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Technology has taken a huge toll on society and business now a day. If our business is keeping itself updated with technology, could mean we are at the top of our game. This article briefly  demonstrates how Beacons can help improve your business by providing how, when and where are customers behaving. For example, Beacons allow customers to order-ahead of time. It attracts a different clientele and allows us to gain others because of a shorter or no waiting time. Like an express line. But  it may become a challenge if the business doesn't know how to ensure a time-effective preparation before customers arrive. Beacons also allow customers to know exactly how much people are at that exact time at the restaurant or business, and thus waiting time, if any. Another advantage would be "push-customized notifications". I believe this is one of the most challenging for businesses. Customers (as myself) hate when we get attacked by too much notifications.  If it were useful in any way or if it called my attention every now and then, but companies apparently don't pay attention to how customers may feel.  It is very important to use the access wisely and give out information customers really want. Offer what they are looking for, by personalizing. It also helps to attract customers by promoting events or special offers and notifying via beacons. People like a place they can see as happy and fun. Also, who doesn't like discounts? A fifth advantage, and as I believe to be one of the best ways to retain and gain customers, is to reward the customer who passes by every now and then, with personalized dishes, and reward first time customers by attracting them with discounts specifically for them. And finally, another must consider, is that beacons help keep track of everything (all happening at a specific given time) to better improve employee wages and specifics of customers that are out-and-about.

Technology has taken a huge toll on society and business now a day. If our business is keeping itself updated with technology, could mean we are at the top of our game. This article briefly demonstrates how Beacons can help improve your business by providing how, when and where are customers behaving. For example, Beacons allow customers to order-ahead of time. It attracts a different clientele and allows us to gain others because of a shorter or no waiting time. Like an express line. But it may become a challenge if the business doesn't know how to ensure a time-effective preparation before customers arrive. Beacons also allow customers to know exactly how much people are at that exact time at the restaurant or business, and thus waiting time, if any. Another advantage would be "push-customized notifications". I believe this is one of the most challenging for businesses. Customers (as myself) hate when we get attacked by too much notifications. If it were useful in any way or if it called my attention every now and then, but companies apparently don't pay attention to how customers may feel. It is very important to use the access wisely and give out information customers really want. Offer what they are looking for, by personalizing. It also helps to attract customers by promoting events or special offers and notifying via beacons. People like a place they can see as happy and fun. Also, who doesn't like discounts? A fifth advantage, and as I believe to be one of the best ways to retain and gain customers, is to reward the customer who passes by every now and then, with personalized dishes, and reward first time customers by attracting them with discounts specifically for them. And finally, another must consider, is that beacons help keep track of everything (all happening at a specific given time) to better improve employee wages and specifics of customers that are out-and-about.

Creative and a bit scary application of existing technologies. Much like Facebook Messenger, when do we cross the line between convenience and forfeiture of privacy? As part of the industry, the responsibility falls to us to manage the line in favor of our guests. They will know when it has become too much, and we will know very soon after when business evaporates. Provide friendly, targeted service without being too invasive. Remembering orders and having them ready on time is fine. Sending a pop-up message every time the guest passes by in a cab may be a bit much. Consider how many Starbucks messages you could receive in any major metropolitan area. Without proper care, we could be giving a whole new meaning to the word Spam.

This article discusses different marketing companies that are reaching out to hotels and casinos to offer something new to their consumers. Duetto is a software that will optimize profit for casino hotels, by tracking the individual guests on their spending. They can utilize that data collected by recommending room pricing for individual guests, allowing to maximize profit. This article also continues to talk about other technology companies such as JOINGO. JOINGO is a company that focuses on customer loyalty in the gaming and casino industry, setting up loyalty programs that are customizable to each individual guest. They will send out offers and alerts to the target market, which the consumer can use because everything is offered in real-time. It goes on to explain other technology companies that are optimizing profit for these casino's and resorts. I believe these are all great companies that are working to maximize profit, but I do believe that a company should be created that utilizes all these features offered in one. A lot of the companies are teaming up to work with the casino allowing for everything to go in too many directions, I believe it would be wise to have one company create a software that has all features.

Expedia Inc. believes that voice command will be the biggest disrupter in the travel industry in the near future. Due to technology advancements in the industry, which Expedia spends roughly $1.3 billion annually, soon customers will be able to book their whole vacation by simply using their voice. Part of the industry would be shaken because as the services get more convenient, then less travel agents would be necessary. I believe part of the problem is optimizing the actual voice commands to actually work. During demonstrations, they always seem to work, but many people have problems using it. I am not a huge fan of using any voice commands, especially to book an expensive trip; however, I believe we will get to a point where the voice commands will be really accurate. I just thought it is ironic that Expedia thinks voice commands will disrupt the travel market, when the company's own existence already did that a few years ago by allowing customers to book their own trips from computers or mobile devices.

The EDTS company believes Savannah's economic and employement growth could attract hackers from obtaining personal information of tourists and visiting customers. Charles Johnson, the CEO of the company believes it is a duty for hotels/restaurants to provide data security for its customers. He believes that not only big companies such as Equifax and Yahoo are vulnerable to hacks, but also small businesses. He adds that when small businesses are hacked, they can be ruined. He stresses all kinds of outlets to protect their data before they have a major breach.

The article titled Mobile Key: It's the new reality for hotels by Esther Hertzfeld, discusses the various aspects of the implementation and utilization of the mobile key technology in hotels. The mobile key technology is a Bluetooth enabled lock that a user can open with their mobile devices. The popularity and demand for mobile key entry in hotels is skyrocketing. However, hotels can't implement them as fast as the guests demand and desire them. It will be easier for hotels that are being built from scratch to integrate the feature than established hotels switching over to this new technology, but I believe they will eventually. In the article it states that guests rate the hotel 7 points higher with mobile key cards. Higher reviewed hotels will bring in more guests thus increasing hotel revenue. The utilization of the mobile room key allows the guest to check in on their phone remotely. Once the guest arrives to the hotel they can go straight up to their room without having to stop at a front desk. This gives the guest a more personalized and efficient experience, which I agree with. In my opinion being able to walk into a hotel and go up immediately to my room is ideal. I have not stayed at a hotel yet that has used the mobile key feature but I imagine it is great. I think all hotels in the future will run on mobile key entry. The article states there will be a learning curve for the guests and staff initially. It will be important to educate guests who don't travel often and guests in general. It stated that some people might feel embarrassed if they don't use the mobile key correctly and need to return to the front desk. That could be very frustrating to some guests who come to their room and then have to go back downstairs to talk to the front desk if something goes wrong. It is also stated that there will be awareness and comfort challenges with the front desk staff. I believe that mobile key entry is the future of hotel technology. It will take

In 2017, Royal Caribbean announced they were making a huge investment in technology that will make the cruisers' experience easier, more seamless and a lot more fun. They are developing a new app that will first include a cruise schedule and on-board activities. This app will eventually grow and include registration, excursion bookings and facial recognition plus games built in. Royal Caribbean believes to stay competitive you need to stay on top of technology and include it wherever you can. As of this article, the app was available on 2 of their ships and will hopefully be added to their entire fleet (including all 6 of their brands) within the next few years. The company believes in creating this technology from within the company and outsourcing as little as possible.

This article talks about the basics of proximity marketing, how every marketing campaign done with this can be review in real time. What is most interesting about this technology is that it can even inform you of those customers who accepted your message so you can save that info and use it in the future. This for me seems very invasive to the customers, laws need to be put in place to better monitor proximity marketing. For the retailer this is a easy way to reach the customers that are in the neighborhood and might become regulars at the business. 

The article highlighted is related to proximity marketing. The author stated that 2010 was the "year of the mobile", where people are accessing the internet more from their phones instead of a computer. The articles stated that it was believed that 2011 would be the year for proximity marketing; however, it didn't quite happen that way. The technology will eventually come but so far is not that popular yet. It is believe that this technology will be very effective to people that suffer with ADD and not attracted to static signage. The mobile marketing will be a great solution to interact with people with this type of condition. Another reason is that an ad from a store from the vicinity and only depends on foot traffic will be more prone to generate customers. The blue-tooth technology will be very favorable because the consumers that has it on is in some way accepting to be able to connect and doesn't incur any costs through the mobile carriers. Another advantage is that retailers would be able to record every number that the ad has been sent to and which ones were accepted or declines. That is another way to get to know your consumer. The difference between proximity marketing and traditional marketing is that it is done in real time; it is inexpensive to retailers by the elimination of delivery carriers and very fast. This is a very smart way doing marketing, but with every technology, there are downfalls. We need to avoid the marketing proximity to become an overload of overwhelming information coming through our cell phones as we walk down the street. Hopefully this technology will make retailers a little greener too.

I agree how this would save the company money and avoid them having to pay for the costs of running ads in the paper, printing of coupons, flyers, radio advertising, etc However, this could be perceived as a risk because you run the risk of allienating your customers, some of who may not be technological fans. Others would just hate to be bombarded with incoming texts. Bluetooth can be very hit or miss, if your on the phone with someone else at the time does the ad break up your conversation and make you loose the call? Sometimes when you use blue tooth you can't even hear the other person when driving. I personally can't stand it and just won't use it. I may not even use my cell phone if this trend is going to continue. i dont think i would like it very much

This interview talks to Gareth Gaston, senior VP of Global E-comerse in the Wyndham Hotel Group, about recent trends in E-comerse.He believes that E-comerse should be apart of every department in the hotel, Front Office, Sales, Marketing, and the departments should help the Online Travel Agencies to draw more guest. Mr. Gaston believes that hotels need to start to create a partnership with online travel agencys(OTA) and begin to create a better system for price consolidations online rather than fight them at every turn for overbooking or under-pricing.

This article talks about how more and more people in the hospitality industry are using a POS based-cloud instead of hardwire systems. According to some experts in some years most of the hospitality industry would have change into using the cloud. For now most of the users of the cloud are single unit restaurants as it is an easy system to adopt and cost efficient. On the other side for chain restaurants to make this change can be costly; therefore it is believed that it will take some time for them to change. Still some people believe that this can be an unreliable and unsecured system. Some of the reasons for this are: -The lack of privacy; as the data will be in the hands of somebody else. -This system relies on the internet so when a connection problem occurs a downtime would take place creating complications for the restaurant operator. According to experts and users both of these ideas can be debated. Leaving the data handling in the hand of experts can bring advantages and lower the costs. On the other hand when the internet fails if the correct backup measures are taken it has no difference with the hardware system.

This article talks about the benefits of POS in cloud, and eliminates some misunderstanding about its downtime and security concerns. The author start selling POS in cloud by pointing out the trend that it is becoming more accepted. CEO and president of the Retail Solutions Providers Association (RSPA) says it will be mainstream in the next two to five years. Though POS in cloud would be a easy set up and cost saving solution for a starting up single-unit,"Large chains are more likely to turn to cloud applications for business intelligence solutions first because there is not as much investment or change in infrastructure compared to the POS" says Dave Matthews. But since multi-unit chains have already invested lots of money in the old POS, they are going to wait for those POS pay back before they switch to POS in cloud. Then author switched to what concern people most about cloud computing, downtime and security. A cloud based POS can have as reliable backup plan as a hardwired system. Although POS in cloud does not have backup servers in the location which should be provided by vendor, it can have several connection backups, like wireless, 3G or 4G, phone line. And about the security concern, just ask yourself is you have the security system than a technology vendor.

The article "The Software Algorithm That Turns Hotel 'Lookers' Into 'Bookers'" poses questions about the pricing algorithms in the airline and hotel industry. It then introduces and explains the software developed by Bruno Perez and Jean Francois Mourier called REVPAR GURU. In essence, the software is a revenue management system that analyzes data points online and internal factors within the company to provide suggested price-points to maximize profit. I believe that this software simplifies the job of the revenue manager because with the software they no longer have to agonize over data about reaching capacity at the highest room rate, they now focus on the data given by the software and its suggested prices. The idea for the software stemmed from the fact that we are going through a shift from offline to online in our society and more and more people are now doing their bookings online. I believe that this software has the right idea and is available at the right time during the shift to online. As more and more companies adapt, adjust, and use the online world, this program will continue to succeed. 

A recent study by the top-ranked School of Hotel Administration at Cornell University has found that certification by the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, also known as LEED certification, actually provides a boost in revenue for hotels. The Council takes various factors into account prior to certifying a hotel, including "water efficiency, energy use, and indoor environmental quality. When compared to 514 non-certified hotels, the 93 hotels afforded LEED certification excelled in their gross income based on the average daily rate (ADR) standard. Over a time of two years, the LEED-certified hotels outperformed their non-certified competitors. In fact, LEED-certified hotels were able to match the levels of occupancy of non-certified hotels in a single year. Since LEED certification in the hospitality industry is fairly new, there is little empirical evidence to further back the conclusions of this particular study. Though LEED certification of hotels has actually declined since 2010, I believe that the more hotel controllers start to understand its benefits, the quicker we will see it adopted as an industry standard. It is worth noting that this study specifically focused on 93 upscale and luxury properties, but compared them to nearly five times as many hotels without certification. I think a more accurate study will divide up hotels based on their pricing category (budget, midscale, upscale, luxury, extended stay, etc.) and compare the benefits of LEED certification with that in mind. Lastly, it is unclear if the study found any higher level of consumer preference for LEED certified hotels. Instead, the benefits seem to come with the standards that LEED certified hotels must meet, in turn resulting in lower expenditures. Perhaps more sophisticated customers at luxury properties are more keen to environmental protection and stewardship, and thus take LEED certification into account. However, I believe that most of

I found this article incredibly interesting, as it is an interview with the co-founder of eMenu, Alexandru. He speaks about how he thought up the idea of eMenu, when he was at a restaurant trying to pay the bill, but after five minutes of trying to call the server and being ignored, he got annoyed; and believed there was a way to fix this. Additionally, he makes great points about why the eMenu is so efficient, such as it being technology based, it is very popular amongst Millennials. He also makes the great point of it being on a tech system, it allows restaurants to have the menu in several language options more conveniently. As well as, it being flexible enough to make changes, such as newly added plates, without needing to reprint several new menus. He then goes on to say, he now looks forward to bringing this technology into the hotel industry, where room service menus can now be available from the TV, rather than in a "small wasted paper menu." All in all, I believe Alexandru makes some very valid points as to why the eMenu should be considered in many aspects of the hospitality industry. 

This article touches on the technologies incorporated in events today that make every day life experiences better, faster and more efficient. It was mentioned that a large majority of event planners believe that using event related apps increase the guests satisfaction levels. Applications like kyazoonga, an online ticketing provider for event planners and customers, are becoming more and more prominent. A new trend for event technology is using data insights about customers.Using this information they are able to hone in on their target market and use it to help drive whatever they believe will help their next event be a success. Customer loyalty programs are also becoming a trend as well as the use of social media to better access past, present and future guests.

This article is about Ruby Hill hotel, located in the city of Pleasanton, presenting the proposal for an events center within the hotel. From what the article states, it would have been a good idea but the council chambers declined it. They stated "We believe it is too big for the size of the site and we believe it is not compatible to surrounding uses..."

This article discusses Lufthansa airlines and Ukraine International Airlines who both now impose a surcharge on GDS bookings. The GDSs Amadeus, Sabre and Travelport disagree with this strategy and say that they offer the most choice of services and think that steering clients away from using GDSs to book travel is not a smart idea. In 2015, Lufthansa and its other airlines (which also includes Austrian, Brussels, Eurowings and Swiss airlines) implemented a 16-euro fee on all GDS bookings. Ukraine International Airlines (UIA) is a much smaller airline than Lufthansa, however, some analysts believe that this decision could prompt other airlines to do so as well. About one month ago, UIA imposed a $9 surcharge on GDS bookings. Some analysts believe that the new imposed fee will drive some customers, especially the price-sensitive leisure travelers, towards other airline carriers. In addition to implementing a surcharge on GDS bookings, UIA is also adding fees to any bookings made on third-party booking sites. The airline is trying to incentivize its travelers to book directly through their website and not go through any other channel. Lufthansa has had success with their strategy. The CEO stated the fee had a net-zero impact on their business, but there was a rise increase in sales through their direct channel.

This article talks about the various ways virtual reality can be used in the hotel industry. VR can be used to entice consumers to increase their amount of travel, by immersing them in VR versions of almost any travel destination. The article also briefly touches on the use of VR for hotel booking and even training employees.

Very interesting read. I have always had mixed emotions as it relates to the use of virtual reality in the hospitality and tourism sector. On one hand, it is my opinion that virtual reality can add to the guest and consumer experience. Virtual reality can allow consumers to experience multiple levels of travel with the purchase of one ticket or hotel booking. While on the other hand, I am also of the view that virtual reality can limit the amount of travel and hotel bookings that can actually occur. Why would consumers travel to a specific location when they can travel virtually? The article highlights various ways that virtual reality can be used in the hotel industry. Technology is changing and the industry must continue to adapt and make use of the new trends and technological advances. I look forward to the future with virtual reality.

The use of VR as an augmentative tool in Hospitality and Tourism is virtually a non-sequitur. In an industry that is built on experiences its use and value is almost limitless. In of itself, no doubt we will see "Virtual Tourism" become an actual industry. I do believe the timelines being pushed forth by the article represent fairly conservative estimates even with the current limitations of the technology. Oddly it leaves out augmented reality, which is already seeing heavy increases in usage from previewing venues to experiencing the product before you try. With the current rapid progress and access of the technology to the general end user growing, we will see consumer driven adoption outpacing industry delivered implementations quite soon. Once driven by the desires of the consumer, not unlike the advent of the OTA, we will see the industry adopt much more quickly than I think this article presents.

This article is strongly opinion based by an event manager's perspective on the "new" technology that is being presented for event management. Though the opinion seems negative at times, the author mentions that many of the mobile and web based technologies are helpful in simplifying the event management process. She mentions technologies like Eventasaurus. "which gives the event manager one single tool from which to run all event related event listings across multiple platforms". Nevertheless, the author still believes that the technology being used for event management can be improved. The mobile apps are better for event management because there is not a separate technology that the event manager has to use. The mobile app must work well with the purpose of the event. In all, the author states that event management is a time-consuming hands on profession, however, technology can help a few aspects of the process. In my opinion, I believe that all technology needs to be tested. When it comes to event management technology, it needs to be fast and efficient. It must be able to make the planning process easier. It must also make the collecting of information effective. The author talks about the mobile apps as being better and innovative for the event manager, which is the overall purpose of technology.

"Cisco Systems Inc., is the biggest maker of equipment that runs the internet". This article highlights the disappointing revenue that Cisco Systems is facing currently. However, the CEO is pushing to have Cisco's networking services to be more cloud based than hardware based. Because their company is known for its hardware, they are taking a hit revenue wise in their transition to a cloud based system. Companies are buying less hardware and are relying on other alternatives to keep their business running efficiently. I believe that Cisco is identifying with the current trends that are apparent in the IT world. As stated in our discussions, a cloud-based software eliminates the use of bulky hardware, eliminates costs, and allows companies to scale up or down depending on their size. So Cisco can use this information to help develop their cloud system. The businesses see value in switching systems and Cisco is in the business of providing them with what they need. Cisco is being recasted as a networking system so it is taking time for companies to switch their view on Cisco. I believe that Cisco should not deter from this transition and be able to reinvent themselves as a cloud based network. Though their revenue is taking a hit, they should continue for now until they are able to establish themselves.

In "How Technology has Shaped the Hospitality Sector in 2019," author Pranjal Prashar believes that the use of certain technological advances, will allow hotels to provide exceptional guest experiences. Prashar states that there has been an increase in the number of hotels that have recognized new and innovative technologies and have started to implement these advances to deliver a better guest experience. One of the benefits of using such advances as the PMS and RMS systems is that it can help hotels make data- backed decisions. In today's world, guest expectations have moved from basic needs such as clean rooms to including the need of an experience says Prashar. With millennial's projected to overtake baby boomers as America's largest population, I believe it is vital that the hospitality industry as well as other industries invest in technology to stay in front of the curve.

Almost a third of hospitality companies have reported that they do not have a policy in place for storing and disposing of confidential information. In that same group another 19% reported that they don't have policy for storing or disposing of confidential paper documents. This is a alarming because most hospitality companies have to store consumer information. Nearly 23% of consumers reported they would take their business elsewhere following a data breach which should be a walk up call in the industry to improve their current security. What is even more alarming 41% of hospitality businesses say they believe that their organization will experience some form of data breach in the next five years.

The security of data in the hospitality industry is now more and more important. Although some hotel owners may not keeping it in mind as an important issue, a large percentage of hotel guests feel concerned about it. This discrepancy should be a wake-up call for hoteliers. Organizations can do three things to minimize risk: update security policies, train employees better, and regaining customer trust. Current statistics provided evidence that these three aspects are all important and can be improved.