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This article discussed the pros and cons of mobile proximity marketing and how to possibly overcome the downfalls of the type of marketing.

privacy concerns, complex management, excessive opt-ins, conversion issues

There can be many benefits and negatives to introducing new technology into your company. While it can be interesting to see new marketing methods for a company, these results can also be temporary. A company wanting to integrate these new marketing methods into their business will have to identify if their audience would react well with this new form of marketing and make their choices based on those results.

A new set of standards is coming up for credit card transactions. EMV or Europay, Mastercard, Visa, standards include a chip-and-pin device on the card that requires the card to be inserted into the card processing terminal. While this does not prevent all fraud, it's important that this standard is mandatory by 2015 and business operators should be preparing for changes.

Hoteliers don't give security a high enough priority Security is not as high on the hotel agenda as it should be according to Michael Hartmann, Senior Vice President for Hospitality Solutions with Siemens Building Technologies . Here he looks at the reluctance to invest in the latest security systems, the different levels of security typically employed and the benefits of an integrated approach.

The many aspects of security at hotels boil down to policy and technology. The policy element includes emergency planning and the individual procedures implemented by a hotel. Technology now plays an integral role in the security mix, from badging and staffing communications to electronic keys and surveillance cameras. Hotels are attractive places for criminals to target travelers, who are inherently more vulnerable. Best bet: Always assess a hotel neighborhood and facilities with the same vigilance as at home or in other public spaces. Help your meeting attendees understand the policies and potential risks before they arrive. Security Questions for Hotels: Will trade-show exhibitors require secure storage for any display items? Are there areas near a hotel that attendees should be warned to avoid? Are hotel employees CPR certified? Is defibrillator equipment available onsite? Are there any policies and procedures organizers should be aware of in the event of an emergency?

The Hospitality industry is known to have very high attrition rates. This makes it all the more critical to have a robust HR information system (HRIS) in place. HRIS has emerged as among the most crucial aspects of hospitality IT. No hospitality management system can be considered complete without an effective HRIS system. An efficient HRIS system manages the recruitment, staff-shifts, time & attendance, and many other aspects of your hospitality HR requirements. It should be able to drill down to history files and provide e-leave application & training management. Organizations must look for ways to manage their internal processes efficiently while preserving the integrity of each practice. In human resources, this involves many transactions affecting people, including the benefits they receive and the ways they are treated by the organization. Tracking HR activities through a human resources information system is efficient and effective for many business organizations. For the owner, it's usually a matter of which system is affordable and suited to the organization's needs.

New technology brings new capability. Within the retail POS hardware industry, new technology is driving change in retail hardware platforms. Cloud-based software, coupled with the emergence of powerful and feature-rich mobile devices, offers new possibilities for retailers to better serve and engage their shoppers at the Point of Purchase. Typical construction of a Point of Sale cash register is centered on a PC workstation. These cash register systems are often positioned in one or more fixed locations in the retail store. They might be served by an array of peripheral devices: a touch display, a customer pole display, a handheld scanner, a receipt printer, and a cash drawer. These peripheral devices are typically configured with serial or USB interfaces and connect to a port on the PC workstation dedicated to each device. Software developers engage each device through OPOS or native DLLs drivers created by the hardware manufacturer. In this setting, a shopper is compelled to queue up at the cash register and stage their goods for itemized sale. By contrast, software functionality and mobile device technology allow a retailer to bring the Point of Sale transaction to the shopper at their Point of Purchase. In this way, a retailer can increase shopper loyalty by providing a more convenient, more personalized, and more interactive transaction experience. A purpose-built Point of Sale solution can be developed from the ground up for the mobile transaction faster than ever. Hardware manufacturers are creating new solutions to support this trend. By selecting hardware that maximizes the benefits of a mobile transaction, a retailer can significantly improve system performance and significantly reduce the total cost of the system. However, the current PC-centric workstation architecture presents several technical challenges as a retailer chooses to deploy a mobile POS solution. Consider this example: A mobile credit transaction performed on a smart phone

As this article mentioned, Hotel Med Park chooses to use ProfitWatch to provide accurate call reporting and billing. This system is designed to save the property money and simplify management. They also choose CloudPM to provide hotels an affordale cloud-bases property management system with full functionality and features. In my opinion, this system is very convenient and correct to use for hotels. It can help minimize liability and boost revenues.

Technology is changing our lives and experience. This article is a detailed description of how your lodging experience will be if you stay in a hotel with flashy iPad tablet.You can talk to the staff about your needs in basically all the services including room service, consulting and housekeeping. It will save your time on checkout by providing iPad POS to the tablet.People will get an unforgettable experience because they do not need to wait in line which may take a long time.

The article introduces a new approach to experience a technologilized hotel stay. Having a iPad in hand with the app designed for the hotel, guest is able to check-in/out, order room service, order cab, change the room status, call housekeeping, find surrounding spots, and more. There is not need to wait in lone line or be hold on a phone call.

Swipely a social commerce company has users who can publish their purchases online. When they swipe their credit card, the transaction is shown on the site and this is discussed by other users. Company wants to transform shopping online and offline . There are two generations of e commerce sites: first, essentially digitized mail order catalogue and second, few emerged from Silicon Valley or sometimes they drive customers to actual shops. Many made money from flash sales, meaning time limited offer of high discounts. Buyers spread the word on social networks because these sites offer different services of local business for eg. restaurants and spas at a discounted price. Groupon could be a third generation of social shopping sites. It's hard to predict whether second or third generation of e commerce sites will continue to grow because they may get tired of flash sales.

Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts brand has been recognized by L2 Think Tan's Digital IQ Index: Hotels for the use of plenty digital platforms. By analyzing the needs and wants of guest and potential customers Four Seasons decided to invest in technology obtaining great results. "We are thrilled to be recognized by L2 for our commitment to transforming our guest experience through digital and social media platforms," said Susan Helstab, executive vice president, marketing, Four Seasons. Four Seasons saw the great influence technology has in the way we conduct business and communicate therefore the brand applied the newest technology to create a competitive advantage among its competitive set. "The L2 study reflects just how meaningful this is to the guest experience, and solidifies the importance of Four Seasons continual advancement in the digital realm." Some of the recent innovations Four Season applied to the properties are the new website FourSeasons.com that includes real-time search and videos. It also includes maps, Facebook, and blogs among others. Creating a powerful and global social presence in YouTube, Facebook and Twitter that gives them more publicity, Innovating with Emerging Platforms and Mobile Access "The brand has seen 110% growth year over year of business booked through iPhones and 200% increase via iPads." Four Seasons is attracting more groups, leisure and commercial demand thanks to its technology.

As most famous hotel brand expand their business map globally ,they need more powerful technologies, especially the security and emergency technologies. If the technology can make the whole brand as a whole system, any franchise hotel has something usual ,the headquarter will get the information. There is a trend hotel chains want to develop their security system online similar to bank security online system

From this article, I can get some information that the new technology bring convenience both hotel and customers. The customers just press the simple button to control everyting in the hotel room that is a good experience difference from home. And the hotel can utilize the high technology to satisfied the customers and thus improving the competitiveness in the industry. However, high technology means high cost. The hotel that adopt the high technoloty should has the ability to maintain and update which will become a huge cost. So keeping up with the development of technology is the biggest difficulty problem in the hotel industry.

The latest technology gives hotels an opportunity to provide new products and services to guests but also the challenges . The biggest difficulty is the speed at which technology is evolving which makes it impossible for hotels to keep up with the latest developments. On the other hand there are many hotels are embracing the new technologies. Such as guest's smartphone, which will allow for interactive channel guides to appear on the handheld and can store guest preferences that travelers can take from one hotel to another. And the Plaza provide iPads in every guest room. which provide an easy way for customers to make reservation checking airline schedules and printing boarding passes.

Shift4 develops payment technology for various types of business. The hotel I work in uses it to process gift cards. This article describes the company's newest endeavor with emerging technologies, in this case Google Wallet. Companies using Shift4 will now have the functionality of letting customers use Google Wallet, paying for a purchase by tapping or swiping your cell phone on a special screen, in a seamless integration with their current POS. Google Wallet or the iPhone Square Card Reader are technologies that businesses need to take into consideration when developing or enhancing their POS. Shift4 seems to be the front runner in offering this add-on. I imagine other payment developers will follow suit.

A great POS system can lead to improved faster service, better communication, and easier methods of payment which could lead to happy clients and drive sales and retention. Payments can now be taken from the room, through an app on a mobile phone, ect. More options give people a feeling of freeness and choice and will ultimately drive sales and positive reviews.

In an effort to catch up with emerging technology and trends, it is expected more hotels will begin to "go green" this year with their linens and uniforms. I believe this is in part because hotels are being held to hirer expectations as we emerge from the recession. USA Today reports that American Laundry News surveyed several vendors about new products at the 2011 International Hotel, Motel and Restaurant Show in New York. Vendors including popular uniform maker, Cintas revealed more items like the washable tuxedo, made from recycled plastic bottles and the Eco-Cobra Jacket for front door staffers. Hospitality textile maker, Riegel is reportedly getting lots of attention from hoteliers for its recycled polyester tablecloths, also made from recycled bottles. The recycled fibers are expected to cut costs on hotel laundry bills. For example, Cintas estimates the washable tuxedos would save them nearly $1,000 each year. I had the opportunity to attend IHMRS this year, and visited the Cintas display. The recyclable material is no new idea. However, it is apparent that changes are being made to improve the durability of the products. I recall when the recycled fibers were initially used. The material seemed cheap and couldn't be ironed for risk of destroying it. Quality seems to be something hotels and restaurants are forgoing in order to "go green". To add, up front costs aren't necessarily saving companies much money. The USA Today article prompts reader responses by asking if hotel/ restaurant visitors even care whether or not a business has "green" products. I believe this is a fair question. Beyond attempts to save on long term costs, what other motivation do hotel operators have to "go green"?

I think it is important to hotel visitors, especially group & corporate, for hotels to go green. Maybe companies and organizations require their employees to book rooms at hotels that meet certain "green" standards. If I am a business owner, and promote the company as "green", then our actions and choices have to be "green" too. The uniforms made of recycled material sound very interesting! I wonder if they are comfotable and liked by employees.

While many U.S. hotels are moving from recession style cost cutting to updating their properties, it would appear that they have become interested in a more green approach, at least in one area, laundry. The American Laundry news explains that as many hotels seek to buy new tablecloths and uniforms for their staff, they are looking for green products that can help to trim their laundering costs. One of the things that caught the interest of hoteliers is the hotel industry's first look at machine washable tuxedos for the wait staff. Cintas partnered with Boardroom Eco Apparel to produce the tuxedo, which uses recycled plastic bottles transformed into polyester fibers. Cintas has stated that this green, machine washable tuxedo can save the hotel up to $1000 per employee annually. Cintas has also garnered interest in its recycled polyester bellman's jackets, as well. Another green product that hotels can use is the recycled polyester tablecloth. These tablecloths also come from recycled bottles and are also very eco-friendly. Riegel, the company behind these, has said that just using one of their table napkins can eliminate three plastic bottles from landfills. While these tablecloths may not save the hotel money in the short run, Riegel says that the hotel can save money in the long run by pitching itself as a "green" hotel. It is important to note that hotels have been slowly switching to greener products over the years, such as energy efficient light bulbs, to recycled plastic water bottles, and even sustainable organic ingredients in restaurant kitchens.

Because increasing concern about environment and polluted water and air resources, hotel in green is an emerging issues. It is benefit for both hotel operators and consumers. Reducing fuel and water consumption, creating green construction standards for hotel developers, educating and inspiring employees and guests to support the environment, these are all strategies that will be used in developing a green hotel. Developing a green hotel is a cost saving method as well. Hotel can build a environment-friendly image among consumers and also for its sustainable development.

This article discusses 'E-Tourism Evolution' from tourism initial goal of establishing an online presence (96-99) to acquiring customers (99-03) and then retaining customers (2003-now). E-Tourism started with a focus on getting travel industry members in front of consumers on their computers, then offering attractive travel site features such as direct booking for customer convenience. This course has shown that while travel providers increased online travel options and services, consumers were finding a lack of personalized customer service which prompted increased dissatisfaction with the eMarketing providers. This led to the current focus by the tourism industry seeking to provide exceptional customer service within their eMarketing platform to ensure effective service and enhanced customer satisfaction, thereby ensuring increased customer retention. Whereas eMarketing has greatly increased travel to under developed countries, such countries must gain greater access to information and communication technologies to capture more of the tourism market. Tourism is utilizing a variety of communication channels including social media. Facebook booking engines are utilized by online travel sites, and travel packages and services are auctioned or bought direct on eBay. An online brochure, VBrochure by VFM Leonardo provides virtual tours and marketing content for mobile applications as well.

In the beginning of this article, it uses a chart to depicts the transformation and evolution of e-tourism over the past 15 years. According to the chart, we can easily find out that the goal and focus has changed as the year changes, from just to establish an online presence to customer retention. Then, it uses the changes of the number of tourists visiting Cambodia, one of the poorest countries in the world, as an example to say how information and communication technologies impact the tourism industry. However, this trend seems put more good impacts on developed countries. So next, the article gives some solutions to reverse this trend. In the end of the article it shows a chart to compare the percentage that people use e-market with the percentage that people use traditional methods.

E-tourism represents the paradigm-shift experienced in the tourism industry as a result of the adoption of ICTs and the Internet. It is evident that all best business practices have been transformed as a result, and that the each stakeholder in the marketplace is going through a redefinition of their role and scope. There are both challenges and opportunities emerging but the competitiveness of all tourism enterprises and destinations has been altered dramatically. It is evident that the "only constant is change." Organisations which compute will be able to compete in the future.

This article goes into the advantages of having a POS system on property. Having a POS system helps in the department of revenue management. It is important to have a POS system because it connects front of house, back of house, and the sales operations. The article also goes into the future development of the POS systems in the industry.

This article talks about the capabilities of a PMS in the coming generation since being implemented thirty years ago. Tina Stehle that PMS will no longer be about seamless communication and integrated services. PMS will be used to 'capture all guest events, information, systems will be able to predict patterns such as spending and preferences as well as evolve the property's loyalty programs and VIP management.' Advancements in Hospitality today are exhibiting these qualities already. For instance, The Intelligent Room, which keeps track of a guest's uses and preferences. Once every business in the hospitality industry gets linked into this all inclusive, ease of access PMS, there will truly be a seamless integration that makes a guest's travel and accommodations easy and incredibly comfortable. However, Stehle says that 'the web will continue to be a major influence' on the changes made to the way PMS works and what it is able to do. The emergence of Cloud-Based PMS proves her point. The issue here is that what if the internet crashes? This question should be addressed now, rather than business relishing the cut in costs, the advancements with the web brings.