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Accounting technolog Used in the Hotel Industry | - 5 views

www.ehow.com/grams-used-hotel-industry.html
shared by Juan Du on 07 Feb 12 - No Cached
  • Hotels rely on different tools, including their accounting software, to increase their effectiveness and make them more competitive in their core business.
  • Hotels can decide to purchase accounting software dedicated solely to one function or can invest in enterprise software. Some chains have opted to outsource their accounting operations to major computer companies and accounting firms.
  • The percentages of room-rate vacancy and seasonal trends are evaluated and measured against the best establishments to assess hotel performance.
    • Juan Du
      Juan Du on 28 Feb 13
       
      Hotel managers are often faced a lot of problem to deal with the accounting system. Now hotel manager can manage all of the accounting responsibilities by use hotel accounting technology. Using Web-based hotel accounting software can save your business money . The functions covered in all of the accounting systems.
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  • Decisions governing selection of accounting programs depend on multiple factors including the uses of the accounting programs.
  • Hotel managers are often faced with the challenge to propose and procure the appropriate technology and software to run their operations.
  • This article describes major factors to weigh in selecting accounting software for the hotel industry.
  • Decision Criteria Used in Selection Process: Major factors identifying selection of accounting programs used in hotels are: ---Annual revenue ---Budget ---Location ---Multiple sites ---National or international location ---In-house vs outsourced operations
  • Accounting software is crucial in measuring and tracking the hotel's profitability.
  • Functions covered in accounting software programs include: --Accounts payable --Accounts receivable --Budgeting --Cash management --General ledger --Sales analysis --Payroll --Procurement --Order entry --Fixed assets --Inventory management
  • Accounting software is used to track the profitability of hotel operations and identify trends in the hospitality industry.
  • This article describes major factors to weigh in selecting accounting software for the hotel industry.
  • Decisions governing selection of accounting programs depend on multiple factors including the uses of the accounting programs.
  • Hotels rely on different tools, including their accounting software, to increase their effectiveness and make them more competitive in their core business.
  • Accounting software is used to track room-rate revenues and identify any discrepancies that require remediation and corrective actions.
  • Accounting software is used to track the profitability of hotel operations and identify trends in the hospitality industry. Careful consideration of the purpose, functionality and desired results from accounting software must be taken prior to selection and purchase.
  •    This article describes major factors to weigh in selecting accounting software for the hotel industry.
  • Accounting software is used to track the profitability of hotel operations and identify trends in the hospitality industry. Careful consideration of the purpose, functionality and desired results from accounting software must be taken prior to selection and purchase
  • How to Select Hotel Accounting Software:     Decisions governing selection of accounting programs depend on multiple factors including the uses of the accounting programs
  • Decision Criteria Used in Selection Process: Major factors identifying selection of accounting programs used in hotels are: ---Annual revenue ---Budget ---Location ---Multiple sites ---National or international location ---In-house vs outsourced operations
  • Accounting software incorporates the widely used Generally Accepted Accounting Standards (GAAP) and focuses on key measures unique to the hotel industry, such as revenue per room (RevPar)
  • Accounting software encompasses multiple functions of a hotel's operations, ranging from data mining to running financial reports.  Functions covered in accounting software programs include: --Accounts payable --Accounts receivable --Budgeting --Cash management --General ledger --Sales analysis --Payroll --Procurement --Order entry --Fixed assets --Inventory management
  • Print this article DartUtils.loadGoogle160 = function() { dmjs.runInlineAd = true; $('.AdUnit160').hide(); $('.AdWrapper').addClass('no160'); }; dartAds.renderiFrameAd([{ sz: '160x600' }], 160); How to Select Hotel Accounting Software:    Decisions governing selection of accounting programs depend on multiple factors including the uses of the accounting programs
  • Hotels rely on different tools, including their accounting software, to increase their effectiveness and make them more competitive in their core business.
  • Hotels can decide to purchase accounting software dedicated solely to one function or can invest in enterprise software. Some chains have opted to outsource their accounting operations to major computer companies and accounting firms
  • Accounting software is used to track room-rate revenues and identify any discrepancies that require remediation and corrective actions.  The percentages of room-rate vacancy and seasonal trends are evaluated and measured against the best establishments to assess hotel performance.
  • The hospitality industry has had steady growth, with increasing demands for internal controls and financial accountability.  Accounting software is crucial in measuring and tracking the hotel's profitability
  • Areas of Functionality in Hotel Accounting Software
  • Areas of Functionality in Hotel Accounting Software
  • Ruth James on 07 Feb 12
     
    This article describes accounting software functions within the Hotel industry. The article states that "Accounting software is used to track the profitability of hotel operations and identify trends in the hospitality industry". It is said that when selecting accounting software, you must identify what results you are looking for from the software; and also the functions that you are able to receive. You must also understand the needs of your property, and industry. The article also discusses various decision criteria, which is a part of the selection process. Some of these criteria's that you must look out for are: annual revenue, budget, location, multiple sites, national or international locations, in-house verses outsource operations. I love the fact that this article also discusses the functions of hotel accounting software. Some of those functions that were stated are: account payable, account receivable, and payroll. The article also brought up some trends about hotel and lodging accounting software. One of the trends that stand out to me was the fact that some companies hand over their entire accounting responsibilities to major accounting companies or, accounting firms; this is referred to as outsource. Having a accounting software is a very beneficial asset for a company.
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  • Ligia Elizondo on 01 Mar 12
     
    This article talks about the importance of choosing the right accounting software for hotels. Hoteliers need to take into consideration the purpose, functionality and desired results before selecting accounting software which "is used to track the profitability of hotel operations and identify trends in the hospitality industry." In order to select a hotel accounting software it has to match the needs and functions of the premise. Some of the most important factors in the selection process are annual revenue, budget, location, multiple sites, national or international location, and in house vs. outsourced operations. "Accounting software encompasses multiple functions of a hotel's operations, ranging from data mining to running financial reports." Some of the major functions in accounting software are accounts payable, accounts receivable, budgeting, cash management, general ledger, sales analysis, payroll, procurement, order entry, fixed assets, and inventory management. The hospitality industry is reporting increasing demands for internal controls and financial accountability therefore is very important that hotels select the right accounting software because is in charge of keeping records of the hotel's profitability. In addition accounting software reports room rate revenues and discrepancies and use the Generally Accepted Accounting Standards.
  • Diane Cacho on 02 Mar 12
     
    Accounting software programs are essential to the hospitality industry because it helps organize and keep track of the hotels operations and its profits. It's important to select the right accounting software that will help tie in the needs and concerns of your hotel. The significant factors to look upon in choosing the best program for your business are annual revenue, budget, location, multiple sites, national or international location, and in-house verses outsourced operations. Accounting software incorporates multiple roles of a hotel's operations such as data mining and running financial reports. Hotels can choose to purchase accounting software devoted exclusively to one purpose or can invest in enterprise software. The hospitality Industry counts on the different tools, as well as their accounting software, to increase their usefulness and creating them to become more competitive in their central business.
  • Marcia Brown-Kelly on 02 Mar 12
     
    I believe one of the most critical items missing from the selection process when purchasing accounting software is the need have interface with the PMS system. This would be a more integrated approach for the smooth transition of front and back of house operations.
  • Ganna Gorbachuk on 05 Mar 12
     
    Marcia, you are right! Its a very important idea, to have interface with the PMS system. As for the main topic of this discussion accounting is a step for understanding the factors which influence your business positevly and negatively, in order to use proactive or reactive strategy. Some things that should theoretically work in your business can actually be unsuccessful, so financial data analysis is a key for problem-defining and therefore for finding solution.
  • samira sobhani on 30 Jun 12
     
    This article gives some useful hints on how to choose an accounting software for your hotel business and what are the tips and tricks. There are lots of accounting software packages in the market which has a number of different options but the point is that each of these features will match a specific  need.  
  • Chelsey Alvarez on 01 Jul 12
     
    This article is about choosing the correct accounting software for the hotel industry. Through different types of software you are able to track the profitability of a hotel.
  • marilyn diaz on 18 Sep 12
     
    This article is about how a hotel should choose their accounting program. There are many things to consider when choosing the right program for your institution. It is not just what is more cost effective, but what does it include and are they things your hotel needs. It is like a PMS system, you get some basics, but you also may need to be able to add more options, or none at all. Another factor when selecting this program is the size of your hotel. If it is one hotel or a chain. Accounting software is crucial in measuring and tracking a hotel's profit. In conclusion, when hotel management buys an accounting program, they must analyze the software, and not just buy the first one they come across.
  • Erica Davis on 23 Sep 12
     
    This particular article discusses the need for accounting software programs within the hospitality industry. These programs can do just one thing or be all-encompassing, such as an enterprise program. Accounting programs still have to follow the Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP), which regulate the accounting industry. They help track the profitability of the company, amongst other things. Additionally, hospitality companies must be very careful in choosing the right program. These programs can help managers run a business more effectively but it has to be matched with the right program. There is also the option of outsourcing the accounting function to a third party, which could save a lot of time and money down the road. Erica
  • Qianlin Wang on 16 Oct 12
     
    Hotel software is designed for all areas of hotel operation including property management, accounting, GDS reservations, central reservations, reception, POS, spa/club/golf management, guest management, inventory management, yield/revenue management, accounting, and web site design. Small hotel software is available for properties with less than 100 rooms and focuses on basic front and back office functions and/or reservations and guest management. One of the major types of hotel software used by the hotel/motel industry is accounting programs. Accounting software is used to track the profitability of hotel operations and identify trends in the hospitality industry. To select good accounting software for the hotel depends on multiple factors including the uses of the accounting programs. Accounting software incorporates the widely used Generally Accepted Accounting Standards (GAAP) and focuses on key measures unique to the hotel industry, such as revenue per room (RevPar). Knowledge experts should be familiar with both general accounting rules as well as industry specific guidelines.
  • haojingting on 20 Oct 12
     
    This article describes major factors to weigh in selecting accounting software for the hotel industry. And Major factors identifying selection of accounting programs used in hotels are: ---Annual revenue ---Budget ---Location ---Multiple sites ---National or international location ---In-house vs outsourced operationsThe hospitality industry has had steady growth, with increasing demands for internal controls and financial accountability. Accounting software is crucial in measuring and tracking the hotel's profitability. And besides the normal functions, the advanced accounting software can be used to track room-rate revenues and identify any discrepancies that require remediation and corrective actions. The percentages of room-rate vacancy and seasonal trends are evaluated and measured against the best establishments to assess hotel performance.
  • Xue Yan on 20 Oct 12
     
    The article demonstrates that accounting software in hotels is used to track data of hotel operations, to make future decisions and some other functions related to finance and daily operations. So hotels should consider several aspects while establishing accounting software. Such factors affecting decisions are like: Annual revenue, Budget, Location, Multiple sites, National or international location and In-house vs outsourced operations. Regarding the trend of accounting system, the article says that accounting software can make the hotels more competitive and more effective.
  • rebecca Bonet on 20 Oct 12
     
    The article describes major factors to weigh is selecting accounting software for the hotel industry. Accounting Software is used to track the profitability of hotel operation and identify trends in the hospitality industry. Hotel industry carefully finds out what will be a great functionality and result before purchasing accounting software. First of all, selecting hotel accounting software and the uses of the program. Secondly, identifying the selection of accounting program, used in the hotel. For example, annual revenue, budget, location, multiple site, etc. The article discusses the function of hotel accounting software. Some of the functions are hanging from data mining to running financial report. Also, the article discuses about lodging accounting software, one of the example that they used is that they really on different tools including their accounting software to increase their competitive in their core business. The article talks about accounting Software Metrics in the hotel industries. They use this Metrics by tracking room rate revenues and by doing the room- rate vacancy and seasonal trends. Having the accounting software in hotel is very important for the industry
  • Xiameng Zheng on 19 Feb 13
     
    The hospitality industry has had steady growth, with increasing demands for internal controls and financial accountability. Accounting software is crucial in measuring and tracking the hotel's profitability. Accounting software is used to track the profitability of hotel operations and identify trends in the hospitality industry. So it's important for hotel manager to choose the suitable accounting software. This article tells how to select hotel accounting system properly. Including the decision criteria used in selection process, areas of functionality in hotel accounting software and standards used for accounting and auditing in hotel industry, etc.
  • Juan Du on 28 Feb 13
     
    Hotel managers are often faced a lot of problem to deal with the accounting system. Now hotel manager can manage all of the accounting responsibilities by use hotel accounting technology. Using Web-based hotel accounting software can save your business money . The functions covered in all of the accounting systems.
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Three Ways to Overcome Hotel Accounting Challenges - 0 views

lodgingmagazine.com/me-hotel-accounting-challenges business hotel solution
shared by krehman on 03 Jun 18 - No Cached
  • Managing payroll is a constant challenge, so it’s critical for hoteliers to have a way to monitor daily labor costs, manage overtime, oversee daily payroll transactions, and have access to simple reporting functions.
  • Adopting a cloud-based reporting system can offer seamless labor monitoring and management from clock-in to paycheck while giving hoteliers on-demand management of earnings to manage transactions in real time.
  • Hoteliers may have a difficult time deciphering what story the data is telling and which levers to pull to remedy an issue or to replicate success. Business intelligence and analytics tool can point to where efficiencies can be improved and how to best reduce expenses.
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  • Adopting an operations management platform that allows hoteliers to import data into one centralized dashboard combines critical accounting and performance data to aid hoteliers in identifying trends and making more informed decisions.
  • Hoteliers must expect the best but prepare for the worst and have a back-up accounting team in place ready to resume operations in the event of a disaster.
  • While increased corporate travel demand and a healthy economy paint a rosy picture for the hotel industry, the report also warns that the lodging ecosystem is vulnerable to threats from multiple fronts.
  • These unique challenges require hotels to be nimble, educated, and equipped with the latest technology to streamline processes and drive financial performance.
  • Hotels live or die on the ebb and flow of fluctuations in their business.
  • hotel-specific accountants can scale on demand to offer the needed expertise and ramp up quickly.
  • Because the hotel industry has a very specific set of needs, it is imperative for hoteliers have the right tools to navigate today’s challenges. The global travel industry shows no signs of slowing down any time soon, so hotels must incorporate cutting-edge technology to streamline operations, optimize labor management, and access critical data while preparing for the next unexpected event.
  • mkim001 on 03 Jun 18
     
    This particular article on hospitality and tourism accounting states that the global travel industry is expanding at an accelerated rate. Although there are high demands in corporate travel and high level of satisfaction in the economy, the ever growing industry is vulnerable to many risks given by its consumers. Just as much as the guests utilizing these hospitality services are becoming more pressing towards great prices and expressing concern in the quality of service they receive, hotel businesses are adamant about increasing awareness in cost and profit. To balance all these exclusive challenges, hotels are insisting on being educated and equipped with the most up-to-date technological advances to keep up with the ever demanding industry. With this in mind, the article states three methods to conquer the challenges faced today. The first method is to utilize a cloud based system to keep track of all the innumerous activities present to keep the business running. Due to the fact that a hotel is run by an overflowing amount of employees, all with different jobs and tasks, all using different systems respective to their departments, and require several types of pay (part-time, full-time, tipped employees) methods, it is a challenge to keep things efficient without a proper system. This is the reason why the article recommends using a cloud based system to keep track of the daily labor costs, overtime management, daily payroll transactions, and incorporate easy accessibility to reporting functions. The cloud based system will be beneficial in keeping everything in record beginning from the moment an employees clocks in to the end where they receive their paycheck, as well as, the ability to manage transactions. The second method is to centralize all the various sources of data. Hotels have a countless amount of data being stored. That can range from guest satisfaction satisfaction survey and comment reports, PMS data, to financial reports. With all these busy ac
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  • itzdchang on 10 Jun 18
     
    The hospitality industry today is said to be one of the fastest growing sectors in the world, as demands for travel accompanied by a healthy economy has pushed a flourishing industry. As the industry grows, businesses are having to become more cost/profit-conscious while maintaining an increased importance on price, quality, and level of service, all the while sustaining a profitable organization. The article states that business owners are relying more on financial data to ensure maximum efficiency and profitability out of each and every contract. The article goes on to discuss three new smart-technology accounting solutions for various industry challenges. Cloud-based reporting systems are beneficial as the hospitality industry has many different waged employees that make payroll challenging; cloud-based systems make monitoring and managing staff significantly easier. With all of the varying data that the hospitality industry finds necessary, it is often easy to be overwhelmed with data/numbers. Data from one source may indicate trends in one direction while data from another source may contradict. Operations management platforms can be put into play that can decipher through the data and find out the important details like what efficiencies can be improved and how to best reduce expenses. These platforms combine critical accounting and performance data to benefit business owners by identifying trends and aiding better informed decisions. Lastly, the article finishes with how the hospitality industry can be unpredictable and that back-up accounting teams may be necessary in times of distress.
  • aycasa on 30 Jun 18
     
    This article mentions way to overcome hotel accounting challenges. The article mentioned that technology has been helping the industry increase revenue, minimize cost, and maximize profit without affecting the quality of the service. One of the ways the author mentioned was to use cloud-based reporting for labor. Hotels have many employees working at all different times of the day and their pay rate varies, therefore it is much easier to monitor labor cost, have employees clock in electronically, and complete payroll having an electronic accounting system. Another way is to centralize multiple data sources. "Hoteliers may have a difficult time deciphering what story the data is telling and which levers to pull to remedy an issue or to replicate success. Business intelligence and analytics tool can point to where efficiencies can be improved and how to best reduce expenses." As a manager, its easier to monitor all your reports on one page making it easier to point out the areas that need improvement. Lately, having back-up accounting teams is a smart idea. Hotels are 24/7 hour establishments that host rooms for the needs of many people. In case of a natural disaster, the hotel must have a team ready to tackle the challenges on making room for those guests in need. "The global travel industry shows no signs of slowing down any time soon, so hotels must incorporate cutting-edge technology to streamline operations, optimize labor management, and access critical data while preparing for the next unexpected event."
  • csendra004 on 01 Jul 18
     
    MOD 9: This article is about how hotels are able to overcome accounting challenges within their industry. According to the article, the travel industry on a global scale is one of the fastest growing industries. While this is great news for the hospitality industry, the lodging sector is prone to vulnerability from trying to stay competitive while being cost and profit conscious and providing customized service. With these challenges, this article discloses three ways hotels can attempt to overcome them and they include cloud-based reporting for labor, centralize multiple data sources, and back-up accounting teams. When managing hotel staff, there are some challenges in overseeing that employees are compliant to their schedule, managing payroll and monitoring labor costs for each department. Implementing a cloud-based labor reporting system could help alleviate those challenges. A similar example would be like ADP, my own property uses this system to monitor labor costs as well as manage payroll and scheduling issues. With implementing multiple centralized data sources, it helps hoteliers to easily identify trends and help make more informed decisions based on the data shown from their data sources. With any property, it is always in their best interest to prepare for worst case scenarios which could be a natural disaster as an example. By establishing a back-up accounting team, hoteliers will be able to make more informative decisions with their back-up accounting team to match the changes of the industry after events like a natural disaster.
  • dtrak002 on 23 Sep 18
     
    The article discusses how hotels can overcome accounting obstacles. Firstly managing payroll is cumbersome, so a cloud-based reporting system can provide an easy way to monitor labour and manage overtime, and daily payroll transactions. Secondly, hotels have a difficult time to read data as data can come from a huge variety of sources: STR reports, PMS data, satisfaction surveys, comments. Hotels need a centralized dashboard which combines all critical accounting and performance data to assist hotels in making better decisions. Lastly, the article talks about hotels needing a back-up accounting team in case of disasters. In-house accounting teams may not be able to tackle on one-time event disasters and there must be a back-up team in place in times of urgency. The author, Scott Watson, executive vice president of sales and marketing at a cloud-based financial platform, sees that hotels are becoming more "cost and profit conscious" and I agree with him. Technology solutions are what hotels are craving right now to increase revenue, minimize costs, and maximize profits without sacrificing service quality.
  • krehman on 11 Feb 19
     
    This article helps guides hotels in how to overcome challenges when it comes to the accounting department in any situation that deals with staff tracking, how to decipher intricate data, and what to do in emergencies. The article details the usefulness of the Cloud and keeping track of staff members that are FOH and BOH that are both hourly and salary. That the accounting department could simply look them up in the cloud rather than searching through paperwork to understand exactly what their role is in the hotel and pay them accordingly. The article also goes over how having multiple centralized data sources can help accountants understand information from reports, guest satisfaction questionnaires, and other forms of reporting to pinpoint exactly what needs to be changed to become more efficient in the company. Lastly, the article covers how having back up accounting teams could be a definite positive just in case of emergencies (i.e. weather) so accounting can still be in progress no matter what situation occurs and the hotel can run smoothly.
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Expedia Leads $26 Million Alice Investment in Hotel Tech Push - Skift - 0 views

skift.com/...-investment-in-hotel-tech-push #hoteltechnology #ITinvestment #hospitalitytechnology
shared by sbarr011 on 06 Jul 18 - No Cached
  • Alice, a startup that sells operations software to hotels, has raised $26 million in a Series B funding round led by online travel giant Expedia.
  • Expedia’s interest in Alice suggests that the online travel company is curious about possibly providing more back-end software services for the hotels that use it to market and distribute their inventory globally.
  • The company “is now at a completely different level,” when it comes to putting into place a set of tools that are broad and comprehensive and that are responsive to what hotels have said their needs are, he claimed.
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  • A key part of Alice’s system is its ability to let guests, front-of-house workers, and back-of-house staff communicate and track requests. For instance, a guest request via a text message for, say, more linens, can be conveyed to the right worker using Alice, the company said.
  • It now processes more than 50,000 requests a week, up from the 10,000-a-week pace it had a year ago. The company anticipates hotels will handle more than two million requests on its platform over the next year.
  • Alice has more than doubled its count of hotel clients this year.
  • It has since evolved into software that aims to provide the first unified platform for a hotel to run its entire back-end operations, such as housekeeping and customer service communication.
  • Expedia officially began to market a series of new tools for hoteliers that it has been adding to its extranet for suppliers since 2015 under the name Expedia Powered Technology. Tools include help with revenue management and messaging with guests.
  • There are other hotel tech brands that offer software-as-a-service (SaaS) solutions that overlap with what Alice’s platform provides, such as the housekeeping-focused services of Amadeus Hospitality’s HotSOS. Other potential players in the market include Sabre Hospitality Solutions and Oracle Hospitality.
  • Expedia’s suite of data analytics tools includes a free service that aims to help hotels set their rates to command the most revenue and Expedia’s first meetings-and-events booking tool to help hotels automate requests for proposals — which today is still, largely, a manual process.
  • Priceline Group has, since 2015, been investing in business services for its hotel partners under the BookingSuite brand. The tools include revenue management software and digital marketing help for a property’s own branded website.
  • Trivago, the hotel metasearch brand that is backed by Expedia (but operates independently), is also offering hotel services, such as for revenue management and hotel management (like Base7booking).
  • sbarr011 on 06 Jul 18
     
    Alice, a relatively new start-up which sells operations software to hotels, had a significant investment from Expedia in the previous round of funding. Alice has become a software that provides "the first unified platform for a hotel to run its entire back end operations, such as housekeeping and customer service communication". The system allows guests to send a text message with a request for more pillows or towels, for example, which will be directed to the proper the hotel employee department. Customers can track their requests and both the front and back of house staff can receive communications from guest requests. This IT platform has seen 5 times the amount of requests being generated. Also, the platform has partnered with double the number of hotels and they project more than two million requests will be communicated through this software in a year. Expedia is the largest shareholder in Alice currently. Alice suggests that this is because Expedia could be more interested in "more back-end software services for the hotels that use it to market and distribute their inventory globally." Expedia currently markets tools such as revenue management under the name Expedia Powered Technology to hoteliers. Expedia also offers meetings and events booking tools for hotels. Priceline, which is a competitor to Expedia, also has invested in tools and services that include revenue management software for their hotel partners. Trivago is also offering these services. Alice believes that the size of the market will allow for many other companies to work in this space, and is even open to partnering with other firms to expand. Alice also plans to expand their own business and add personnel with the new funds.
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Six Technology Trends Revolutionising The Hospitality Industry | By Calum McIndoe - 1 views

www.hospitalitynet.org/...4060662.html technology trends hospitality industry
shared by jazminesnyder on 10 Jun 14 - No Cached
  • Firstly, upfront investment is lower with the cloud as there are no initial hardware costs or associated expenses such as full time, in-house IT staff to maintain the system. Secondly, hotels like the idea of taking the headache and distractions of IT off their site, leaving them free to focus on the day-to-day business of looking after their guests.
  • tablets and smartphones revolutionise the way we interact with technology.
  • City Nites accesses its hotel management system on Apple iPads to eliminate old-fashioned, manual registration desk processes. This enables hotel team members to 'meet and greet' their guests at any location, improving the personalisation of the check-in experience and reducing the costs associated with static reception desks and all their technology at each location.
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  • The online reputation of a property is business critical. It does not however, stand alone as a marketing department concern, but relates directly to daily operations.
  • the technology systems in use - especially those in large chains - must account for the global perspective.
  • Integrating these systems can provide more comprehensive management information, faster reporting and a truly comprehensive view of profitability.
  • Elsewhere, integration offers the possibility of being able to "revenue manage" the guest across all areas of their stay: this requires transaction level interfaces but need not be complex to use. Critically it aligns the marketing -based personalised offering with the financial outcome of the revenue secured.
  • Customers expect their experience within a hotel to be totally personalised to them:
  • However, the savings and improvements that technology can deliver mean that managers and directors really need to keep one eye on these six trends.
  • However, the savings and improvements that technology can deliver mean that managers and directors really need to keep one eye on these six trends.
  • However, the savings and improvements that technology can deliver mean that managers and directors really need to keep one eye on these six trends.
  • All of these trends have already brought about a profound change in the hospitality industry - and they will continue to disrupt and redefine operations. From the back office to front of house, from the hotel to the corporate office, the technology that underpins these changes will deliver a sharp competitive edge at all levels.
  • All of these trends have already brought about a profound change in the hospitality industry - and they will continue to disrupt and redefine operations. From the back office to front of house, from the hotel to the corporate office, the technology that underpins these changes will deliver a sharp competitive edge at all levels.
  • However, the savings and improvements that technology can deliver mean that managers and directors really need to keep one eye on these six trends.
  • However, the savings and improvements that technology can deliver mean that managers and directors really need to keep one eye on these six trends.
  • the savings and improvements that technology can deliver mean that managers and directors really need to keep one eye on these six trends.
  • All of these trends have already brought about a profound change in the hospitality industry - and they will continue to disrupt and redefine operations. From the back office to front of house, from the hotel to the corporate office, the technology that underpins these changes will deliver a sharp competitive edge at all levels.
  • around 85% of the queries we see from hospitality companies and hotels include a serious look at cloud computing.
  • The sum total of these drivers is that cloud technology is no passing fad: for the hospitality sector it is the new norm.
  • the low capital expenditure investment for mobile hardware and much reduced software costs mean that mobile is a viable option for small independent properties, looking to develop customer service as a competitive edge.
  • As such, social media monitoring MUST be interfaced with the hotel management systems so that swift, appropriate action can be taken.
  • it is embedding the process of capturing guest preferences and proactively using that data.
  • ypere044 on 10 Jun 14
     
    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. 
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  • haelidenton on 30 Aug 14
     
    As technology continues to grow, it's hard for hotels to keep up. But, there are six trends that could be very beneficial to hotels. The first being the Cloud/Software as a Service. If hotels begin to use a cloud based hotel management system, it would reduce cost of ownership by minimizing property hardware. As well as take the burden of maintaining the system off IT. Another trend that is growing is using mobile devices, such as tablets, to interact. Some hotels have recently decided to use Apple iPad's at the registration desk. This is an idea that needs to grow in the hospitality industry, because it increases the personalization of the check-in experience and reduces costs involving technology at the reception desk. Social media has a huge impact on the hospitality industry. There are reviews, referrals, and other types of communication about hotels on every type of social media. It is crucial that hotel management monitors and addresses every type of social media, in order to respond appropriately and take action. Being able to integrate the operating systems of all the amenities of a hotel (accommodation, event catering, the spa, etc.) is another tool that would be beneficial to the hospitality industry. This would provide better management information, faster reporting, and will allow management to view profitability. Last but not least, the last major trend the hospitality industry needs is globalization. As international travel, trade, and business grows, hotel companies will need to create different management tools in order to survive. International links are important for the hotel industry. Which means technology systems, need to be global.
  • ravicka on 15 Jan 15
     
    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.
  • jazminesnyder on 26 Aug 15
     
    ((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
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50 Facilities Management Tips and Best Practices - Camcode - 0 views

www.camcode.com/...gement-tips-and-best-practices facilities management tips best practices practices
shared by khadija2050 on 23 Nov 20 - No Cached
  • Cut night site lighting. “Depending upon how your site lighting is operated and circuited, you can create an ‘economize mode’ for overnight when the site is at its lowest occupancy. Keep perimeter site lighting on around your property and all entrances and main drives lit.
  •  Replace older lighting with LEDs. “Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center chose LEDs to replace existing lighting in a parking garage open 24/7, halving the garage’s power consumption. Meanwhile, Mediapolis Community Schools in Mediapolis, IA, also embarked on a retrofit of LED exterior lighting.
  • Implement a sustainable facility design plan. “Sustainable design is more attainable and affordable than it’s ever been, especially when you think in terms of years instead of days and weeks. It’s also worth noting that sustainable design is very well favored among the public, which is an extra incentive for companies interested in reinforcing their reputation as socially responsible and environmentally concerned
  • ...47 more annotations...
  • Know the total cost of all facility work done both directly and indirectly. “To the untrained eye, the facilities maintenance arm of a business appears to be a black hole of cost. The costs of these FM services add up, and unless discrepancies arise, that is where most of the business analysis ends. However, facilities maintenance managers, who are privy to all of the nuances that make up eac
  • h work order, understand the complexities and overhead involved in this sector of business.
  • Consider less obvious improvements that impact facility energy use. “Some energy-related projects will be more or less hidden from the users and primarily pursued to reduce energy demand, such as chiller and fan-unit upgrades. Such projects may end up providing the building users with better temperature control, but this is not the primary goal of the upgrade
  • Operational changes such as reducing the hours of HVAC and lighting operation, and changing setback temperatures, which require very little expenditure (if any at all) do not directly affect user experience, but can produce large reductions in electricity loads. In general, working with the building operations team to reduce energy use can produce impressive reductions in loa
  • his allows building and facility management professionals to determine whether the cost to improve a particular element of a building or a system in it against the cost savings over the same period. If the cost of an upgrade over its lifetime offers an advantage over the building operational costs it will save, then it’s generally considered a good investmen
  • “Finding the right suppliers to maintain your facilities can be difficult and time-consuming. From janitorial services, to groundskeeping and maintenance supplies, ensuring suppliers are providing apples-to-apples quotes, developing contracts with clear service levels, and validating that supplier quality
  • “Boilers today can reach efficiencies of up to 96 percent using condensing technology; however, a typical building, including new buildings, uses atmospheric type boilers which, for all intents and purposes, are only slightly more advanced than a science lab Bunsen burner. This technology is reliable and it works, but it is expensive to operate
  • An energy audit systematically identifies and develops opportunities to help reduce energy use in an institutional or commercial facility and, as a result, decrease building operating costs. Focusing the audit is imperative for maintenance and engineering managers.
  • “Commercial kitchens are high energy users, consuming roughly 2.5 times more energy per square foot than any other commercial space, according to the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).  Of that, as little as 40% is used in the preparation and storage of food, says the UK’s Carbon Trust; much of the wasted energy is dispersed into the kitchen.
  • All commercial buildings are insulated; building codes make it mandatory to insulate up to  a certain level. Unfortunately, because most buildings are put up under strict guidance to budgets, they are usually put up with only the minimal amount of insulation
  • Develop performance measures for your PM process with an emphasis on measuring the amount of PM that is work completed compared to all other work. Total PM hours should be the highest percentage of all the department’s maintenance work. This goal might seem impossible, but over time, it is very achievable
  • “Preventative maintenance is all about planning, plain and simple. Every piece of equipment or machinery at your disposal or under your care should have a schedule of what type of maintenance it requires and when it requires that check-up.
  • “Failure modes are defined as “how something fails.” Let’s use a flat/membrane roof to show an example of what a failure mode is. On a flat/membrane roof, one failure mode may be “penetration of roof membrane,” and the causes of this failure mode could be many. Knowing the failure mode(s) of a specific maintainable item such as a membrane roof and its causes can be key to early detection of roof failure (not meeting the intent of the end user) so the repair can be made before it affects an operatio
  • “Catch small problems now before they become big ones. Addressing small details can add up to huge improvements in appearance and functionality. Ask your facilities services provider, janitorial company
  • You may schedule preventive maintenance based on meter readings on an equipment. However, equipment meters usually do not differentiate between work time and idle time
  • Greasing the rack and pinion of a beam saw, for instance, can cause grease and saw dust to solidify inside the gears over time, eventually preventing them from moving. If you’re unsure which tasks are beneficial to each piece of equipment, ask your equipment representative.”
  • Having spare parts and supplies around the time of a major preventive maintenance schedule is absolutely critical. Asset management software allows you to check the availability of the spare parts for dates when the work orders are due. This report can help you identify parts that are insufficient for the required work orders in the future. If you know which parts you are falling short on, you can order them in advance from suppliers rather than waiting till re-order limits are reached
  • “Appropriate repetition and reinforcement are necessary. The average person is bombarded with more than 300 messages while at work, and multiples of that outside of work, Finney says. Getting a message to land with an audience might take as many as 12 repetitions, in some cases, he says
  • Let’s get together: when you’re designing your facilities, design social spaces for your employees. These might be lunch or break rooms, games rooms, gyms, or even community gardens.
  • While other managers may work to manage clients or staff, your job is to manage facilities and all that occurs in them. Your corporation’s physical assets are just as important as your human resources, and you are the expert in this field. Whether it’s collating data or contributing to the organization’s bottom line, your input is a valuable part of corporate decision-making
  •  “Workplace inclusion has to be clearly defined before any initiatives can be pushed forward. One useful definition of an inclusive office is a workplace in which all staff are treated with respect and have equal access to resources and opportunities. Facility managers should build on this high-level description to create an idea of what concepts like equal access, diversity and fairness look like in their own facilities
  • Space costs money. Knowing that we are moving towards a working environment consisting of virtual or mobile workers, investing time in developing new workplace designs that can suit these new ways of working while increasing space utilization rates can result in impressive cost savings
  • Performing facility maintenance and engineering tasks is like sailing among icebergs. What technicians can’t see will sink them — or their facilities. Thermal imaging technology gives technicians the ability to see the unseen, making it easier to spot failing motors and electrical components,
  • This concept is broadly used to describe our attempt to formally identify in-house talent in many of our labor shops. We identify talent through a competitive selection process based on potential vs. skills and promote our selected personnel to the worker and helper level while training them to achieve appropriate full mechanic level with associated certifications/licenses
  • This directly leads to the client receiving a more fit-for-purpose solution and ultimately receiving greater value which grows a greater relationship.
  • In other words, there has to be a compelling reason based on our mission for why we would submit budgets for anything.” By presenting specific information on how and why you’ve chosen your budget numbers, you can help the C-suite see that your budget is well within reason
  • When you automate the work order process, you remove human error associated with it. Essentially, you’re taking the people out of the process and ensuring nothing gets missed or overlooked
  • “There are many different software options out there than can aid FMs in organizing and streamlining their everyday tasks. This ranges from software designed to help manage all maintenance activities to logging and tracking facility visitors for security purposes. 
  • uch smart sensors, operating costs are dramatically reduced, productivity is enhanced, and occupants’ comfort is improved.
  • “One of the most exciting features of Facilities Management software is the ability to manage heating and cooling remotely, or set a programmable thermostat to move set temperatures up or down throughout the day. Facilities planners love the ability to analyze and explore energy use from heating and cooling systems
  • “Maintenance and facilities administration systems must frequently abide by national and global regulatory requirements. All maintenance administrators face occasional random or audits inspections by regulatory authorities. Maintenance software enables you to prove regulatory conformity and decrease the amount of paperwork and preparation that is needed for an audit.
  • KPIs allude to opportunities and errors in your company. Paired with the Internet of Things (IoT) and energy management systems, KPIs can be used to highlight missed maintenance tasks, greater traffic area of your business or problems with machinery
  • “Closely monitoring energy and water use to reduce building-operating costs is another benefit. By allowing owners to monitor and analyze the performance of multiple systems—air-conditioning levels, lights on automatic dimmers, water usage
  • “A feature that’s gaining a lot of ground is using facial recognition technology to let people in and out of the building. It’s more secure than key fobs or cards, and unlike cards and fobs, you can’t forget your face at home. It’s like batting a triple, or killing three birds with one stone
  • You cannot do your job properly without the correct information. If you don’t have proper records on the state of your facilities, you can’t do your job as a facilities manager.
  • “A surprising number of facilities managers have no true system in place for managing their space.  More than a quarter of everyone interviewed – 28 percent –
  • . It may help significantly with compliance with various industry standards, such as HIPAA in the healthcare industry and Sarbanes-Oxley in the financial field. It can help to document best practices for avoiding accidents, or in the worst case scenario,
  • This method identifies how critical a piece of equipment or maintenance task is to your business and will ultimately show you where it should land in your prioritization process
  • Smartsheet is a spreadsheet that you share with your co-workers, but its features go far beyond Excel. This tool combines the traditional spreadsheet with project management tools, templates, and forms and allows you and your colleagues to access spreadsheets on mobile devices and work on them collaboratively
  • The business world is increasingly embracing a larger remote workforce. Offices are used as areas to collaborate, develop, and design new ideas. The day-to-day work can be, and often is, done from home
  • “Another possibility for cutting costs, say experts, is not just moving staff around, but moving work around also. This means carefully examining all outsourcing contracts to see if they can be scaled back and the work completed by in-house staff
  • “Verify assets from a minimum of two data points, such as the barcode and the item’s serial number.
  • After collecting data and developing a maintenance schedule for your assets, you need to plan for the long-term maintenance of your asset inventory
  • However good asset management and maintenance planning is, there comes a time when an asset reaches the end of its useful life and should be disposed of.
  • “If you’re trying to get a handle of your documents, the first thing you should do is an asset assessment. Detail the condition of all the main equipment and systems, and document those conditions
  • Strategic asset management integrates key relationships between planning and delivery activities.
  • Maximize your use of vertical cubic footage by placing seasonal products or those that move less frequently in harder-to-reach vertical storage areas
  • khadija2050 on 23 Nov 20
     
    the article highlights how companies can benefit from sustainable design and gives tips on preventive maintenance
16More

Opera Property Management System - 0 views

www.micros.com/...OPERAPropertyManagementSystem Property Management System (PMS)
shared by Irine Wallace on 10 Sep 12 - No Cached
  • Reservations ― features are integrated with other functionality such as profiles, cashiering and deposits. This property management software module provides a complete set of features for creating and updating individual, group and business block reservations, including deposit handling, cancellations, confirmations, wait listing, room blocking and sharing.
  • Reservations ― features are integrated with other functionality such as profiles, cashiering and deposits. This property management software module provides a complete set of features for creating and updating individual, group and business block reservations, including deposit handling, cancellations, confirmations, wait listing, room blocking and sharing.
  • Reservations ― features are integrated with other functionality such as profiles, cashiering and deposits. This property management software module provides a complete set of features for creating and updating individual, group and business block reservations, including deposit handling, cancellations, confirmations, wait listing, room blocking and sharing.
  • ...11 more annotations...
  • Reservations ― features are integrated with other functionality such as profiles, cashiering and deposits. This property management software module provides a complete set of features for creating and updating individual, group and business block reservations, including deposit handling, cancellations, confirmations, wait listing, room blocking and sharing.
  • Profiles ― complete demographic records for guests, business accounts, contacts, groups, agents and sources. Profiles include addresses, phone numbers, membership enrollments, stay and revenue details, guest preferences and additional data that make reservations handling and many other activities faster and more accurate.
  • Back Office Interface ― revenue transfers, market statistics transfers, daily statistics transfers, and city ledger transfers can be easily made from OPERA Property Management System to a back office system.
  • Rooms Management ― handles all facets of room supervision including availability, housekeeping, maintenance and facility management. The Queue Rooms feature of the property management software coordinates Front Office and Housekeeping efforts when guests are waiting for rooms which are not immediately available for assignment.
  • Cashiering ― posting guest and passer-by charges (including taxes and other generates), making posting adjustments, managing advance deposits, settlements, checkout and folio printing are a few of the many activities handled by OPERA Cashiering. Cashiering accommodates multiple payment methods per reservation including cash, check, credit cards and direct bill. In multi-property environments, guest charges can be cross-posted from any property in the hotel complex
  • Cashiering ― posting guest and passer-by charges (including taxes and other generates), making posting adjustments, managing advance deposits, settlements, checkout and folio printing are a few of the many activities handled by OPERA Cashiering. Cashiering accommodates multiple payment methods per reservation including cash, check, credit cards and direct bill. In multi-property environments, guest charges can be cross-posted from any property in the hotel complex
  • Cashiering ― posting guest and passer-by charges (including taxes and other generates), making posting adjustments, managing advance deposits, settlements, checkout and folio printing are a few of the many activities handled by OPERA Cashiering. Cashiering accommodates multiple payment methods per reservation including cash, check, credit cards and direct bill. In multi-property environments, guest charges can be cross-posted from any property in the hotel complex
  • Cashiering ― posting guest and passer-by charges (including taxes and other generates), making posting adjustments, managing advance deposits, settlements, checkout and folio printing are a few of the many activities handled by OPERA Cashiering. Cashiering accommodates multiple payment methods per reservation including cash, check, credit cards and direct bill. In multi-property environments, guest charges can be cross-posted from any property in the hotel complex
  • Cashiering ― posting guest and passer-by charges (including taxes and other generates), making posting adjustments, managing advance deposits, settlements, checkout and folio printing are a few of the many activities handled by OPERA Cashiering. Cashiering accommodates multiple payment methods per reservation including cash, check, credit cards and direct bill. In multi-property environments, guest charges can be cross-posted from any property in the hotel complex
  • Cashiering ― posting guest and passer-by charges (including taxes and other generates), making posting adjustments, managing advance deposits, settlements, checkout and folio printing are a few of the many activities handled by OPERA Cashiering. Cashiering accommodates multiple payment methods per reservation including cash, check, credit cards and direct bill. In multi-property environments, guest charges can be cross-posted from any property in the hotel complex
  • Your front desk often makes the difference between ‘never agains’ and ‘long-term relationships.’ At the core of the OPERA Enterprise Solution is our premier property management software, the OPERA Property Management System (PMS). Designed to meet the varied requirements of any size hotel or hotel chain, OPERA PMS provides all the tools a hotel staff needs for doing their day-to-day jobs – handling reservations, checking guests in and out, assigning rooms and managing room inventory, accommodating the needs of in-house guests, and handling accounting and billing. The property management software is configurable to each property’s specific requirements and operates in either single-property or multi-property mode, with all properties in an enterprise sharing a single database
  • Irine Wallace on 10 Sep 12
     
    SUMMARY OPERA Property Management System is fully integrated with all the OPERA modules and offers the most extensive list of certified interfaces in the industry. FEATURES: Reservation, rate management, profiles, front desk management, back office interface, room management, cashiering, account receivables, commissions, reporting, fully configurable, global perspective, hospitality system interface, opera express, tailored to fit hotel's operational business needs, scalable to suit the size of the hotel, helps operators to become more productive, profitable and professional, and delivers fast, accurate and online information on property
  • Jenna Rashbaum on 10 Sep 12
     
    A lot of hotels use OPERA as their property management system. I have never personally worked in a hotel so I am not familiar with PMS's but from everything that I have read and heard from people is that OPERA is very efficient with everything. This system seems as though it can do everything for your property just the way that you would like it to. OPERA is customizable to your company's needs which seems great. This is a great website that you posted as it informs all of us exactly what this PMS is capable of.
74More

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

www.siteminder.com/...global-distribution-system
shared by ovila009 on 14 Sep 19 - No Cached
  • 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
      anonymous on 14 Sep 19
       
      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
      anonymous on 14 Sep 19
       
      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
      anonymous on 14 Sep 19
       
      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
      anonymous on 14 Sep 19
       
      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
      anonymous on 14 Sep 19
       
      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
      yoevelyn on 30 Jan 21
       
      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
  • anonymous on 14 Sep 19
     
    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.
  • gaston326 on 18 Sep 19
     
    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.
  • xiaoyuzhang on 18 Sep 20
     
    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.
23More

Why You Should Not Outsource Your Hotel's Accounting | By David Lund - Hospitality Net - 0 views

www.hospitalitynet.org/...4083889.html
shared by mrueda on 21 Oct 17 - No Cached
  • Outsourcing your hotel accounting is an unintelligent move
  • I said I was going to alternate between the pros and cons. The second pro is cost savings.
  • A negative aspect of outsourcing is the reduced level of service.
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  • One good thing that comes from outsourcing is being trendy. Many brands are doing it and it is the trendy thing to do.
  • Another very negative result of outsourcing the accounting function is brain drain and the resulting challenge it creates in succession planning.
  • On the positive side, another idea about outsourcing accounting is the creation of a different kind of finance and accounting leader;
  • If you are thinking of outsourcing your accounting, think again. It is not a good decision. It will cost you dearly and your investment will suffer.
  • Hotels are a high-volume transaction retail business. Every day a hotel sells hundreds or thousands of rooms to many different customer segments. In addition, it services thousands of food and beverage customers.
  • When a hotel outsources they typically outsource payables, some parts of purchasing, general accounting, sometimes accounts receivable and almost always the daily audit and revenue functions.
  • Companies feel compelled to move, to innovate, and sometimes these changes are not in their best interest
  • These functions in a hotel are like filters, collecting all the errors and working with operations to get them back on track
  • the costs savings in the short run are completely upside down – in other words – no savings.
  • The hotel loses track of so many invoices so they start logging the scans and cross referencing these with the outsourced company.
  • If there are no entry level positions, no revenue auditor and no middle management, then how does a hotel grow controllers and directors of finance?
  • they are not going to have financial leaders that understand the hotel business and all its insane nuances.
  • This in theory is exactly what I think hotels should be doing – developing the business skills of the non-financial managers.
  • The fact is these systems and processes are always in need of constant and diligent attention
  • Colleagues in the operating departments need constant oversight and this boils down to finding out what is wrong with the data and communicating back to these areas.
  • denisedantas on 21 Oct 17
     
    This article provides an overview of the importance for hotels to have a centralized function and not outsourcing the hotel accounting, meaning that hotels should not use a third party provider. Companies are compelled to change, to innovate, and in need to keep up with the competition. It says that some hoteliers are choosing to outsource because is trendy, but not always function in their best interest. This article emphasizes the pros and cons, but mostly all the negative results of outsourcing, using other companies to do the work that should be centralized.
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  • bdolman on 01 Mar 18
     
    The article titled "Why You Should Not Outsource your Hotel's Accounting" sheds light on the importance of having a solid financial and accounting program within the hotel industry. The author misadvises outsourcing the hotel's accounting through a third party provider since it is important for the company to have complete control of the accounting. Although outsourcing is a big trend nowadays, including outsourcing for IT and reservations among other systems, the author firmly believes that accounting should be a task that is monitored in house. According to the article, "A negative aspect of outsourcing is the reduced level of service. Good service in a hotel is everything, not only for external guests, but also for internal guests. In a full-service hotel, the accounting department provides a long list of services: receivables, payables, payroll, revenue control, cash management, systems oversight, audit, food and beverage controls, purchasing, receiving, general accounting and budget/forecasting to name but a few". As hotels require superior service and a wide array of reports to be generated in real time, it is better to hire and train someone with this capability in house rather than calling a company that has other clients. Thus, outsourcing the accounting aspect is quite costly and it is not recommended, as it is a task that needs to be constantly analyzed and controlled in house.
  • anonymous on 25 Jun 18
     
    This article examines the pros and cons associated with outsourcing hotel Accounting practices to a third-party company. The author mentions that hotel operators are under immense pressure to constantly innovate, keep up with and stay ahead of industry trends. However, by following these trends they may not be aligned with the hotel's best interest, resulting in a reduction in efficiency and increase in costs. When choosing to keep accounting practices in house, hotels are better able to capture errors and work with the different departments to correct the errors before recording them in the books.
  • anonymous on 30 Jun 18
     
    https://www.hospitalitynet.org/opinion/4083889.html My article highlights the cons of outsourcing a hotel's accounting system from a third party provider. The author mentions that in the hotel industry, technology is constantly changing and every hotel is trying to stay on trend and "keep up with Jones'". The main issue with outsourcing is the reduced level of service. "In a full-service hotel, the accounting department provides a long list of services: receivables, payables, payroll, revenue control, cash management, systems oversight, audit, food and beverage controls, purchasing, receiving, general accounting and budget/forecasting to name but a few." When you outsource, there is reduced attention to these details. If a hotel's own accounting department handles these daily operation segments, there is less likelihood for error and they will be able to work with the various departments to correct the issues. It also saves tons of money to handle accounting in-house. Another important issue that was raised is that if accounting is outsourced then there is no room for development for an accounting department; no growth, no promotions. A pro is that outsourcing gives a financial manager the ability to focus on the bigger picture and see where changes can be made. If they are bogged down with little details, they might not be able to be the leader the hotel needs.
  • mrueda on 23 Sep 18
     
    The article discussions the pros and cons of whether a Hotel should out source their accounting to a third party. The author of this article strongly agrees that Hotels should not out source their accounting. The author finds it "unintelligent move". Many Hotel owners believe it's "trendy" and necessary to out source their accounting to keep up with their competitors. I agree with the author, that Hotel should do their accounting on site. Management would have better control over functions and departments such as; payroll, auditing, food and beverage management.
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The Education of Groupon CEO Andrew Mason - Businessweek - 0 views

www.businessweek.com/...on-of-groupon-ceo-andrew-mason
shared by anonymous on 15 Jul 12 - No Cached
  • “In addition to actually greeting customers as they come in,” says Mason, “I’m running between the front of the house, where we have one system, and the back of the house, where we have another system, entering redundant data from one into the other. I’m just managing the mess that is this technology infrastructure for the business.”
  • The CEO’s focus now is on building what Mason calls the “operating system for local commerce”—a suite of software and technology services that would embed Groupon into every facet of every transaction on Main Street.
  • Merchants would use the system not only as a form of advertising but also as a touch point for every sale they ring up and a hook for bringing customers back.
  • ...2 more annotations...
  • With his previous credit-card processor, Cotter says he would have to keep track of receipts and manually add up his daily income to calculate tax at the end of the month. “This does all that,” says Cotter,
  • The tools at a merchant’s disposal are mostly limited to a handwritten or computer booking system, a credit-card processing machine, and a cash register, all of which tend to work independently. “They have a point-of-sale system that doesn’t talk to their reservation system that doesn’t talk to their online ordering system,” Mason says. “Each one of the solutions provided to them they loathe so deeply that they don’t even get around to wishing that they were all integrated.”
  • anonymous on 15 Jul 12
     
    Peppered throughout this article on Groupon's CEO Andrew Mason are snippets of knowledge or understanding of the importance of efficient accounting systems to run a successful business. While working as a host in a restaurant, Mason learns first-hand the inefficiency of its RMS, stating that there are 2 separate systems for the front and back of house. His experience working in a small business is a stint to help develop more relevant and seamless applications and software with merchants to help them manage payment and inventory, rather than inundating them with coupons, customers, or no business at all. The major takeaway related to this class is that finance and accounting are so unappealing to businesses that even the CEO of a major public company was surprised by how disorganized, even non-existent, an efficient POS was within a small restaurant in Chicago. And perhaps that is also a reflection of his own business model, as Groupon has been reported to have lost money, and even passed up a billion-dollar deal with Google. To survive, any business, large or small, must approach their finances intelligently.
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http://blog.milestoneinternet.com/website-promotion/effective-email-marketing/ - 0 views

blog.milestoneinternet.com/...effective-email-marketing rise travel demand sales hotels increases usage
shared by diana morales on 20 Jul 12 - No Cached
  • Effective Email Marketing
  • Effective Email Marketing
  • Book Rooms and Build Relationships
  • ...5 more annotations...
  • Permission Email vs. Spamming
  • 4 Easy Steps To Conducting Effective Email Marketing
  • In-House vs. Outsourced
  • Using Email Marketing to Up-sell
  • Using Email Marketing to Build Relationships and Get Feedback
  • diana morales on 20 Jul 12
     
    This webpage is an explanation of all the effective ways you can market thru email in the hotel industry. Obviously if the guests received an email from your company is because they provided you with their email adress, meaning that they are interested. E- Marketing is not spamming. It is very proffesional. At the end of the guests stay, you can use e marketing tools to lude the guest back in your way. You can benefit from E-Marketing by upselling. It is a very powerful tool that can bring you a lot of traffic if you have a great business plan. E- Marketing is also important because you can get guest feed back and fix problems that might occur and also help them come back as well. E-Marketing has changed the hospitality industry in a great way. People no longer need to walk in to your hotel to find out information. If you have a great website, guests can quicly make their own assumptions. If a guest is coming back to the city, E-Marketing can lure them back in.
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Green IT | Green Hotelier - 1 views

www.greenhotelier.org/...green-it green technology Hospitality
shared by galca008 on 07 Feb 18 - No Cached
  • With the world becoming ever more reliant on IT, from computers and laptops to smartphones, the issue of how you make it more sustainable, in terms of reducing energy requirements and electronic waste, becomes ever more pressing.
  • In 2010, it was estimated that 360 million computers were manufactured. A computer is one of the most resource-intensive pieces of equipment, requiring over 10 times its weight in fossil fuels to make
  • The production of a computer requires 22kg of toxic chemicals, 240kg of fossil fuels and 1,500 kg of water. 80% of life-cycle energy use is accounted for before we even switch a PC on for the first time. Computer Aid International About 2% of the world’s total energy is consumed by building and running computer equipment. BBC Office equipment is the fastest growing energy user in the business world, consuming 15% of the total electricity used in offices. This is expected to rise to 30% by 2020. In the UK, the cost of running this equipment is estimated to be around £300 million annually and rising each year. Carbon Trust 200 million computers and 550 million mobile phones reached the end of their life in 2008.  Computer Aid International 50 million tons of e-waste was generated worldwide, but only 13% was recycled. US Environmental Protection Agency Reusing working computers is up to 20 times more energy-efficient than recycling them. Computer Aid International
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  • A data centre is a facility used to house computer systems and their components, and it can be far and away the biggest contributor to an organisation’s carbon footprint. A data centre’s life expectancy is relatively long so it is imperative it is built to the highest standards in terms of efficiency as any excess energy use will lead to significant cost implications over the years.
  • 1. Build the most energy-efficient data centre possible. This will save energy and costs over its lifespan. 2. Only get the data storage capacity that is currently required and forecast for the lifespan. Many data centres have excess capacity that burns energy (and therefore costs) unnecessarily. Don’t have servers or equipment that will not be used. 3. Cooling data centres. Traditionally cooling has been done by air circulation, which is very inefficient. Larger data centres already use other technologies to cool more efficiently, such as water cooling. 4. Virtualisation technology. Improve your system’s resource utilisation through virtualisation technology. Virtualisation is the creation of a virtual (rather than actual) version of something, such as an operating system, server, network, etc. and allows a single user to access several physical devices on one terminal. A computing device dedicated to an individual member of staff or allocated for one software application is highly inefficient and expensive. Virtualisation consolidates resources, requiring less power and cooling. 5. Consider cloud computing. This is a location-independent IT service, typically available over the internet, where shared servers provide resources, software and data to computers and other devices on demand, increasing IT capacity and capabilities without an organisation having to invest in new infrastructure. Keeping data virtually, or “in the clouds”, means less information stored on IT systems and therefore less energy being used to run the systems. Systems such as BT’s Virtual Data Centre, a hosted data centre that enables businesses to create, deploy, monitor and manage their own service through a self-service portal, claim to offer savings of up to 40% of the total cost of running one’s own data centre as well as reducing the space required, the level of emissions produced and the power consumed.
  • 6. Measure and monitor power usage. Once you know what’s using the power, focus on why and whether it’s possible to reduce consumption.
  • 1. Upgrade. Before buying new, investigate options to upgrade with the latest energy-efficient components to extend appliances’ working life and efficiency. 2. Green labels. Look out for the certification labels denoting more energy-efficient equipment, from Blue Angel in Germany to TCO in Sweden and Energy Star in the US (see below). 3. Screens. Opt for flat screen monitors, which reduce energy use by over two-thirds. 4. Get the right equipment. Consider your information technology needs against the tasks required. For example, laptops may be a better option in some circumstances because they have been developed to be energy-efficient and generally match the computer to the task required. Remember: not all staff have the same needs. 5. Consider running costs. Look at the life cycle costs, not just the purchase cost. Take note of running and standby costs of equipment. These can vary enormously.
  • Top 10 Tips to reduce running costs of office equipment (source: Carbon Trust) 1. Computers. Activate energy-saving features. In fact, most office equipment will have these features, so make sure they’re activated. 2. Standby features. Introduce a policy to activate standby features, don’t assume employees will do it. 3. Turn it off. Buy seven-day timers. These can save up to 70% on energy costs. 4. Monitor and manage the equipment that is peripheral to computers, such as speakers, printers, etc. and consider installing intelligent switch-off solutions. Printers can consume 30%-40% of their peak power demand when idling between printing and standby modes, so minimising this can produce cost savings, reduce heat output and increase its operating life. 5. Educate your staff. Consider a screen saver with an energy-saving message. 6. Rationalise your equipment via networking to reduce the number of printers (for example) in any office area. 7. Printers Use only black and white for internal documents and colour only when absolutely necessary. Consider the benefits of inkjet printers v laser printers. Inkjet energy use is much lower than that of a laser printer. Encourage staff to use print preview functions. Set default printing mode to double-sided. Use lower-specification printers, such as inkjets, for internal documents and encourage staff to use these for day-to-day use.
  • 8. Photocopiers High volume copiers use more energy so should be used sparingly. Use low melting point inks (available from stationery suppliers). Encourage staff to copy in batches to increase standby time. Stick to black and white copiers and only use colour when absolutely necessary. Set default copying to double-sided. 9. Invest to save and purchase only what you need. 10. Don’t forget to motivate staff. Keep repeating the message of the importance of energy saving in ways that they can understand (for example, a computer monitor switched off overnight saves enough energy to microwave six dinners).
  • WEEE (Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment), or e-waste, is the term used for old or disposed electronic equipment. It covers both the toxic and valuable materials found in appliances. The most important lesson is to reuse, not recycle. With so much e-waste, and electrical devices such as computers and flat screens often being replaced well before the end of their shelf life and ending up in landfill, it’s imperative that the most is made of these materials by reusing them productively.
  • Options to investigate when trying to reduce e-waste are: 1. Can you upgrade your equipment with new energy efficient components? 2. Can it be used by someone else in the company? 3. Can it be given to a charity? (Note: charities must be registered to take WEEE.) 4. Will the manufacturer take back the old equipment and reuse parts in new products?
  • Developments on the horizon include: 1. Smaller, more efficient processors. The continuing development of microprocessors means a mobile phone can have around the same computational power as the average desktop computer back in 2000. 2. Memristors. Electronics giant HP is in the process of developing “memristors” (see photo above), which have greater memory storage capacity while requiring less energy and space. They are due to be on the shelf in about three years. 3. Specialist data centre design. Siemens recently launched its transformational Data Centre Solution, a groundbreaking strategy in data centre energy-efficient design and operation. It claims the system, which uses virtualization and efficient power and cooling, offers many benefits for businesses, including up to 50% energy savings through ground water cooling and IT costs reduced by 30%. 4. Outsourcing. Hotels of all sizes are starting to view IT outsourcing as a viable option to gain flexibility and reduce short-term costs and increase transparency of cost structures and processes. 5. Optimisation of resources. This will become a necessity either through virtualisation, networking or cloud computing. 6. Water cooling. IBM is currently working on a supercomputer that is cooled by water (a given volume of water can hold 4,000 times more waste than air), which claims to be 50% more energy efficient than the world’s leading systems. The Aquasar stacks many computer processors on top of each other with cooling water flowing between each one. IBM’s Dr Bruno Michel told the BBC in November 2010: “We plan that 10 to 15 years from now, we can collapse such a system into one sugar cube — we’re going to have a supercomputer in a sugar cube.”
  • galca008 on 07 Feb 18
     
    This is a great article that provides tips on how to use green practices within the IT realm. It starts by giving statistics on how much energy can be consumed by equipment, and also how much electronic waste can be done when not reusing or recycling such equipment. There is tips on how to increase efficiency with your technology and also providing tips on how to properly purchase needed equipment. Another set of tips covers reducing the running costs of office equipment and reducing e-waste by the 'reduce, reuse, and recycle'. Lastly, developments for green technology and equipment are provided for us. My opinion is that this article is very informative and should be read by all hoteliers to look into and apply the tips given. Showing the statistics paints a great picture for the reasons why we should be going green with technology.
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Making the Move to a Cloud-Based Restaurant POS - 0 views

upserve.com/...cloud-based-restaurant-pos POS hospitality cloud-based restaurants technology business decision-making mobile Software solution Tech
shared by ldevaul on 16 Sep 19 - No Cached
  • The beauty of the cloud-based POS format is how scalable and customizable it is—it can work for single-location full service and quick service restaurants, multi-location restaurants, and restaurant groups alike.
  • Most cloud-based POS systems also update with new features as technology improves across the industry—something you’re unlikely to get with a legacy POS system.
  • Cloud solutions facilitate faster, easier, and more extensive business insights, which can help you make strategic decisions. By connecting what’s happening in the back of the house to the front, restaurant operators get a holistic picture of how the business is running
  • ...26 more annotations...
  • Real-time data means real-time solutions to situations before they become problems. Just think of the time and money you’ll save by identifying issues before they blow out of proportion
  • Instead of printing out lengthy reports for every shift, now you can access your insights from any smart device—such as your computer, phone, or tablet—and get updated sales, inventory, customer feedback, and more, no matter where you are. 
  • Legacy systems only allow on-premise access to data, which means you have to be in your restaurant in order to access the information on your POS system.
  • If you anticipate growth or change, a cloud-based POS system is better enabled to grow with you. 
  • While buying up all of the necessary technology to get a cloud-based POS system off the ground may seem expensive, they tend to have cheaper operating costs in the long run and some, like Upserve, offer free support 24/7/365. 
  • With a cloud-based restaurant POS, you have the ability to add on a mobile POS unit that provides a number of benefits.
  • That decrease in time spent waiting for their check or credit card to return to the table also increases guest satisfaction, boosting your reputation. A mobile restaurant POS also provides contactless payments with a built-in EMV reader, minimizing the exchange between servers and guests – something that is particularly important in this moment.
  • Cloud-based POS systems update automatically and for free, just like the apps on your mobile device, while traditional POS systems require manual updates that can be labor intensive and costly. 
  • The beauty of the cloud-based POS format is how scalable and customizable it is—it can work for single-location full service and quick service restaurants, multi-location restaurants, and restaurant groups alike. 
  • Whether it’s updating your menu on the regular, launching new or improved loyalty programs, or requiring more precise inventory tracking, the more your needs will shift over time, the more sense it makes to opt for cloud-based.
  • If the internet ever goes down, the system that your legacy POS relies on will be offline and non-functional. Luckily, on a cloud-based restaurant POS system you have the option of switching to offline mode as a back-up. You’ll stay up and running until the internet is able to connect again.
  • Thanks to the cloud and its encrypted online storage, there’s no risk of hardware or software incompatibility or failure, no viruses or driver hiccups, and no risk of a hard drive accidentally deleting a weekend’s worth of sales reports. It’s all backed up, automatically. 
  • Plus, younger generations of workers—think millennials and Gen Zs—will be able to get right on board with a cloud-based POS solution with little-to-no training.
  • Customers will feel good knowing their credit card information is secure and encrypted with the most up-to-date technology. 
  • No matter what type of establishment, your cloud-based POS can track every last drop of product, allowing you to spot discrepancies in an instant and fix gaps before they become problematic.
  • Hardware costs are separate from service, and maintenance and support services often come with a hefty fee. 
  • While traditional POS systems certainly have lower start-up costs, they tend to come with plenty of hidden costs that reveal themselves over time.
  • upfront costs are kept to a minimum and monthly subscription fees are lower. 
  • Best of all, instant free upgrades mean no lost revenue from downtime or inconvenient hardware upgrades as your business grows. Instead, plans can be upgraded or downgraded at will, and most providers don’t even charge a fee for the trouble. 
  • If you have existing setups in place, many third-party vendors have upgraded apps for cloud POS systems to help you maintain your current rewards and promotions planning. 
  • Most studies are showing that those who switched are sticking with a cloud-based solution, and that legacy POS systems will only decline moving forward.
  • After over three decades with a legacy POS system that only slowed them down, they made the move to a cloud-based POS to bring their restaurants into the future.
  • “Our restaurants are chef-driven, so we have specials that change every day. We need to add buttons every day. We change pricing every day. Having to stop and reset all the terminals because it’s not instantaneous was a headache.”
  • Not only did constant resets of the system create roadblocks for the team at Homegrown Hospitality, but service was also less than stellar and cost more than what it was worth.
  • We went through a lot of pain—our system would crash all the time, credit cards wouldn’t spool, and data would be lost. Our IT department would spend numerous hours a week just trying to recover data,” Simon explained.
  • “That was pretty much the breaking point: we were at the point where we needed to upgrade, but it would have cost us several hundred thousand dollars. So we decided to source something new. The functionality and capability of Upserve won us over.”
  • mmadar on 16 Sep 19
     
    This article takes you through why your restaurant may want to switch to a Cloud-Based POS. There are many positive attributes associated with making the switch, such as; data accessibility, cheaper operating costs, easier upgrades, less frequent downtimes, increased security, and adaptability. If you are a growing business, the Cloud would grow with you.
  • shannaton on 29 Jun 20
     
    Cloud based POS systems can be apprehensive at first, but we are always satisfied once we are able to se the technology work to keep the business safe, effiecient and also more profitable. Cloud based POS systems are speedy and saves a lot of time which frees up staff to do other things in the establishment.
  • ldevaul on 11 Sep 21
     
    This article discussed the benefits of switching from a localized POS system to a cloud-based restaurant POS. The article touched on how cloud-based systems provide real-time data and how that instant data could provide a management team real-time solutions. You can save so much time and money by identifying issues before they even arrive. I found it very interesting that with cloud-based systems you have the "ability to add on a mobile POS unit that provides a number of benefits." With this option, your servers do not have to run back and forth to a POS station. They simply have the option in the palm of their hands. It also decreases the time spent waiting for a check or credit card to return to the table. This not only increases guest satisfaction, but helps with table turnover. The article also touched on how cloud-based POS systems are "better enabled to grow with you." They are super adaptable and the article mentioned that restaurants can update their menu whenever, launch new loyalty programs, and help with more precise inventory tracking. This article also touched on setup, increased security, staff accountability, and the ability to make better business decisions due to the cloud software being able to provide extensive business insights. Finally, the article touched on POS cost and how " upfront costs are kept to a minimum and monthly subscription fees are lower." It also ended with a case study about Homegrown Hospitality Group and their switch from Aloha to Upserve Cloud-based POS. It was very interesting and I'd recommend everyone read the brief two paragraphs about how the switch changed their business trajectory.
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Yum Brands Is Adding Disruptive Technologies Across Its Global Restaurant System. Here'... - 0 views

www.forbes.com/...al-restaurant-system-heres-how yum brands adding disruptive technologies restaurant system
shared by ivonneyee on 25 Oct 21 - No Cached
  • Those moves set the ball set in motion to integrate technology-centric solutions across its four brands across the world with an objective of elevating both the customer and team member experiences.
  • “What Covid has done is change our mindset. We don’t have to have everything perfect to launch something. For example, in Pizza Hut, U.S., we launched contactless curbside and carryout in two weeks. In the previous environment, it would have taken months, committees, testing protocols. Now we don’t have the luxury of time. We don’t have to wait until we have sharpened the blade to perfection. Our strategy is the same, but our pace is faster,” Felder said during a recent interview.
  • “Digital Innovation Lab,” led by Park, a partnership with the Plug and Play platfo
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  • rm for startups and plans for a physical innovation lab to open later this year
  • The digital lab is unique in that it translates restaurant operations–be it at KFC, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell or Habit Burger–into a cloud “facility.”
  • Park’s team takes all digital inputs from Yum’s restaurants, like closed-circuit television footage of cars in the drive-thru, point-of-sale data or drive-thru audio, and puts it into the cloud
  • Plug and Play, which claims to be the world’s largest global innovation platform for startups and corporations
  • Automation can free up employees’ time spent on manual back-of-house tasks so they can focus more on customer-facing tasks, ideally providing more speed and accuracy in the process.
  • Some of these ideas–like voice, artificial intelligence, computer vision, IoT–have popped up in the restaurant industry here and there. None, however, have proliferated at the global scale Yum Brands offers. This is where the true disruption could happen. Yum has over 50,000 restaurants in more than 150 countries and territories, and employs 1.5 employees and franchise associates. Few food and beverage companies have this kind of global footprint.
  • Restaurant companies are no longer dabbling in technology efficiencies, they’re relying on them for their very survival. In fact, because of the pandemic, digital sales are now expected to make up more than half of limited-service business by 2025–a 70% increase over pre-COVID estimates. 
  • “The big lesson for us is we’ve got to be where the customer is. We have several restaurants at the moment trying to take consumer ease to the next level,” Felder said. “I don’t think we’ve ever seen a more fertile time of innovation in the history of the restaurant industry. We’re about to hit a wave of transformative innovations.”
  • ivonneyee on 25 Oct 21
     
    Yum Brands, which runs restaurants KFC, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell and Habit Burger, is integrating technology-centric solutions across its four brands around the world, which could result in an acceleration of disruptive technologies on a large scale. This Digital Innovation Lab then adds information from thousands of Yum Brand restaurants into a cloud facility. The information includes closed-circuit tv from a restaurant's drive-thru and point-of-sale or drive-thru audio. Hundreds of startups then get access to the data to compare their technologies in the lab. They're able to use that information to create more automated services like artificial intelligence, computer vision and the Internet of Things. Yum's idea is by improving automation back of house, employees can focus more time on customer-facing tasks, resulting in more speed and accuracy.
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Rezlynx, Property Management System (PMS). Full PMS functionality for the hospitality i... - 0 views

pinpoint.microsoft.com/...s-back-office-sales-4294991128 Travellers all over the world are seeking a central place where they can make hotel reservations in an effecient and timely manner. With this increased technology Rezlynx is another of the PMS that can be used in hospitality industry. International tax an
shared by Sherine Mattison on 29 Sep 12 - No Cached
  • Sherine Mattison on 29 Sep 12
     
    "RezLynx is a web based Property Management System (PMS) for the hospitality industry, it includes Front of House, Reservations, Back Office, Sales Ledger, Sales & Marketing and Conference & Banqueting. International language, tax and currency requirements are also handled, making RezLynx a truly global application. For most hotel groups, the concept of a single, central database is a key factor in the search for an enterprise solution for reservations and hotel management. The advent of the ASP (Application Service Provider) model eliminates the constraints of database replication by maintaining all data in one central location. As communications become faster, more cost-effective and more reliable, hotel groups are embracing the technology to increase revenue, reduce costs and therefore improve profitability. RezLynx is a comprehensive, Internet native solution designed to take full advantage of this new technology, incorporating a fully featured Property Management System (PMS), Central Reservation System (CRS), Head Office Management and Online Bookings."
  • Sherine Mattison on 29 Sep 12
     
    Travellers all over the world are seeking a way to make hotel reservations in an efficient and timely manner. Rezlynx is another of the systems that is taking full advantage of the internet technology by "incorporating a fully featured PMS, CRS Head Office Management and Online Bookings." This technology is been embraced by the hotels since it reduces cost and increases revenue. Because it can handle international language, tax and currency requirements Rezlynx is seen as a "truly global applicatio."
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Back-of-house technology makes staff happier - 0 views

www.hotelnewsnow.com/...technology-makes-staff-happier back-of-house employees technology efficient happy Revel Atlantic City New Jersey
shared by Jennifer Mesa on 05 Apr 13 - No Cached
  • In other words, take good care of the staff and they’ll return the favor to the guests
  • And modern technology that maximizes efficiency is lending a hand to the process of putting employees in a positive state of mind
  • At Revel, the new $2.4-billion luxury property in Atlantic City, New Jersey, the back of house is as nice as the guest amenities at many resorts
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  • The elevators were designed to be fast. By combining group dispatching with directed elevator shafts and proper speed settings, it’s easy to get employees where they need to be without delay.
  • The employee elevators at Revel move with efficiency and on multiple tracks, so employees aren’t stuck wasting time traveling from location to location.
  • wardrobe process and conveyor systems
  • The system features 11 individual stations. Upon an employee’s arrival, they visit their assigned station and punch in a personal code on the keypad. Their uniform is automatically conveyed to the door, which opens to allow retrieval.
  • there are no lockers. They simply put their street clothes into the bag, return to the wardrobe conveyor systems, punch in their code and hang the bag back on their assigned hook on the rack, with items securely locked inside
  • Employees can check email and message people from touchdown stations. These stations enable employees to stay in touch with the outside world while at work and when it’s appropriate
  • communicating through cell phones—sometimes provided by employers—supervisors have quick and easy ways to relate situations to all needed members of staff
  • Jennifer Mesa on 05 Apr 13
     
    This article talks about the importance of having happy employees and having the technology available to them to make their lives a little easier so that they are better equipped to make sure the guests are happy too!
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Fyre Festival, a Luxury Music Weekend, Crumbles in the Bahamas - The New York Times - 0 views

www.nytimes.com/...-festival-ja-rule-bahamas.html
shared by natashacastro on 08 Nov 17 - No Cached
  • Promoted by Instagram influencers including Kendall Jenner, Bella Hadid and Emily Ratajkowski as a never-before-seen V.I.P. event, the gathering — with weekend ticket packages starting around $1,200 and topping six-figures with extras
  • On social media, where Fyre Festival had been sold as a selfie-taker’s paradise, accounts showed none of the aspirational A-lister excesses, with only sad sandwiches and free alcohol to placate the restless crowds. General disappointment soon turned to near-panic as the festival was canceled and attendees attempted to flee back to the mainland of Florida.
  • “Not one thing that was promised on the website was delivered,” said Shivi Kumar, 33, who works in technology sales in New York, and came with a handful of friends expecting the deluxe “lodge” package for which they had paid $3,500: four king size beds and a chic living room lounge. Instead Ms. Kumar and her crew were directed to a tent encampment. Some tents had beds, but some were still unfurnished. Directed by a festival employee to “grab a tent,” attendees started running, she said.
  • ...5 more annotations...
  • By Friday morning, the festival, founded by the rapper Ja Rule and the tech entrepreneur Billy McFarland, was in damage-control mode. “Fyre Festival set out to provide a once-in-a-lifetime musical experience,” the organizers said in a statement. “Due to circumstances out of our control, the physical infrastructure was not in place on time and we are unable to fulfill on that vision safely and enjoyably for our guests.” (A second weekend, planned to start May 5, was also scrapped.)
  • internet programming, the ocean and rap music.
  • But the pair soon discovered logistical hurdles, including a lack of proper water systems and transportation. “There wasn’t the infrastructure we needed. We attempted to build a city out of nothing,” Mr. McFarland said. “Neither of us had developed an island or a festival before.”
  • Still, after a few months of planning — including adding sewage piping and buying an ambulance in New Jersey and shipping it to the island — the organizers thought they were ready for the crowds until the storm on Thursday morning washed away some of what they had built.“Our mistake was trying to own all of it in-house,” said Mr. McFarland, who is also the founder of Magnises, an exclusive members-only benefits card for upwardly mobile millennials. “We were in over our heads.”
  • The Bahamas Ministry of Tourism expressed its dismay in a statement on Friday, citing the festival’s “disorganization and chaos.” It continued: “ We offer a heartfelt apology to all who traveled to our country for this event.”
  • natashacastro on 08 Nov 17
     
    This article is a perfect example of how event planning can go terribly wrong with social media usage. The Bahama music festival hosted by Ja-Rule and his company left hundreds stranded on the Island of Great Exuma. The event started off by being promoted through instagram, mainly by famous celebrities such as Bella Hadid and Kendall Jenner. Tickets were sold at $1,200 for the utmost luxurious experience. Come the weekend of the festival, music go-ers arrived into full chaos. Everything that had been promised to the guests such as deluxe lodges, yoga tents and food courts were missing. People showed up to an empty island with no food, water or basic shelter. Clearly the festival was poorly executed and planned and it was canceled. There was a lack of infrastructure on the island to provide safety for the guests along with a lack of proper water systems and transportation. The event planners had not had a proper back up plan for storms that could potentially hit the island (which happened) which completely set back everything. Many viewed this Fryre Festival as a major scam and were extremely upset, but what it turned out to be was a poorly planned and executed music event.
36More

Why the U.S. is Terrible at Recycling Electronics | Digital Trends - 0 views

www.digitaltrends.com/...-waste-recycling-united-states technology hospitality business tech
shared by kmill139 on 17 Jun 21 - No Cached
  • E-waste in the United States is out of control.
  • You may assume America has to at least be on par with the rest of the first world when finding a forever home for computers, phones, and printers, but you’d be wrong.
  • Those millions of old motherboards and TVs consoles rotting in landfills and warehouses aren’t just eyesores. They amount to a massive health hazard. While electronics waste comprises only 2-3 percent of America’s solid waste stream, the lead, cadmium, chromium, and other materials in aging circuitry account for 70 percent of the hazardous material in landfills, according to an EPA report.
  • ...31 more annotations...
  • Others go belly up, leaving behind millions of pounds of old gadgets piled in mountainous heaps atop land which has lead levels many times normal.
  • You’re probably not screaming into a paper bag about the $20 billion or so of gold that’s trashed in electronics every year worldwide. Precious metals come and go. But if you care about the soil that comprises the land of the brave, you should start thinking about what happened to last year’s smartphone (even if it’s just sitting in the garage).
  • This list of reasons isn’t exhaustive, but serves as a solid starting point for understanding the United States’ e-waste dilemma and what can be done.
  • U.S. e-waste recycling laws are often outdated or nonexistent
  • Only 25 states (plus Washington, D.C.) have legislation that addresses e-waste recycling. The other 25 don’t have comprehensive programs, and don’t report what happens to the electronics beyond occasional voluntary numbers, says Jason Linnell, head of the National Center for Electronics Recycling (NCER). Federal laws don’t explicitly address e-waste recycling.
  • The U.S. isn’t good at recycling
  • The current level and effectiveness of e-waste recycling depends on which state you live in and whether or not you trust locals to “do the right thing.” The hope for improvement sits with congressional reps, state lawmakers, manufacturers, and gadget freaks (yes, you).
  • Single-stream recycling hasn’t helped
  • Between 2005 and 2014, single stream recycling programs increased from 29 to 80 percent in American towns and cities. During that same time period, material contamination rates increased from 7 to 25 percent.
  • E-waste legislation regularly disappears in Congress
  • This is not the first Congressional session in which similar bills have been introduced and allowed to die like a first grade classroom goldfish on summer break. SEERA currently sits with the house’s Foreign Affairs Committee. Why is it so tough to pass e-waste legislation?
  • The U.S. is an environmental rogue
  • As of late 2018, 186 states and the European Union have ratified it and follow its legal framework. The United States has signed the Basel Convention, indicating an intent to ratify, but is the only developed nation that hasn’t actually done so, which
  • After the initial Basel Convention was adopted in 1989, many organizations said the treaty didn’t do enough to address the disposal of waste from first world countries into the developing world, and pressed for an update, which eventually became 1995’s Basel Ban Amendment. The tweak — which was attacked by many industrial powers, including the U.S., Canada, and Japan — needed three decades before it was accepted by enough countries to go into effect. In August 2019, Croatia became the 97th country to ratify it, which transformed the updated stipulations into international law in December 2019.
  • EPA regulations are incomplete
  • Federal attempts at regulation have stalled, been killed
  • U.S. pushes back against international efforts
  • As a part of the 2003 Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive (WEEE Directive), the public was guaranteed free recycling services, and conveniently located collection centers. Around the same time, the EU also passed the Restriction of Hazardous Substances Directive (RoHS), aka the “lead-free directive,” which restricts the use of several toxic materials in the manufacture of circuitry and electronic products.
  • In Japan, the Association for Electric Home Appliances requires consumers to help pay for the processing of their goods and manufacturers to set up recycling programs. Electronics recycling has been promoted as such a point of national pride — because Japan is both a huge consumer of gadgets and the country has few indigenous precious metals — that there’s serious talk of making the 2020 Tokyo Olympic metals out of recycled materials. An estimated 80,000 cell phones need to be pulled apart and picked over to complete the plan.
  • State-level e-cycling programs are uneven
  • Certified e-cycling programs are important, but also confusing
  • If you’re the compliance officer who has to make sure the company’s used servers don’t wind up getting tossed in an Indonesian landfill, and you won’t have to nervously answer questions in a “60 Minutes” exposé, you probably want to get that e-waste removed by a disposal team with one of these
  • That all sounds great until you listen to Puckett, who helped create the e-Stewards protocols. He’s one of several people who took part in the development of R2 for over two years and then refused to continue when the proposed guidelines seemed to be too tainted by lobbyists, including ones at the Institute of Scrap Recycling (ISRI), an organization that favors a free market approach over regulation. Puckett and 13 recyclers created e-Stewards, which describes itself as the “the cleanest, most globally responsible standard for e-waste recycling.” He points out that the R2 certification still allows recyclers to export to developing countries. E-Stewards’ doesn’t. R2 recyclers can drop toxic e-waste in landfills or incinerators in the event of “circumstances beyond their
  • Scrap recycling lobby doesn’t like regulations
  • The announcer proudly explains e-cycling is a vibrant industry that adds 20.6 billion to the U.S. economy and supports 45,000 jobs domestically, “safeguarding our environment,” along the way.
  • Can anything be done? Possibly
  • Recycling isn’t the only answer for fewer landfills filled with decaying circuits. Chris Wellise, Chief Sustainability Officer for Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE), which installs and recovers tech, emphasizes the importance of designing products for longevity, disassembly, and reuse.
  • “On average, 85 percent of the environmental impacts can be addressed in the design phase,” estimates Wellise.
  • Similar challenges exist for smartphones. Review IFixit’s guide for repairability and you can expect the phones that are easy to disassemble are also easier to refurbish or scrap. In an unusual display of transparency, eco-minded electronics company Fairphone sells spare parts on its site and has visual cues printed on the pieces to help novices figure out where everything goes. In case you’re wondering, it’s possible to make a Fairphone work in America, but most of the company’s sales are in Europe.
  • In 2018, Apple gave birth to Daisy, a robot that can disassemble 200 of the company’s phones in an hour — 1.2 million a year. The company has an installation of the machine in Austin, Texas, and another in the Netherlands. Daisy’s supply chain of used products comes from the company’s in-store trade-in program and a partnership with Best Buy.
  • Pretty awe-inspiring, right? Keep in mind that Apple sold over 217 million phones just in 2018 and has moved 2.2 billion iPhone units since the product line launched in 2007. The two Daisy divisions aren’t even working at capacity. Apple is willing to license the robot technology so any company can use it to disassemble phones, but none have approached them yet.
  • carlatj on 17 Jun 21
     
    "Maybe it's easy to ignore the huge percentage of vintage gadgets that wind up torched in dicey scrap heaps in developing countries". This article was written on Feb-27-2020. The problem we saw on the old video is still very much a problem now, only bigger.
  • kmill139 on 29 Sep 21
     
    This article was super informative in the realm of E-waste. It covered every aspect of the issue and most definitely is relevant in today's world.
37More

How technology is transforming hotel point-of-sale systems | Hotel Management - 3 views

www.hotelmanagement.net/...how-technology-changing-pos hospitality pos
shared by cleon087 on 20 Jun 18 - No Cached
  • Technology has transformed point of sale into point of experience
  • elf-ordering via their smartphone by the pool or wherever they happen to be and increased guest satisfaction with guest payment
  • Because the staff members have appropriate intelligence readily in their hands, personalization can happen
  • ...21 more annotations...
  • easy to summon service in “non-F&B” areas
  • The card data is processed only by the payment gateway to/from the acquiring bank and only the final transaction approval code is passed to the POS, without the card data
  • The hotel F&B space continues to show growth, with overall consumer spending increasing 4.9 percent in 2017 and showing a robust 5.5-percent annual growth since 2011
  • associated mobile apps have the potential to increase top-line [food-and-beverage] sales in hotels by 5 [percent] to 10 percent without significant costs
  • hotel food-and-beverage revenue per occupied room increased 1.6 percent during 2017. F&B RevPOR reached $105.56, up from $103.93 in 2016, according to STR.
  • POS vendors have moved away from storing card data on their application and network. Many vendors no longer pass through or process any card data on their POS systems. Rather, they link and integrate to certified payment gateways. Payment devices are encrypted and secured, and client card data is always encrypted and totally separated from the POS terminal.
  • Technology is allowing for an extreme and pronounced change in point-of-sale systems
  • Mobile POS provides several benefits for hotels and guests alike. With mobile POS, the speed of service is dramatically increased because the staff can bring mobile ordering directly to guests, anywhere on property
  • POS technology has been a great partner in these efforts by making POS systems easier than ever to use, and mobility plays a role in impacting the increase in consumer spending, Wisell said
  • Call-for-service technology, deployed tableside and in under-serviced areas such as lobbies, coupled with mobile ordering apps, offer hotels an opportunity to increase sales
  • Mobile POS also lays the groundwork for future integration with artificial intelligence or customer-relationship-management systems.
  • “Hotels can spend millions of dollars on a remodel but if they don’t have the right point of experience, it can still result in a one- or two-star rating,” he said.
    • cleon087
      cleon087 on 27 Jun 20
       
      This shows that importance of POS, and how it can transform a business for the good or bad.
  • Mobile is now
    • cleon087
      cleon087 on 27 Jun 20
       
      People are starting to expect this, they even want more of a variety of different ways to pay that can be determining if you get business or not.
  • Hinojosa said
    • cleon087
      cleon087 on 27 Jun 20
       
      Were always looking for a way to make the experience more personalized and this is one way.
  • with
    • cleon087
      cleon087 on 27 Jun 20
       
      When guest get their food quicker and accurately this helps the experience and revenue.
  • they are the face of the property
  • u recognize them and are honored they are here with you again.”
  • “Whenever a guest is seated in the lobby and wants a take-away coffee, they can order one and not only when a staff member notices the guest in a restaurant,
    • cleon087
      cleon087 on 27 Jun 20
       
      This is really good because it is hard as a front desk agent to give attention to the guest since the moment they step in but with this they can request their snack or drink that they want.
  • While there is interest in the potential of AI and chatbots for roomservice and self-service ordering, these are not yet ready for a widespread rollout at this time, Wisell said.  
  • “Data scientists can be used in the back of the house on the kitchen side, too—optimizing the production line,” he said. “Looking at the analytics behind the performance will reduce the wait times in the front of the house.”
    • cleon087
      cleon087 on 27 Jun 20
       
      This will optimize performance
  • hotels don’t want to cross the line into creepy.
  • anonymous on 20 Jun 18
     
    Mobile POS has boosted F&B growth due to the ability to complete sales much faster and from non-F&B serviced areas of the property. The mobility contributes greatly to the increase in customer spending. With this mobility, companies must ensure compliance with PCI standards, and ensure that no credit card information is stored directly on the POS terminal. The article also touches on the subject of tokenization, and the usage of technology to secure a "token" rather than actual card data aids in reducing security risks.
  • ...4 more comments...
  • aycasa on 25 Jun 18
     
    This article was about how technology has had a great influence on point of sale systems within the hospitality industry. According to a senior director of product manager at Agilysys, Mike Hinojosa, he states that technology has transformed point of sale into point of experience. I personally agree with this because lately I expect hotels to have the latest in technology when it comes to POS and when I encounter a poor POS I automatically think they lack in providing the best for their guests. This article talks a lot about how mobile POS provide benefits for both parties and how it has increased guest satisfaction. "With mobile POS, the speed of service is dramatically increased because the staff can bring mobile ordering directly to guests, anywhere on property." According to this article, POS systems help boost F&B spending growth and they have become more secure throughout the years. "The hotel F&B space continues to show growth, with overall consumer spending increasing 4.9 percent in 2017 and showing a robust 5.5-percent annual growth since 2011, according to Technomic". It's said that mobile POS has helped F&B growth because it gives users the ability to into quicker sales and in different areas throughout the properties. For example, a waiter walking around a pool taking orders instead of having the guests walk to the poolside bar to place an order. Collecting payment has also become safer and easier with POS systems because of the PCI standards.
  • chinneegyyal on 02 Oct 18
     
    Technology is allowing for an extreme and pronounced change in point-of-sale systems. The speed of service for the guest in a hotel has dramatically went up because of point of scale systems. It is more convenient and quicker for guests to get things or to order things.
  • zxu009 on 24 Apr 19
     
    This article is about the employment of technology in the hospitality industry.
  • anonymous on 03 Jun 19
     
    This article is about how technology is transforming the POS experience by providing a more advanced security solution and a mobile platform. The article highlights how this new technology supports both the client and staff experience. The technology also provides a financial benefit in increasing sales by 5% and reducing cost by 10%.
  • jeanique13 on 19 Jun 20
     
    POS Technology has developed majorly over the past years. Growing developing offering mobile devices that can help workers pace themselves and generate more sales. These programs also offer extra data security to protect the clients information against fraud. This device is perfect for sport arenas, bar, golf course and more open outdoor and large venues that cater to voluminous crowds.
  • cleon087 on 27 Jun 20
     
    This article is about the benefits of technology in POS systems. It shows how the technology can personalize the experience of the guest by having them be able to order from the moment they step into the lobby. The article also discusses how all the technology is good but in the hospitality we are walking on a fine line that we don't want to cross to creepy with biometrics. Technology offers efficiency in speed and will give a better experience. Not only this but it talks about how POS is becoming more secure, and how people want to pay in different ways.
8More

SiteMinder Brings GDS Representation In-House as Hotel Customers More Than Triple in On... - 1 views

www.hotel-online.com/...e-as-hotel-customers-more-than GDS siteminder
shared by gulsevim on 27 Jan 18 - No Cached
  • Almost 900 hotels located in the world’s top destinations are poised to receive personalized GDS sales and marketing representation from the global hotel industry’s leading cloud platform.
  • GDS by SiteMinder’, gain its own chain code and more than triple in hotel users.
  • Through sales and marketing representation, those hotels can now access a network of GDS experts based in New York, Los Angeles, London, Hong Kong, Paris, Munich and Sydney that will work with travel buyers on their behalf to increase hotel brand exposure and revenue.
  • ...4 more annotations...
  • Over the past year, GDS by SiteMinder powered nearly 200,000 reservations worth over $60 million in hotel revenue, showing how effective global distribution systems are in bringing guests hotels wouldn’t otherwise attract, especially from Monday to Friday when properties need business most.
  • Mr Lewis-Purcell has spearheaded SiteMinder’s dedicated GDS function over the last 12 months, growing the total number of GDS by SiteMinder hotel users from 250 to almost nine hundred.
  • GDS by SiteMinder uniquely brings cloud-based technology together with legacy GDSs that are as relevant today as they were thirty years ago, to provide hotels an incomparable total distribution platform. It’s now used by about sixty percent more hotels than our industry’s most renowned soft brands.
  • GDS by SiteMinder provides hotels a single point of entry to the world’s major global distribution system providers – Sabre, Amadeus and Travelport – and travel agent network. In addition to sales and marketing representation, hotel users of the GDS connection receive free consortia advice, account management and local customer support.
  • gulsevim on 27 Jan 18
     
    Site Minder by GDS experience, serves as good example to better understand the impact of a GDS's impact on the hotel industry. GDS by SiteMinder provides a single point of entry to over 500 000 travel agents across the globe, which means that hotels can target many type of travelers in multiple geographic regions. By connecting hotels directly to the world's major GDS providers - Sabre, Amadeus, and Travelport - and travel agent network, GDS by SiteMinder offers a major convenience to participating hotels. Through this service, hotels don't have to worry about signing up with each one of these providers. Another advantage of SiteMinder is its affordability; there are no commission fees, rather, just one flat transaction fee per reservation. The company offers free services from GDS experts and free technical account management advice which are other benefits. For instance, in another article, in mid-2013, South Beach Group who has boutique hotels in the heart of Miami Beach, decided to switch its 12 hotels to GDS by SiteMinder. After moving to GDS by SiteMinder, South Beach Group representative highlights the significant increase in bookings leading to a growth in annual revenues by17% in 2013. In essence, GDS by SiteMinder advertises participating hotels to more customers globally within an incomparable distribution platform, with real-time and two-way GDS connectivity. As we can see in the article, in 2016, just within 12 months the total number of users of GDS by SiteMinder increased from 250 to almost 900. This article underlines the importance of GDS for the growth of travel industry. With Site Minder by GDS, one can realize how GDS helps increase hotel bookings by placing hotels on more virtual channels (an analogue of supermarket shelves) globally.  
14More

Addressing the Online and In-House Restaurant Guest Experience in 2020 | Hospitality Te... - 0 views

hospitalitytech.com/staurant-guest-experience-2020 technology restaurant service guest
shared by ggara004 on 30 Jan 20 - No Cached
  • Industry experts have been looking ahead at what needs to happen with the restaurant guest experience in 2020
  • Online ordering is one of the biggest and most coveted conveniences in the industry this year. The restaurants that make ordering as convenient as possible are the restaurants that are going to be the most successful in 2020
  • Restaurants that utilize an online ordering system are able to grow their delivery revenue 30% more than those that do not
  • ...10 more annotations...
  • What the
  • se statistics tell us is that customers don’t just want a way to order online and get food delivered. They want a convenient, intuitive system that can make the entire process easier
  • We are in the digital days, which means doing anything analog is going to be more challenging than it used to be. This includes getting customers into your physical restaurants
  • 25% of restaurant customers have used a self-ordering kiosk within the past three months—up 7% year-over-year
  • More than 65% of customers said they would visit a restaurant more often if self-service kiosks were offered
  • 30% of customers prefer to order from a kiosk vs. a cashier if the lines were of equal length
  • Kiosks streamline the ordering process to reduce wait times. They increase accuracy by sending orders directly from the customer to the kitchen staff without requiring anyone to serve as the messenger. They improve the speed of service by cutting out additional steps between when an order is placed and when it goes into the queue. All of this helps to improve the customer experience, and boost your profits at the same time
  • Downtime means that y
  • ou can lose out on sales and irritate your customers both now AND in the future. This isn’t a risk that restauranteurs can take in a competitive market
  • In order to beat your competitors, you must offer an experience that provides more value, takes less time, and requires less effort. Fortunately, this is easy to do with the right technology at your disposal
  • ggara004 on 30 Jan 20
     
    This articles refers to the restaurant industry and how technology has helped it enhance the customer experience moving forward. For example, it touches on topics such as mobile and online ordering, in-house experience, and internet connectivity. The most interesting point was the topic of self-service as part of the in-restaurant experience. It refers to data of how a customer would prefer to use a self-ordering kiosk if it were offered. More fast food restaurants like McDonalds and Taco Bell seem to be embracing the unattended POS, which per the article appears to be a growing trend.
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