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Jiabao Han

Technology: The Newest Weapon in Event Planning | Emergency Management content from EHS... - 2 views

  • Technology, if used correctly, can assist in the automation of business processes (thus freeing precious resources), provide situational awareness for all agencies involved and provide real-time information to users. This article reviews the uses and benefits of one such technology solution, E-Sponder, at two major events (The 2004 Presidential Debates held at Washington University in St. Louis and the 2005 Super Bowl held in Jacksonville, Fla.) as well as provides guidelines when choosing a technology solution.
  • Gragnani and Smiley immediately saw that E-Sponder – a collaboration and information-sharing portal developed by Convergence Communications based upon Microsoft Office Professional Enterprise Edition 2003 technologies – offered the potential for real-time collaboration because it delivers collaboration functions such as e-mail, forums, calendars, shared documents, task lists and messaging that allow stakeholders to efficiently work together remotely. Gragnani and Smiley knew that Convergence would be willing to work with them to customize the solution to accommodate their changing needs.
  • Technology, if used correctly, can assist in the automation of business processes (thus freeing precious resources), provide situational awareness for all agencies involved and provide real-time information to users.
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  • Out of this need for heightened security stems a dichotomy between necessity and reality. The necessity of an organization to provide heightened security is oftentimes at odds with the reality of the entity's ability to furnish the needed man-power and absorb the costs associated with hosting a large-scale event. All too often, a city or county is given the designation as a lead agency to provide security for an event, but is given little-to-no financial assistance to make certain that the event takes place without a serious threat to the public.
  • If the decision is made to work with a technology solution to assist in securing your event, it is important to remember a few key points: n Do your homework: investigate, prepare and implement. Take time to assess your exact deliverables and what you are going to be held accountable for. Assessing your deliverables and requirements goes beyond the obvious: How are you going to manage and archive e-mails, meetings, conversations, images and plans? Implementation of the correct technology solution will assist you in this process and keep your staff free from much of the administrative burdens found in planning large-scale events. n Don't just choose technology, choose a technology partner. Planning an event is a dynamic task. Make certain that the company you choose is willing to understand your business processes and work with you to marry technology with your most challenging issues. n Don't learn your technology during a crisis. Pick a technology solution that is extremely user friendly. As the dynamics of an event change, you may need to collaborate with a community of users you did not anticipate in your initial planning. These new users will need to quickly learn and adapt to your communication solution. When securing an event, everyone is working toward the same goal: An event where the public does not think twice about security. The right technology solution can quickly put more accurate information in the hands of those who need it, and allow people to focus on their mission, not on paperwork.
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    This article talks about how events have changed throughout the years and especially because of 9/11. before this day the event planners and safety personel were focus on traffic control but now it is more safety concerns and the prevention of terrorist attacks. It discusses how and why technology can help them and shows many different examples that were real life like the super bowl an the presidential debates. it also stresses how important it is to know the technology and not to learn it in a crisis. Also it helps in choosing what technology to use. There are so many options out there and there is definitely a way to do all this without technology but technology can help and make it a lot safer and more effective.
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    Events can be successfully planned, executed and reviewed without the use of technology. However, there are affordable technology solutions that can ease the burden and provide enhanced situational awareness during an event. And the new high tech, E-Sponder, really assist in the automation of business processes, expecially the event planning. E-Sponder was used to automate many critical business processes during the debate and consequently provided real-time information sharing and reduced resolution time for unplanned events. In addition, it gave complete situational awareness both inside and outside the command center to all of those involved in securing the debate activities.
Joe Cilli

IPads Change Economics, and Speed, of Hotel Wi-Fi-On the Road - NYTimes.com - 3 views

  • broad use of iPads and other mobile tablets, which are heavy users of video streaming, the guest room Wi-Fi networks that most hotels thought they had brought up to standard just a few years ago are now often groaning under user demands
  • Hotels, he said, now must choose “either to not increase the amount of bandwidth, so everybody will get much slower service to the point where you’ll think you’re on a dial-up connection,” or upgrade and essentially put in a metered fee-based system.
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    Ipads changing our life is absolute. In fact, if there is no ipad, something electronic products can also bring revolution in hotel Wi-Fi networks. To tell the truth, free hotel Wi-Fi is too slow.....last year, I had a internship in Holiday Inn Central Plaza Beijing. There had two kinds of Wi-Fi networks. Free network was cover the whole hotel but the speed was slow. The other that must be paid was faster. Some people had video session prefered the faster one. In addtion, hotels should upload their Wi-Fi networks. It can be an attraction of the hotels.
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    I've encountered this issue at numerous hotels in my travels. I would be up for paying an increased fee for better wi-fi if I had assurances that that was indeed what I was getting. I think that is the direction most properties will end up going as more people invest in data heavy machines such as tablet pc's, macbook air's and similar products. When I travel I need wi-fi access in my room as well as the conference or meeting rooms, and its hit or miss most times. You would think that they would have an idea of what level of bandwith is needed for 200+ internet marketing professionals but often times that is not the case. I am looking to invest in mobile hotspots such as mi-fi's or similar services provided by AT&T or Verizon, as the convenience of knowing there is a connection I can trust is well worth the investment.
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    All I want to say is that...every innovation or something new to use must go through so many tests! I post my bookmark about 5 hours ago,but it didn't work! Until now, after so many times I tried, it suddenly appears and I do not know why... besides, about the Ipad, nowadays is an information era, we obtain and use information during our daily life, some free wi-fi is really helpful for us. I used to connect the internet with lines. If more computers want to go to the internet, it must be use the route, it is so inconvenience..however wi-fi makes us to use the internet wherever we want.
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    For a hotel the WiFi system is really important because guests prefer the hotel with WiFi system. The guests even willing to pay a small premium to stay at a WiFi equipped lodgings. As the rise of smart phones and ultra-lightweight laptops case the bandwidth problems. I think the hotel can deal with this problems by create various account levels for guests, stuff and visitors. The hotel can allow the visitors to use free WiFi and provide high level account to overnight guests.
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    I personally prefer to use WIFI in my own room when I visit a hotel because I have more privacy. Some hotels they may offer free/complimentary WIFI in the public area, for example, the lobby, the lounge, etc. At the same time, to limit the overuse of public WIFI, the WIFI in the guests' room are charged by different time period and the length of using the WIFI. It seems to be not fair to those business people who require internet all day long. However, it lowers the expense of the WIFI service and improves the guests' satisfaction of the internet service.
Mirta Echazabal

Telecommunication - 0 views

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    Telecommunication is an area in the industry that has driven the productivity of all employees and the efficiency of processed information and future growth. One of the examples of telecommunication would be the PBX voice switch which can be used to facilitate data and video communication, enhancing security. Offering a competitive advantage the PBX has become more then just a voice switch, since its improvement housekeeping is able to moderate the room status directly from the room and guest can choose to checkout by dialing out in the room. Inclusively, systems can be interfaced with videophones which allow the user to see and decide on the visitors they would allow entering their room using VoIP (Voice over IP). VoIP provides cost efficiency, productivity, customer capabilities and enhancing access to information. Another useful form of telecommunication is wireless paging systems where it keeps employees from different departments accessible incase of any emergency. In my opinion, telecommunication has been a great advantage in the industry. It has improved in various ways through out the years and it continues to grow and allowing the customer experience to become a one of a kind with the efficiency that it offers. Guest is able to become more independent during their stay even when checking out of their rooms. Telecommunication has even provided employees with more ease at work by creating a system where housekeeping department is able to press a button on the phone of the room, which changes the status of the rooms immediately instead of having to inspect the room and then change status on the computer system. I still believe this new technology is great, but I stand firm that the older crowd (baby boomers) and those that do not speak the language (English) still prefer the human interaction for instance, at checkout time. The Y generation is more prone to be excited about all these new gadgets and independent ways of getting things done.
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    Telecommunication provides many benefits for hotel. It makes the housekeepers' work easier by change the room status in room rather than on computer system. And each user have separate number, so the outside call will directly received without go through the operator. Hotel does not need to hire a telephone operator.
anonymous

Global Industry Study Reveals How New Technologies and Social Change Will Combine to Tr... - 0 views

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    This new study details the transformation of technology and the ever changing social values of the next generation of travelers. In this article it summarizes the next generation of experience, automatic transit, payment with memory, intellegient recommendation, among others. I agree with the article as travelers are already savy when it comes to searching for hotel and flights, now they will want the entire experience to become less stressful and more seamless. When this article refers to the study that explains using mobile devices and biometric technology to facilitate faster check in process, it details by country that is more comfortable using this technology. Intelligent recommendation is already being used for locals, and it will be more accessible to tourists to toughly enjoy the city's true offering. As the demographics of travelers change so will their desire for what is a pleasurable experience.
Mary White

http://www.themoscowtimes.com/business/business_for_business/article/e-commerce-for-the... - 0 views

This article emphasizes the importance of the hotel industry embracing trends in e-commerce. Consumer expectations concerning social media and e-commerce are constantly changing and demanding more ...

started by Mary White on 24 Jan 12 no follow-up yet
david swatscheno

Social Media and The Changing Face of Event Planning | Illinois Meetings and Events - 0 views

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    This article focuses on the success of using social media and event planning togther. The opportunity to be able to create events on facebook and linkedin is great and easy for the event planners. Social media and facebook changed the way of life for one guys company. He started using facebook to get his name out there and his business has been growing non stop ever since. This is just the way things are now and if you want to keep up with everyone else you must adjust to the way things are now.
TIANJIAN ZHANG

POS Systems for Hotels and Inns - 0 views

  • A Point of Sale system is effective in hotels because it is a way in which hotel and inn owners would be able to record all transients while at the same time record all the services rendered per room.
    • TIANJIAN ZHANG
       
      POS System is convenient and easy for management to control. Actually, POS System connects almost every corner of a hotel. In my opinion, POS is simply the location where the sale is conducted, money changes hands and a receipt is given, which can also occur on a smart phone, tablet, laptop, or mobile POS device when the right hardware and POS software is combined with the mobile device. And actually, nowadays, modern POS systems have stations created for the customer to check themselves out by scanning and bagging their own items, then paying with a debit or credit card. It is much faster.
  • Most POS systems can also be connected to the kitchen so that the chef would be able to deliver the products at a fast pace and there would be no confusion in delivering the food.
  • The key to Point of Sale Applications is the use of various operating systems for recording and registering the items rendered per room.
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  • Today, most hotels have even applied a membership connection through internet so that hotel customers would be able to register to a room that they want simply by accessing the hotel's website.
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    Hospitality point of sales systems are computerized systems incorporating registers, computers and peripheral equipment, usually on a computer network. Like other point of sale systems, these systems keep track of sales, labor and payroll, and can generate records used in accounting and book keeping. They may be accessed remotely by restaurant corporate offices, troubleshooters and other authorized parties. Point of sales systems have revolutionized the restaurant industry, particularly in the fast food sector. In the most recent technologies, registers are computers, sometimes with touch screens. The registers connect to a server, often referred to as a "store controller" or a "central control unit." Printers and monitors are also found on the network. Additionally, remote servers can connect to store networks and monitor sales and other store data. Newer, more sophisticated, systems are getting away from the central database "file server" type system and going to what is called a "cluster database". This eliminates any crashing or system downtime that can be associated with the back office file server. This technology allows 100% of the information to not only be stored, but also pulled from the local terminal. Thus eliminating the need to rely on a separate server for the system to operate. The efficiency of such systems has decreased service times and increased efficiency of orders. Another innovation in technology for the restaurant industry is Wireless POS. Many restaurants with high volume use wireless handheld POS to collect orders which are sent to a server. The server sends required information to the kitchen in real time.
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    Nowadays, the Point of Sales system is very important not only in hotels but also in any kind of business. The popular reason is that the POS is convenient, fast and promptly. The POS could be changed neatly. It will make the cashier compute for the expenses and costs more efficiently. The data used by the POS has been applied connection through the Internet. The customers could register by their private computer quickly. The POS also connect many kinds of service aspects that include restaurant, housekeeping, receiption and so on. It will make the whole system operate more integrate.
Yekaterina Ponomareva

How mobile tech is changing the retail experience | SmartPlanet - 0 views

  • How mobile tech is changing the retail experience
  • coffee shop in my neighborhood that handles all its customer transactions on an iPad,
  • mazon came out with an application that allows y
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  • ou to get product information either by typing in a search, scanning a barcode, taking a picture of a product or speaking the name of the product.
  • You can scan a particular product and get recipes with the product. Or you can type a couple products and find recipes that use those products.
  • Whole Foods:
  • Speaking of Facebook: Social point-of-sale is another opt-in thing. So they check out, and the POS system can post to Facebook, Twitter and Foursquare what you bought. You go in and buy some jeans, and it could say, “Melanie Kaplan just shopped at X mall,”
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    This is a great article about relatively new point-of-sales systems, that are implemented in a number of places worldwide. Have you ever experienced your card being swiped on iPad of a server when you ordered a coffee? No? And how about your iPhone to become a POS? You walk in a mall, scanning stuff, getting your groceries and the devise is offering you recipes with the food you're getting. The other trend is social POS. It post automatically on a facebook whatever you got in a mall in order for you to remember your shopping history in case you lose the track of your purchases.
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    It is amazing that all the customer transactions can be done through Ipad or Iphone. This technology create new shopping experience and may attract more young customers.
Hyeyoung Jang

Green Hotel Sustainability Plan, Strategies to Keep in Mind | ehotelier.com News Archives - 1 views

  • Measuring the hotel property's current consumption of energy, water and production of waste (also commonly known as "benchmarking") is essential to the start of any sustainability plan.Once the baseline has been established, owners and management companies should work with their investors to identify strategic sustainable goals and objectives. It's essential to outline specific quantified projects and resources necessary to implement those projects. Keep in mind there are many rebates, incentives and funding opportunities available through federal, state and local government energy programs as well as utility companies. From my experience, it is very common for operators to overlook these rebates and incentives when implementing changes as part of normal renovations or capital improvements - there by leaving money on the table! Also, when hoteliers think of sustainability projects they often think of renewable energy, energy management systems, and lighting - but this is just the tip of the iceberg. Don't forget to explore other hotel incentive programs for various other sustainable initiatives. Take for instance, the backup generation or demand shedding programs, which typically have no participation costs and you can earn energy credits every month while helping to ensure reliable power for the community.
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    Many hotels and restaurant have embraced the green movement, but many are still trying to sort it all out. Too often being good steward of the environment is perceived as a bleeding heart issue and the cost conflicts with the financial goals of the hotel property owner and operators. As author mentions that, he was former hotel operator over 14 years ago, he was looking for opportunities to increase GOP and cash flow. It only made sense to sort through innovative energy solution and operational changes to find the right solution that improved profitability as well as protect the environment. He came to the conclusion very early on the owner and operators could indeed build a viable business case for integrating sustainability into the operation of individual hotels. However, with countless options from energy management technology to green hotel certification, the process has become confusing more than ever.
Caroline Hardenbergh

In-room technology changing hotel landscape - 0 views

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    "In-room technology changing hotel landscape" is a great article to understand how the smart phones and tablets are taking over the hotels, so that the costumers get the best experience, plus the in-room technology advantages.
Yingjie Cao

Customer Relationship Management - The Future of CRM - 0 views

  • ìCRM is one of the most dramatic, fundamental changes in the history of business.î High-Yield Marketingís Dick Lee agreed: ìCRM is fundamentally the expression of the customer-centric business philosophy. Itís how you respond to the fact that customers are now the drivers in our economy.
  • ìThere are different types of customers, different types of business models and selling strategies, and over time there will be different CRM software to support these different models.î Dickie agrees
  • CRM customers are also demanding more and more knowledge management functionality
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  • in the eBusiness economy, you need to deliver customer organizational knowledge on demand, anytime anywhere
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    According to the article, different customers, business models and selling strategies require different sizes of CRM system. Over the years, vendors only added more and more features to original CRM systems. They've focused more on functionality at the system level, taking an everything-that-everyone-needs approach that rarely took into consideration the user's interaction with the CRM system. So businesses are demanding a much more flexible, much more nuanced interaction with the information in (and around) a CRM system, an interaction focused on the needs of the individual accessing the information and the needs of the customer engagement taking place. So clearly one size of CRM cannot fit all. Such as how iPhone changes the appearance & function of keyboards and screens. As CRM system focuses more on personal view, "smart" and "flexibility" may be what CRM should achieve in the future.
Tamara Lang

Five Hotel Companies Streamline Management Processes with Aptech's Business Intelligenc... - 0 views

  • Profitvue and Webvue stand out as our top choice to centralize accounting and financial reporting,” said Narry Krushiker, president of Krushiker Hospitality Group. “They interface with our multiple property PM Systems and the solutions are easy to use. It is important that managers at our seven hotels have accurate P&Ls and other reports each day. Profitvue will accomplish this.
  • Aptech systems handle back office operations with scalable, 24/7 dependability
  • Execuvue is a web-based enterprise business intelligence application for large and small hotel companies. Execuvue coordinates data from various systems, including Smith Travel Research, into accessible information with familiar browser simplicity.  Extended Stay Hotels, Innkeepers Hospitality, Ashford Hospitality Trust, Peabody Hotel Group, and many other successful companies rely on Execuvue
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  • The system incorporates accounts payable, general ledger, statistics, and financials. Profitvue gives users open database compliance (ODBC) within a scalable, client/server, open systems architecture. Profitvue is available as an ASP service or on a licensed basis.
  • Aptech Computer Systems, Inc., based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, leads the hospitality industry in leveraging change by valuing human relationships and applying technology to solve business problems for people.
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    This article is five hotel groups streamlining their management accounting process by using Aptech's intelligence and financial products. The systems were selected because of their ability to interface with several property management systems, level of accuracy, and reporting capabilities. The systems are internet based and be used for single or multi-property companies. I find this article to be interesting because at the end, it speaks about Aptech Computer Systems, Inc. as a leader in the hospitality industry. It approach to creating state of the art products is attributed to "leveraging change by valuing human relationships and applying technology to solve business problems for people". I think that is a great premise for a company to build on.
Hana Musilova

Expanding global footprint with accounting software for hotels - 0 views

  • What should hotels look for in their financial management system then?Handling currency complexity
  • Handling multiple languages
  • Handling multiple entities
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  • Supporting multiple charts of accounts
  • Handling multiple calendars
  • Handling tax complexities
  • Reporting using multiple accounting standards
  • Supporting different levels of corporate reporting
  • Supporting global access
  • In the increasingly volatile and regulation-filled business world, the ability to adapt is of utmost importance;
  • During the transition, many hotels might find themselves trying to avoid incurring costs and disruptions by sticking with their existing accounting software.
  • Moreover, different countries have different units of measurements and formats, which need to be reported as well. Hence, it is vital that hotels’ financial management software can handle all of these.
  • Rapid globalisation means that hotels are likely to report in more than one currency. Thus it would be a tremendous help if hotel accounting software can handle multiple currencies.
  • Nonetheless, if businesses do not conduct comprehensive evaluation of their needs and software capabilities, they may well end up paying more than they could save.
  • A hotel chain with various branches in different countries or jurisdictions has the extra workload that entails complexity.
  • a hotel financial management system should be capable of consolidating results from discrete entities for statutory reporting and tax purposes.
  • The rigid approach of a single chart of accounts is especially unsuitable for companies with different lines of businesses, those in joint-venture arrangements or those acquiring businesses in different countries.
  • It is a fact that businesses around the world do not operate on the same fiscal year. To save time from having to recast figures into different calendars, hotels with multinational operations should implement a financial management system that can create local, regional and consolidated reports as needed for management or statutory purposes.
  • For hotels operating in various countries, their accounting software should be able to handle the complexities associated with different tax regulations and help defending tax audits.
  • GAAP, IFRS and local accounting standards require different accounting treatments. Thus, accounting software for hotels should allow different books for recording transactions under these various accounting rules.
  • A multinational hotel’s accounting system should be able to create a consolidated headquarters view as well a consolidated statement of several subsidiaries at an intermediate level.
  • Financial management software that allows web-based access can help hotels avoid incurring costs from installing the system individually at all branches or at branches with limited on-premise support. Having a system that can be installed locally, deployed centrally and accessed globally gives hotels a competitive advantage without compromising security and reliability.
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    Many hotels may want to chance their accounting systems but at the same time are trying to avoid all of the new costs and possible disruptions that come with a new system. By staying with their old systems though it could end up costing them more money in the long run if the system decides to just stop working and then you lose all of your data.
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    Any hospitality organization should look for all of these things when considering a new financial management system. It might end up being more expensive but in the long run will end up saving the company lots of money.
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    This article describes what basic capabilities an accounting software for a hotel who is trying to expand globally should have. As well know, it is very important for a company to be able to adapt to changing times. Hotels are an industry that is constantly facing challenges, especially when trying to expand globally. This article gives some very important tips on what hotels should looks for when putting their financial management system in place. For example, expanding globally means a hotel would have to handle different currencies at one time. This is somewhat of a complex task for a company who is new to the global arena. Hotels should make sure to have a system that would make following different sets of accounting and business rules easier for the company. Another example is hotels should have a system that is able to utilize multiple accounting standards. "GAAP, IFRS and local accounting standards require different accounting treatments", therefore, software for hotels should be able to accommodate these variations.
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    I found this article very interesting as it discusses various aspects that a financial system should have in order to provide the most accurate and timely financial reports and analysis to help hotels to be more efficient and increase profit. According to the article, as all the hotels are evolving and changing at all times and the financial system has to be able to keep up with all the changes. One of the few things a financial management system should be able to do is to handle currency complexity and make sure that the hotel's accounting system can handle multiple currencies. A good financial system should also be able to handle multiple different languages for employees with different language backgrounds and also units of measurements and formats. The system also needs to be able to support multiple charts of accounts. According to Ventana Research 2011, "maintaining multiple charts of accounts may prove to be both simpler in the long run and more productive." Another important aspect of a good financial system it to handle tax complexities for hotels operating in various countries. The accounting software should be able to "handle complexities associated with different tax regulations and help defending tax audits." The last important fact it that the software should web based therefore accessible from anywhere and anytime. I find the last one the most important one as our technology and our PMS are moving into cloud based systems, it is curial that we are moving in the right direction with all of our systems and have them synchronized.
Alyssa Westmeyer

Futuristic, sustainable hotels the next frontier for hospitality | News | Eco-Business ... - 1 views

  • built on one common principle - climate resilience
  • designed to withstand the future threat of worsening climate change such as sea level rises
  • Both projects integrate sustainable energy sources and systems, and are
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  • contain several hotel amenities as well as a wind farm, desalination plant, and ocean waste facility among others
  • offshore marine platform that will enable the Mexican city to address their energy problems and reduce their fossil fuels dependency
  • alleviates water scarcity, minimises overdevelopment on the coast and helps control marine pollution
  • avoid damaging the underwater ecosystem
  • covered with solar panels
  • Rainwater and wastewater will also be collected and respectively reused and purified through recycling facilities
  • underwater energy farm that will harvest 47MW of tidal, current and wave energy
  • can extract, clean and purify waste gathered from the ocean
  • contains wind turbines that can generate 40MW/h of renewable energy
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    The Grand Cancun has been designed to anticipate natural disasters climate change, as well as incorporated amenities that will make it self-sustaining and even beneficial to the city in which it resides. Including a wind and underwater energy farm, desalination plant, ocean waste facility, wind turbines and solar panels. Not only this but its design will avoid destruction of the underwater ecosystem during development and construction. This is not only a hotel but also it incorporates a facility for marine research. The design appears expensive but it has the opportunity to recapture its investment through the building's own energy savings, the sale of the energy it generates to external users, its ability to remain largely unaffected by rising sea levels or other climate change and the incremental business related to the research laboratories.
Alyssa Westmeyer

Hotel technology trends that are changing how hotels do business - 1 views

  • Choice created the software in 2003 as an inexpensive solution for franchisees of its economy brands.
  • The PMS had a lot of growing pains at first, but eventually it became more and more cloud enabled and was adopted across the company.
  • “A lot of companies had outsourced their IT and now they’re bringing it back in house because they can do almost everything they need on the cloud or through software as a service.
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  • Switching to the cloud from a client server platform pays off with a big drop in both the initial capital outlay and the ongoing operating costs for the property management and other systems.
  • pects of a franchisee’s business, from guest check-ins and housekeeping services to billing and finances. Over time new features have been rolled into the software platform making it more robust and useful for hotel owners—it’s currently distributed in eight countries and available in four languages. And while plenty of cloud-based PMS packages are now available from third-party vendors like Micros, Maestro, and RoomKey, Choice’s internal solution has garnered its fair share of attention. “We had been getting knocks on the door from IT vendors at other hotel companies and individual Choice franchisees that own other brands, saying they were interested in our product,” says Pacious, “So we set up a new division so we could take a look at other opportunities we could develop.” This led the company to launch SkyTouch last year, a new division that develops and markets cloud-based software solutions to hotels inside and outside the Choice system. Pages: 1 2 3 4 2013-06-18 Sean Downey !function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];if(!d.getElementById(id)){js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js";fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}}(document,"script","twitter-wjs"); (function(d, s, id) { var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0]; if (d.getElementById(id)) return; js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id; js.src = "//connect.facebook.net/en_US/all.js#xfbml=1"; fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs); }(document, 'script', 'facebook-jssdk')); (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); })(); (function() { var li = document.createElement('script'); li.type = 'text/javascript'; li.async = true; li.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https:' : 'http:') + '//platform.stumbleupon.com/1/widgets.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(li, s); })(); inShare0 Related Articles attachment-3
  • his led the company to launch SkyTouch last year, a new division that develops and markets cloud-based software solutions to hotels inside and outside the Choice system. Pages: 1 2 3 4 2013-06-18 Sean Downey !function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];if(!d.getElementById(id)){js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js";fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}}(document,"script","twitter-wjs"); (function(d, s, id) { var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0]; if (d.getElementById(id)) return; js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id; js.src = "//connect.facebook.net/en_US/all.js#xfbml=1"; fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs); }(document, 'script', 'facebook-jssdk')); (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); })(); (function() { var li = document.createElement('script'); li.type = 'text/javascript'; li.async = true; li.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https:' : 'http:') + '//platform.stumbleupon.com/1/widgets.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(li, s); })(); inShare0 Related Articles Hotel Market Insight: Cleveland a
  • This led the company to launch SkyTouch last year, a new division that develops and markets cloud-based software solutions to hotels inside and outside the Choice system.
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    Choice Hotels has been a industry leader in the cloud PMS movement. They identified the opportunity to create their own platform 10 years ago when cloud was barely on the radar and have now successfully distributed it to 5,500 of their properties. Unique functionality built into the system is internet redundancy via cellular data plan, company-wide campaign pop-up messages to staff, interface to Pegasus and revenue management through predictive analytics. The platform has been so successful that, in response to inquiries from other companies who wanted to use Choice's proprietary system themselves, they created an additional revenue stream by establishing a separate company that sells and creates custom cloud PMS systems. One advantage pointed out is that managers no longer need to be on property to access and make changes to their PMS. While this is hugely beneficial to the majority of the industry (who already work long hours and visit the property on their day off), there may be some who take advantage of the situation. If this becomes the case, less oversight at the property means that operations has the potential to slip. It doesn't seem that this is a concern for Choice Hotels but it should be considered.
danikafox

Starwood Hotels & Resorts Names Martha Poulter New Chief Information Officer - WSJ.com - 0 views

  • Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. (NYSE: HOT) today announced the appointment of Martha Poulter, former Chief Information Officer of GE Capital, as the company's new Executive Vice President and Chief Information Officer effective June 23, 2014.
  • "As we transform the way we use technology to keep pace with the fast-changing expectations of our guests, we are delighted to welcome Martha to our team in this key leadership role," said van Paasschen. "In addition to her significant experience leading a large global IT organization, Martha impressed us with her ability to connect legacy platforms with new world technologies. Her innovative approach is exactly what we were looking for as we continue to significantly invest in technology and talent."
  • "Martha will lead a seasoned global IT team that is well integrated into virtually every aspect of our business including brands and global operations
  •  
    According to the article, Starwood Hotels and Resorts has appointed Martha Poulter as the new Chief of Information Officer. CEO, Frits van Paasschen claims that Martha's significant experience in leading a large global IT organization will be very beneficial to the company. She will help the company stay up to pace with the quickly changing technological habits of Starwood's guests. When she steps into her new position on June 23, 2014, Martha will be responsible for leading a seasoned group of IT specialists that are well integrated in virtually every aspect of the business including all of Starwood's brands and global operations. Starwood is looking forward to what Martha has to provide for the company's future.
pattyjoe10

POS Integration Becoming a "Must-Have" | News | Hospitality Magazine (HT) - 0 views

  • Integration between systems opens up capabilities on both the operations side, including kitchen efficiency and better intelligence, and the customer-facing side, such as mobile and online ordering, an
  • get different systems to talk to one another
  • new POS players continue to emerge that are willing to publish their APIs. “APIs where programs can talk to one another are very common in tech ecosystems like Twitter, Facebook, Google and Apple, so the whole business model is changing,
  • ...3 more annotations...
  • may in turn force large POS companies to begin thinking about third party-integrations more seriously.
  • Cloud technology is making the prospect of integration easier for operators as more owners are looking to above-property hosting systems.
  • “We needed to upgrade our POS and wanted to leverage the cloud to have one point of contact
  •  
    With the pass of time technology keeps improving, allowing entrepreneurs to find loop-holes or ways of creating/using new systems to improve service and productivity. For years restaurants have been doing business the same way. It's time to improve this, by allowing certain "gadgets" and systems to facilitate both, your job (as owner) and employees. The previous article mentions POS integration as a "must-have" in restaurants. Although it helps the operating side and the customer-facing side, it takes time and money to allow the integration between systems. The new issue is that before an integration was merely impossible, since the API's didn't communicate well or at all with other systems, thus restaurant owners had to stay with the same vendor because the system only worked with them. It was less the hazzle than trying to find/have different vendors for each aspect. Nowadays, API's are commonly known to synchronize well with others, such as Twitter, Facebook, Google, among others. Having said that, large POS companies believe this change, of public API's, will make them change their business to allow what newer companies are already doing. Lastly, cloud technology has allowed for this integration to be successful, since it's "making the prospect of integration easier for operators as more owners are looking to above-property hosting systems", because of its "one-point contact" with other systems (all in one, with less than half the time and work than before).
Chris Cardoso

Visual design changes in restaurants - 0 views

  •  
    Restaurant chains such as On the Border, Panda Express, Domino's Pizza, Wendy's and Granite City Food & Brewery are investing ways to visual appeal to the customer by creating digital menu boards and building "open kitchens" to showcase the cooking. The move to appeal visually is for appearances to stay modern with their technology. Drive thrus and inside order menus are being changed to digital, LED, displays that can easily change image. Domino's is building a "pizza theater" to display lots of "sight lines" into the kitchen during full service.
anonymous

Our E-Waste Problem Is Ridiculous, and Gadget Makers Aren't Helping | WIRED - 1 views

  • Oh sure, many companies have green initiatives. Apple in particular has made notable, documented efforts to reduce its carbon footprint, powering a majority of its retail stores and data centers with renewable energy, developing more efficient packaging design, and designing products that use less power than their predecessors. But if your products are going to be tossed out in a year, none of that is particularly brag-worthy. That’s a tremendous amount of wasted resources.
  • In the past, computers were designed to be relatively easy to disassemble, like HP’s towers and older versions of the Mac Mini. You could swap out dead parts and batteries, add more memory if it got sluggish, even replace a motherboard. But in the mid-2000s, things started to change. Apple introduced the ultra-thin, ultra-light MacBook Air and the industry enthusiastically followed with heaping helpings of devices that, while slim, were very difficult to repair due to the construction compromises required to achieve that svelte profile. Smartphones and tablets followed with an even faster purchasing and chucking cycle.
  • Therefore, the easier it is to disassemble something, the more likely it is to be worth someone’s time to recycle it. And that’s where issues arise
  • ...4 more annotations...
  • “The big problem the electronics industry is facing as a whole is products are getting lighter and lighter,” iFixit’s Kyle Wiens said. “This is great for consumers but a nightmare for recyclers.” Smaller, lighter products can be tricky to take apart, and yield a lower volume of raw materials.
  • Glue and adhesives are a common hurdle. Products like the iPad and Microsoft Surface achieve a slim form factor by using “a metric duckload of adhesive,” as Wiens once put it, particularly to keep the battery in place. All that glue must be removed before any recyclable material can be melted down. And battery recycling is risky endeavorin the best of circumstances—under the right conditions, a damaged battery can cause a fiery explosion. Tack onto that the need to painstakingly pry a battery from its glue-smeared lodging and you’ve got a delicate task indeed. For items with a lot of glue, like a tablet display, Sims Recycling Solutions heats the glue, then uses suction cups to apply pressure across the glass so it can be removed without cracking. Other things that can make a product more challenging to recycle include the number of screws (particularly non-standard screws), the inclusion of hazardous materials like mercury (which is declining, due to the rising popularity of LEDs instead of bulbs), large amounts of glass, and plastics. Waterproof and tightly sealed products also are more arduous to deal with.
  • As we rush headlong into a world in which we’re disposing of more and more gadgets each year, making them easily recyclable should be a growing priority of device makers. Just as display size, processor speed and energy efficiency are marketing points, so too should recyclability.
  • David Thompson, Panasonic’s head of environmental affairs, says the standardization of screws and plastic resin materials, not thermally setting screws in plastic, and minimizing the use of glue will boost recycling efforts, as will designing products for easier disassembly. Would consumers really decry, or even notice, these changes? Probably not. But such changes could require concessions to slim dimensions and light weight. And for manufacturers, increased standardization may mean fewer distinctions between competing products. Take a plastic smartphone housing: Currently there are hundreds of variations (soft touch, textures, and metallic colors, to name a few). Standardization could limit that very marketable variety. Even so, some products are embracing such ideals. Dell won The Institute for Scrap Recycling Industries 2014 Design for Recycling award for the Latitude 10 and XPS 10 tablets and Latitude E7240 notebook. Aside making its products cheap and easy to recycle, Dell has used nearly 8 million pounds of recycled plastic in its desktop and display production. And it is not alone.
  •  
    I found an interesting article about how the big computer companies can recycle the computers. This can solve some of the main problem about the recycling. The article is referring to idea that computers may become bigger size but easier to recycle. In other words we might wanna make a step back in the past, when we was able to just replace one detail from the computer instead of throwing it away.
dstro007

Ritz-Carlton eases event planning with mobile app - Luxury Daily - Mobile - 0 views

  • Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company is enhancing its event services with a mobile application designed to assist meeting and event planners with the details involved with scheduling a function at a property
  • The app, ((Chime))
  • ((Chime)) allows organizers an opportunity to request needs immediately and efficiently from their phones or tablets
  • ...2 more annotations...
  • The application is sent to the event planner by the host hotel three days prior to an event to make any last minute changes
  • The new endeavor offered a large amount of Ritz-Carlton bonus reward points when consumers book a meeting, event or conference at any of the hotel properties
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    In keeping up to its standard of maintaining high customer service, the Ritz Carlton has a new idea to do just that. As we know with a hotel, there are many hands on the assembly belt to make the hotel run smoothly. Since the guest experience is their main priority, they don't want to leave anyone excluded. So the company has released an app, ((CHIME)), to assist event planners during their event. Sent to the planner three days prior to the event, the Event planner is able to make any changes necessary. On the day of, if something was to malfunction or hotel assistance was needed, instead of the planner panicking, they are able to use ((CHIME)) to get what they need done. Whether it has to do with food & beverage, audio / visuals, seating arrangements, or room relocation, within minutes the event planner can have a request put in and a hotel employee will be there to fix the issue. Just another way of keep guests returning and to ensure a successful event. 
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