on room key cards...
    • rhera004
       
      This may be a hard sell for some people. Ex. Conspiracy theorists etc.
  • almost any person checking in at a hotel, resort, spa or lodge, will have a smartphone in their pockets.
    • rhera004
       
      Social Media is such a powerful advertising tool as well. Have clients work for you. This can also be dangerous if your facility is not running at 100%
    • rhera004
       
      Can be creepy- but will definitely optimize guest experience.
  • hen processes should be put in place to ensure the right person follows up by communicating with the guest and solving the problem at the hotel.
  • ead to positive change and growth in the industry.
  • l
  • computers no longer see Wi-Fi as a perk, but as a must-have when they check in at a hotel.
  • computers no longer see Wi-Fi as a perk, but as a must-have when they check in at a hotel.
  • I
  • t might not yet be financially feasible for hotels to completely abandon the user pay model, but many of them are re-thinking their current infrastructure and pricing models.
    • rhera004
       
      Bluetooth speaker system connectivity would be a good idea for hotel rooms.
  •  
    The article lists the varies new technology that are becoming more and more of the norm in modern hotels. The first and most important is WIFI. Ten years ago every hotel you went would make you pay for WIFI nowadays guests look for hotels that offer free wifi. Conference facilities are a big thing in larger hotels but they need to be digital. Everyone has a mobile device so making as much as possible available on a guests mobile phone will go a long way. Entertain and clod services are all new technologies being used in hotels as well. Of course social media is a huge part of our day to day world.
  •  
    This article talks about how technology is affecting the hospitality industry. There have been several small technological advances in the industry. Recently, advances have been skyrocketing, especially in the hotel sector. Hotels have been updating their technology year after year striving to stay relevant. Businesses are looking for Digital conference facilities for their conferences/meetings. Where skype and zoom calls can be conducted in a business fashion. There are also hotels that are looking to put in finger scanning devices for room access and infrared scanners for staff members to monitor room activity. This article has several other fantastic advances in technology that could be used in the hospitality industry as a whole.
  •  
    Technology evolves everyday it keeps getting better and making lives even easier. Guests are attracted to hotels who have the latest technology. This week I saw in social media a friend of mine is currently in Las Vegas and her room had an Echo Dot and she was asking Alexa to turn off the lights and close the shades. That got my attention and is proving the point on how the Hospitality industry has to be at the very top of the latest technology trends.
ecast038

Disruption Drives the Hospitality Industry to Innovation - Hotel Business - 0 views

  • looks
  • drastic
  • looks
  • ...17 more annotations...
  • As the industry looks to rebound, hotel owners, in particular, are introducing new solutions and services to entice guests, including embracing automation, a once taboo term in an industry used to thinking of service in a very human-centric way. From robot concierges to new marketing strategies, hotel owners are changing the norm to address social distancing measures and lingering travel concerns.
  • Property automation system companies are catering specifically to the accommodations industry to
  • the industry must completely re-evaluate and adjust operations to reduce potential touchpoints, and automation is a crucial component at this time.
  • The entire check-in process can now be done through a smartphone, minimizing staff interactions and reducing exposure to a crowded lobby. Guests can check-in with a single touch and enter their room in minutes without even requiring a physical key card.
  • centric
  • make the integration of smart locks and devices easily accessible.
  • For an industry that has long since relied on its (human) staff to deliver customer service, this is
  • drastic
  • experience
  • shift to a tech-first experience. However, for hotels struggling to open with a skeleton staff to reduce overhead, an automated management system can improve efficiency and the overall guest experience.
  • experience
  • branded apps are a one-stop portal for everything from reservations to room service. Used c
  • orrectly, a branded app can help streamline operations and establish a direct channel of communication between hotels and guests.
  • Smart technology is a key investment for hotels as they look to reduce high touchpoints in rooms. Voice assistants can control nearly everything in a room, including temperature, lighting, alarm clocks, televisions an
  • d to order room service. It also creates an opportunity for hotels to learn guest patterns and personalize the experience even further.
  • And based on the past few months, the industry is rising to the challenge.
  • the pandemic accelerated the need to embrace smart technology and automation urgently, putting more pressure on an industry with slim profit margins to cover the costs of implementing the infrastructure to accommodate these changes. The industry has its back against the wall, forcing change and innovative new thinking to adapt and entice guests back as travel resume
  •  
    Before the pandemic hotels were using apps to allow guests to view hotels in their area and book hotels from the comfort of their phone. These apps also had incentives to make customers want to book through the app, now that the pandemic has caused individuals to not be able to be in contact as much, the hotels have taken advantage of these apps to allow guest to do more. Guests are now able to check in through these apps, open the door to their room without needing a key, ordering room service and towels and other toiletries through the app as well. The pandemic forced a lot of companies within the hospitality and tourism sector to become more technology friendly in the sense that they wanted less person-to-person contact, for the safety of external guests and internal guests. Like mentioned in the article smart devices have more of an influence on the guests experience overall, the article mentioned how hotels are using robots to clean rooms, deliver room service and toiletries to guest to increase social distancing standards within the properties. Hospitality was once known as an experience only able to be best delivered by humans but now it is an experience through technology that brings comfort to guests.
  •  
    To provide safer environments to guests and avoid going out of business, hotels had to quickly adopt changes and innovations. Although the industry has heavily relied on human interaction for all customer service aspects, smart technology and automation has been crucial for hotels. In many hotels, all guests need is their smartphone to check-in and get in to their rooms. Marketing has changed and many hotels rooms now feature workstations and gym equipment to ease guests travel concerns.
liz649

Bed & Breakfast Management Software | Little Hotelier - 0 views

  • higher expectations when it comes to service and accommodation standards.
  • more convenient to analyse performance and determine important business decisions.
  • ‘self-start’
  • ...25 more annotations...
  • channel manage
  • booking engine
  • arn more bookings and revenue.
  • support available 24/7,
  • designs their software with small accommodation businesses
  • issues you have can be solved as quickly as possible
  • understand your goals
  • stay PCI-DSS and PSD2 SCA compliant to protect your small property from fraud and avoid online risks.
  • Make sure you’re free to cancel anytime.
  • Stay connected to your guests throughout their stay
  • Manage important daily tasks straight from your smartphone or tablet
  • enables you to manage your property online. It can include many different features such as a front desk system, booking engine, channel manager, payments solution, and more.
  • payment information is in one place
  • command centre where you can see all your bookings from every booking source in one central calendar.
  • ed and
  • breakfast software is a tool that
  • centralising all the crucial aspects of your property’s operations
  • n keep everything all in one place and make changes at the click of a button
  • nformation you need to view or analyse
  • generated automatically and is easily accessible.
  • simplifying the day-to-day operations of your business
  • more control over your business, leading to better decisions and greater profits.
  • easily control all the vital parts of reservation management
  • add more value to your business.
  • increase upsell opportunities and further enhance guest experience
  •  
    The article discusses what a bed and breakfast system is and how it is beneficial for the bed and breakfast to have a PMS system. If the owner would like to live their life and not be behind the desk they need the bed and breakfast system. The owner is able to have all the functions of their bed and breakfast at their finger tips and make any changed from their phone or tablet.
ivettemackliff

https://talkroute.com/the-rise-of-airbnb-taking-over-hospitality-industry/#:~:text=The%... - 3 views

150 million users are hosting their properties in over 65,000 cities across the globe. Currently Air BNB is a $31 billion company. The company quickly became a hit mainly because it operated in unr...

technology Hospitality hotel software business tech travel

smend120

Benefits of Global Distribution System | GDS Booking System - 0 views

  • a central reservation system that allows travel agencies and their clients to access travel knowledge, buy and compare reservations choices and book travel
  • connects the travel service suppliers or vendors to the travel agencies in real-time, by providing a centralized service that covers the bookings of airline tickets and more.
  • The leading global distribution systems are Amadeus, Sabre, Galileo, and Worldspan.
  • ...15 more annotations...
  • Travel Agencies have historically relied on GDS for services, products & rates to produce travel-related services to end customers.
  • The GDS system is one of the most necessary tools for the travel business
  • OTA (Online Travel Agent) can access the inventory of airlines in real-time. Users can book and process the travel offers that best work their needs.
  • Amadeus GDS helps to distribute the services in order that the audience or clients may get the specified result out of it. In the world of travel, Amadeus API Integration is one of the ancient and trusted technologies.
  • Galileo is one of the global suppliers of travel product within the world and that they currently provide the Galileo Global Distribution system. Galileo is an application program interface (API) that permits customers to make an interface like a website, connected to the Galileo.
  • Sabre Global Distribution System is one of the leading suppliers of travel reservation systems with over 55000 travel agencies. Sabre is an efficient and cost-effective distribution channel that helps airlines and travel corporations to extend their market reach to leisure and corporate traveler.
  • travel agents to search, price, book, and ticket travel services provided by airlines and tour operators. Sabre provides users with schedules, availability, pricing, policies, and rules, yet as reservation and ticketing capability for travel suppliers.
  • Travelport is a leading Global Distribution System, that operates in 170 countries including globally accepted and allows Worldspan and Galileo GDS platforms. The Travelport network consists of 400 Airline partners serving to travel corporations increase revenue, lower value and efficiency reach leisure and company travelers globally in each continent and channel.
  • Worldspan GDS System provides data-rich solutions that offer travel buyers and suppliers distinctive insights into their operations that facilitate to manage your travel business, reducing prices and improving revenues. Worldspan travel software acts as a single source for providing travel deals and information all over the globe.
  • he integration of Worldspan travel software permits the travel agents to boost the client's expertise by providing information like rates, inventory, discount and description that is finished on a real-time
  • market your latest sales message, special offers, and discounts directly to travel agents. 
  • A single global travel distribution system is connected through B2B, B2C, B2E and B2B2C websites.
  • OTAs have greatly improved the travel shopping experience & convenience for consumers and have increased pricing transparency.
  • GDS systems deliver worldwide data, rates, inventory, offers, real-time availability of airlines, hotel rooms, car rental, bus tickets, and many more to make the travel industry more informatics and sophisticated.
  • Benefits of Global Distribution System Global distribution systems are widely responsible for the growth of travel industry and stepping stone of most internet based travel services.
  •  
    Global distribution systems work by connecting travel companies (airlines, car rentals, cruise lines) to travel agencies (online or human) who then connect with the interested traveler. By this chain, the travel agent is able to offer real time availability from the companies to the traveller. The benefits of this system are the ability to deliver tons of information direct from the relevant companies, it is convenient for those that use them and easy to track travelling trends and interests. To me, it works like a mass marketing strategy. The content is generated by the owners and instead of enlisting their own man power, they utilize the efficiency and convenience of remote technology to mass distribute. The intended consumer receives the information without ever having to think where it's coming from, but inevitably trusts its reliability. The productivity of this system is something that those in the hospitality industry cannot ignore because this represents moments of the first interaction between the interested consumer and your operation. In order for the information to reach them in a convenient medium. In summary, GDS's help information get from the travel company to the consumer everyday in real time via global networks.
  •  
    Global Distribution Systems (GDS) are largely responsible for the expansion of the travel industry. They provide the foundation for most internet-based travel services offered globally, and they link the providers of travel services in real-time. To make the travel business more complex and informatics, the GDS system provides global data, pricing, inventory, offers, and real-time availability of flights, hotel rooms, car rentals, and even bus tickets. GDS enables travel agencies and their customers to access travel information, purchase and compare options for reservations, and schedule trips. One of the most essential tools for the travel industry is the GDS system. Global Distribution Systems are server-hosted web platforms that offer worldwide discounts on the booking of travel-related goods like airfares. Amadeus, Sabre, and Travelport are the three main GDSs in the market, and they are connected to more than 650,000 travel agents. Travel agencies depend on GDS's assistance to maximize their own profits because GDS is a direct seller of airline tickets. To increase their revenues and their ability to offer tickets to customers, travel agencies enter into an agreement with GDS and gain access to a listing of fares.
  •  
    " Benefits of Global Distribution System Global distribution systems are widely responsible for the growth of travel industry and stepping stone of most internet based travel services. Benefits of Global Distribution System for Travel Agents and Tour Operators GDS systems deliver worldwide data, rates, inventory, offers, real-time availability of airlines, hotel rooms, car rental, bus tickets, and many more to make the travel industry more informatics and sophisticated. How Travel GDS Marketplace Is Reshaping the Travel Industry GDS stands for Global Distribution System and it's essentially a central reservation system that allows travel agencies and their clients to access travel knowledge, buy and compare reservations choices and book travel. functions across the world and connects the travel service suppliers or vendors to the travel agencies in real-time, by providing a centralized service that covers the bookings of airline tickets and more. permits travel agents to access, in real-time, availability, feature and costs for airlines and extra travel services worldwide. The leading global distribution systems are Amadeus, Sabre, Galileo, and Worldspan. This permits users to buy tickets from various suppliers or completely different airlines. GDS can link services, rates, and bookings that combine a spread of products and services in travel sectors: e.g., airline bookings. Independent travel agents, travel agencies are now using an increasing sophisticated GDS system to seek out the best travel and accommodation and rates for their clients. Travel Agencies have historically relied on GDS for services, products & rates to produce travel-related services GDS system is one of the most necessary tools for the travel business the system will yield results with real-time pricing and availability comparisons There are 3 major GDS within the market- Amadeus, Sabre, and Travelport here are over 650,000 and travel agents connected via a GDS system Systems enable users to bu
jmeji095

EZee Launched A Self-Service Hotel Kiosk at SATTE 2022 - 0 views

  • The all-new hotel self-check-in kiosk gained tremendous laud at the event as delegates and attendees got a first-hand experience of this sought-after technology.
  • The demonstration of this device showed how it enables accommodation businesses to offer flexibility and freedom to their guest
  • And we have built the kiosk considering the changing travel behaviors. e Zee Tap can be an essential technology for your hotel, helping you accommodate guests, even without any human staff.”
  •  
    A self-service hotel kiosk named eZee has just recently been added by a popular hospitality management solutions provider. This kiosk will be able to do various amounts of things to process customers faster such as checking people in, checking identification, and taking payments. The plan of this solution is meant to "accelerate the growth of the industry."
artandmer

Best Failover Routers for 2022 | Novotech Technologies - 2 views

  • An LTE failover router ensures that a network remains online and operational in the event of an internet outage. This is accomplished by including a secondary redundant internet connection that a network automatically switches to should the primary internet connection fail. 
  • A loss of internet connectivity, however brief, can have a substantial impact on a business's operations, resulting not only in lost revenue and productivity but potentially triggering a cascade of system failures.
  • A dual-WAN, or multi-WAN router allows simultaneous internet connection to two or more internet service providers
  • ...2 more annotations...
  • Businesses and organizations are rapidly adopting more cloud-based services in their daily operations. This means automatic failover capability and uninterrupted network access have shifted from being merely valuable to being absolutely vital to keeping services running around-the-clock.
  • do your homework, and find a failover router that's right for your company
  •  
    This article explains the hardware (i.e. failover routers, dual-WAN routers) that are the key to internet redundancy when large business can not afford to have an outage. As businesses rely more and more on cloud-based computing, it is becoming more and more costly to have an internet outage. While the article might sell a good story, I don't feel like things are quite as good as advertised when trying to apply this in a hotel setting where oftentimes franchisor IT requirements only allow one static IP address and these routers require multiple IP addresses. I've personally experienced failures in the "last mile" of infrastructure (i.e. construction cuts a line or gophers chew fiberoptic cable) that even if the hotel has a failover router with multiple ISPs, the hotel would have experienced a complete outage due to the fact that both carriers were physically sharing the last mile. Maybe wireless network failover routers have more of a chance to thwart gophers and construction equipment? Conduct proper research to make sure your franchisor could accommodate a failover router.
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