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Accounting within a hotel is very important because it helps to generate reports to determine the cash flow within a hotel. The article that I choose summarizes the changes that have occured that have affected the way accounting is done within a hotel. It touches briefly of how old school vs new school accounting is done. The way accounting was done a few years back was by being done manually with spreadsheets and needed more time to create invoices. As far as the new way accounting is done, there are accounting softwares that allow us to track real time numbers within seconds to determine budgets, statements and other reports. The idea of using the software is to create a more accurate and faster routine to have data represented correctly. It also mentions the integration of PMS and the hotel accounting management software to work together to make it easier for hotels to use. After reading the article, the idea of having these softwares put into place to make it "easier", also comes with the fear of having this technology backfire. With so many benefits being mentioned throughout the article, we would also have to analyze the negatives being hacking, malfunctions and other issues within having technology. Within a hotel, accountants have a lot of individual and group accounts that requires personal information and also deadlines. The use of accounting systems would help to facilitate the amount of data that is being processed and also ensure that its accurate to prevent any mistakes.

WebPMS Pros * Typically less cost involved with computer equipment compared to server based. * Full time IT department at the hotel may not be necessary. * Remote access is easy when owner, manager or reservationist is not at the property and they need access to the property management system from a different location. * Consistent Data backup is completed at the data centre.(You need to verify this with your vendor, see the Service Level Agreement provided by your vendor for more information.) * Software enhancements and upgrades are typically done regularly and easily. * Quick deployment. Cons * Does not work optimally without a good quality high speed Internet connection. * Data access is dependent on the Internet connection being available. * Not a good choice for areas that have unreliable internet connections. PMS/Server Based *Costs to setup and maintain are typically higher than web based systems *Backup is done at the property and may not be tested for integrity or may be forgotten. *Data is physically located at the hotel; data security may not be as high. *Software enhancements and upgrade need to be applied via modem, internet or CD and are done less frequently due to the slower procedure.

This article particularly caught my attention because it points out the major advantages of web-based PMS, but it does not mention the risk of transfering such sensitive guest information over the unsecure and unregulated Internet. Surely there are great cost-related and operational advantages to web-based PMS and that alone often motivates hotels to upgrade in that general direction. Afterall, the reason why the hotel is operated is to generate revenues. However, is risking the identity of thousands of your guests worth the money you will save? That is what this article does not cover. As the title points out, web-based PMS is the future of the industry, but securing the identity of the biggest drivers behind all revenue for your hotel is arguably more important. Is the risk worth the reward? I believe the Internet needs to become a more secure highway of information before the industry can fully embrace this new technological advancement. My thoughts on considering an upgrade to web based PMS: Research and proceed with caution.

This article indicated the importance of Internet for hotel industry and also assumed that web based property management systems will widely used in future. The author listed some advantages of web based property management system:1) Central Reservation System: One of the greatest advantages of using an online hotel software is that you do not have any more headaches about reservations.2)   Numerous Point of Sale: Keeping a check on the add-on services your hotel provides can easily be done with the help of the numerous points of sales.3) Sales and Marketing Console. With the help of this console, you can access the database of your customers get in touch with them notifying them of special offers and discounts. 4)Travel Agents and Corporate Clients:It is important that you properly deal with travel agents and corporate clients as they play a very important role in bringing in more guests to the hotel.5)   Connected to 1000s of Travel Portals: Web based PMS help you get connected to many travel portals like Travelocity, Tripadvisor and Expedia helping you reach more people. 

t is the age of the Internet, the age when many businesses solely run on the Internet. From marketing to reaching new people, there is a lot that can be done with the help of this medium. The hotel industry too is not insulated from its effect. Almost all kinds of hotels, from inns to bed and breakfasts to resorts, everyone is trying to tap the energies of the Internet and make optimum use of the medium. The Internet plays a major role in improving the sales and customer relationship.

Cloud computing makes sense to work business in a cloud setting. The article states that Cloud computing has "transformed businesses" throughout the world. We learned that a disadvantage of Cloud is the dependence of Internet connection. With Cloud computing, you can share and store data. This can be a better way to run business. We have learned that Cloud computing is more scalable, secure, and reliable. Cloud computing cost less, and you can pay for what you need. Cloud you can customize what you need, to your specific needs. The article even mentions it "lowers management costs." Unlike unintended PMS, which can require maintenance, and be highly costly. We discussed in our video lecture from this past week, how hotel check-ins are being done from smart phones- as this article includes. This is beneficial for enhancing guest experience, and increasing the speed of check-ins. Travel agents have their own way of how they conduct themselves, their business, and the services he or she provides. However, the article shows how with Cloud computing, you would not need to depend on travel agents. Furthermore, Cloud computing can increase sales and revenue for a hotel property. Cloud computing is replacing traditional PMS system's and have a multitude of benefits.

Hoteliers today are joining in on the trend of the use of cloud computing. Some benefits of cloud computing include the increase of operational efficiency, lowering management costs since the hotelier only pays for what they demand. Energy costs and hardware operation costs are also decreased. It allows for hotel check ins to be done via smart phones and tablets and not just at the front desk upon arrival, and it also allows for hotels to not have to rely on travel agents all the time for bookings which saves them having to pay commission to travel companies.

No matter the industry, cloud computing has changed organizations all around the world in recent years. Today's need for access at any time and from any location has soared, and cloud computing is supplying it. All you want is a reliable internet connection. Businesses might choose a cloud service that would store their data in safe data centers rather than burdening themselves with traditional in-house servers to store data. At all levels, cloud-based services are now taking the place of outdated and conventional technologies. Many hospitality firms now use cloud computing services offered by infrastructure as a service (IaaS), software as a service (SaaS), and platform as a service (PaaS). And they are all fired up with the incredible benefits of cloud computing. Cloud computing can benefit hoteliers by driving down costs like energy, hardware, and operations. Your hotel's requirement for hardware overload is decreased, which significantly lowers your electricity costs. The hotel sector uses cloud computing to speed up projects, which reduces costs and increases efficiency. An efficient and effective hotel PMS will help you to ensure that your guests receive a first-rate experience and will provide the hotel employees with the best set of management capabilities. Another benefit of cloud computing is that it frees your personnel from stationary terminals, allowing them to work more independently and productively. Due to the cloud, guests may now check in at hotels using their smartphones or tablets as well as the front desk. Working remotely is possible thanks to cloud computing in the hospitality sector. Managing the business becomes a little more challenging when you, the hotelier, are not on the premises. However, putting your hotel management and operations in the cloud gives you the flexibility to access and operate on them from any location in the world.

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

This article very much relates to what we discussed in class on Monday and what ebusiness' are doing these days to stay afloat. The internet is taking over the travel industry since everyone likes to do things on their own these days. Travel agents are trying to find ways around this growing trend. The two main tips for travel agents in this article are staying close with your existing customers while gaining new ones. This will alter the way your business will run. Once your existing customers realize you are loyal, easy to work with and focused them they will start spreading the world about the work you have done. The new customers will see the customer base you have and will more than likely choose you over t.agent 2 with only a few existing customers and no new clients in years. Once you complete a job, it is a must that you follow up. After everything is said and done, send them a quick email & maybe offer them a better package deal next time. Yes, the internet is putting a damper on the travel industry but at the same time agents are finding ways to work around this highly growing trend.

Optima Go Green allows hotels using the Optima Hotel Management Solution property management system to go the extra mile and reduce the total amount of paper used by implementing Optima green solutions. The Optima Go Green solution includes features such as advance up to 24hours before using a smart phone; guest checkout allowing the guest folio to be viewed via an iPad; scanning of IDs to save time and ensure accuracy, managerial reports being able to be directly sent to the appropriate manager without having the need of being printed; allowing managers to check rate strategies and availability online on their smart phones. The maon concept of Optima goGreen is a cost effective solution which is all about managing documents without wasting time and space. This article tied in with the previous weeks discussion about green initiatives. A hotel's priamry office expense is paper and toner. By printing less we are drastically saving money by not having to waste paper. Storage is also cut down because the need of storing paper is eliminated. In such a tech savvy world, this is definitely the way to go.

I know of very few aphorisms that tend to be repeated as smugly as this one, particularly by scared people. The implication is that action is generally to be avoided, that the status quo is probably just fine, and that one should wait for a true crisis before intervening. And, of course, that it's your fault if you've ignored this sage advice and intervened anyway. It's ironic, then, how IT departments themselves end up complaining endlessly about how they're always in fire-fighting mode. This prevailing attitude evolves among (and is a telling symptom of) burned-out sysadmins and developers, especially those who are stuck maintaining systems they didn't themselves write or engineer. It can be equally summed up as a "don't touch it, don't breathe on it" kind of superstition. Or, perhaps, it's akin to the proud but defensive statement that "we've always done it that way."

Emarketing is important to the hotel and travel industry because most transactions and booking are done online. The article gave reasons why emarketing is so important, because it is cost effective. Emarketing is considered the lowest booking channel for hotels. The article talked about the Middle East, especially Dubai that has the highest internet booking sale. Emarketing is they way to go, it is quick, convenient and can be done from anywhere with an internet connection.

I found this article to be very interesting because it gives us an example of a specific Property Management System. It is crucial to know the importance of all the "add-ons" and features that different PMS's have to know which one is the best. There might be a numerous amount of options for your company, so it is good to research a few to know which one fits best for your needs. It is interesting to see how there are different PMS programs being tested. This proves that there is a lot of competition.

Bunkhouse Group adopted a mobile PMS to seven of its hotels. Their hotels offer unique experiences that differ from other places. The properties really work together with the communities they are in and include locals, and dogs to come together with their guests. Adopting StayNTouch is a great way for bunkhouse to evolve as a group. With further research done, the hotels really gain attention from millenials whom are always up to date with the newest technology. By installing this new cloud PMS it will allow guests to check in and out easily and quickly. The PMS will also help cut costs in properties owned by Bunkhouse by reducing training and optimizing work done by front desk and housekeeping.

The issue of illegal electronic dumping has been a real severity, and mostly because people are unaware of what happens to the products that they used to own. Luckily, our world is advancing to a point where appropriate disposal is being greatly developed. There are different mainstream companies that will take your old products to refurbish them, or handle them accordingly. Most importantly, there are companies like GreenCitizen, who are responsibly recycling products. They gather all of the old technology, and attempt to refurbish it. If not possible, then they use the parts, or just dispose of it in the right way. Certified monitors of the recycling process look over the practices of GreenCitizen to make sure that they are doing their jobs correctly. Actions are being dealt more responsibly, as the EPA and these certified monitors have gotten involved. Recycling used to be claimed, but done wrongly. Now, these groups closely overlook the process, and ensure that things are being done appropriately.

Hotels will gather a large amount of information from guests, from their interests to their credit cards and this is potentially sotred in their systems. Needless to say, their information is sensative. It is said that many hotels use cloud based technologies for check-ins, reservations, etc. and this typically has a high chance of hackers or they may use a third party, which is just as equally questionably safe. This article highlights three main hotels brands, Mariott, Hyatt, and Sheraton, that had numerous issues from 2015 to 2016. EHotelier stated that a whopping 95% of breaches can be traced to human cause and this could be due thanks to a poorly trained front line staff. During a confrence, it was brought to attention many hotels think it is a big if, opposed to what should be done when it an attack occurs or how to prevent it.

This article shows how technology has advanced in this modern world. From a server ordering your food at a restaurant, to having an ipad that list the menu of the restaurant. It is very practical in the sense that, instead of printing all the time for the different changes that the owner's make when listing the menu, it can be done directly on the ipad with the touch of a button. The guests at "Do Restaurant at the View" place their orders through the touch screen, and then the server only comes when something is requested or to serve the food to the guests. The owner of the restaurant stated "The coolest thing about it is that there are no more wrinkled menus with ketchup on it or pizza sauce on it," says Christian Ruffin. I very much agree with this statement because I have been to restaurants where some menu's were not to clean. On the other hand, I believe that it also changes the atmosphere of the place in a good way, for example, the workers can use the ipad and its applications to change the lighting of the room and also play different songs depending on the mood of the customer's. The customer's order everything using the application, and any request that they need, a server comes to see what they need. With the touch of the ipad, customer's can also notify the valet parking to let them know their status and how far they are from finishing their meals in order for the valet people to know iwhen to bring the car to them. The payment is also done on the ipad. Now, my question is that: will they leave any tips for the server that just brought the food? since everything is being done through the ipad, I want to know how different it is from using a paper menu and the service that is delivered using the ipad instead. I think it is a good idea for restaurants to have something different, because so many people nowadays use devices and software that it only make people adapt to what they are already used to. I don't think all restaurants should do that, because not

In an effort to cut expenses the Renaissance Club Sport Hotel installed the Pelican Wireless HVAC Thermostat. This saved them $41,160 a year on energy related costs giving them an ROI of 8.5 months. Through research presented by Pelican Wireless it was discovered that HVAC energy consumption drives over 60% of most hotel energy bills each month. The Renaissance Hotel discovered that by implementing the Pelican Wireless technology they could save substantially each month on energy costs. The previous room configuration had basic thermostats installed in the rooms which were left running even when the rooms had no checked in guests. They also had no way to monitor the health of their existing HVAC units and their facilities department was being called upon by the front desk to regularly check the AC. Installation took only 3 days with 2 installers in a sold out hotel consisting of 175 hotel rooms, conference center, spa and workout facility. Pelican's technology interfaces with the Hotel's PMS and to the internet to access the Pelican Site Manager. Initial setup is done via an easy to understand graphical user interface accessible on any Web Browser. Cloud based servers allow access to resources and have control of information from anywhere there is an internet connection.

Long term financing in hospitality is often done for a period of more than one year. Such financing will have good impacts on hospitality industry like renewing its equipments and meeting operating costs with smooth cash flow. Therefore it is a cost-effective way to help hotels during their tough times in accounting and cash problems. Like we learned in accounting and financing classes, ratio analysis is the best  method to analyze finance in a hotel, which compares the current ratio with the past in order to make feasible investments in the future. What's more, long term financing in hotel industry gives lots of investment potentials. For example, by investing new sectors in F&B as well as accommodation, the job opportunity has also been increased. Besides the investments in hotels, hospitality investment also includes in airlines, cruise lines and tourism bureaus which can also bring profits. So long term financing help hospitality industry make a successful goal with experience and cost effective strategic plan in order to attract more and more tourists as well as guests.

I didn't agree with the pricing method of examining the past and the prices. What for? Prices, consumers wants and needs along with products constantly change. It's an unpredictable market at times. So examining the history would be a waste of time, the only thing you could possibly get from this would be to see how much your costs have gone up in recent years and plain your profit margins accordingly. But you can do this with out having to manage your previous records and histroy. You could just look at any expense report and go from there

This article talks about the basics of proximity marketing, how every marketing campaign done with this can be review in real time. What is most interesting about this technology is that it can even inform you of those customers who accepted your message so you can save that info and use it in the future. This for me seems very invasive to the customers, laws need to be put in place to better monitor proximity marketing. For the retailer this is a easy way to reach the customers that are in the neighborhood and might become regulars at the business. 

The article highlighted is related to proximity marketing. The author stated that 2010 was the "year of the mobile", where people are accessing the internet more from their phones instead of a computer. The articles stated that it was believed that 2011 would be the year for proximity marketing; however, it didn't quite happen that way. The technology will eventually come but so far is not that popular yet. It is believe that this technology will be very effective to people that suffer with ADD and not attracted to static signage. The mobile marketing will be a great solution to interact with people with this type of condition. Another reason is that an ad from a store from the vicinity and only depends on foot traffic will be more prone to generate customers. The blue-tooth technology will be very favorable because the consumers that has it on is in some way accepting to be able to connect and doesn't incur any costs through the mobile carriers. Another advantage is that retailers would be able to record every number that the ad has been sent to and which ones were accepted or declines. That is another way to get to know your consumer. The difference between proximity marketing and traditional marketing is that it is done in real time; it is inexpensive to retailers by the elimination of delivery carriers and very fast. This is a very smart way doing marketing, but with every technology, there are downfalls. We need to avoid the marketing proximity to become an overload of overwhelming information coming through our cell phones as we walk down the street. Hopefully this technology will make retailers a little greener too.

I agree how this would save the company money and avoid them having to pay for the costs of running ads in the paper, printing of coupons, flyers, radio advertising, etc However, this could be perceived as a risk because you run the risk of allienating your customers, some of who may not be technological fans. Others would just hate to be bombarded with incoming texts. Bluetooth can be very hit or miss, if your on the phone with someone else at the time does the ad break up your conversation and make you loose the call? Sometimes when you use blue tooth you can't even hear the other person when driving. I personally can't stand it and just won't use it. I may not even use my cell phone if this trend is going to continue. i dont think i would like it very much

In the article Mr. Lassana Tunkara talks about the positive impacts information technology has on the travel agencies, tourism industries and individuals that uses the internet. Everybody is becoming computer literate since it's the number one means of communication through the internet. Information technology has taken over the world. In the past if you want to book a vacation, you would have to find the closest travel agencies to you. You would spend a couple days in the travel agent office looking through brochures. With the advance in information technology, you can do so from the comfort of your home with just your laptop and an internet connection and logging to your desire website. The tourism and travel industry depends a whole lot on the internet as a means of communication, through emails and other forms of communications. With the advance in information technology cost is reduced, the speed at which information is transferred and retrieved has increased. Information technology has transformed the tourism industry, it changes the way the services are delivered and customers' expectations are much higher. With the internet all these industries are able to communicate with each other, such as travel agencies, airline, hotel and car rental companies. Doing reservation is much easier for everyone involve, it can be done anytime and anywhere without having to sit in a travel agencies office going through tons of brochures.

I found this article to be extremely interesting. It is from 1999, and is discussing the Genting hospitality management system. Having worked at hotels I know and understand the importance of having a property management system. The article states, "Genting is the first company to have developed a hospitality software in the country." The property management system can be incorporated into many different aspects of the hospitality industry: resorts, gaming, theme parks etc. Genting's managing director described the system explaining that that the software "customized to meet the needs of modern travelers". By using this PMS, hotels would be able to improve their customer service, meet the needs of modern travelers, and schedule maintenance more effectively. Not only will this PMS assist with better catering to the guests, but it will also provide a new source of revenue for Genting as they can sell the system worldwide. The article continues to discuss the amount of internet users being able to surpass the one million mark. It is difficult for me to remember a time when there was no internet as almost everything can be done online now. PMS play a very important role in the hospitality industry, especially when it comes to hotels. They assist with keeping track of how many guests are in the property, the names of the guests, their arrival and departure dates, special requests and much more. Genting paved the way for all the PMS in the industry today.

The article I read was called, 'Why the Future of Online Hotel Marketing is Cloud-Based Utility Computing.' In the article, it says that technology is moving super fast these days and companies are trying everything they can to keep up, for example building websites and starting blogs, but they feel that it's not enough. Up until now companies could not manage all of their marketing efforts from one place but now they can and it's called utility computing in-the-cloud. "Utility computing is a broad concept that encapsulates cloud computing and software as a service (SaaS)."Some hotel owners feel intimidated because a website does not seem as permanent as owning something. One example that I really liked that they gave in the article was, "When I rent a movie from Blockbuster, I have a limited selection (whatever fits in the store) and when I'm done with the video, I have to return it and rent it again to watch it again." Compared this to Netflix, where you have access to hundreds of thousands of videos and you can watch them as many times as you want and for any long as you want for no additional cost. When you embrace SaaS, you gain million dollar technology that never grows outdated, compare this to a website that is only built on thousand-dollar technology and can get outdated, and it sounds like a great investment!

Ever wonder what happens to the little soaps you use at the hotel you recently stayed at? Hyatt Hotels Corp. has become one of the major hotels to start recycling toiletries through the organization called Clean the World. When guests are done using their shampoos or soaps at a hotel, the housekeeping staff collects all of the used and unused products and recycles them or donates them to other countries. The organization has only been around for a few years, however other hotel chains are joining the cause to helping the environment and also humanity. It is not just in the United States that hotels are getting involved but it is expanding globally. Hotels are sending used soaps that has been re-sanitized to battered women's center and also to countries like Africa to local clinics and orphanages.

It looks like the industry is taking notice of what they can do and stepping up to the plate. It all comes down to the front line workers though, in this case housekeeping staff. Turning a room correctly is labor intensive and time consuming. Adding the step of separating the used soap and shampoo does take time. 1 minute per room per day in a 200-room hotel at 90% capacity comes out to 21 man hours per week. At $10/hr that's nearly $11,000 per year. I'm not saying it shouldn't be done. I think it's a great idea. It does many people (including the hoteliers) a lot of good. If we consider this as "goodwill" in our operating costs, it probably works out for everyone.

I have never pay attention to where the leftover of the toiletries would go, and it's nice to know that they are going to the charity. This is a great way to recycle, help reduce waste, and help support the people in struggle. Knowing such information doesn't help making the booking decision, but it sure does increase the hotel's reputation.