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Despite women leading the way in scholarship and culinary education, they are suspiciously vacant at the top of the leadership ladder. According to Bloomberg, only about 7% of executive chefs are woman, and "67% of executive women are in support roles...as opposed to running their own line of business." This doesn't appear to be because of a lack of entrepreneurial spirt, as "405 of restaurants are women-owned businesses or WOB, and startups by women are growing much faster than the industry overall." This made me reflect on my own city, as I do see women in executive positions, such as Stephanie Izard, Sarah Grunenberg, and Mindy Segal, they all got to their positions in very different ways. Probably the most successful, with currently 7-8 restaurants, is Izard, she got her start by winning a reality tv show and then joining forces with two male business owners (BOKA). Grunenberg also started visa vi the reality TV route, and now eventually owns and runs a very successful restaurant downtown. Mindy Segal is the only woman executive in this group that has built her business, her cookbooks, her brand, and now her cannibis retail, mostly by herself. It is interesting to relate these women to this article because while they are all three incredibly successful, only one was able to pull herself there through the three points mentioned in this article. In order for women to break the glass ceiling in restaurants and culinary, they will need to accomplish three main goals: 1. Gain confidence, 2. Increase their aspirations, and 3. Learn and Maintain Financial literacy. The "grim reality (is) that 96% of WOB do not cross the $1 million in revenue...(and) fewer than 8% seek external financing. Women "receive less than 4% of Small Business Administration loan dollars and less than 2% of venture capital dollars. For confidence, this article recommends to women to learn how to advocate for yourself. Use coaches, practices public speaking, and learn how to pitch your business

An explanation how the Beekeeper platform has assisted a hotel group during COVID-19

This article portrays the belief that human interaction is very overrated in the hospitality industry. This author believes that rental services such as airbnb are proving that human interaction is unnecessary in hospitality and that hotels are wasting many resources by hiring too many people that technology could do the work for instead.

In the article, "Green and Eco-Friendly Hotel Amenities" it talks about how many different hotels are doing their part and keeping the planet green. The first place that the article talks about is the Mayakoba, Riviera Maya, it uses no motorized vehicles instead the guests can use electric golf carts or electric boats to ride around on the nine miles of canal. "Each resort also has an onsite biologist to lead educational boat tours through the lagoons." At the Palmer House Hilton in Chicago they built a rooftop garden to provide fresh vegetables and herbs for the hotel's restaurant, they are also considering making space to put several beehives, this will lead to a natural approach of producing honey. One of the most interesting and easy ways to stay green was at the Calistoga Ranch in Napa Valley; they have sheep that eat the grass replacing all lawnmowers and on top on that, their manure helps fertilize the soil. It's a win, win solution! In New York they have a restaurant called Habana Outpost and you really have to work for your food, literally. At this restaurant you have ride a bike that powers the eatery blender and if they generate up to 100 watts of energy, they will earn a free meal, such an amazing and creative idea! This "is part of the hotel's larger commitment to eco-friendliness, which includes a CO2-neutral building, solar panels, and groundwater-based heating and cooling systems." At Jicaro Island lodge in Nicaragua, they used all of they wood from trees that were knocked down in Hurricane Felix and they also use a good majority of their wastewater that is recycled to irrigate the trees and plants. Before reading this article, I never knew that so many hotels were doing their part at staying green and I'm surprised by all the new and unique ways that they have come up with, it gives me hope for the future!

Hotels going green is being appreaciated by the guests

go green is important not only for the industry but also for the whole earth, because pollution is one of the biggest issue for every countries' government. in this article, it also talk about the major concerns in hotel industry, AC system and water conservation. go green not only save hotels' money, but also increase profit margin. Go green is a important step for hotel to go, and it have to go green for the future step for hotels.

I realy like this article because it talks about hotels that are trying to go green and customers like it and contribute to this cause. The hotels are trying to reduce the use of water, energy and waste, and they give the option to the customer to do it or not. For example to "reuse your towel" or turn off the A/C when you are not in the room. This helps the hotels to save money and increased their profit margin. Some hotels beleive this is costly for them, but in the long-run it will help. People are more conscious now and like that hotels are more environmentally responsible.

The article highlighted states that every business should have a cash management system either POS or cash register. The traditional cash registers will be adopted by smaller business; however, more developed systems should use a POS. The cost could be high but the life expectancy of the system is very long. To make a decision about which POS system to choose, the decision maker needs to do his/her homework to determine the business' needs including how much it will grow in the future. The system will benefit the business to generate detailed reports, track inventory, easy menu updates and others.

With the development of technology, there are many softwares and machines help business imporved. The POS is a good system, which chould be used in the hospitality and retail industries. It has the ability to save money, quickly process a customer's transaction and accurately keep records. However, it charged more than installing a cash register. When considering about whcih one need to adopt, it's better for the business do a self analysis first. No matter what kind of technology we use, we need focus on provide personalized and customer focused service.

if the owner use the cash register, he can get the money directly. he does not need to take out the money out of the bank when he faces to the emergency situation. also the cash register is more reliable and more real. it does not have high risks of fraud and cheat except the fake money. compare to the POS system, the Pos system is convenient and easy operation. customers only need to swipe the credit/debit card that they can pay for the goods. so the customers do not need to bring much money when they are out of home. it is safe for the customers. nowadays, everywhere can receive the master card and almost everyone has one or more debit/credit card. this behavior promotes the development of POS system. easy to carry and consume make people use this way to buy the goods instead of using the money.

In 01 Mar 12 someone share a article about the global hospitality accounting system. That article talks about how the Hospitality Financial and Technology Professionals (HFTP) are in the process of making a user guide for the global hospitality accounting system. This article is an update that publish recently. It shows where does the project stand right now and what is next for the project. However, the first part of phase one- covering the UK and continental Europe- is now well in progress.

HFTP's Global Hospitality Accounting System Users Guide will set a global method for hospitality industry.   Recently, research is being conducted into current practices. This research will identify who is doing what in different parts of the world, with a view to establishing best practice and providing practical guidance for students, practitioners and professionals involved in the industry.

Hospitality Financial and technology professionals was developing a global hospitality accounting system in the past year. Their fist step is to cover the UK and continental Europe. The second step is to do search about South and central America and cover them. The third step will begin for China and India, and the last two segments will be Russia and North America. This is quite a large program. If the program was completed, a globally accepted method that financial professional, ownership structure, investors and benchmarking information services can use to support  efficient operations will be formed, and a globally accepted method to monitor investment performance from region to region will also be formed.

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 Nation 2010 report mentioned that 41% of UK hospitality business do not have capability to trade online, but the chance of internet cannot be overlooked in the future. Website: a website can provide your customers a good place to visit ,they can see the plenty of food quality and high resolution images of your hotel Google: google is a well known tools which can help your business cannot be overlooked. If you put your hospitality address on google map ,customers will find you when they use google maps. That is an effective way to do your online marketing business. Social networking: company can use twitter ,facebook of youtube as social networking tools to maximize marketing. Youtube： when put a simple video clip about the location of your company, or you use the video show your products to customers, the method can attract a lot of potential guests . Offer vouchers online: online voucher sites are a good way to enhance your presence online and reach new customers. Broadening your reach: over 60% of UK dinner go online to research restaurants and more and more customers choose to search hotels through internet ,it is convenient for them to visit these information at home or abroad. Online orders: software form companies like supercontrol can be integrated on to our site to provide real time booking information. Some tools may not be so appropriate to some age groups but do not rule anything out. You can conduct a survey to figure out which one is your customers most often visit.

Too many companies do not realize how important it is for them to have a representable website. A company that has a webiste shows people it is more likely a legitimate company. A company with a nice website tells people its employees take whatever they do seriously, in which make it easier for potential customers to consider using its service. How many times have people nevigate away from a website only because how pathetic it looks not even caring how good the company is? All the money a company spends on advertisement and marketing can go to waste after just one click.

The article talks about how the most important gastronomic event in Brazil "The Pernambuco Restaurant Week" was promoted to attract a large population. This festival started 20 years ago in New York and nowadays it takes place in 100 cities around the world. By marketing the festival through different media channels and promoting it through e-marketing the participating restaurants are expecting exposure, brand recognition and an increase of business "The festival is aimed at warming the sales of the restaurants that, in turn, undertake to transfer part of the profit to a social institution. This year the organization was chosen as the Child Citizen Orchestra Boys of coke, which serves 130 youths, between 4 and 19 years." The main sponsor of this famous event was MasterCard giving the brand popularity, position, and exposure in the Brazilian market.

Thank you for sharing this. I love Brazilian food. I will have to see if there is any restaurants in the area that are participating.

This article illustrated that a creative way to produce electricity and at the same time to encourage guests to do sports. The Crowne Plaza Hotel in Copenhagen provides the guests with the equipments just like the bicycles. Guests will have to produce at least 10 watt hours of electricity - roughly 15 minutes of cycling for someone of average fitness. This is a new idea for the hotel to propagandize the green hotel concept and benefits of doing sports. The most important, the hotel uses the free meal to encourage guests to join this interesting activity. Actually, the hotel has already applied the solar panels to produce renewable energy. I think this is a fantastic idea. Firstly, in this environment friendly way, the hotel gets electricity. Secondly, it encourages the guests to do more sports and it is good for their health. As people nowadays do not pay enough attention to sports and this way can encourage them do some sports. Thirdly, it also put the "green hotel" concept into practice and in this way to encourage more and more hotels to generate new ideas to promote the environmentally friendly hotel development. Moreover, this new idea can help the hotel build a good image, as people pay more and more intention to the environment. The practice of the new idea is good opportunity for the hotel to advertise itself.

1. IT The hot-button issue within the realm of hotel-information technology is mobile and cloud technology.A company could have tens of thousands of smartphones or laptops in the field at any given point-each a potential gateway to hackers and other criminals. To the problem the core principle is to provide end-to-end data protection with looking at cost and benefit and how it's supports the business. 2. Terrorism Ironically, one of the main reasons terrorism tops the list is because it has become less of an issue in recent years.Hoteliers need to keep their staffs and travelers mindful of possible threats, but they don't want to scare them. 3. Skimmers A related threat is that of "skimmers," or devices that catch credit card numbers when consumers use them for payment.The best prevention measure is to have an investigative team or third party on hand and making that known to employees. 4. Liability and insurance fraud These two related issues can double, triple, quadruple and quintuple corporate insurance premiums in the blink of an eye. The advisement is hoteliers to educate themselves on the issue, consulting with an attorney, if necessary. 5. Security as taboo "Security" still is something of a taboo in the global hotel industry.Hoteliers need to do a better job of "turning on the light" by talking about security openly and regularly at staff and association meetings, and hotel executives should insist their GMs make security a priority

1. ITAccording to the article, most mobile devices that are used for business are unprotected. Meaning that the devices if the device even have a password and if it does the password is not very complex. There could be thousands of employees accessing company information via the cloud through unprotected smart phones or other mobile devices. This could organizations at risk to hackers and other criminals  2.  TerrorismAlthough terrorist threats are less of a concern nowadays, that does not mean hotel managers should discontinue stressing the importance of security within their establishments. Keeping employees aware and diligent can prove to be a delicate assignment but it is a necessary of part of maintaining a safe work environment in the twenty-first century. 3.  SkimmersSkimmers are devices that steal credit card numbers when consumers use them for payment. Unfortunately, it is most commonly an employee on the inside who is committing the crime.  A third party investigation team will be needed to prove who is stealing from the establishment.  4. Liability and Insurance FraudCombined, these two issues could sky rocket a company's insurance costs through the roof. It is crucial that hoteliers be aware of the legal system and educates themselves on issues concerning liability. Both patrons and employees alike could potentially file claims against an establishment and entitlements can quickly get out of hand.    5.  SecurityDespite the best security measures, there is always the possibility of unforeseen danger. This fear of the unknown is a concern for hotel workers. To confront this fear of the unknown managers must regularly and openly discuss security with employees.  Security should be held as a top priority. 

This article discusses five main concerns brought on by the current state of hotel security. I must say that some of this information surprised me. Something that especially surprised me was learning that mobile devices that are used for business hardly use passwords. The article states, "Amplifying the problem is the sheer number of devices, he added. A company could have tens of thousands of smartphones or laptops in the field at any given point-each a potential gateway to hackers and other criminals." This piece of information is very unsettling to me. How could such valuable information not be protected? The article suggests the solution to this problem is PCI DSS. Terrorism as number two on this list also surprised me because that is not something that would first come to mind for me. The article states that it is ironically on the list for becoming less of an issue. I suppose this reminds hoteliers to never let their guard down when it comes to issues of safety and security within the hotel. However, "skimmers" and liability on this list does not really surprise me. The article suggests that hoteliers be educated about these issues to protect the hotel against them.

I have recently become a part of the Iphone world and I am loving my new apps but I do hate when we are not able to search as quickly on our phones as on a computer and I love the quick apps that do such things. 

Buffalo Wild Wings added QSR's automated kitchen display hardware and software to over 40 of their locations. These locations are currently using a ticket-less automated system in the kitchen and have found there are faster "ticket" times, they are better able to determine problem areas in the kitchen, and are able to evaluate employee performance during busy times in the restaurant.When using a "ticket-less" system it is easier to track orders and/or mistakes that may happen because you do not lose the ticket (which is a common occurrence) I currently work at a restaurant that was looking into QSR's automated kitchen system, but we have not done that at this point, but we will move to that eventually. However we do have QSR's newest seating and wait list management technology and it does make a world of difference when managing seating and a waiting list in a large restaurant.

No matter what telecommunications strategy a property takes, one thing is for certain, it needs to be a different one from the past. The early 1980s marked the beginning of an era of profitable hotel telephone departments. The advent of call accounting systems (thanks to deregulation) enabled hoteliers to easily mark up calls to a profitable (some say too profitable) level.

In modern society hotel need more attrahent thing increase revenue. The traditional way may lose competitiveness, like telephone services. Because almost everybody using personal cell phone and more and more people prefer to use internet to communicate such as email and skype. In my opinion if hotel build some telecommunications use internet such as physical skype phone and provide cheap service that may be attract more people to use that.

With the emergence of "self-contained guest," hotel telecommunications departments must change its offerings because old strategies no longer apply. A self-contained guest is one that does not need the traditional amenities hotels would offer for telecommunications, such as fax machines and printers. Guests now look for a fast, free internet connection as an amenity. Some may not even need wifi, because they have a faster mobile service that they use. Even hotel telephones, guests no longer want to use the land line and pay hotel fees to make a call. Cell phones have eliminated that need (even for international calls). So hotels must not stay the same, and must change their strategies for producing revenue from their telecommunications department.

This article gives pros and cons of mobile apps compared to mobile websites for event planners. Of course each have their positives and negatives. I think the decision of going mobile app or website depends on the people who are attending your event. If it's more of an older business crowd, I think a mobile website would be most appropriate. You can email the web address to all attendees and then they can click into it straight from the email on their smartphone. This can work with any phone that supports a web browser so you don't have to worry about developing an app for iPhones, Androids, and Blackberries. If the attendees are younger and more tech savvy, an app is probably the way to go since that can incorporate parts of their phone like the camera. Younger people are more apt to take pictures and post them to twitter or facebook. With the app they could do that right in the app and connect to more of their peers that way. Younger attendees are more likely to go through the trouble of downloading the app and using all of its features whereas older, more business oriented attendees are more likely to appreciate the ease of use of just clicking on a web link. At any rate it's an interesting choice to make if you are unable to afford both options. 

The article talks about how a business owner was able to reduce the paper used at his restaurant in the back office. While doing this he finds out that it is much easier to control his business, the cloud and technology initiatives provide him with accountability and easier way to expand. This is a lesson in the how to achieve two objectives with one solution. 

I think going green is a must but its not enough. The system of producing-consuming needs to be comletely changed. Actually im happy companies start thinking about bringing less harm to nature.

Going green is such a win for every party. I would argue that there is a big difference between wading through piles of paper and having a clean organized electronic system. The more automated the back office of any company can be, the more efficient and therefore profitable it will be. The popularity of cyber communication, data storage, bookeeping, etc is only going to increase rapidly in the next few years.

Theft is a huge challenge in the restaurant industry and it's an expensive one. Now the POS system can assist with security by flagging suspicious transactions and identifying theft behaviors and flagging on video. This is an enormous help to the industry. The greatest area of impact is that having a system with this capability deters theft. The second area is that managers do not have to be present in order to catch theft and can do so at any time through device notifications and internet-based cameras. Video is flagged so there is now no need to watch hours of tape in order to find suspicious activity. Simply by the fact that Subway is now recovering $1.6 million in less than 1 year, it is clear that this system has huge value and will continue to positively affect finances in the restaurant industry as technology advances.

Very good post...and interesting one.

In the year2000 it was predicted that B2B e-commerce would be a trillion dollar market. However, what actually happened was underwhelming compared to the predictions previously made as the market only made about $559 billion. Surprisingly, most businesses still buy and sell products the "old fashioned" way using fax, paper invoices and paper checks. The big question is, why aren't the large e-commerce companies, including Ebay and Amazon, banking in on this market? Amazon has been testing a wholesale site called AmazonSupply for about two years. However, much like Ebay, Amazon specializes in selling consumer-facing goods. There is one e-commerce company who is dominating the market. Alibaba is a Chinese retail giant that is leading the B2B e-commerce world. Alibaba has succeeded by opening up the world of international suppliers to companies without having to form a relationship with the manufacturer before purchasing supplies. By using Alibaba as a mediator between businesses and suppliers, businesses can buy products in bulk without actually having to travel to China to do it. Alibaba has given businesses access to many manufacturers that they most likely otherwise would not have access to.

In the year2000 it was predicted that B2B e-commerce would be a trillion dollar market. However, what actually happened was underwhelming compared to the predictions previously made as the market only made about $559 billion. Surprisingly, most businesses still buy and sell products the "old fashioned" way using fax, paper invoices and paper checks. The big question is, why aren't the large e-commerce companies, including Ebay and Amazon, banking in on this market? Amazon has been testing a wholesale site called AmazonSupply for about two years. However, much like Ebay, Amazon specializes in selling consumer-facing goods. There is one e-commerce company who is dominating the market. Alibaba is a Chinese retail giant that is leading the B2B e-commerce world. Alibaba has succeeded by opening up the world of international suppliers to companies without having to form a relationship with the manufacturer before purchasing supplies. By using Alibaba as a mediator between businesses and suppliers, businesses can buy products in bulk without actually having to travel to China to do it. Alibaba has given businesses access to many manufacturers that they most likely otherwise would not have access to.

For an individual shopper, Alibaba has also created Ali Express, which gives an individual access to the same staggering number of products at near wholesale prices. They do indeed appear to have broken the code on B2B sales while still providing availability to the consumer. Win-win.

This article gives advice on how to solve some problems that can occur with a PMS. How do I get a hold of tech support? How do I balance my folio? How do I find a credit card on a reservation? What report do I use for reporting taxes? How do I optimize rates for special events?