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It appears that American Airline is about to remove itself from the tradition global distribution system and introduce its own distribution system. American Airlines is advocating for distribution companies to utilize AA direct connect which is a direct link into AA's host reservations system. Currently American Airlines fares are no longer available on Expedia or Orbitz sites. This is because no contractual agreement was reached for the distribution of AA products. Travel professionals are waiting to see the result of this bold move by American as this has great implication for the future of airline distribution systems. If American Airlines pulls away from the mainstream GDS, consumers and travel specialist alike will be faced with the inconvenience of going to a separate reservations system to compare fares. Although travel professionals are now urged to use direct connect on a trial basis, the general feeling is that eventually they will be charged to sell American Airline flights. To defend this move American Airline is only saying that direct connect will make it easier for them to tract ancillary fees like priority seating. It was noted in the article that Southwest Airline for the most part is a stand alone reservations system but they do not negotiate with the GDS companies to sell their flights. It is therefore quite evident that this move by American is really to reduce expenditure by eliminating the middle GDS companies while increasing revenue by charging travel partners for utilizing direct connect. American Airlines clearly wants to globally control their distribution system and maximize revenues. Contract renewal for both world span and sabre are due and the experts are waiting to see if American will renew with them. Sabre is owned by American Airlines so its a wait and see game to see how all this will be panned out. The real problem for the consumers and travel specialists are that if other airlines are to follow this move by American the tra

This article explains the distribution route American Airlines is taking to sell their flights. Due to not seeing eye to eye with the two most probably used websites for travel, Expedia and Orbitz, American has now taken their products away from both airline distribution sites. American suggest that all travel agencies and distribution companies begin using Direct Connect, which is a system for only American Airlines flights. If this would happen, travel agencies and companies will then begin having to pay for the system in order to sell Americans flights. At the moment you can still book flights through other distribution sites, but until when will that be? They already stopped Orbitz and Expedia, what's not to stop the others. The future of global distribution systems will be up in the air if all airlines choose to sell their own systems to be able to sell reservations. The only positive that was pointed out in this article was that if this system takes over, then more consumers will have to go back to using travel agents to secure the best reservations for flights and such.

With the contracts for major global systems, Worldspan and Sabre, being up for renewal in the near future, this article analyses the possible outcomes for airlines, and alternatives should they choose not to forgo continuing use of GDS

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

This article explains a recent contract struggle with the airline Air India and two Global Distribution Systems, Sabre and Amadeus. Because of the new contract with Amadeus, Sabre has been forced to nullify their old contract with the airline. Air India has chosen to prioritize the GDS Amadeus because of the global reach that it affords.

Subsidizing a product to get a long-term use commitment from a consumer base is nothing new; it existed before high tech hardware was made affordable by software or service agreements. Think about the razors you buy, assuming of course that you're not a fully bearded male. The initial cost of the razor isn't all that expensive, but replacing the razors for a month costs upwards of twice the razor itself. And if you've shopped for a printer lately, you know the same strategy applies here. The printer itself isn't the greatest expense over the life of the asset; the ink, which is required and usually specific to the device itself, is where you will spend the most money. The most well known form of subsidization, or at least most glaring, comes from the coupling of cell phones and cell service providers. An iPhone, for example, costs a lot more than most people actually pay for it. The new iPhone 5, the basic version with 16GB will run you $649. Not to mention the cost of new adapters, chargers, cases, etc. However, if you commit to (or renew) a two-year service contract with AT&T, Verizon, or Sprint, the phone itself costs $199. How does this work? The same way the printers and printer ink work. The service providers (i.e. AT&T) subsidize the majority of the cost of the phone in order to lock customers into a contract that ends up costing much more in usage and data charges over the life of the contract. The idea is to make the cost of entry relatively cheap. Then, the cost the company loses at the initial purchase is recouped through purchases, or service charges, over the long term. Unscrupulous? Not really, although some would say so after receiving their phone bill. But that has more to do with not being aware of the stipulations of the contract you sign to get the cheaper phone at the outset. Although I personally find it annoying, I try to look at as something akin to amortizing the asset, and remember that, at least for me, a monthly fee

Restaurant POS systems have been increasingly moving towards cloud based POS. The total cost of a restaurant POS system is deciding if your it is better to have locally installed POS system or web-based POS system. When making contracts for POS systems its best to avoid long term contracts and cancellation fess

The author of this article, Tara Thomas, summarizes the top five technologies for event planners. The first technology that she mentions is smart phones. She writes that this is the most obvious technology that event planners can't live without. Planners can do things like set alarms, look up information, communicate instantly, and use social media to promote the event. The second technology that Thomas mentions is SaaS cloud applications. Software as a service allows planners to access all details and execution aspects of an event from any web enabled device, eliminating printed or emailed reports. Thirdly, Thomas talks about virtual events. Virtual events save the planner and the attendee valuable time, money, and resources. Thomas next talks about social media and viral marketing. Using sites like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn to share event details is a great way to communicate to a very large group of people. The fifth and last technology that Thomas speaks of is Ipads and tablets. Through event management applications, planners have all of the information they could possibly need right at their fingertips. Ipads and tablets also make it possible to communicate in real time if needed.

This article was about the 5 technologies event planners can't live without. These technologies are: smart phones, SaaS cloud apps, virtual events, social media and viral marketing, and finally iPads and tablets. Smart phones are important to the daily activities of an event planner because they are able to look up phone numbers, response to emails, update a status on a social media site, review or add to lists for events, and so much more all on the go. SaaS cloud apps let planner take advantage of accessing all devices and execute aspects of an event for any web enabled device. With SaaS cloud apps you are also able to link up your event management system with a customer relationship management system. Virtual events allow planners to fill seats at a cost that won't cost a burden. Social media and viral marketing allows event planners to market themselves and get event details to different consumers. iPads and tablets get rid of the need for a large heavy binder stuffed with event details. Now event planner can carry a tablet that allows you to access anything you need. In conjunction with the SaaS cloud apps you can also access contracts, registrations, and room blocks and also link up a CRM system as mentioned before. The technology advances we have now let event planners do even more on the day to day, but also make it easier for them to do so.

The article lists five technological necessities that used by the event planners. They are smartphones, SaaS cloud apps, virtual events, social medial and viral marketing, ipads and tablets. All of these technologies can save time and costs for the event planners. What`s more, they provide a more simplified life for the human beings. 

Royal Caribbean and O3b Networks have again signed a multi-year contract. O3b will once again be providing "high-speed satellite-delivered broadband service" to the Allure of the Seas. The system used is O3bMaritime and Royal Caribbean was one of the first cruise lines to use this system. This system will be on their two largest ships the Oasis and the Allure based in the Caribbean. It is also the only system that is on par with telecommunication standards on land. Soon O3b will deliver more bandwidth on these two ships than on all other cruise ships in the Caribbean. I personally feel internet access really lacks on many of the cruise lines right now and feel Royal Caribbean is taking a step in the right direction with O3b. My family and I like to cruise a lot and have received very spotty internet access around the globe. In today's world many people still have to check up on work while on vacation or keep in contact with family, it only makes sense for cruise lines to start working on faster internet comparable to on land. I read various cruise line message boards and this is a common complaint about slow internet access or virtually none. In the current economy where all the various lines are in competition against one another, this gives Royal Caribbean a leg up in the competition. Additionally, my understanding the only region where satellite internet is unavailable is off the coast of Japan due to government regulations. This system makes sense to have available one day in more regions.

I for one am very happy to hear this news. I too have experienced the snail-paced internet "access" on cruise ships. With the high cost per minute and slow speeds, cruisers can't help but feel that they wasted their money. This definitely gives Royal Caribbean an advantage over Carnival, NCL and other large cruise lines. By implementing O3b networks on their two largest and most popular ships, they will reach their target consumer and help spread the word.

"Jonas Project Management (PM) helps you steer away from traditional methods of project management like pen, paper and multiple spreadsheets. Our project management system is fully integrated with all aspects of the Jonas core system and is used to manage the workflow of a project from start to finish. Project Management tracks items that must be fulfilled under a contract, including RFIs, transmittals, submittals and change order requests."

Jonas management system is a high efficient system i have been using in my working place. Jonas Software is the leading provider of enterprise management software solutions to the Club, Foodservice, Construction, Leisure Fitness & Sports, Attractions, Metal Service Centers, Moving & Storage, Education, and Radiology/Laboratory Information Systems industries. Within these nine vertical markets, Jonas boasts 28 distinct brands, all of which are respected and longstanding leaders within their own domain. Jonas' vision is to be the branded global leader across the aforementioned nine vertical markets and to be recognized by customers and respective industry stakeholders as the trusted provider of Software For Life and as an ambassador for technology, product innovation, quality, and customer service. Jonas Software is the valued technology partner of over 10,000 customers worldwide in more than 15 countries. Jonas employs hundreds of skilled individuals consisting of a cross-section of industry experts and technology professionals. Jonas is headquartered in Canada and also operates offices throughout North America, the United Kingdom, Australia and the Caribbean. With the talents of Jonas employees spanning the globe, Jonas is proud to avail cost-effective training and consulting services to our entire client base.

New York City union employees are trying to secure a contract that would include a 29 percent wage increase for workers in big hotels. Hotels will also increase contributions to worker pension funds to 10.5 percent of total payroll. That's opposed to the former 9 percent. The seven-year proposed contract would affect some 30 thousand employees and could raise some housekeeper salaries as high as 60 thousand dollars. In perspective, New York City has the highest yearly hotel occupancy rate of anywhere else in the world, at 85 percent. Room rates are well over 200 dollars. It's understandable how Hilton, Hyatt and other large brands can afford to negotiate with union demands. I foresee that the accounting departments in many of the big hotels will be quite busy making the adjustments if the proposed plan is accepted after Monday's vote.

As most customers are supporting the green movement hoteliers had the need of applying green practices in their properties to attract potential clients. That is the case of Hilton Hotels such as the Strater and The Double Tree. "The Doubletree has been listed at the silver level by Green Seal, a nonprofit, third-party certifier in Washington, D.C. The Strater has been designated as meeting Energy Star standards set by the Environmental Protection Agency." Nielsen the Director of Marketing and Sales and green team leader at the Double Tree explains how the hotel had worked rigorously to become Green Seal certificated. Among the green practices that take place in the Double Tree as well as in The Strater are " recycling, energy efficiency, elimination of chemicals and the hotel had word volatile organic compounds, low-flow showers, toilets and sinks, and contracting with suppliers whose business practices are shades of green." The hotel also takes left over food and amenities to different organizations. With the implementation of the green practices the hotel has saved 26 percent on its energy costs by having lights with timers in low occupancy areas, low energy bulbs in offices and halls, and energy efficient lighting in guest rooms and restaurants.

Good article about the Doubletree receiving the silver level. They don't use chemical on their pools anymore and they also collect the leftovers from the restaurant and take it to a local ranch. Indeed, this shows that investing a great amount of money at first to become more and more green will lead them to save a lot of money in the long run!

As good an example as you will ever find about the benefits of the implementation of green technologies from top to bottom. I think this will begin to become common practice in the industry as more states adopt green certified practices in the lodging and hospitality industry in general.

This article introduced how GDS controlled the whole industry in the last decades. Most airline companies and hotels use GDS and the traditional distribution channels and travel agencies dry up. But after 2001, things become different. Hotels need to do marketing and distribution by themselves to survive. But many of them are not professional, so they lock themselves into OTA contracts. They need reinvented hotel marketer by themselves. 

One of the reasons why I felt this article was very insteresting is tha I have use "despegar before and I have also not used or decided not to use this travel agency because of the "not friendly" sfoftware or technology they had on their website. As a customer I feel this would give an amazing positive revenue to the company. This articles texplain how this GDS software called SABRE has sign a contract of extension with Despegar.com

Web based system to create any type of event and be able to book and organize any amenity needed for the event. Complete customization of event can be done and all legal and binging documents can be added in order to be followed and agreeded on.

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

To gain a competitive advantage in Vegas, Station Casinos set up a new platform calls GourpMAX for profession and occasional meeting planners. The added ease of use helps planners maximize bookings by accelerating their booking pace, increasing reservations within contracted group blocks and mitigating attrition risk. 28GroupMAX even helps planners with the very granular details of event planning by giving them an easy way to capture individual guest information, such as meal preferences, arrival and departure times, RSVP details and more.

The power of partnerships The tourism industry is partnering with other organizations to solve problems on how to bring a more sustainable tourism. Global impact is an international multi-stakeholders consensus to bring together companies, UN agencies, government and communities to support environment. The project need not only for NGOs to facilitate contracts but also for governments to have the right legislations dealing with sustainable tourism. Tourism can affect three key areas: * Communities: Tourism creates economic opportunity but should not affect negatively traditions and local cultures. * Individuals: Tourism should be creating the right safe working environment. * Environment: Tourism should not damage the environment. Any waste should be disposed of properly. Tourism can achieve positive impacts on the region such as funding wild life conservations. There are se several partnerships that develop to better control the tourism industry and its impacts on the region. To be successful a partnership must have appropriate stakeholders, mutually agreed goal and process, and sensitivity to the power members among other characteristics.