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E-marketing is the perfect way for a company to show his product to the consumers. Each day more companies are realizing that they need to put more effort and resources to the internet marketing. Today we could say that the traditional marketing media such as television, radio, newspaper are in the past. Not even talking about the traditional printing brochures .Through the internet, people can have the experience of being in their dream vacation while they still being home. Smart travel communication is a perfect example of how internet has impacted the Hospitality and tourism industry

The problem of the security in the internet is always risky for companies. Even though the customer trust the companies, but acctually, the companies sell your information without ask you if you want to share your information. For me, the organization for keeping the customers' information secured is useful and make sense, but I don't believe any companies want to pay for such service. They want to get income through selling the customers' information to other for comercial using. However, if the government make policy and establish law for protecting the customers information, it will be different. I think it will become a trend to promote. 

This article speaks about how one provider decided to focus its efforts on small and mid-sized businesses by providing a cloud-based human resource information system. Their system allows users to manage data without extra help from IT personnel. This automated system makes it easier for these smaller companies to handle their HR department. This works especially well because smaller companies have less employees to focus their efforts on specific departments. This system provided ensures to assist these companies with connecting "employee management, time and attendance, benefit management, payroll processing and reporting functions into one complete and completely integrated system." Along with being an integrated system, this cloud based system makes it even easier by granting access from any location as long as the internet is present.

This article was about this new Samsung technology that is now on the market that is better than the traditional DRM softwear that most hospitality firms still use. The article stated "Samsung invested in a multi-year effort to secure the highly selective Digital Transmission Licensing Administrator (DTLA) approval, running the technology through rigorous forensic testing to pass just the first level of approval". This showed that the softerwear was thoroughly tested before it was put on the market ensuring its security. Also the article talked about how it saves money because of the lack of labor required with this system and how it creates a better guest experience because it fosters a home away from home technology environment.

This article discusses a newly-formed partnership between The Big Salad and WhenToManage. WhenToManage is considered a pioneer for hospitality cloud-based software solutions. The Big Salad formed this partnership with them for their web-based inventory management software. WhenToManage is able to direct its efforts to all of the requirements for The Big Salad, and is designed "to make tedious management tasks simple and accurate". The CEO of The Big Salad anticipates being able to spend more face time with customers and FOH  since he won't have to stay in his office doing work. Yield management of items used in batch recipes/butchering, and analysis of usage trends are just a few customizable options WhenToManage offers. It can even be a complete operations package when coupled with its POS intelligence and employee scheduling software. Since all operational data from each location can be viewed on one dashboard, this software will be a huge aid to companies focusing on integrating and simplifying operations for their franchises.

This articles summary 3 main advantages of restaurant accounting software. 1)Takes care of the restaurant payroll. The manager no longer needs to manually check the attendance and logged time of the employees. The software will already be able to do that since it can connect to the timekeeping system of the establishment.2) Counts transactions for the day. If the restaurant is using a point of sale (POS) software, the accounting software will be able to sync in with it. Counting done by human is prone to errors so by using accounting software, accuracy of the revenue is maintained.3) Performs restaurant inventory. An important factor in restaurant accounting is inventory. It is important to make sure that everything that should be in place is in place. It takes a lot of time and effort to manually do the inventory but the accounting software can definitely help a lot by merging data taken from the number of transactions and the number of supplies.

In essence this "data mining" related article explains how the FTC recently outlined new policies in an effort to close loopholes which allow websites to gather and turnover information gathered to third parties for advertising purposes.   Changes such as videos, photos, locations, etc, which cannot be pulled without parental approval are making impacts on what can be pulled and shared. Another change includes closing a loophole that gives apps/websites directed at children the ability to collect information through plug-ins, without parents permission. In conclusion, these rules are based on the Children s Online Privacy Act of 1998, which gave the FTC the authority to implement/periodically update rules pertaining to "how the law is enforced". These rules will go into effect on July 1, 2013.

This is an article that showcases how technology can help a hotel company grow. It shares that Noble House was able to partner with Aptech to create a centralized, Web-based accounting system that streamlined the reporting and forecasting features. By knowing what each hotel is able to forecast for revenue, costs, labor, etc, they are able now to take advantage on inventory systems and shift marketing efforts as needed.

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.

Facilities management is an area of a hotel, restaurant, or cruise ship guests do not often think about, but they play a huge role in the hospitality experience. Lately facilities management has a huge influence on making hotels energy efficient and greener. The Hyatt Hotel Corporation is working on creating greener properties like the Indian Wells' Hyatt Regency Spa and Resort. The property and Hyatt recently hired Sixto Ramirez a mechanical engineer to become a force behind making the property greener. The focus has been on new dishwashers that will turn off when no trays are being pushed through the system; guest rooms now have sensors to raise the A/C temperature when no one is inside to save energy; soon the property's stoves will have new exhaust hoods that will turn off when it senses no cooking smoke. The property is also updating cooling towers to energy efficient models to eliminate discharge into the sewer system. Facilities management is working on improving the property and becoming energy efficient. Sustainability is an important aspect to facilities management. Improving green technology in facilities management will help the hospitality industry to become sustainable and energy efficient. Large properties like the Hyatt will help improve energy efficiency by bringing in engineers to work on improving facilities on resort and hotel properties. This is an area that can help bring down costs in the future and improve properties. Facilities management plays a huge role in running a hospitality business and without this department a hospitality experience would never be the same. Sustainability is the future of facilities management. I found the article to be interesting with how the Hyatt has chosen to improve the property for the future.

Motel.com has now launched an initiative to allow customers to search for green hotels. Before this plan was put into action, customers who possessed that green thumb were unable to decipher which properties would meet their sustainable criteria. With a new "green feature" search, Motel.com lists all of the Hotels and Motels that are considered Eco Friendly or friends of the environment which efforts such as conserving water, electricity and natural gas. These properties listed as Eco Friendly are certified by the Greenkey Eco-Rating System by Green Key Global. "The Green Key Eco-Rating Program and Green Key Meetings Program are graduated rating systems designed to recognize green hotels, motels and resorts that are committed to improving their environmental and fiscal performance." With Americans becoming increasingly environmentally conscious, stay in an Eco Friendly Motel or Hotel has become a priority. Indeed, when I travel, I like to stay at a hotel that is better than my home. With these new initiatives in the back of my mind, staying at a certified Eco Friendly hotel would definitely meet my criteria. 

This article introduce us a new hotel guest room product called HiP50. The design company is called Hotel Technologies, this company is known for bringing "the science of feeling at home" to hotels and guests is releasing a Bluetooth Alarm Clock Radio with Speakerphone for iPhone, iPad and iPod. This Bluetooth -enabled unit puts guests' tunes in hotel rooms via the iHome digital iPhone/iPad/iPod alarm clock radio. Guest can listen to music via this device and answer the calls as long as guest's cell phone is Bluetooth-capable. This unit in hands-free convenience and communication, enabling guests to relax in their room, enjoy a room service meal, get dressed, work on a presentation, or pack for departure all while talking on the speakerphone." Recent research shows that there is a large number of American like to use the wireless telephone, and the number is increasing. This may means guest of a hotel may prefer use their own phone rather than the hotel's land line phone. So the company makes effort to developing in-room electronics and entertainment solutions to complement guest's experience. 

This article list some examples of how Las Vegas is "going green". In recent years, Las Vegas resorts have turned their attention and focused their efforts on becoming more environmentally conscious. From energy efficiency and water conservation to recycling and implementing greener practices, Las Vegas is doing its part to contribute to the sustainability of the planet. Several Las Vegas projects have even achieved LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification by the U.S. Green Building Council. The process includes independent, third-party verification that a development's design, construction and performance meet accepted high standards for environmentally responsible, sustainable development.

Green meetings and environment concerns are becoming more and more known and hotel are opting for green programs in their hotels. This article talks about a hotel in Vail, Colorado that has committed to decreasing their environment footprint by going more green in many ways. As an event planner you should ask your hotels that you are using how they are making an effort to being green in specific areas.

Water conservation is a big green initiative that we are seeing in a lot of hotels by having signs up if you want your towels washed leave them on the floor but if you will reuse them to hang them up. This is conserving a lot of water by saving on laundry. Hotels that have conference centers can really make use out of the green initiative with an alternative to bottled water. If they give out complimentary refillable bottles and put in water dispensers in easy and convenient locations it will help to support waste reduction.

About a decade ago, the hotel industry was concentrating much of its effort on luring people who are now mostly in their 50s and 60s. The changes involved higher-quality beds, brighter lighting and bigger work spaces. And those travelers were loyal to brands that offered reliable, comfortable services. Many of these Generation Y travelers in the 20's and 30's are engaged in planning major events such as scheduling nightly social events, like happy hours and free wine tastings. Event management and planning is critical to every hospitality organization especially to our millennial travelers and business travelers.

Aptech is a service provider for the Hospitality Industry. They launched a web based accounting solution that was first adopted by innkeepers because of their demand for sophisticated services. The development happened after they oversaw and understood the manual effort employed by these properties into bookkeeping.

Green practice not only save companies money in the long run, but contribute to creating a healthier planet. Various industries are taking part in the implementation of green strategies to do so. As this article points out, universities are using green IT. The University of Pittsburgh is taking part in several of these. First by using Pitt Printing, which "effort reduces the likelihood of multiple print jobs, according to the university, and also stems the tide of students printing a document and not picking it up. By the university's estimation, this change in technique has saved upward of 100,000 sheets of paper that would have wound up discarded, making it 20 times less wasteful than full-service printing"." In addition the school has committed to using "read green" by reducing paper waste and committing to using electronic copies and using web conferences versus in person interviews for candidates and meetings. Small steps can make a big difference and IT is assisting in the green implementation.

I love how you brought up Universities. Its amazing how everything now is pretty much done online. Even professors like everything turned in via email or via blackboard. This saves so much on paper and ink for printers. I believe that one day there will barely or any use for printers and so forth due to the evolution of sustainability.

Hotel system contains various information and personnel privacy related to customers so that it is easy to be stolen or make use of by criminals. "Industry leaders speak openly that data security is a crucial part of running a business". But this issue is becoming more and more important and also take in to consideration in customers' mind. This article pointed out that there are three ways to decrease the threaten of data security which are preparation, response and post-mortem. The preparation is invisible but very significant effort to prevent attack. When a hotel experience a breach, system and employee can react immediately and take a right and quick step to kick the hacker out of system and protect data. And for post-mortem, both leaders and employee should learn something from this kind of event and update all plans and training.

Israel and the United States are developing new security systems ti inspect airline passengers. This joint effort its creating a system that could detect substances used in explosives, or chemical weapons without having to open the passengers luggage. And it could be integrated into scanners, magnetometers and hand-held devices. Its purpose is to inspect both passengers and luggage, without the use of full body scan.

This article comments on the perceived effectiveness of daily "flash" deals distributed through the internet to provoke the usage of services of a hospitality enterprise. It also addresses current industry challenges hotels face with regards to sustainability and corporate social responsibility. The first Cornell study surveyed approximately two hundred international hotels. The results showed half of the hotels have used the e-Marketing "flash" deals technique while the other half abstain siting concerns of brand reputation. However the issue of dissatisfaction from those hotels who use daily deals is also prevalent. The conductors of the study recommend those who use the deals to "start small," clearly define the reason for the deal and examine every aspect of the deal, including limitations, to increase ROI and satisfaction. If the deals are tailored to fit both the hotel and guests' needs they should attract and retain customers. The roundtable discussion then dives into an important branding issue of CSR. It highlights common misconceptions related to sustainability such as going "green" being being costly, guests not appreciating sustainable efforts, and the "wait and see" approach being smart for implementation. With education and communication the hospitality industry can inform their internal and external customers of their sustainable business practices and increase customer acquisition. Rather than being reactive, businesses should be proactive and concentrate on their "long-term brand focus."