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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.

To prevent the potentially harmful effects by the disaster, the chief engineer Sam Lota of Sheraton Sacramento Rancho Cordova Hotel set up a detailed engineering contingency plan. The plan can protect physical plant systems, computer systems, gas system, etc., and can also back up the electric's battery power and phone system. Instead of reacting to crises as they occur, Lota set up some action plans in advance. He asked staff to review the emergency procedures and make sure the emergency generator can be used smoothly. However, the emergency plan does not specifically deal with the computer system interruption caused by earthquake. Some experts advised that the data should be backed up in an offsite location.

Hotel guests are now more interested in connectivity than they used to. With this technology age guests would like to have access "to all things digital that can enhance their experience." Hotels now are spending more time and resources on network technology as they do for other services. For hotels to gain competitive advantage they need to build rooms where everything is on a network.

This brings up a topic that we discussed in one of the earlier weeks in class. Being PCI compliant is a very critical role in guest satisfaction. It makes the guest feel secure and confident that their information is safe and not being shared through other channels.

Another topic that is mention, previously discussed in class, is how paper menus will be replaced and guests will now have access to order via touch screen devices. This does not eliminate servers, but increases efficiency of staff, and increases turnover of tables.

Statistically speaking, CIOs don't become CEOs. But it's not because they don't want it. Research shows that nearly half of CIOs aspire to become chief executive, but only four percent actually get there. Much more frequently, CEOs for the world's top companies - about half in fact - come up through C-level financial or operating roles (Vanson Bourne, 2012). Chris Laping, CIO of Red Robin Gourmet Burgers (www.redrobin.com), strongly believes this is because technology executives are too often focused on engineering and IT solutions to embrace their most valuable leadership quality: the ability to manage change. Technology leaders, he believes, possess powerful project management skills that can and should be leveraged across the business for even the most non-IT initiatives, with the particular role of being agents for change. Laping's official role at Red Robin is indicative of that practice: he's the company's senior vice president of business transformation and CIO. In that role, he oversees the company's technology, learning and development, enterprise project management and operations services teams. In this exclusive interview with Hospitality Technology, Laping shares how the technology team has taken on a business transformation role at Red Robin, and describes his overall vision for IT leaders. But it's not something CIOs are handed; they have to drive it, says Laping. Driving this change, perhaps, will also help more CIOs chase down their chief-executive dreams. HT: Let's start with some definitions: "business transformation" and "change agents" are pretty heady buzzwords that get tossed around executive boardrooms. What does business transformation really mean? LAPING: If you look at a classic Wikipedia definition of business transformation, it talks about people, process and technology. So when you push change through people, you usually do that through training. If you want to change business performan

Hospitality eBusiness Strategies (HeBS), the hospitality industry's leading Internet marketing and distribution consulting firm today announces the firm will present at the Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International (HSMAI) "Revenue Management & Internet Marketing Strategy Conference" in Orlando, FL. HeBS' Chief eBusiness Strategist, Max Starkov, will discuss "Mobile Marketing for Today and Tomorrow" on June 21, 2010 at 9:30 AM at the Orange County Convention Center. 

Domino's information technology as a huge competitive advantage for franchise owners is discussed in this article. Kevin Vasconi is the proud chief information officer of their e-commerce platform. "Our iPhone, Android, and KindleFire apps are all number one or two in their respective categories", according to Vasconi. The e-commerce platform provides "capacity on demand" to accomodate the increasing amount of customers using mobile/online ordering. An example is the e-commerce platform taking orders on a night when the store is ultra-busy. Vasconi also touches upon new upcoming technology projects such as digital wallets and payments, and responsive web design. He feels that these technologies "have a lot of promise to deliver tangible value for the customer". Overall, user-friendly interfaces are present no matter which way a customer tries to order, and this ultimately helps to ensure good e-commerce.

"When you go to SignUpGenius.com, you'll find services catering to the needs of eight different groups. There are schools, looking for help with organizing parent-teacher conferences, class volunteers, and events such as book fairs. Churches and temples can get help with scheduling nursery workers and greeters. Nonprofits can organize donations and fundraisers. Other groups are clubs and groups, sports, business, family and college. The idea is to attract a range of users, from parents organizing car pools to businesses coordinating employee training schedules. "By going broad, we still haven't scratched the surface," said Angel Rutledge, who is married to Dan and is the chief marketing officer. SignUpGenius' users are 78 percent female, and 80 percent are between the ages of 25 and 54. "Our primary user is a mom with kids," says marketing strategist Kate White. "Most people tend to find us through their kids' activities." Monthly fees range from free to $49.99, where users can get additional features such as cloud file storage and access by multiple administrators. These subscription services were significant, Dan Rutledge says, "because we jumped into the organizational level, from coach to league, from teacher to school." While the Rutledges don't disclose specific financial information of the private company, other numbers illustrate its growth. Revenue in August 2015 increased 225 percent over August 2014, according to the company. Between 120,000 and 190,000 events are organized per month, with a groundswell in August and September, when the school year begins. In 2014, SignUpGenius says 1.4 million new sign-up pages were created. Traffic rose 35 percent last year, to 39.9 million visitors. And the company has grown from 13 employees this spring, to 20 now." This article illustrates the idea of on the event planning and I.T. programs working handing in handing. As an example, the article uses the company SignUpGenius wh

This article talks about the advantages that the implementation of MICRO'S OPERA ENTERPRISE to all of the MGM properties, will give to the company. By making this, MGM will be able to integrate all the information of their guests as well as the global distribution system. According to Aldo Manzini, EVP and chief administrative officer of MGM Resorts International this integration is an extremely important step in order to become more efficient, it will decrease the training time for employees and it will improve their reward program. This will also create a single image inventory from the main property management system to the different channels. This made it easier for the implementation at the two City Center properties were 1,500 employees were trained on the system. MICRO'S system is used by seven of the ten largest hotels in the U.S. This shows how they are solidifying their PMS market share not only in the U.S but all around the world.

Its really amazing to see how these systems such as Micros and Maestro have evolved. I remember when Micros was simply used as a POS system in the hotel I worked at. But according to your summary it is now fully integrated and used an overall PMS as well. I'm glad to see they are remaining competitive in the market. In the past I had predicted they would become outdated and not relevant in the future market. I was obviously wrong.

Highlights: International Business Machines Corp.'s IBM +1.11% chief executive, Samuel Palmisano, advised the Obama transition team last month that $30 billion in government investments in expanding broadband access, computerizing health-care records and improving the electrical grid could create more than 900,000 U.S. jobs. My Descriptions: This article show the data about how many jobs will created by it investment. I think it investment can create jobs in technique update and maintenance. At the same time , it improve the company's operation effectives which will bring more profits and demand , and create more job opportunities even in other department besides it

This article explains the company, Ruskus Wireless, which has introduced a powerful Wi-Fi Wall switch, called ZoneFlex 7025, with elevated speeds of 802.11n, available for the United States' and European market. This product can offer hotels with the feature of multiple IP service over a single wireless at a minimal cost per room. According to Douglas Rice, Vice President and Chief Executive Officer of Hotel Technology Next Generation: "the hospitality market sees enormous benefits that an IP-based network brings in delivering a better guest experience, new services that will lead to drive customer loyalty". This type of technology will allow for hotels to integrate their Internet enabled devices to connect to a single wireless network. Eliminating the limitations of Ethernet cables will improve the areas of guest services, and conference rooms enhancing the experience for guests. Multiple hotels do not have the infrastructure to provide the feature of wireless access throughout their facility, considering the current technological revolution; it has become more of a necessity for hotels to provide this option for their guests. This type of Wi-Fi wall switch will help reduce the cost and complications associated with implementing network services. Fundamentally, Wi-Fi is a common amenity that multiple guests request in every level of travel purpose, which many hotels should implement if their benefit will outweigh the cost.

This article is about technology of combining the room key with the iphones. Holiday Inn will test this technology next month. Though this is a creative idea, some people may feel skeptical to try the new room keys. As this technology is new, some guests may not accept that use the cell phone as their room keys and there are many questions come into being with this new technology. For hotels, they must think about the using guests' iphones as the room keys is optional or required. The article also illustrates how the iphone works and what will happen if the iphone is lost or stolen. Besides, more hotels will test this new technology and the technology will work with regular cell phones. In my opinion, combining the cell phones with the room keys is a good idea, because many customers today use iphones today, and almost everyone takes a cell phone when live in the hotel. It is convenient for the guests to use their cell phones as the room keys. This technology can give guests fast check-in because before the guests arrive, they will receive a text massage containing their room number and a unique and encrypted sound code that they'll use to unlock their hotel-room door. When they arrive at the hotel, they can directly go to their rooms. It also can reduce front desk's work. . However, security is still the main factor that the guests will concern and there are some risks if the cell phones lost or stolen. Besides, some guests may prefer to use traditional room key and may not accept the change. It relies on the Open Ways (the secured network) and can work with more brands of cell phones. I consider hotels can provide this technology for the guests as an option because some guests prefer the traditional room keys while some like the new technology.

This article is about the use of I-Phone of Blackberry as your room key. It explains that Holiday Inn will be trying this new technology and many guests are not sure about trying it out. Many guests are not sure about trying it and question how safe it can be. The article explains that this new technology is not required and is rather an opinion. The article explained how it works and is simply a code sent to the customer to their phone and this is used to open the door and the code is only used once and resets every time. The article goes on to explain that there is no issues if the phone is lost or stolen because the codes aren't saved to the phone but rather the server the app runs on. I feel that this is a new cool way to technology. However, I don't see where it is anymore secure than a room key and really it doesn't make the process any easier. I feel its new and innovative but its not the best idea.

The International Air Transport Associate (IATA) at their annual general meeting in Beijing have had enough with the outdated Global Distribution Systems technology. The new Director General Tony Tyler indicated that in the 70's the system was cutting edge technology expanding distribution for airlines but years later the technology lacks innovation and must be brought up to date with airline product differentiation. This can be done by adopting new standards through XML messaging schema. Farelogix has donated XML through Open Axis, an organization that promotes the XML technology for linking airlines with distributors, similar to the technology that American Airlines has been using. IATA indicates that this year they will define the foundation standards in partnership with the GDSs, a necessary progression.

This article defines hotel maintenance management and why it is important to it in place to maintain the physical hotel facility in order to achieve desired outcomes. Hotel maintenance management certifications and training that can help you put together an effective team for your properties preventive maintenance.

This article focuses on the ways AI and automation can help the hospitality industry get back on track by helping guests to feel safe while they travel during the COVID-19 pandemic. By using different software guests can have a contactless check-in, request digital room keys, use AI based devices to control lighting/TV and/or make housekeeping/front desk requests, and housekeeping can use electrostatic sprayers to help mitigate the chances of guests contracting or spreading COVID. It notes the losses in revenue and occupancy by several major hotelier groups, especially some Las Vegas properties, as well the high number of furloughed employees that COVID has caused while showcasing ways that hotel groups can help get back on track by easing the fears of guests. It offers data to show that through these technologies, guests are returning because the feel their safety concerns have been addressed. comment by Jwilc019 " https://diigo.com/0ica77

There has and continues to be constant breaches where hackers tend to use sophisticated techniques to to exploit personal data. With so much at stake ecommerce businesses must heed the warning and take proactive action to secure their data.

New York Fiesah is an online marketplace that connect NYC event planners and all kinds of vendors in a much easier manner. The event planner signs into Fiestah"s dashboard, they input the items they need and then vendors place bids to fill in those needs. Fiestah generates revenue by taking a 10 percent cut of each transaction. Another thing Fiestah provides for both parties is that the payment is held in escrow until the vendor completesits task, meaning both sides need to get what they want first. This will make sure both parties can get what they want. Testah team has been hard at work building out the marketplace, introducing themselves to lots of NYC business, and trying to get traction. The next thins on the company's long to -do list is to create full merchant profiles with the ability to rate vendors some time in the next few months. Also Fiestah plans to bring its market place to a next city - San Francisco.

The article talks about an online company in New York that was designed by Nurul Yahya called Feistah. It's an online event planning that allow all kind of vendors in a much easier manner then what's described above. The event planner simply signs into Feistah dash board input what "item" they need for event and then vendors place bids to fill in those needs. The company generates revenue by 10 percent cut of each transaction. In the next thing on the company's long to-do list is to create full merchant profiles with the ability to rate vendors sometime in the next few months. Fiesta next expansion is to startup in San Francisco.

Merlin Software has launched a new property management system software for Vacation Ownership. The software uses RCI interface and is one of the first to use the RCI interface for PMS. RCI launched Deposit Simplification Interface in 2012, which linked its system to an external property management system. Merlin Software is one of the first companies to use this link in a PMS. Users of Merlin's newest software can make deposits, which will be automatically validated and deposited into the cloud based software. I think this is an interesting software development in the PMS world. The ability for real time deposit verification makes the customers life easier because they will know if their deposit went through or not. I feel the system is easier since much of it is automatic and can help save time because inbound guest lists and reservations will enter the system in real time. This is a system many people can take advantage of from resorts to multi-site complexes. It makes vacation ownership easier for individuals.

This article is about Merlin Software's newest addition, Merlin Software for Vacation Ownership. This property management software is ideal for everything from single site resorts to multi-site developments. It's also the first cloud-based software served on demand. It's accessibility allows users to access the service through any internet connection."Our team worked incredibly hard on this project because we understood the huge benefits it can bring to our clients who are RCI affiliates," said Mike Pnematicatos, chief architect at Merlin Software. I think that Merlin Software for Vacation Ownership will prove to be very beneficial for the hospitality industry. The ability to have a cloud-based service will allow for seamless remote access for management. In addition, the software will streamline the process of placing new products in the marketplace and creating appropriate marketing packages.

Indigo Sky Casino and Hotel, one of the largest casinos in NE Oklahoma, will be implementing a "comprehensive software suite" by Agilysys, a leading developer and marketer of proprietary enterprise software, services and solutions to the hospitality and retail industries. The Agilysys software suite will consist of a Lodging Management System, InfoGenesis POS and Stratton Warren System.  The Lodging Management System will help automate all hotel operations. InfoGenesis POS will manage any combination of dining, bar service and retail operations. The Stratton Warren System will help maximize purchasing power and reduce operational costs by automating the procurement process. Combined, these Agilysys solutions will help Indigo Sky "maximize staff productivity, enhance efficiency and increase revenue." 

This article introduce a new energy and labor saving system in Japan. With a brain box of the touch screen system, the computer control all the electronic components, such as lighting, alarm systems. Only one user is required to monitor the system. It not only save the energy that may be wasted because of the negligence of employees, but also save the labor cost. Many buildings, such as hotels and schools, would benefit from this system.