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Hospitality Technology Solutions Provider FCS Announces Partnership With Quoc Khoa Netw... - 0 views

  • Quoc Koa focuses on the hospitality industry and, through the new agreement, will now offer the full suite of FCS solutions to international hotel chains and local properties in the Cambodian market.
  • The new partnership between Quoc Khoa Networks and FCS will strengthen the positions of both companies as providers of leading world-class hospitality solutions that are designed to help area hoteliers cope with this tremendous growth.
  • “The partnership with Quoc Khoa Networks enables FCS to expand our business horizons in the region, as part of our global strategy to provide the best hospitality solutions that enhance guest experiences while maximizing hotel operations and productivity,”
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  • In addition, we are committed to enhancing guest satisfaction with guaranteed quality of service via FCS’ innovative and reliable hospitality products.”
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    With tourism increasing in Cambodia, the partnership between FCS and Quoc Khoa Networks is expected to enhance guest satisfaction. FCS is the a top provider of hotel technology products and services.
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IT in hospitality - Express Computer - 1 views

  • Hospitality is amongst the fastest growing sectors in India today, with domestic and foreign tourism, and increased business travelers fueling this momentum. The sector is known to hold as much promise for the country as the much touted IT, ITeS and manufacturing industries. India’s travel and tourism industry is expected to grow 8.4% this year and 8% annually between now and 2016, according to the World Travel & Tourism Council. Conventionally having stayed away from technology, the hotel industry in India is observing a sea change—in its objective and management’s role towards delivering quality customer service. ‘Service’, related to personalized care and hospitality, is finding a friend in advanced systems and gadgets that enhance the service delivered.
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    This article talk about the IT in hospitality industry. They give a example of the India. The number of the India's travel and tourism industry is grow 8.4% in 2008 and will be 8% more increase between now and 2016 according to the World Travel and Tourism Council. The hospitality industry should know the customers needs and the goal of the meeting them should be figured out in such a way that the cost of offering the service(s) does not pinch the company balance sheet i.e. variable costs should not show fluctuations northwards. Marketing gurus would always adhere to one statement for advice: cost need to be justifiable through high probability of ROI. The selection of technology in itself is a vital step. Another global feature that is extremely important is a detailed guest, group and company records. Used with a variety of customized reports, these detailed records allow precise targeting of various marketing efforts to improve occupancy rates, increase yield and enhance strategic planning. Each module should have a customizable report selection menu. The reports should have provision for sorting and filtering of data to enable viewing of the exact information might be required at a moment's notice. A good PMS enables a hospitality enterprise to increase revenue and occupancy, improve guest loyalty and reduce costs by centralizing and streamlining your operations. Forward-thinking properties have already begun building a network infrastructure that offers the flexibility and scalability to adapt to the ever-evolving guest, staff, and property management needs. Ajay Goel, Senior VP - Industry Business, Strategy, Operations, Cisco Systems India & SAARC opined, "These next-generation infrastructures are based on a converged network. They integrate with today's solutions-such as reservation, surveillance, and billing systems-and support the newest applications and technologies. The goal is to take advantage of tomorrow's opportunities while protecting e
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ZDirect and Sabre Hospitality Solutions Perfecting eMarketing, ommunications for Vantag... - 0 views

  • A new relationship between the hospitality industry’s hotel marketing automation provider ZDirect and global travel technology company Sabre Hospitality Solutions is helping to make eMarketing as simple as possible for Vantage Hospitality Group. The 8th largest hotel company in the world with more than 1,000 locations has relied on ZDirect and its ZMail® electronic communication platform since 2007
  • ZDirect’s patented dynamic content engine uses guest behavior and preference data to create individualized confirmations, pre-arrival emails, customer satisfaction surveys and more to up-sell a hotel’s profitable amenities.
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    The new relationship between hotel marketing automation provider ZDirect and global travel technology company Sabre Hospitality solutions has proven to be a very successful new way for connect a company with its customers. Customers can make reservation easier and faster way through this new technology. This technology also increases brand-recognition for customers and two way communications between customers and retailer. It also help a company from building up its brand to make sure the brand will operate smoothly to make this combination a very powerful technology for hospitality industry. One of its very successful technique is that it will create a unique personalized profile for each customer based on his or her behaviors.
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Facility Management ERP software for hospitality management, hotel and Restaurant Manag... - 0 views

  • Whether you are into hospitality & housekeeping, guarding & security or maintenance & engineering services, you actually put the smile back on customers’ faces. However, this is no easy task. You need to manage major roadblocks like attrition, disconnect between operations and payroll, service continuity, on-time and accurate billing, compliance, etc., which hamper your day-to-day operations and strategic growth. Allow Abaris to transform your business process, to accelerate your success.
  • We cater to different segments in this industry, namely: Hospitality/ Housekeeping Services – Hospitality/ Housekeeping Service Providers can manage all aspects of their business including lead management, sales, operations scheduling and billing, to contract termination. They can benefit from special features such as zone-based deployment to sites, and Rostering to improve employee-wise plans.
  • Security/Guarding Services – Security and Guarding Service Providers can use Abaris ERP on Cloud to mount hurdles specific to their industry, often characterized by unorganized departments spanning multiple sites & customers, and complex processes. Apart from a complete view and integrated management of their business, they can also improve resource deployment and timely billing.
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  • Maintenance & Engineering Services – Maintenance and Engineering Service Providers can benefit from the end-to-end process management capabilities of Abaris ERP on Cloud to improve service to customers, maximize resource utilization, reduce downtime disruptions, and issue prompt and accurate bills.
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    Good facility management of a hotel can make the service indispensable and delight the customers. But it's not a easy work. It is related to almost every department of a hotel. Abaris came up with a facility management solution on cloud. The solution mainly focus on three parts, which are housekeeping service, security services and maintenance & engineering services. With its help, a hotel can change its way to operate the business and ensure integration between operations and back-office departments. As a result, it can provide perfect service to meet customer requirements.
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Network Solutions | Role of Computer Networking in Hospitality Industry - 1 views

  • Network inside your organization is as important as outside. Things not end there; when some guests reach your hotel you will need a network to keep track of reservation, inventory, services, and maintenance. Free Wi-Fi accessibility, guests’ connection with front desk and monitoring for safety; these things have now become the signature of modern hospitality. LAN connection for easy and safe data transfer and all other things are needed in networking for smooth running of your hotel.
  • nization is as important as outside. Things not end there; when some guests reach your hotel you will need a network to keep track of reservation, inventory, services, and maintenance. Free Wi-Fi accessibility, guests’ connection with front desk and monitoring for safety; these things have now become the signature of modern hospitality. LAN connection for easy and safe data transfer and all other things are needed in networking for smooth running of your hotel. In hotels, computer networking play a vital role, communication between workers and staff creates a stable environment. Communication between front desk and manger office is important as in case of any unusual event. And the link of rooms with the service providers’ staff creates a healthy effect on guest’s mind when services are provided to them in no measure of time. Fire alarm or emergency alarm in case of any accident ensures the guest’s safety and also increase the rating of your hotel. The interlinked electronic systems in rooms which control all the electronic devices in room are too much helpful. The Wi-Fi accessibility now becomes an essential thing in hotels. So networking makes it possible to provide that service efficiently. Some five star hotels provide alarm bells on the table in the dining restaurants. These bell ring in the kitchen and makes it possible for the staff to attend each incoming guests at that time and avoid complaints. Here we present a complete solution to all your network problems; Network Solutions Why Network Solutions? Network Solutions is an organization with an extensive geographic stretch providing IT guides. They have worked with almost every kind of business organization and have an extensive vision of their work. They have genius IT specialists who not only show their professional aptitude during their work but also show personal interest in your business that content you mentally. They have an experience of almost all fields as they have worked with almost every genre of business you can think off from health care to education or flaunting fashion to secret secure banking systems. They know perfectly how to prove themselves as the best option available. They work with you, understand you, give respect to your needs and know how to use resources efficiently and bring up with something that does wonders your business. Some of their core networking values are: Envisage They do a lot of research work and observation, and try to sum up things. First they give a close view to your business in order to know your need of networking. They predict the average traffic you are going to have on your network. So that they can provide you with the best and never disturbing network facilities. In Hospitality industry the network traffic depends on your choice, how much you want to give ease to your business or your guests, connecting every room with the front desk or you just want to establish a connection between you workers and manager. Identification  They observe your style and know your needs. And now is the time to identify your problems and your pains. In hotels the problems you face in network in unresponsive and slow communication which creates irritation both among your guests and workers. So to save you from pain Network Solutions is there. Monitoring They monitors the WAN accessibility and the performance of the established network. Measure Fair usage policy and to monitor the traffic of net is another important thing in networking. Network Solutions has made it possible for you. Analyze Analyze the general or common pattern traffic utilization patterns and try to make it more seamless. Automation The network change and configuration are under Automation. Troubleshoot Any kind of trouble in network afterwards, network solution is there to fix it.  To ensure the quality of their  service. (function() { var po = document.createElement('script'); po.type = 'text/javascript'; po.async = true; po.src = 'https://apis.google.com/js/plusone.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(po, s); })(); Leave a Reply Click here to cancel reply. Comment
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    Networks provide efficiency in the hospitality industry on a multitude of platforms. They are useful to the resort itself, who can connect and make reservations, check guests in, allow guests to charge food or additional items to their rooms, and provide service for any additional guest needs. For guests they can make reservations, learn about the hotel, and be connected and feel at home even away from home. More than that, networks can connect in the article posted and provide security, connecting the entire resort. For example, if there is an emergency the network can link to all rooms and set off the alarm to inform the guest.
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Alibaba has solved the one problem Amazon can't: B2B e-commerce - Fortune - 2 views

  • Incredibly, many businesses today still buy and sell supplies and materials with paper invoices, faxes, and checks. It’s a huge opportunity on which the two largest e-commerce companies in the U.S., eBay and Amazon, have not focused. Both companies run marketplaces, but they specialize in consumer-facing goods, not wholesale items and business supplies. Amazon has been running AmazonSupply, a wholesale site, in beta for two years, as CEO Jeff Bezos promotes increasingly flashier schemes around drone delivery, TV shows, mobile phones, and publishing.
  • But there is one true giant in the category: Alibaba, the Chinese retail darling that last week revealed plans for a $21.12 billion initial public offering, which has dominated in B2B e-commerce. I was reminded of this over the weekend while listening to Planet Money’s entertaining explainer of the Alibaba wholesale market. Through Alibaba.com and 1688.com, the company provides to people everywhere access to the Chinese supply chain. This means tinkerers, builders, entrepreneurs, and small businesses can order custom motors and parts from Chinese factories without having to travel there, find a scout, and forge a relationship with a manufacturer before doing business.
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    In the year2000 it was predicted that B2B e-commerce would be a trillion dollar market. However, what actually happened was underwhelming compared to the predictions previously made as the market only made about $559 billion. Surprisingly, most businesses still buy and sell products the "old fashioned" way using fax, paper invoices and paper checks. The big question is, why aren't the large e-commerce companies, including Ebay and Amazon, banking in on this market? Amazon has been testing a wholesale site called AmazonSupply for about two years. However, much like Ebay, Amazon specializes in selling consumer-facing goods. There is one e-commerce company who is dominating the market. Alibaba is a Chinese retail giant that is leading the B2B e-commerce world. Alibaba has succeeded by opening up the world of international suppliers to companies without having to form a relationship with the manufacturer before purchasing supplies. By using Alibaba as a mediator between businesses and suppliers, businesses can buy products in bulk without actually having to travel to China to do it. Alibaba has given businesses access to many manufacturers that they most likely otherwise would not have access to.
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    In the year2000 it was predicted that B2B e-commerce would be a trillion dollar market. However, what actually happened was underwhelming compared to the predictions previously made as the market only made about $559 billion. Surprisingly, most businesses still buy and sell products the "old fashioned" way using fax, paper invoices and paper checks. The big question is, why aren't the large e-commerce companies, including Ebay and Amazon, banking in on this market? Amazon has been testing a wholesale site called AmazonSupply for about two years. However, much like Ebay, Amazon specializes in selling consumer-facing goods. There is one e-commerce company who is dominating the market. Alibaba is a Chinese retail giant that is leading the B2B e-commerce world. Alibaba has succeeded by opening up the world of international suppliers to companies without having to form a relationship with the manufacturer before purchasing supplies. By using Alibaba as a mediator between businesses and suppliers, businesses can buy products in bulk without actually having to travel to China to do it. Alibaba has given businesses access to many manufacturers that they most likely otherwise would not have access to.
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    For an individual shopper, Alibaba has also created Ali Express, which gives an individual access to the same staggering number of products at near wholesale prices. They do indeed appear to have broken the code on B2B sales while still providing availability to the consumer. Win-win.
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E-commerce Brings Tourism with New Opportunities - 0 views

  • E-commerce, which takes the world by storm in recent years, is bringing new business opportunities to global travel and tourism industry.
  • people who expect global communication and access to instant information also have the same demands for tourism and travel data, and that they will soon want to obtain this information from their own living room and even their mobile phone.
  • "The beauty of inflight Internet access is that is serves a dual purpose. It serves as a form of inflight entertainment, and as a bridge between travelers and travel service providers
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    This article is about how e-commerce is being new opportunities to global and tourism travel. America are the biggest group online buyers. With internet being the prime source of shopping, in no way will it tourism portion will be left behind. It has been reported that 1.5 billions passengers has travel with computers and this is an extreme market to capitalize on. Adding inflight internet will replace the tradition means of entertainment like, magazines and newspaper in which will create a bridge between travels and travel service providers. With this new technology passengers will be allowed to make purchases and have it waiting at the gate at arrivals or even at the hotel. The passenger can also visit a site before they reach their destination and explore activities and places to go. Going electronic is not cheap, but it is a necessary investment. And as technology advances so will it in the tourism industry.
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Importance Of Telecommunication In Hospitality Industry | phone service for hotels - 2 views

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    The article describes a telecommunication system required for all types of hotels, as good communication is very important for the hotel industry. The article proposes that hotels should install hospitality PBX, which is a telecommunication system that allows multi attendants to answer calls and allow multiple users to make calls. Installing this system in a hotel would help the hotel guests to easily communicate with the hotel staff without having to move from their rooms. The advantages of this system are that PBX can help a hotel to centralize PBX management, control, and standards, boost communication and interaction between the hotel staff and guests, and improve comfort for the guests for they do not require to go to the reception to ask questions or make orders. PBX also improves communication between the hotel staff and the between staff and managers as it provides several features such as call hold and allows making multiple calls.
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    The system, PBX (private branch exchange), is a computer that controls the communications on a branch line from the telecommunications company. It is the technology that allows lines to be shared and can save a company money.
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    The article talks about an important telecommunications system known as PBX (Public Branch Exchange) that connects guests and hotel employees in different departments with just the press of a button. I have had experience working with the PBX system personally in two of the three hotels that I have worked in; so I can understand both of the positive points and negative points of having a PBX system as well as not having a PBX system. When I was working at the Hyatt Regency in Coral Gables, we did not have PBX employees or a PBX department; all of the calls, outside and inside, the hotel came through to the front desk itself. We answered all calls and also transferred all calls to the respective departments if necessary. Despite not having a PBX department or employees, we still had the PBX system to make those transfers to the departments that were needed; otherwise we would take care of the guests and their issues ourselves. In addition, it helped those of us working within the hotel because it was the best way to contact managers and other respective employees. On the other hand, if someone is not trained to make the proper calls or transfers, then you are out of luck. I know that it is not exactly a hard job or task to train new employees on, but the fact still remains that the basic need to be taught and known as well as the other duties involved. For example, at the hotel I currently work at, the PBX employees not only handle phone calls, but they also packages coming to and through the hotel for guests and others in the hotel. Overall, I would see it as a vital piece of a hotel's inner workings/departments and it would be a major advantage when installed in any hotel.
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About Global Distribution Systems (GDS) and Travel - 0 views

  • Global distribution systems (GDSs) are computerized networks/platforms that centralize services and provide travel-related transactions. They cover everything from airline tickets, to car rentals, to hotel rooms, and more. Global distribution systems were originally set up for use by the airlines but were later extended to travel agents. Today, the systems allow users to purchase tickets from multiple different providers or airlines. Global distribution systems are also the back end of most Internet-based travel services.
  • To see how global distribution systems work, take a closer look at one of the largest—Amadeus. Amadeus was created in 1987 as a joint venture between Air France, Iberia, Lufthansa, and SAS and has grown considerably over the past twenty-five years.
  • There's no doubt that global distribution systems will play an important part in the travel landscape for many years to come, but their traditional role is changing and being challenged by all the changes taking place in the travel industry. Two important considerations impacting the role of global distribution systems are the growth of online travel websites that offer price comparisons and the increased push from airlines and other travel service providers to encourage consumers to make bookings directly via their websites.
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  • While such changes will definitely impact the future growth opportunities for global distribution systems, there will continue to be a role for them as they evolve to meet the needs of travel planners, travel websites, airlines and groups of individuals.
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    Global Distribution System (GDS) is a system operated by an organization that empowers automated exchanges between travel specialist organizations for mainly airlines, lodgings and vehicle rental organizations and travel agencies. Travel agencies generally depended on GDS for administrations, products and rates so as to provision travel related administrations to the end consumers. A GDS can connect services, rates and bookings uniting items and services over every one of the three travel segments: i.e., aircraft reservations, hotel reservations, vehicle rentals. The biggest global distribution framework is Amadeus. GDS is not the same as a PC reservations framework, which is a reservation framework utilized by the specialist organizations also known as vendors. Essential clients of GDS are travel specialists both online and office-based to reserve spot on different reservation frameworks kept running by the sellers. GDS holds no inventory; the inventory is hung on the merchant's reservation framework itself. A GDS framework will have constant connect to the merchant's database. For instance, when a travel office asks for a reservation on the administration of a specific carrier organization, the GDS framework courses the demand to the proper aircraft's PC reservations framework. This empowers a travel specialist with an association with a solitary GDS to pick and book different flights, lodgings, exercises and related administrations on every one of the merchants working in a similar course who are part of that GDS network. There's no uncertainty that global distribution frameworks will have an imperative influence in the travel landscape for a long time to come, yet their conventional job is changing and being tested by every one of the progressions occurring in the travel business. While such changes will affect the future development open doors for global distribution frameworks, there will keep on being a job for them as they advance to address the issue
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Proximity Marketing : Future of Retail? - Centareum - Medium - 0 views

  • Digital is a way of life now.
  • Due to methods like ecommerce, show-rooming and ‘brick-&-click’, the lines between the physical and virtual marketplaces are getting blurred.
  • With omnichannel browsing and buying patterns of consumers, proximity marketing seeks to provide marketing solutions that are relevant as well as personalized.
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  • Techniques such as NFC, geofencing, beacons, social check-ins and retargeting are being used nowadays to achieve the perfect blend of digital marketing and offline purchasing.
  • One of the most important aspect of Proximity Marketing is to provide the right promotions to the customer at the right place and time for the right price. This translates to not just reach, but conversion.
  • The ads must get delivered to the customer when they are near the store and the possibility of the conversion is the highest. Statistics show, ads served in the vicinity of the store tend to get 5x more conversions.
  • The deep analytics of the profile of the most loyal customers and their corresponding buying pattern must be kept in mind.
  • Marketing platforms have a high cost and with the increase in cost and decrease in sales volume, retailers are in dire need of cost cuts.
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    Digital technology has revolutionized our way of life, our very existence. With the prevalence of smart phones, the lines between physical and virtual market places are getting blurred due to e-commerce, show-rooming and brick and click. Typically to find a local business, customers use a smart phone, social recommendations, opt-in push notifications and retargeted ads from websites previously visited. Enter Proximity Marketing: It describes location technologies for attracting customers by direct communication on their smart-phones or Bluetooth or GPS enabled devices. It provides the right promotions at the right place and time for the right price. This not only reaches customers, it converts them. Statistics show, ads served in the vicinity of the store tends to get 5X more conversions. With omnichannel browsing, personalized buying patterns of consumers are used along with techniques such as NFC, geofencing, beacons, social checking and retargeting to capture business. Using this 4R principle, Centaream, the new Proximity Marketing mobile marketing platform will start facilitating business for merchants by October 2018 in the U.S.A, Singapore and India. In my opinion, proximity marketing makes sense and should be a big success.
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Hoteliers increase investment in enhancing guest experience - 5 views

    • jessica carvalho
       
      This article is great as it talks about what specifically to this company is important when it comes to their certain aspects of what they want in their i.t. investment. It speaks about all the different benefits that come along with what is going good and what is going bad in this situation and all the different ways they are trying to improve and benefit from it.
  • The solutions associated with the challenges of enhancing the guest experience and presenting a business case to senior management will be discussed by hospitality experts including Daniel Hajjar and Radi Karnib at the 3rd Annual Hotel Technology Middle East exhibition and conference in September. Current exhibitors include: Sony, Jumbo, Mitel, VingCard and Aegis Tech.
  • fifty-six percent of hospitality organisations planned to raise mobile investments to better equip their workforces, improve operational efficiencies and ultimately enhance the customer experience.
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  • It is (the IT) a department that evolves on a daily basis and you owe it to your organisation to consider any "new" development ... IT experts must always make a clear differentiation between an investment and an expense.
  • One of the critical challenges for hotel technology managers is convincing upper management to approve investing in the latest technology.
  • You will see an increase in Information Technology (IT) spending within the hospitality industry, with guest experience cited as the top driver for investment
  • 91 percent of hospitality decision makers realise the increasing importance of mobile and wireless technology, while 78 percent recognise the role mobility plays in ensuring a competitive advantage for their business.
  • "It is a challenge to demonstrate that the proposed technology infrastructure will indirectly reflect into a benefit to our business and will keep us up to date with the technology trends and market competition."
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    IT investment are pushed forward now and days more so for guest satisfaction. A recent Motorola Solutions Inc has uncovered a study that fifty six percent of hospitality organization plan to increase their mobile investment and wireless technology with greater data volumes and high speed access. This will increase drastically competitive advantage for the business and customer experience. Some find it a challenge in convincing upper management to approve investing in to the latest technology. As well as demonstrating that a proposed technology investment will be beneficial for their business and will assist in continuous up to date trends and market competition. I highly agree that technology is a must in this industry, especially how fast it is changing. In order to stay within the competitive advantage and provide convenience for our guest it is necessary to invest and update into the latest technology. The initial investment might be extreme especially if you have been out of date from any recent technology however, with time the results will be returned with satisfied guest and fast paced PMS systems.
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    This article speaks on the recent increase in hospitality spending on new and innovative technology advances. One of the leading locations for hospitality, Dubai, is being seen as a front runner in investment. The article also talks about how these technology companies see the potential in the hospitality industry and are focusing their efforts on this business sector. One challenge mentioned is convincing the management of a company to "dish out the money" for the advances. This is a very informative article with an unbiased view point.
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    I liked how this article talked about mobile apps, I think it won't be long until we start seeing that replace the existing room keys. The only problem is if some has a lot of apps and a lot of security passwords to bypass, it would take forever to open your room door, you would much rather have a standard room key. However, this creates lots of partnerships with cell phone companies further increasing hotel revenue. You can even save labor with this at the front of house areas. The possibilities are endless.
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    Information technology spending is on the rise in the hospitality industry in attempts to enhance the guest experience in the highly competitive market. According to Motorola hotels are looking to increasing mobile investments in the hopes that their staff will be better equipped and that with their new hardware will improve operational efficiency. The article states that 91% of hospitality decision-makers see mobile and wireless technology as the wave of the future, as well as the need for mobility to stay competitive. A few large challenges are: keeping up with cost, ever-changing technology, the need for more bandwidth, and data storage.
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    Information Technology is indispensable in the hospitality industry for several reasons. This article discusses how many hotels are increasing their investment in I.T because of its abundant advantages, especially guest satisfaction. It particularly states how mobile and wireless technology will aid in guests pleasure but ensure competitive advantage as well. They looked at a study of Motorola Solutions Market Barometer of 2011 where they fundamentally determine the emerging trends in the industry and opportunities. They then came to understand that businesses are investing more on hospitality information technology to not only assist in customer retention but to have an overall high-quality system that can manage their daily duties such as inventory, budget, and status of room reservations.
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    This article talks about how hotel companies are starting to invest more in information technology to provide a more enhanced guest experience. A survey done by Motorola Solutions found that 56% of hospitality companies are looking to invest in more mobile technology. While companies are looking to invest more in technology, it has been challenging to convince higher management levels to make the investment. Radi Karnib with Rotana Hotel Management said that it's important to demonstrate the benefits of the investment. Daniel Haijar with Layia Hospitality agrees and goes on to say that it's important to differentiate between what's an investment and what's an expense.
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Travel advisors urged to take active role in NDC implementation: Travel Weekly - 1 views

  • While the major GDSs -- Sabre, Amadeus and Travelport -- initially resisted NDC, all three eventually reversed course and last year announced that they would develop and test NDC-enabled solutions.
  • "It is clear that the GDSs are now en masse embracing NDC and trying to at least equalize the airline dot-com content and experience and trying to bring that to the indirect channel,"
  • Sabre earlier this month released its first set of NDC application programming interfaces (APIs) with United Airlines. That gave some agency customers the ability to make NDC bookings, which Kathy Morgan, vice president of NDC at Sabre, called "huge."
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  • As far as integrating NDC into its agency points of sale, Morgan said some capabilities are expected to be integrated into Sabre Red 360 by the third quarter this year.
  • By 2020, IATA wants 20% of sales with a group of airlines known as the Leaderboard to be powered by NDC.
  • Five airlines are currently supplying NDC content on Travelport's platform, and Ferguson said more will be introduced throughout the year; access to NDC content via Smartpoint will also continue to expand.
  • Considering many major airlines' bookings are split roughly 50-50 between direct bookings and agents, Ferguson said meeting IATA's goal would require that about 10% of agent bookings are powered by NDC by the end of 2020.
  • Gianni Pisanello, head of Amadeus' NDC-X program, said that in 2018, the company worked to develop NDC using test programs with airlines and agencies. This year, Amadeus is in deployment mode.
  • "We're trying to implement this with as many airlines as we can and as many agencies as we can this year," Pisanello said. "Next year, 2020, is really going to be a fine-tuning year." 
  • "We are dependent on airlines and their airline systems to be ready before we can do our bit as a GDS provider," Pisanello said. "And, of course, then the agencies are dependent on us as an intermediary to upgrade them and enable them to integrate those services into their own systems. So there is a sequential path here to the deployment of NDC."
  • The ability to make NDC bookings is expected in Amadeus' point of sale app, Selling Platform Connect, by this summer. As with the other GDSs, functionality will initially be limited. At first, agents will be able to complete an essential booking flow: the ability to search, book and settle. Additional features, such as the ability to change bookings, will be rolled out as they are developed.
  • Now is the time for travel advisors to step up and get involved with their GDS's efforts to implement IATA's New Distribution Capability (NDC), thus helping to shape its future
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    GDS companies continue to evolve and implement new technology to stay in line with current consumer demands. After initial resistance, they are implementing the NDC program into their system. NDC (New Distribution Capability) is a travel-industry supported program launched by IATA for the development and market adoption of a new XML-based data transmission standard (source: https://www.iata.org/whatwedo/airline-distribution/ndc/Pages/default.aspx) This article discusses the need of the airlines to upload useful content and for the travel agents to be more actively involved in order to make it useful for them. However, with major airlines' bookings split between 50% direct booking and 50% agents, and the airlines' efforts to drive more direct booking traffic, I wonder what is the sentiment of the companies to provide with more content and information on a platform that competes directly with their efforts to increase direct sales from their websites. Selling air tickets directly from their sites not only allow the companies to decrease booking fees and commissions but also allow them to collect much needed date from the consumers who use their services.
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What is a Global Distribution System (GDS)? | Global Distribution System (GDS) Definiti... - 0 views

  • facilitates transactions between travel service providers and travel agents
    • kaylaabad
       
      True function of GDS - "Facilitates transactions between travel service providers and travel agents."
  • It allows agents, both human and technological, to review information, compare prices and schedules, and make purchases from multiple different vendors in real time to quickly and efficiently create an itinerary for their clients.
    • kaylaabad
       
      GDS aids businesses in increasing their efficiency and customer service - "It allows agents, both human and technological, to review information, compare prices and schedules, and make purchases from multiple different vendors in real time to quickly and efficiently create an itinerary for their clients."
  • agents can determine which particular flights, accommodation, or other services best suit their client’s needs in seconds
    • kaylaabad
       
      Customer Service thrives off of this
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  • Travel agents (again, both human and online) are the primary target for today’s GDS networks
    • kaylaabad
       
      Who does GDS target? Travel Agents
  • in real-time
    • kaylaabad
       
      GDS allows all interactions and transactions to occur in real-time
  • Sabre, Travelport (the majority owner of Galileo, Apollo, and Worldspan), and Amadeus represent the leading GDSs today.
    • kaylaabad
       
      Leading GDS's today - Sabre, Travelport (the majority owner of Galileo, Apollo, and Worldspan), and Amadeus
  • Different corporations partner with different GDSs, so each system connects agents to their own set of participating vendors.
    • kaylaabad
       
      Each corporation has their own GDS's
  •  
    This article discusses the functions of Global Distribution Systems, along with examples of these systems in todays industry. This article stated that GDS's "facilitate transactions between travel service providers and travel agent." This is backed up by the fact that GDS's allow travel agents to gather and store information in real time, essentially improving efficiency and customer service.
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A viewpoint on GDS surcharges and the evolving airline distribution landscape | PhocusWire - 0 views

  • The fact is that the current system is old. It’s been around since the 60s and it has serious flaws baked into its older mainframe approach. Not so long ago, research revealed security flaws in PNRs as used by the GDS, which meant they could be easily hacked.
  • This means that travel agents’ bookings are swayed by the airlines they have preferred agreements with. It earns them bonus payments if they reach a certain volume each year. This can skew the equation away from the traveler's best interests.
  • The fact is that three main players still dominate the global travel distribution system.
  • ...8 more annotations...
  • Recently, there have been disputes between certain airlines and the GDS.
  • Tensions between airlines and GDSs have been further exacerbated with carriers making more from unbundling their fares and then offering services like luggage, food and drink as add-ons. This move has been hugely profitable for airlines -- and has increased airline revenues by shielding these add-ons from middlemen.
  • European airlines have perhaps been most active in exploring models outside the GDS.
  • The fact is that it’s new technology that will guide and change the travel distribution system. Smaller players have more of an opportunity to create innovative solutions that do not involve the big three.
  • They have direct access to consumers and are pushing hard into selling travel. If Facebook opens up its user base of more than one billion people to travel companies you can imagine that many will jump on board.
  • Airlines have been heading towards a merchandising strategy for some time now, increasing profits and shifting from a service provider to a retailer.
  • However, there is no doubt that this is the path they need to take to grow and attract wider sales.
  • The fact is, in order to make these changes successfully they cannot be restricted by financial burdens, outdated systems and old technology. New platforms and systems need to be continuously developed to support them as the airlines’ business model evolves and passengers demand more from their carrier wherever they book their tickets.
  •  
    Some argue that the GDS is a fair system. It it does enable travel agents and clients to access travel data, make price comparisons, access special rates and book travel. The big 3 Travelport, Amaadeus, and Sabre do generate billions of dollars of global travel sales for travel providers. The fact is though that the current system is old, dating back to the 60's, has serious flaws, and can be hacked. It is also biased as travel agents bookings are swayed by the airlines they have preferred agreements with, which can skew the equation away from the traveler's best interests. Having 3 Big players with a virtual travel monopoly is not an ideal situation. Carriers are fighting back and airlines are changing strategy. Tension between airlines and the GDS caused by disputes has European airlines exploring models outside the GDS. To make the changes successful they cannot be restricted by outdated systems, old technology or financial burdens.
  •  
    It discusses the high fees of the GDS and the fact that their system needs to be upgraded. Also, the challenges airlines face with paying those fees and ways the airlines are making additional revenue without having to pay fees to the GDS.
  •  
    Due to the high fees some airlines were or are paying to the GDS companies, they are re-thinking their strategy to get more revenue out of the passengers, in order to mitigate the lost of revenue for not being anymore in an open GDS market like Amadeus. Amadeus knows they are the big gorilla in the market with a 44% of the share, compared to Sabre or Travelport, the other two leaders in the GDS market.
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H°eats Pads-For-Delivery - Self-heating, water activated, flameless food pan ... - 0 views

  • H°eats pads-for-delivery allows restaurants and caterers the ability to stay operational as they shift from on-premise dining to a take-out/delivery model or if the need for mobile, flexible and agile food services is required. H°eats pads-for-delivery is a water-activated, flame-free, self-heating pad that is placed between two food pans, disposable foil or stainless steel. It provides safe, reliable, flame free heat for up to two hours and offers a new way for foodservice operators to continue operations when take-out or delivery is the main focus or the demands on the operator extends beyond the limitations of the existing infrastructure. H°eats pads-for-delivery's low cost and 30 second activation, are the perfect choice for a restaurant's take-out/delivery contingency plan. H°eats pads-for-delivery also allows foodservice operators the ability to scale up their feeding operations immediately, to meet the demands of increasing demand for services during emergency situations. H°eats pads-for-delivery integrates seamlessly with existing equipment and supplies and does not require accessories or special equipment to purchase
  • Features and benefits of H°eats pads-for-delivery include: Activates and operational in less than 30 seconds Low cost per activation Safe, non-toxic, reliable flame-free heat Requires up to 90% less water than traditional food warming methods No special equipment to operate, integrates with existing equipment and supplies First orders can be shipped within 24 hours *subject to availability
  •  
    " " H°eats pads-for-delivery by Lava Gel Technologies is a water-activated, flame-free, self-heating pad that is placed between two food pans, disposable foil or stainless steel. This product provides safe, reliable, flame free heat for up to two hours and integrates seamlessly with existing equipment and supplies and does not require accessories or special equipment to buy.
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Airbnb apologizes to hosts, dedicates $250M to coronavirus-related cancelations | Phocu... - 0 views

  • Following the World Health Organization’s declaration of a pandemic on March 11, Airbnb instated a policy wherein guests would receive a full refund - regardless of host consent - on reservations with check-in dates between March 14 and April 14.
  • we couldn’t have guests and hosts feel pressured to put themselves into unsafe situations and create an additional public health hazard.
  • To that end, Chesky says Airbnb will pay $250 million to hosts to help cover the cost of coronavirus-related cancelations.
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  • Airbnb is also creating a $10 million Superhost Relief Fund, designed to assist Superhosts who need help paying their rent or mortgages, as well as long-tenured Experiences hosts.
  • Also expected in April is a way for guests to send financial support to hosts they’ve previously stayed with,
  •  
    Reservations for stays and Airbnb Experiences made on or before March 14, 2020, with a check-in date between March 14, 2020 and May 31, 2020, are covered by the policy and may be canceled before check-in. Guests who cancel will have a variety of cancellation and refund options, and hosts can cancel without charge or impact to their Superhost status. Airbnb will either refund, or issue travel credit that includes, all service fees for covered cancellations. In order to cancel under the policy, you will be required to attest to the facts of and/or provide supporting documentation for your extenuating circumstance.
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Jury sides with US Airways against Sabre in GDS antitrust trial of the century - Tnooz - 0 views

  • The jury has returned its verdict in US Airways’s $134 million antitrust lawsuit against travel technology giant Sabre.
  • The airline’s lawyers successfully argued that Sabre had threatened it, saying that it had to accept a contract on Sabre’s terms or else be cut off from a network of thousands of travel agents worldwide who depend on the inventory that the tech giant provides via desktop software.
  • During contract negotiations, Sabre never offered a deal for less than full-content, the airline said. Full-content contracts typically require an airline to provide the same fares it offers via any other channel, such as its own website, to Sabre, too.
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  • full-content contracts are widespread between major airlines and the three major global distribution systems (Sabre, Amadeus, and Travelport), who act as middlemen for plane ticket sales worldwide.
  • Sabre argued that its fees are justified relative to the cost an airline would incur to distribute its fares comparably by other methods. It said consumers benefited by agents having a full array of options for price comparison.
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    The role of GDSs in the travel industry has a major impact on revenue, competition, and reservations. In this article, Sabre, one of the largest known GDSs was sued by US Airways for failing to provide a fair contract to the airline. The lawyers from US Airways claimed that Sabre threatened to "cut off the airlines from a network of thousands of travel agents worldwide who depend on inventory that the tech giant provides via desktop software". The jury concluded that Sabre indeed violated antitrust law. Sabre, apparently, charged US Airways increased fees though their cost per transaction decreased because of the advances in technology. According to the article, Sabre argued that the fees were justified relative to the cost that an airline would incur to distribute its fares by other methods. This helped the agents have access to a plethora of information regarding price comparison. In my opinion, this is just a messy situation. However, it goes to show how important and how much of an impact that GDSs have on airline companies. They determine what consumers or agents readily see on the site. They determine how much of a presence a company has. The GDSs provide company information to a worldwide network that markets to consumers. Having a GDS system hold back or increase fees has proved to be detrimental. Ethical issues have come into play. The fact cannot be ignored that the technology being used by Sabre is helping lower cost for transactions. This decrease in cost should have resulted in a decrease in fees for the airlines. Nevertheless, the key to this article is that GDSs have the power (though Sabre did illegally) to determine which avenue a company goes through in regards to apparent competition and markets. The advancement of GDSs is resulting in lower cost transactions and giving agents and consumers "more bang for their buck". So it is important that the relationship between GDSs and airline companies remain ethical in all ways, especially dealing with
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Exploring the promise of e-tablet restaurant menus - IJCHM-01-2013-0039 - 0 views

    • drbucky
       
      My main refute to this assertion is that some fine dining restaurants maintain very limited menus and their printed menus, sometimes very plain and direct, with no pictures or "sizzle" words, reflect the finer, more elegant style of the establishment. For that reason, some restaurants use no printed menu, at all.
  • Although there is evidence of the importance of restaurant menus and theirdevelopment from past research
    • drbucky
       
      This article compares the efficacy of printed menus to electronic (tablet) menus with no "ordering" capability. No additional published research appears to be available to compare the efficacy of emenus with ordering capabilities to traditional menu/ordering processing. This would make for interesting research, particularly across the different sectors of the industry.
  • It can be described as the map that encourages easy navigation between hunger andsatisfaction for customers
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    • drbucky
       
      I have heard the printed menu referred to as "the restaurant in print"
  • Its principle duty is to direct thepatron’s attention to those items that the operator desires to sell and is reflective of thedecisions concerning what to serve, how it should be served, and the prices to becharged for menu items.
    • drbucky
       
      While the "principle duty is to direct the patron's attention to those items that the operator desires to sell...", the printed menu, when used, must also reflect the atmosphere the operator decides to convey. For many concepts, the tablet menu would certainly enhance that element but I am not sure that this technology would do anything other than distract from the intended atmosphere.
  • Technology has provided restaurateurs with limitless opportunities to improve theirmenus.
    • drbucky
       
      One very positive facet of e-tablet menus: the ability to make changes to prices and images much more quickly than would the printed menus. However, when (not if) "glitches" occur, an establishment might be left without menus to provide the guests or printed menus with outdated information. In the end, it may be necessary to maintain up to date physical menus to have for backup at all times.
  • Put differently, e-tablet menus should be able to deliver richerinformation contexts in the service encounter than traditional paper-based menus.
    • drbucky
       
      I wonder if the use of etablets decreases the expectations that servers maintain this knowledge to provide excellent service. The dynamic between guest and server changes but I am not certain it would change for the better.
  • irst, nearly 50 percent of the sample were 50years or older. Although a relatively younger demographic may be examined later infuture research, the very fact such palpable differences prevailed with the so-calledlaggards of technology adoptions (older demographic) is significant in itself
    • drbucky
       
      Certainly, this is a very important detail. Baby Boomers and older Generation Xers involved in this study prefer this technology over traditional menus; these are generations usually not associated with embracing newer technology - while Millennials tend to embrace technology more readily.
  • the enhancement of guestexperience
    • drbucky
       
      Although I have significant concerns that this kind of technology could decrease the dynamic of the relationship between the live server and the guest, data in this study convinces me that there is a time and a place to use this technology to "enhance" the guest experience. I do not see this as a cost savings (rather, it may be more costly to use this technology) but as a revenue generator. The danger is in allowing serving staff members to get lazy and rely on the tablet rather than their own skills.
  • . However, at a fundamental level, menus play an important role inalleviating consumers’ perceived risk over the menu items they order in a restaurant.
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Technology in the hospitality industry - exploring the very latest trends - 3 views

  • Nowadays, hotel guests who travel with devices such as phones, tablets and computers no longer see Wi-Fi as a perk, but as a must-have when they check in at a hotel. Hotel guests expect to be able to connect to the internet seamlessly and without too many interruptions, leading hotels to invest in better, faster Wi-Fi infrastructure so that people can do business and use their technology devices with ease when they book their stay. Hotels are also starting to move away from user pay models. In the past, hotels could charge exorbitant rates and guests knew they would have to pay if they wanted to go online. Installing and maintaining a hotel-wide wireless network may be coupled with costs, but many leading hotel groups have started to install high density Wi-Fi and started to offer in-building mobile phone coverage as guests have come to expect these services during their stay (not only for themselves, but also for their guests if they are hosting a conference or function at the hotel). It might not yet be financially feasible for hotels to completely abandon the user pay model, but many of them are re-thinking their current infrastructure and pricing models.
  • Technology is advancing at a faster pace than ever before, and this is changing both the expectations of patrons as well as the way in which the hospitality industry conducts its business. Some of the trends in industry are leading to great improvements and savings for hospitality industry companies; while some are changing how hotel developers plan their buildings, infrastructure, management structure and staffing requirements.
  • Near field communication (NFC) technology is the next-generation short-range high frequency wireless communication technology that gives users the ability to exchange data between devices.
  • ...10 more annotations...
  • This technology is also ideal for self check-ins by guests at hotels as well as the next trend in this article: smart room keys.
  • Hotels will increasingly install smart room access systems that allow guests to unlock their doors by simply swiping their phones across a keyless pad on the door. Starwood (owner of the Sheraton, Weston and “W” hotel chains) has already upgraded 30,000 room locks across 150 hotels with this system and Hilton will be implementing a similar system at 10 of their US properties this year. In 2016, they will be deploying the smart room key technology globally. This technology will mean that guests don’t have to worry about picking up keys and front desk staff won’t have to issue new keys in the event that a guest loses their room key. Another innovative way to offer a keyless experience is through fingerprint-activated room entry systems and retina scanning devices. Retina scanning is even more accurate and secure than fingerprint scans and hotels like the Nine Zero Hotel in Boston have already installed an iris scan system in place of key cards to control access to the hotel’s presidential suite.
  • Some hotels are already offering more futuristic experiences, with robots delivering any items ordered through room service to a guest’s door. A boutique hotel that is nestled between Apple’s headquarters and other tech companies, called Aloft Cupertino, has a robot butler called Botlr that is able to move between the various floors of the hotel in order to take items such as toothbrushes, chargers and snacks to guests. These types of digital systems not only make it easy for hotel staff to deliver items to guests, but it also offers a forward-facing digital experience to people who stay at the hotel. Infrared scanners are now also used to minimise disruptions relating to housekeeping (which is a common complaint from customers). Instead of hanging a ‘Do Not Disturb’ sign on doors or having cleaning staff wake up traveling guests with knocks and phone calls, hotel staff can take a more innovative approach by using infrared scanners that will detect body heat within a room and tell cleaning staff that they should rather come back later if the room is currently occupied.
  • Digital conference facilities Besides being able to offer high density Wi-Fi for conferences and meetings, hotels also need to be able to offer access to audio-visual (AV) and digital facilities for conferences. While the amount of AV and digital equipment that goes into a typical conference room is fairly minimal, staging companies are often hired for various projects in order to equip the facility as required.
  • Mobile communication and automation In many airports, it’s no longer necessary to stand in a queue to check in and people are expecting the same kind of easy, technology-driven check-ins at hotels. Guests want to be able to do everything from checking in at a venue’s automated kiosk to ordering room service with a digital device instead of standing in queues and moving around the hotel premises to order food.
  • Cloud services Being able to provide entertainment on tap and mobile content has led to the trend of hotels investing in cloud services. While hotels want to be able to offer digital content, they don’t necessarily want to invest in IT infrastructure and IT staff, making cloud computing the ideal solution.
  • Feedback on social media Technology has infiltrated almost every aspect of our lives and hotel developers need to realise that almost any person checking in at a hotel, resort, spa or lodge, will have a smartphone in their pockets.
  • Converged LANs to support multiple services Converged local area networks (LANs) will also help hotels to create more intelligent buildings. A variety of computer-based building services can be automated in order to control lighting, refrigeration, air-conditioning and heating. Besides reducing energy consumption, converged LANs can also be set up to provide a smarter, more personal experience. If a guest is known to prefer his or her room temperature at 18°C with the lights dimmed to 65%, for example, this can be programmed before the guest checks in at the hotel.
  • Integrated, seamless experiences Technology doesn’t mean that customer experience can only happen online and through devices, check-ins and online comments. All of these experiences need to be part of an integrated, dynamic system so that the guests’ experiences are at the forefront of the marketing and  operational team’s mind.
  • Marketing, management and hotel developers can no longer work in silos and these technology trends are giving them the opportunities, tools and solutions they need to create memorable experiences that can lead to positive change and growth in the industry.
  •  
    With technology evolving and changing at a fast pace it is changing both what consumers expect and how the Hospitality industry responds to these expectations as well as how they do business themselves. The article highlights the many trends in the Hospitality industry. These trends include the improving and overhauling of a Wi-Fi network, conference rooms that offer Audio visual equipment, Smart room keys and many other different trends.
  •  
    In today's world we are surrounded by technology; however, sometimes we do not realize the extreme of which we are surrounded by until we stop and look around. The Hospitality industry is quickly adapting to the technologically world we live it. I read an article written by Jeff Robinson, Technical Director for Aurecon titled "Technology in the hospitality industry - exploring the very latest trends". This article was beyond interesting because it touched on some on the way technology has already changed the hospitality industry and ways it will be changing it for the future. Robinson tells us in his article that "some of the trends in industry are leading to great improvements and savings for hospitality industry companies; while some are changing how hotel developers plan their buildings, infrastructure, management structure and staffing requirements". This means its not only about the bottom dollar, but the experience of each guest when they stay at the hotel. Robinson also states the obvious fact that travelers these days do not see Wi-Fi as a perk, but more of a must have. Full access to audio-visual is also on the must have list especially for business meetings and conferences. What I found most interesting from Robinson's article was the introduction of the Near Field Communication (NFC) technology. This technology give you the ability to share information from a short-range frequency wireless communication. This technology is also ideal for self check-ins by guests at hotels as well as smart room keys.(Robinson) Hotel room keys have come a long way. From an actual key, key card in which you insert, to a key card you simply pass close to the reader and now the birth of the smart key. "Smart room access system allow guests to unlock their doors by simply swiping their phones across a keyless pad on the door.". (Robinson) Now how awesome is that. Robinson also talks about other new technology just as the future of hotel in room entertainment, hotels offering
  •  
    It has been well described and defined that technology impacted the hospitality industry in which it has advantage and disadvantages. The update and development of software creates a change in the business. This justifies that better software leads to better customer service. For this development has given most business opportunity to grow as they give them better tools.
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