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Switching to the cloud from a client server platform pays off with a big drop in both the initial capital outlay and the ongoing operating costs for the property management and other systems.

pects of a franchisee’s business, from guest check-ins and housekeeping services to billing and finances. Over time new features have been rolled into the software platform making it more robust and useful for hotel owners—it’s currently distributed in eight countries and available in four languages. And while plenty of cloud-based PMS packages are now available from third-party vendors like Micros, Maestro, and RoomKey, Choice’s internal solution has garnered its fair share of attention. “We had been getting knocks on the door from IT vendors at other hotel companies and individual Choice franchisees that own other brands, saying they were interested in our product,” says Pacious, “So we set up a new division so we could take a look at other opportunities we could develop.” This led the company to launch SkyTouch last year, a new division that develops and markets cloud-based software solutions to hotels inside and outside the Choice system. Pages: 1 2 3 4 2013-06-18 Sean Downey !function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];if(!d.getElementById(id)){js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js";fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}}(document,"script","twitter-wjs"); (function(d, s, id) { var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0]; if (d.getElementById(id)) return; js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id; js.src = "//connect.facebook.net/en_US/all.js#xfbml=1"; fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs); }(document, 'script', 'facebook-jssdk')); (function() { var po = document.createElement('script'); po.type = 'text/javascript'; po.async = true; po.src = 'https://apis.google.com/js/plusone.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(po, s); })(); (function() { var li = document.createElement('script'); li.type = 'text/javascript'; li.async = true; li.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https:' : 'http:') + '//platform.stumbleupon.com/1/widgets.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(li, s); })(); inShare0 Related Articles attachment-3

his led the company to launch SkyTouch last year, a new division that develops and markets cloud-based software solutions to hotels inside and outside the Choice system. Pages: 1 2 3 4 2013-06-18 Sean Downey !function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];if(!d.getElementById(id)){js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js";fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}}(document,"script","twitter-wjs"); (function(d, s, id) { var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0]; if (d.getElementById(id)) return; js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id; js.src = "//connect.facebook.net/en_US/all.js#xfbml=1"; fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs); }(document, 'script', 'facebook-jssdk')); (function() { var po = document.createElement('script'); po.type = 'text/javascript'; po.async = true; po.src = 'https://apis.google.com/js/plusone.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(po, s); })(); (function() { var li = document.createElement('script'); li.type = 'text/javascript'; li.async = true; li.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https:' : 'http:') + '//platform.stumbleupon.com/1/widgets.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(li, s); })(); inShare0 Related Articles Hotel Market Insight: Cleveland a

This led the company to launch SkyTouch last year, a new division that develops and markets cloud-based software solutions to hotels inside and outside the Choice system.

Embrace Innovation

company that thinks outside the box is Marriott International,

Marriott has an "innovation lab"

headquarters that constantly manufactures new ideas

implementing communal rooms.

share a kitchen,

dining room, and lounge area

Make Technology Your Friend

how technology has the power to take companies to the next level.

people don't normally like change or have trouble adapting to new systems.

Personalize Employee Communication

personalizing employee communication.

The staff is the backbone of any hotel and needs to constantly be informed.

act that you can't ignore internal communications anymore. Today's guests expect to communicate anywhere, anytime with ease—and your employees expect the same.

Hotels that have implemented internal communication platforms where team members not only receive information faster, but also stay connected to every employee, have seen their teams fulfill requests quicker

Before you can commit to staying ahead of the curve, you must have a solid foundation to build from.

This means we dive into their origin story, their inspiration, and their aspirations for the future.

While these principles could very well be constant throughout the lifetime of your business, it’s important to identify and honor them—truth is timeless and will always supercede all trends.

When it comes to staying ahead of the curve, a safe choice isn’t necessarily the best choice.

Getting new energy in the room leads to thought diversity and keeps you and your team ahead of the curve.

Rather than looking at emerging trends and deciding what bandwagon to jump on next, consider abstaining from what’s now and start thinking about what’s next.

we believe in collective curiosity and want our clients to push boundaries and do great things. To do that, staying ahead of the curve is a must.

Embrace The Discomfort

Be receptive and adaptive to change, however uncomfortable that may be.

Tech execs need to disrupt the current thinking within an enterprise, they need to be agile in decision-making, take risks and keep up with the innovation ecosystem.

Respond Rapidly To Change

Technology executives need to be able to respond rapidly to this change, not let it overwhelm them

It is important to understand the strengths and weaknesses of your team.

Be Disruptive And Agile

Focus On Innovation

Understand Scale

Not Be Afraid To Ask 'Dumb' Questions

Be Innovative And Proactive Instead Of Reactive

With the rate technology advanced in the past, executives needed to be flexible and adaptable

Technology leaders need to innovate, to be proactive rather than reactive. The ones who will be successful are the ones who will find new, creative ways to use technology to make their teams better

Innovation isn't about managing at scale. It's about focusing on the one key product that will win an industry

Technol

From the internet of things to artificial intelligence, the tech space is ever-evolving and is doing so at breakneck speed

his is how critical items, especially in cyber defense strategies, get missed or simply incorrectly configured. Leadership is knowing when your team needs help

he best thing I can say will bring success to any technology exec is to get a coach.

Their coach helps them be accountable, bounce ideas around and will be there for them when they need advice and support.

Are their technologies and teams going to scale to the challenges they are facing today and tomorrow

With new tech hitting the hotel industry so rapidly, taking the time to examine the main trends to best direct focus can be extremely valuable.

Guests want to be able to access all the amenities and conveniences of home when they’re on the road, and if a property isn’t able to keep up, it will likely be left behind.

when new technology hits hotels, it must be seamless

The rise of the Echo and voice-recognition technology is just one example of the lightning-fast way technology is evolving and changing people’s lives

Guests are now able to interact with your property long before they ever set foot in the building

There has also been a move towards cloud connectivity and the integration of systems that previously would have been separate

Hilton is somewhat unique in that it relies very heavily on what Wilson calls its “innovation hotel,”

The McLean property is also unique in that everyone in the hotel—including the guests—knows when pilot programs are happening. “We’re very transparent about what we’re testing and why we’re testing it.

The big brands, while constantly innovating, are still fixated on one goal—giving guests the best experience possible. “Our primary focus when delivering technology is making sure it also aligns with our strategic initiatives, including driving consistency in delivering an outstanding guest experience,” Cline says.

“Imagine, a Hello Rewards member walks up to the hotel’s coffee shop and the barista is automatically notified that this guest is named Sarah and Sarah enjoys lattes with almond milk.

regardless of rapidly changing circumstances, continue strengthening your team’s core competencies – what they are best at doing.

committed to your values, your staff, your customers, etc., but uncommitted preferably to anything that may tie you down or impede agility

do what you do well (or better than the rest), but focus your thinking on what your product and services are going to look like within the next five years.

Check out industry trends, ensure that mobile technology is being fully utilised in every way in your business and get teams involved in planning a creative future for their respective functions.

Staying ahead of the curve in our “disrupted” world requires the combined creativity of everyone in the company – all applying positive energy to generate ideas, inspire change and chart an exciting path towards a sustainable future.

Taking action means understanding the new thing or idea or concept, capturing its potential, and putting it into action. 

customers are your best barometer for what’s worth capturing and what’s not. 

Sometimes that’s easier said than done, but without decisive leadership, you are not going to succeed in moving your team forward.

There is no 100% surefire solution to staying on top, but you must try to get in and stay in the game. 

When well-intentioned plans go awry, you must be able to rebound and redirect your plans and goals in a new way. 

No guts, no glory.

Therefore, it is highly likely that, merging mobile marketing efforts with iBeacon technology could result in higher click-through, quicker conversion, more sales and greater loyalty.

busy a restaurant is at a particular time

real-time information

not overwhelm users with notifications

deep understanding of the value offered to customers and deliver it in the best way possible.

delivering personalized deals and messages

prevent boredom

offer customized discounts for first-time customers, encouraging them to come back often

deliver custom menus to valued customers based on previous orders and visit history

awarding crawlers

ollect massive amounts of untapped data

Hospitality operators were also asked to share their POS purchasing plans for the year ahead . When comparing 2012 purchasing plans to last year’s survey results, a trend emerges: more investment in the year ahead. This is positive news for industry, as it shows that purse strings have loosened for IT budgets. In fact, it’s also a full reversal of the results of this survey from one year ago when, across the board, hospitality operators reported far less POS investment plans

The point-of-sale has undergone something of an identity shift over the past several years, as hard-wired, all-in-one units are being replaced by a variety of mobile devices.

The potential to improve operating efficiencies.

client server technology. This technology will bring no less than the dismantling of the management information system (MIS) paradigm as we have known it, more completely democratizing access to information than at any time in the past.

Client server technology is probably the most viable strategic option for medium to large multi-property owners and operators as technology upgrades are made.

Optimally, hotel organizations should be able to reduce IT costs, leverage investments in PCs and improve staff productivity. In addition, client server technology sets the stage for the still more sophisticated technologies of the next decade in which guests will have greater access to in-room technologies, and fully integrated systems using a common database will be the norm.

Guest services accessed by the guest typically involve the use of the in-room television remote control to select from a suite of interactive programs and services. Guests can navigate easily through multi-media video and audio, and be automatically connected by phone to outside services.

involve a PC running a front-end application that allows access to outside services, as well as access to guest-specific information maintained in a central repository or database. In either case, the method employed is driven by the guest familiarity and comfort in using technology.

better target a hotel's customer base.

Client server technology now permits a hotel chain to maintain one single customer database which can be accessed by all of the properties connected to the server over the network. In addition, far more data can be collected about the customer and his spending, making the database much more powerful as a focused marketing tool.

Technological advances thus have the potential to generate a range of benefits critical to remaining competitive, and ultimately driving expanded market share and profitability. Nevertheless, the barriers to increased investments in technology by hotel owners and operators can be daunting. These include general resistance to change, lack of available funds or manpower to invest in technology, and a perceived inability to quantify benefits.

investments in technologies and effective application of these technologies in hotel operations and services will become one of the most decisive factors differentiating successful hotel organizations globally in the years ahead.

Real-time availability: The new functionality enables consumers to view current availability and book a table at their favorite restaurants, or a new restaurant they want to try

Waitlist: If users are interested in a restaurant that does not take reservations, they can now learn how long the wait is, and how many diners are on the list ahead of them Restaurant marketing tool: "Right Now" provides a new tool for restaurants to push out and market new inventory to diners on the go Availability bar: Diner

s can view restaurant availability in aggregate, with table inventory automatically populating a bar marked "Tables Available Right Now," on the Urbanspoon iPhone app home screen; Restaurants can easily flip the switch on and off to publish information about their wait list, including walk-in availability and wait times

also has the potential to drive more revenue for the hotel, since guests are less likely to worry or think about spending money if they don't have to pull out cash or credit cards.

Since every person has unique fingerprints, the PayTouch system also offers an added layer of security that credit cards do not. 

Fingerprints are never stored," Giménez says. "The system only keeps an extraction that allows us to unmistakably identify the PayTouch user. There is no possibility of going back to retrieve the original fingerprint, so user data is always protected."

“They’re not just an amenity,” says Alex Attia, general manager of The Charles Hotel in Cambridge, Mass., a Preferred Hotel. “It’s what the customer is looking for. It’s convenient for them and gives them another reason to come to our hotel rather than go to another one.”

Staying ahead of new and emerging trends is important in the hospitality business. “It keeps us fresh,” says Attia. “Nobody can say we’re out-of-date. We’re up-to-date. We want to be ahead of the game if we can be.” 

“We think today’s traveler is more aware and committed to responsible travel, feeling a personal responsibility to lessen their carbon footprint,” says Steve Pinetti, senior vice president, inspiration & creativity for Kimpton Hotels and Restaurants. “As hybrid and electric vehicles become more affordable and practical, we see them moving away from being trendy to becoming a mainstay in the years ahead.”

Fairmont Pacific Rim, a 377-room luxury property that opened in 2010  in Vancouver, British Columbia, installed a electric vehicle charging station in October.   It’s free for guests to use. “It’s not a marketing tool,” says Samatha Geer, a spokeswoman for Fairmont Pacific Rim.. “It’s about doing the right thing.”

“It differentiates the brand. We want our consumers to come to us because we’ve met a lot of their needs. I think it does add value and we don’t charge for it. It’s what we see guests want. It’s a trend we’re seeing.

The InterContinental Vienna is taking the trend a step further. It has electric cars for hotel guests and local area residents to rent for a slightly higher price than gas-driven automobiles. The hotel also has a complimentary charging station.

three quarters of respondents went on to say that knowledge and skills gaps are key factors limiting growth

47% say customers are asking for more "eco-friendly, sustainable travel options