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The lodging industry is one of the most popular in the hospitality industry. Bed and Breakfasts provide an alternative to hotels and motels by providing a literal home away from home experience. Unfortunately, the advertising and marketing of a bed a breakfast, according to this article, needs to upgrade. Email marketing would be a great addition to this sector of the industry to promote deals, updated breakfast menus, and etc. Giving customers an email blast every now and then can help. This can also increase customer loyalty. According to the article, it is a great way to keep customers engaged and up to date. The article promotes StreamSend, which is an email marketing software that helps with marketing by including vibrant imagery, videos, surveys, and other interactive elements (StreamSend). This is also said to be affordable and dependable, making it ideal for any industry including a bed and breakfast. I think this is a great start, specifically for those in the bed and breakfast sector of hospitality. The bed and breakfast brings airbnb and a hotel together with different amenities and not just another place to stay for the night. So it makes sense for the innkeepers to jump into email marketing to promote their business in different ways and to have more access to guests in regards to promotions.

The article discusses what a bed and breakfast system is and how it is beneficial for the bed and breakfast to have a PMS system. If the owner would like to live their life and not be behind the desk they need the bed and breakfast system. The owner is able to have all the functions of their bed and breakfast at their finger tips and make any changed from their phone or tablet.

The Atlantic Paste and Glue Company (AP&G) has just release for consumer sale a new passive bed bug monitoring product. The product is called the Bedbug Early Detection System or BEDS for short and is a ingenious and inexpensive way for homeowners, apartment dwellers, hoteliers and property managers to monitor for bed bugs with a very unobtrusive footprint. This technology will help hotel avoid the embarrassment and potential lawsuit that would occur if bedbugs were discovered at their establishment.

Hotels are jumping on board the hypo allergenic train. Many hotels are transforming some of their rooms to allergy free rooms. Redesigning the rooms from the ground up is difficult, and quite expensive, but many hotels think it will pay off. The air filtration systems are the first to be replaced. The carpet is removed and mattress casings are put on the beds to remove any chance of bed bugs, dust mites, or any other allergy causing agents. At the Hilton in Chicago, one room renovation is about $12,000, and they charge an extra $25 a night. The cost of being healthy may be worth it. The recycled air and dust affect many people daily especially at hotels. If the pillows can be altered and little steps to increase the air quality, then I believe the payoffs will greatly surpass the initial costs.

This article is interesting because it discusses how Bed Bath and Beyond placed an internet advertisement marketing their offline shopping experience which is what drove the customer to actually visit the store in order to purchase the item that they have been searching for on the internet. Which made me rethink how I viewed in person retailers because I thought it would be a matter of time before they ceased to exist but in reality it just depends on how they market themselves to consumers on the internet, just by marketing their "offline experience" on the internet as an ad persuaded someone to actually visit the store to gain the experience and the product they were originally looking to purchase online.

This article talks about the nexus reservations software and how it makes the lives of hotel managers much easier. Some of the things mentioned within the article are that the system is a quick and simple way to make reservations, saving the hotel manager time and money. Another great thing that this system is able to do is keep in touch with people that have already stayed at your establishment. Nexus reservations has the function of emailing previous clients and keeping in contact with them by sending birthday wishes or letting them know about upcoming events. Another important aspect of this article is that it talks about the company service that Nexus provides. Reservation Nexus is 100% web based and can be accessed at work, at home and on vacation. There are no additional costs for having it on more than one computer in your business. There is no software to install so there is no limit to its potential. It removes the headache of dealing with updates and the fear of possibly becoming obsolete. Reservation Nexus is a living system, with new innovations every quarter. With Reservation Nexus , you avoid having to buy a new software version every couple of year

Nowadays, there is an abundance in advanced in-room features making their way into the world's most modern hotel rooms. Some of those inventions, integrated recently in some hotels in the U.S., are explained below. Sheraton Imperial Hotel Raleigh-Durham Airport at Research Triangle Park, in North Carolina, offer its guests a better hotel experience through a TV with fast reboot time. This TV provides a top-notch television content and delivery, and has the latest high-resolution options and features. Due to its level of delivery that guests are accustomed to have in their own homes, it is expected for guests to feel more comfortable and homey during their stay. Hotel rooms in Loews Hotel 1000 in Downtown Seattle are equipped with heat-detecting sensors, which scans the room for body heat so that housekeepers don't accidentally enter the room. This high-end technology with an infrared signal scans the room to detect body heat and notes 'do not disturb' when occupied. It is particularly useful when guests forget to leave a sign when entering the rooms at night. Seems like the world's most advanced hotels are getting very creative with their in-room technology. Another example for that is the beds of Four Seasons Hotels which are customizable to guests' preferences, designed to support better sleep. Recently, numerous Aloft Hotels and Element Hotels across the United States feature their own robot butlers. With help of Botir, items can be easily delivered to the guests rooms within minutes. The purpose of using robotic assistants is to send a robot to deliver shampoo, toothbrush, toothpaste or so by the front desk. This way, the human hotel staff can serve customers personally when necessary. In my view, in the customer-driven hospitality industry, the use of in-room technology can make guests feel more comfortable and feel "at home". These new technologies have been helping the hospitality industry grow in innovative and tech-enhanced ways to deliv

This article examines how internet marketing is affecting the success rates and occupancy of bed and breakfast establishments in Canada. Though implementation of technologies and by various methods such as Search Engine Optimization, it enables small businesses to drive brand awareness, increase customer base and accelerate lead generation. By the use of internet based technology the success and efficiency rates can be tracked through various analytics tools, helping marketers adjust their strategy accordingly. Internet marketing is recognized as a cost-efficient tool to boost customer awareness quickly, and can be used by large and small businesses alike. Through implementing internet based technology, business owners are also able to receive instant feedback about their products and services from customers and gives them a chance to take corrective action in any areas that need improvement.

This article explains the way the hospitality industry is responding to the Corona virus crisis using digital and online capabilities. One obvious support that the industry is giving to the response efforts is by providing beds to respond to the emergency cases in the crisis like in the examples of Cloudbeds working with Sabre, Marriott, and RateGain and Hotels for Helpers, in the Netherlands which is offering discounted hotel rooms for those in need. The hospitality industry are also adapting to the crisis by finding online solutions for their employees to work from home and also providing wide range of resources on the crisis for users.

There are many reasons one still needs a travel agent. They are now called advisors or consultants because of what they can do and their knowledge. These advisors can assist with a multitude of things including emergencies, getting great deals on trips, They will be your best advocate when issues arise and at no extra cost to the consumer. In addition, a good travel advisors save you time and money on trying to plan you own trip. Travel agents who just booked flights and beds are a thing of the past, travel advisors play a much more complex role and provie a great variety of services.

There is a misconception that all PMS are the same. Although basically, they have similar functions, they are not the same. PMS used for restaurant cannot be used in a hotel, and PMS used in a bed and breakfast and that in a luxury hotel are different. It is important to choose the most appropriate PMS for a property. Managers need to consider some things before purchasing a PMS. First, what are the specific needs of your particular businesses? Second, the PMS that a hotel buy cannot have too many weakness compared with its strengths, because too many weakness will make the purchasing a poor choice overall. Third, the cost of purchasing a PMS cannot conflict with financial budget. Even if a manager did all three above, it is inevitable that the PMS you bought are not perfect, however, this imperfection is acceptable.

    This article is a kind of blog, written by a traveler who formed by years of working in the facility management field. She described her ritual when she checked in a hotel room. She mentioned the National Facilities Management & Technology Vegas Conference & Expo and discussed just how hospitality facilities can demonstrate best practices for all buildings in sustainability, energy efficiency, occupant safety and ADA compliance.       Nowadays, more and more hotels try to address the energy efficiency initiatives. And they also know the importance of controlling the operational costs.     The technological facilities can highlight some key innovations and solutions for the entire facility management marketplace.

"have knocked $5 million in operational costs off the annual budget"

This article shows us some advanced facility and technology in hotels in Las Vegas. People have Many people would like pay attention to the physical plant. The author works in the facility management, he habit to check the floor, bed, energy-efficient equipment, and so on. The NFMT Vegas Conference & Expo, with best practices for all buildings in sustainability, energy efficiency, occupant safety and ADA compliance, which impresses the author a lot. The vice president of HEI Hotels and Resorts addressed "Energy Efficiency Initiatives for Hotels" as important goal. In the past three years, they have made 5 million in costs off, and also, there is a must-attend presentation on bedbugs. They won the 2012 U.S. EPA's Energy Star Sustained Excellence Award. The president discussed the impact of the ADA Final Regs on the hospitality industry. Some information about requirements, hospitality-specific concerns. The author desired to see the latest development in hospitality. He impressed the effects of key innovations and solutions for the facility management marketplace.

This article summaries how tablets have made it into hotel guest rooms. It begins by discussing how tablets are an exceptional idea and it describes how unique and remarkable a hotel can be. Not only is it admirable for hotels, but it is also very convenient and easy for a guest to use. This software by Intelity is very impressive, it basically lets guests control their hotel room as well as other things such as surfing through the internet. The article points out how some people may differ and think why can't a guest just pick up the phone if they need something? They explain that guests have gone beyond the point of using a phone. For instance, if they need a valet service all they have to do is pick up the tablet and let the staff know. A key factor that the article discusses is the fact that with this tablet and software system, the possibilities are endless. In addition, it eliminates the need of waiting around for answers and gives guests information about the hotel hours, services, etc. The article explains that not only is the tablet extremely efficient, but that it also cuts down spending costs of printing numerous information. In conclusion, I agree with this article about the numerous benefits a tablet can bring to a hotel. "The iPad is the hardware, but the software will never be outdated. It's always the most recent application available, and that's important in staying competitive."

This is awesome! Last summer I stayed at Bed and Breakfast in Nantucket MA where they had an IPAD for every room. When you logged on the Safari, there was a homepage that lead to all of the activities that you could possibly do or take part in on the island. It included movies, restaurants, boat schedules, sunset times etc. This was a small Bed and Breakfast so it would be next to impossible to steal these tablets. I would worry that people would steal them. Unless somehow you could make it so you can't remove them.

I posted an article about how owner's of a restaurant used an Ipad as their menu! It is somewhat similar in the sense that both industries use this advance technology to be a main factor in their business. I am sure that you can find many applications in the Ipad to guide you to everything that you can find in the hotel you are staying. I think it is a great idea and it also cuts down spending costs of printing papers like you said!

This article tells us how Marriott never forgets a guest. First and foremost, the author told us a little story about a guest's experience in Marriott. He told the hotel about his trip, the hotel let the planning coordinator to make an itinerary for the customer including trip details and their favourates. The experience in Marriott made him very satisfied. In addition, the software which made Marriott's velvet-glove treatment come true is called customer management software from Siebel Systems Inc.. This technology aims to combine the customers, hotel and planning coordinator together to share the information of the customers such as the size of the bed, the view of the room or some specific needs of the customer. In this way, people will arrived at the room prepared just as what he liked, which will made the customer satisfied and gains the hotel loyalty and hotel profits. Marriott owns 1850 hotels and resorts worldwide and began using the software in late 1998. Until now, this software has brought a large number of guests and increase sales for the hotel. Many people would like to find the planning coordinator to book their stay during Marriott or by the hotel booking system. More and more people are choosing Marriott instead of other hotels of the personize service provided by the hotel. Finally, Marriott is transforming its sales teams to aggressive marketers for all the Marriott properties. So this makes it easy for the salesperson to book hotel rooms worldwide for his local customers. With the advantages of the software, many hotel chains such as Hilton Hotels Corp. are staring to follow the Marriott's technology lead to satisfy their customers.

This article by Leo Huang suggest ideas, base on his research at Taiwan, on how to generate more revenue in Bed & Breakfast market by having eCommerce. Mr. Huang send out survey to B&B that have less then 15 rooms in Taiwan to get an insight on eCommerce development in local area. Mr. Huang was able to obtain 51.32% of the target population and a total sample size of 302 B&B owner survey. At the end of the research, Mr. Huang recommend B&B owner should work with travel industry when developing their eCommerce strategy. Mr. Huang also suggest that owner should seek partners to attracts customers during off season and to have a strong pricing strategy. Base on the research result, B&B business will get resource, competitive and performance advantages by having eCommerce The research also say that it increases sales and better in ROI.

This is a research paper focuses on studies of linear correlation between hotel categorization and number of beds within hotels which use HRIS. Through the case study and data analysis got the conclusion that HRIS contributes to each business subjects, particularly to service industry due to better quality of HRM activities. Furthermore, the whole tourism demand and hotel competitiveness as well can be indirectly influenced by adequate implementation of HRIS.

This article is of the top 5 hotels with great technology from one button getting you entire room prepared for going to bed to arming your floors and making your spa appointment. 

About a decade ago, the hotel industry was concentrating much of its effort on luring people who are now mostly in their 50s and 60s. The changes involved higher-quality beds, brighter lighting and bigger work spaces. And those travelers were loyal to brands that offered reliable, comfortable services. Many of these Generation Y travelers in the 20's and 30's are engaged in planning major events such as scheduling nightly social events, like happy hours and free wine tastings. Event management and planning is critical to every hospitality organization especially to our millennial travelers and business travelers.

The Four Seasons Vancouver has conquered the highest rating for Eco-friendly hotels. This title and rating is only given to 30 hotels nationwide and is extremely competitive in nature. Any hotel has the ability to qualify and is evaluated in several aspects consisting of the following: operational areas, sustainable practices and community outreach efforts. The Four Seasons Vancouver has switched over to a unique heating system that is reducing gas emissions, installed newly efficient LED lighting that will last for up to 40 years, participates in an Eco-friendly laundry system for par linen, offers sustainable dining options and donates to local organizations. Along with public recognition, going green has perks that not only benefit the environment but the hotel as well. The Four Seasons Vancouver has taken many drastic initiatives that will be in place for years to come. This says a lot about this individual property and Four Seasons as a hotel brand. It's exciting to see the opportunity for more hotels to go Green and be the change that we all would like to see.

This article particularly caught my attention because it points out the major advantages of web-based PMS, but it does not mention the risk of transfering such sensitive guest information over the unsecure and unregulated Internet. Surely there are great cost-related and operational advantages to web-based PMS and that alone often motivates hotels to upgrade in that general direction. Afterall, the reason why the hotel is operated is to generate revenues. However, is risking the identity of thousands of your guests worth the money you will save? That is what this article does not cover. As the title points out, web-based PMS is the future of the industry, but securing the identity of the biggest drivers behind all revenue for your hotel is arguably more important. Is the risk worth the reward? I believe the Internet needs to become a more secure highway of information before the industry can fully embrace this new technological advancement. My thoughts on considering an upgrade to web based PMS: Research and proceed with caution.

This article indicated the importance of Internet for hotel industry and also assumed that web based property management systems will widely used in future. The author listed some advantages of web based property management system:1) Central Reservation System: One of the greatest advantages of using an online hotel software is that you do not have any more headaches about reservations.2)   Numerous Point of Sale: Keeping a check on the add-on services your hotel provides can easily be done with the help of the numerous points of sales.3) Sales and Marketing Console. With the help of this console, you can access the database of your customers get in touch with them notifying them of special offers and discounts. 4)Travel Agents and Corporate Clients:It is important that you properly deal with travel agents and corporate clients as they play a very important role in bringing in more guests to the hotel.5)   Connected to 1000s of Travel Portals: Web based PMS help you get connected to many travel portals like Travelocity, Tripadvisor and Expedia helping you reach more people. 

t is the age of the Internet, the age when many businesses solely run on the Internet. From marketing to reaching new people, there is a lot that can be done with the help of this medium. The hotel industry too is not insulated from its effect. Almost all kinds of hotels, from inns to bed and breakfasts to resorts, everyone is trying to tap the energies of the Internet and make optimum use of the medium. The Internet plays a major role in improving the sales and customer relationship.