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As mobile devices become more advanced, particularly cell phones and tablet devices, more pressure to keep up with mobile and social trends is placed on the hospitality industry. People are using their mobile devices more now than they have in the past. So much so, that "two thirds of Americans sleep with their mobile device in range, something we cannot say about desktops". A world of information is at your fingertips because of the capability of mobile devices. Information that can help us make decisions about anything. Even last-minute decisions about hotels and food. More people are using their mobile devices to book rooms and many of the people that do this, are booking a hotel for the same night. The fact most of the people who do this are under 30 means that it is very likely that this trend will increase. People are expecting the technology to be there so that they can pick a hotel and a restaurant to go to if they are unfamiliar with a city. They are expecting a hotel chain to have a mobile site or better yet an "app" that will not only allow them to book a room, but, one that will give them directions from where they are to the hotel. The same can be said for restaurants. Potential customers want to be able to look over the menu and determine if they want to come to the restaurant, all from their mobile device. Mobile guests are also using customer review sites to determine where they will lodge or dine. They are using sites like TripAdvisor which allows you to post comments about your stay. The sight even allows the guests to post pictures. "Customer reviews are also important to the hotel industry, but the jury is still out on exactly how hotels should react with people who post reviews." It is always great when a guest posts a positive review of the hotel, but imagine how one bad stay could tarnish a hotels reputation. And what if there are cleanliness issues that the guest can photograph and upload to the site? Exactly what to do in this type of e

According to the latest Pegasus data, North American corporate bookings struggled to maintain the record global pace of +8.8% with a more modest +5.0% increase over April 2012. However, the regions leisure market surged ahead by an impressive +7.0%, surpassing the global rate of +6.2%.

In this article, we learn of the great increase in leisure travel. In the corporate market, we still see some increase, but not at the margin the leisure is leading with. From a hotel's point of view, the increases are welcomed with open arms. This kind of data is imperative to making daily decisions on rates for the properties. As a sales person or revenue management, we do have the option to subscribe to reports that would show us the market area, who's leading in bookings, where it comes from, how far out they book, how long their average stays are, and how much they are spending. GDS connected sources are the only ones we are able to view (for the specific report I am referring to). While this prevents us from having completely accurate data from across the board bookings, it does help us to see those portals, accounting for a fifth of our business and setting the trends for the rest of the booking sources. I'm so glad to see the increases and hopefully it will remain steady. I am seeing a huge surge in the real estate market as well, which gives a clear idea of our economy starting to come back to life!

This article is about the InterContinental Hotel needs for a Human Resources management system that allows them to optimize the human resources department operations. A system that allows managing reports and analysis of employees information, payrolls, resume, calculations, and other. The hotel chain InterContinental looked for software vendors that provide their needs and Sky Bayan was the software they tried and ended up working with successful results.

It's crowded at the top of the to-do list. We've just published the 2013 Lodging Technology Study, where hotel executives reveal which technology projects are top priorities for the year ahead. Their biggest investment (20% of their overall IT budgets) will be in guest room technology, focusing first on Wi-Fi access and bandwidth, and soon thereafter on upgrading door locks. Pressure to provide ample bandwidth is on, with high guest expectations for connectivity. But at the moment, it's room locking technology that's in the hot seat. Hotel guest room technology - and door locks in particular - received national attention in recent months when Forbes broke the news about a potential room lock security flaw found in Onity locks by a 24-year old software developer and security researcher. In a highly-contested decision (criticized as poor judgment by some and applauded as necessary full disclosure by others), the researcher released specific details of how to perform the lock hack. Since then a handful of hotels have alleged that the method was used by thieves in a series of guest room break-ins. While the threat is limited to one manufacturer's locking technology, it still could impact as many as 4 million hotel rooms. Onity responded with a fix, but is charging hoteliers for replacement technology, also a decision under criticism. Hotels, meanwhile, are putting a priority on upgrading locking technology. According to our survey, which was conducted at about the same time that the news broke about the potential lock flaw, more than one-third of hoteliers (35% overall) are planning to upgrade their hotel locks. About 20% will do so by the end of 2013, and another 15% will upgrade sometime thereafter. Right now, there are plenty of fingers being pointed with regard to ownership, if the hack method becomes a repeated source of break-ins. But regardless of who is to blame, it's the guest whose safety is compromised and the hotel whose name will

This article focuses on the benefits that Maestro (a property management system) offers to hotels and how it has been benefitting hotels that currently use their system, more specifically, smaller, independent hotels. Most chain hotels and large facilities are required to utilize a flag-mandated property management system. However, independent operators are not linked with these mandated systems, and have a choice as to which system to utilize. Maestro claims to offer Northwind, a service that allows Maestro to be utilized in a cloud-based system, enabling it to host multiple properties and save the establishment money by not requiring them to purchase servers and security, whereas a traditional PMS would have done so. The president of Northwind also states that they strive for their clients to succeed and that it is more of a partnership with those who utilize their service, and their goal is to make a hotel's operations more profitable and efficient. The article continues on to explain the uses and functions of the Maestro system, including being fully-integrates and offering operators loyalty program benefits and the functionality to compete with programs that were solely available to chains. It also tracks points earned and redemption stays as well for those loyalty programs, and claims to minimize errors and save operators money. It also allows integrations that provides social media outlets through the property management system, allowing the user to operate their business simultaneously through different systems. Maestro also boasts that the utilization of their property management system allows hotels to increase their direct bookings through the property for a lower cost than if they were to utilize a different system in which it was not flawlessly and seamlessly integrated with a global distribution system. It seems to be a property management system that enables users to complete many tasks at once, from one location, without having the hassle of

CAER includes a wide range of electronics recyclers and affiliate organizations that support passage of the Responsible Electronics Recycling Act (RERA), legislation that will promote fair and responsible e-waste trade. The bill, which will be reintroduced in the current session of Congress, bans the export of certain types of unprocessed and non-working electronics and e-waste from the U.S. to developing countries. Fair trade in tested, working electronics and processed e-scrap commodities would not be restricted. Processing this e-waste in the U.S. would create 21,000 full-time equivalent recycling jobs with a corresponding payroll of $772 million and the potential for 21,000 additional indirect jobs, according to the study. The study notes that jobs will further increase as e-waste volumes rise in the years ahead. Since its founding in November 2011, CAER has grown to include 82 U.S. companies operating about 158 electronics recycling and disposition facilities operations in 34 states and the District of Columbia.

Merlin Software has launched a new property management system software for Vacation Ownership. The software uses RCI interface and is one of the first to use the RCI interface for PMS. RCI launched Deposit Simplification Interface in 2012, which linked its system to an external property management system. Merlin Software is one of the first companies to use this link in a PMS. Users of Merlin's newest software can make deposits, which will be automatically validated and deposited into the cloud based software. I think this is an interesting software development in the PMS world. The ability for real time deposit verification makes the customers life easier because they will know if their deposit went through or not. I feel the system is easier since much of it is automatic and can help save time because inbound guest lists and reservations will enter the system in real time. This is a system many people can take advantage of from resorts to multi-site complexes. It makes vacation ownership easier for individuals.

This article is about Merlin Software's newest addition, Merlin Software for Vacation Ownership. This property management software is ideal for everything from single site resorts to multi-site developments. It's also the first cloud-based software served on demand. It's accessibility allows users to access the service through any internet connection."Our team worked incredibly hard on this project because we understood the huge benefits it can bring to our clients who are RCI affiliates," said Mike Pnematicatos, chief architect at Merlin Software. I think that Merlin Software for Vacation Ownership will prove to be very beneficial for the hospitality industry. The ability to have a cloud-based service will allow for seamless remote access for management. In addition, the software will streamline the process of placing new products in the marketplace and creating appropriate marketing packages.

This article is about Benseron, and how it premiered its new hybrid POS system at the Northeast Acquirers Association Tradeshow. The company's CEO, Onur Haytac, claims that the software is years ahead of its time. The application will allow users to cross platform between Android, iPad or Windows. The technology will allow servers to use tables table side and accept and process orders in seconds. Users will also have real-time information about their business and allow for better management. In addition, the software will be able to continue running even if the internet or network crashes. I am very excited about this innovation in POS systems. I think that anything that could be done to assist the restaurant owner in running his business more effectively should be welcome with open arms. Studies have shown that consumers are hungry for new technology in restaurants, and I think tablets are the answer. With Benseron's new POS system, manage can streamline orders and have more accurate reports on their sales.

This article discusses how banking and healthcare have been held to a historically high level of cyber security, but only recently has the hospitality industry. It highlights a cyber attack on Wyndham Hotels and their reluctant response to take corrective action. The article offers steps that a hospitality company should take to protect themselves as they launch and work to protect their guests, their information and their company.

Stacked could have easily failed for being "ahead of its time" when it launched its cutting edge iPad ordering system last year in Southern California. From start to finish, the iPad's touch-screen technology allows customers to control their dining experience -- from delivery of the first drink to type of burger toppings to timing of the check.

Based on this article "Stacked" seems to have had great success with implementing the Ipad/eMenu type ordering in their establishment. I found this article to be very useful with the Q&A, addressing some of the major concerns with trying to adopt a similar system. One of the questions involved an older couple "shoing" the server away when offering ordering assistance. I had originally thought of that as a challenge, but when reading the answers, I discovered that it's not as big of an issue. It almost seems like a new challenge for customers to beat when faced with it the first few times. I have actually encouraged a friend of mine that lives in California to visit the restaurant and give me their feedback, I'm excited to hear the results when they come!

The San Francisco Chronicle released that Maestro Modules, a hotel software property management system of hotels, resorts and multi-property groups has been selected by Luxury Ski Spa, Golf and Yachting Resorts to upgrade to a better PMS for more profitable operations and high-touch guest service. Maestro has been selected by five independent resorts and hopes that this software will increase revenue, lower cost direct web bookings and greater operating efficiency. Maestro is the industry leading hotel software and reservation software and empowers hundreds of high-touch independent operators and hotel groups to stay ahead of competitive innovative technology. Maestro offers beyond a PMS it delivers revenue generating tools and expert services that allow operators to maximize revenue and increase productivity so guest can keep coming back.

This web is about a group named Sothertons  Chartered Accountants. Its major meaning is researching the new hospitality accounting management. They provide experienced accounting services to those in this industry.     It is not like the traditional accounting practices. In this company, everyone in every area, must understand their operation very much. They have some specialist services such as Industry benchmarking and KPI management, working capital management and so on.     They could analyze their competitors when you see clearly relationship between decisions and performance. They could help you to solve the accounting problem and satisfy your business needs. For example, their accounting services could cover many areas like hotel, restaurant, catering and food and wine businesses.     The Sothertons Chartered Accountants have influence for the accounting process and could improve your hospitality business profitability. They have the professional ability to cover clients' profits.

Instead of introducing some new technology, this article is more like an advertisement. it does not introduce much information about this technology and it is not a news for us to know a cloud based PMS. But cloud based PMS is still not widely used in the industry, while Benchmark is one step ahead. Except the benefit of reduce hardware costs for investors, closed based accounting system also make it easier for its headquarter to protect corporate and guest data as well as maintain these data. With this benefit, corporate is able to monitor the operations of its hotels. 

This article introduces the accouting systems developed by Benchmark Hospitality International. Benchmark invested in the hospitality industry's first "private" cloud platform to host its property's systems and data. Profitvue back office accounting system was mentioned, which has the advantages of more flexible, simple and faster to use, and save money. Also, it is safer to use this private cloud-based to save data, which can bring lots of benifits to shareholders and management teams. In my opinion, all hospitality organizations should enhance their accouting and financial systems to create a safer financial environment, and to get clear information of the financial operations and make further plans to control costs.

The way a property is designed, managed, and positioned in its market all contribute to solid operation makes a great hotel, resort, or conference center. Benchmark invested in the hospitality industry's first 'private' cloud platform to host its propertys' systems and data. Its strategy means that we add properties on a regular basis.The system is Internet-enabled, so the only back-office hardware the hotels need is a PC.It could have the new property up and running quickly without the usual hardware and software installation, and staff training. This saves time and money, and it can turn the property around much faster.

In the article, "Hotel Lock Firm's Security Fix Requires Hardware Changes For Millions Of Keycard Locks," it talks about how Onity has a plan to fix a security flaw that allows hackers to insert a homemade device into the lock and open the door in a matter of second. The only problem with this new plan is that it requires hardware changes to every affected lock and it even might require it customers to pay for it. "Black Hat security conference by Cody Brocious, a Mozilla developer who showed that he was able to insert a device he built for less than $50 into the data port on the underside of Onity's locks, read their memory to find a decryption key, and use it to gain access to the lock's firmware and trigger its open command in a matter of seconds." It seems crazy that hackers can break in so easily, so maybe this expensive security could be worth it in the long run. The company responded with two different parts, first, it's issuing caps that cover the data port Brocious's hack exploited and the second more substantial: Onity will offer its customers new circuit boards and firmware that ostensibly fix the problems. Before reading this article I had no idea that it was so easy for hackers to get into hotel rooms, this really makes you think twice before you decide which hotel you will be staying at!

The hardware of hotel is the locker. This article showed us there is a new key card locker was discovered by Onity's. It is more security but it need to change all the affected lock. It is a lock built for less than $50 into the data port on the underside of the Onity's locks. The company's response to that epic security bug has two parts-a quick fix, and a more rigorous one, both of which it plans to make available by the end of August: First, it's issuing caps that cover the data port Brocious's hack exploited, which can only be removed by opening the lock's case. To further stymie hackers who would try to open the locks and remove that cap, it's also sending customers new, more obscure Torx screws to replace those on the cases of installed locks.The company's response to that epic security bug has two parts-a quick fix, and a more rigorous one, both of which it plans to make available by the end of August: First, it's issuing caps that cover the data port Brocious's hack exploited, which can only be removed by opening the lock's case. To further stymie hackers who would try to open the locks and remove that cap, it's also sending customers new, more obscure Torx screws to replace those on the cases of installed locks. The safe issue became the most important issue of the new products. It will cost more money of each hotel and it is really safe or not is still a question. 

This article highlights some of the many advantages to switching your Hotel PMS system to a cloud-based system, including saving time and money, increasing your flexibility and security, and appealing to today's technologically savvy guests.

This article makes some excellent points. I must admit that I am still "old fashioned" when it comes to PMS systems, but it's hard to argue with dollars and sense! The cost of an onsite IT team to manage the PMS system is probably the biggest advantage, save for the CAPEX equipment investment. The fact that the system can be managed from a hand held devise, makes it even more attractive. No more downloading of nightly reports, the information is at one's fingertips. My only concern is the security. While any company can be hacked (Home Depot, Target, etc.), there is a lot of trust placed on the cloud host.

This article gives us a glance at six different technological trends being used and "revolutionizing" the hospitality industry. The six trends are cloud/software services, mobility, social media, personalized systems, integration, and globalization. The trends are all seen across the board in hospitality nowadays and are making huge changes in the industry. We have been talking about cloud computing and the pros and cons of using a cloud to store information and even with all the controversy, companies are investing and using the cloud. The use of tablets and smartphones has changed the way we interact with technology and the hospitality field is not staying behind. They are developing mobile sites and apps to help customers look at pictures and reviews about a place, check in and check out or make other arrangements. Social media is also revolutionizing hospitality by creating a reputation for businesses whether they be positive or negative. People can freely post about whether they enjoyed their stay at a certain hotel and helps build the online reputation of the company. In addition, more and more companies are looking to become more personalized experience. When I think about this part, I think mostly of the new systems rolling out at Disney World that scream personalization, guests can select their Fastpasses ahead of time, can use MagicBands to purchase things, get into their hotel, get into the park as well as to utilize the Fastpass system and every time a MagicBand is scanned at a touchpoint, the cast members know the person's name and whether they are celebrating something. With integration, customers and staff can access information from different departments all on one system and with globalization companies are trying to use systems that are global and used worldwide. 

Technological developments continue to have a great effect on all aspects of our lives, the hospitality industry not being an exception. Calum McIndoe in his article "Six Technology Trends Revolutionising the hospitality industry" outlines areas of technology that managers within the industry need to take advantage of. Cloud technology, though this concept is fairly new it can provide great financial benefits to companies as it cuts cost greatly due to the fact that it eliminates the heavy hardware requirements traditional technology offered. Mobility, the fact that portable devices can add a competitive edge to the service offered. Think traditional services being provided on the go away from a fixed station. Social; the popularity of social networking sites have changed the face of hospitality and tourism marketing completely. Properties are now forced to monitor social networking sites to learn about customer demands and to also learn about the image their company has out there and how they can improve it. According to Mr. "for any hotel to not at least monitor social medis is tantamount to willingly flying blind." Personalized systems; value for customers within this industry has to do greatly with the personal touch added to the service delivered. These merged systems allows properites to use data to ensure that guest needs are met. Integration; the joining of isolated systems used in all areas of operations on the property. The use of integrated systems allows for the pulling of data from the different departments thus ensuring proper management of services delivered and revenue management. Globalisation; It is important that hospitality companies adapt to changes and trends brought about by globalisation. Whether the current global outlook is taken into consideration when considering how a company operates can greatly impact the final product.

((NOTE: The author already highlighted the article in yellow when I found it, my personal highlighting is in PINK. Sections 5 and 6 are not highlighted in pink because I agree with the parts that the author highlighted yellow in those sections; Diigo toolbar will not let you highlight over something that has already been highlighted.)) This article mainly focuses on the technological changes in the hotel industry in pertinence with storing hotel information versus the traditional method(s) used by hotels that involved little to no technology at all. The article lists six different points or examples and states that businesses, especially small or upcoming businesses, need to follow by these six trends. The part of the article that stood out to me the most when reflecting on the lectures and power points for this week is the first trend. The first trend speaks about a "cloud" software (which I am not really familiar with so excuse me if my explanation is not 100% sound) and announces that "around 85% of the queries we see from hospitality companies and hotels include a serious look at cloud computing". The author lists a few reasons why such a high percentage of hotels are doing it this way. He basically says that you do not need special staff or special training to maintain the system; the system maintains itself so you can have more time to focus on your guests and trends in their patterns. Also, as far as the cost is concerned, "upfront investment is lower with the cloud as there are no initial hardware costs or associated expense…". Even though I am not very familiar with this service just yet, I like the idea of freeing up employee time to go and interact more with the customers; attending to the customers' needs is the most important thing in my eyes. The article goes on to list mobility, social media, personalized systems, integration, and globalization as all equally important parts to this revolution of technology pertaining to the hospitality industr

In order to combat cyber attacks within the hospitality industry, the National Restaurant Association and PCI Security Standards Council have partnered. They have created.. "Small Merchant Taskforce, which raises payment card security awareness for the hospitality industry." With cybercrime increasing it is a necessary step to take, not all businesses, especially small, can afford the "best" cyber security systems. This task force will help educate various members and help find solutions to protect businesses and customers. "A study by Verizon stated that 99 percent of breaches in 2014 were caused by known vulnerabilities with fixable patches." That being said, all business operators need to take the initiative and be proactive when it comes to handling customers' private information.

I think one the biggest issues related to cyber attacks is that owners are not aware of the issue. So it is important to educate them and help them understand the importance to budget cyber security into their expenses. I am glad that the task force is taking that step to help protect business owners and customers from cyber attacks.

This article describes a new website created by TheeDesign Studio, a web design agency in North Carolina that specializes in creating interactive marketing websites for companies located in NC. They recently celebrated the launch of a web design project for a local party planner, Jennifer V, a premier event planning company that provides that provides services for any type and size of party, wedding, corporate event and religious celebrations. The new website was built using WordPress to allow the company to easily manage their events gallery, website content updates, blog posts, and track internet leads; all vital items for companies to be successful in this technologically advanced world. The website serves as a valuable resource for potential clients and business partners to learn about the company's event planning services by featuring an on-site blog, lead generation form, and an easy to update events gallery to showcase their portfolio. It is important for companies to have the latest technologies and techniques in web design programming and internet marketing as well as maintain user-friendliness to be ahead of their competitors. I checked out Jennifer's web page and I found it very user-friendly and inviting.