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Some differences exist between organisations that run events for profit motives and those that are not-for-profit oriented. Government grants are seldom achievable by for-profit enterprises. Small scale events run by not-for-profit organisations are likely to be funded by participant fees. Larger scale events, whether run by for-profit or not-for-profit enterprises will likely need substantial support through commercial sponsorship. In many cases, fees paid by people who spectate can be a worthwhile source of income.

This article discusses how GDS's are still going strong in US Hotel industry. 55 million hotel reservations made last year through GDS according to Travelclick in e-commerce service provider. PhoCusWright estimates that GDS is represent 10% of all hotel revenue. Furthermore according to a study by the American Hotel and lodging Association 1.3 billion in fees were paid by hotels on base revenue of about 100 billion. The article states that these fees are usually passed on to the travel agents. Comparably bookings made through online travel agencies is nearly double that figure at approximately 2.5 billion on the same 100 billion of base revenue. The article concludes by saying that business travelers tend to stay at properties with higher average daily rates pushing up the average chance action on the GDS bookings.

Some argue that the GDS is a fair system. It it does enable travel agents and clients to access travel data, make price comparisons, access special rates and book travel. The big 3 Travelport, Amaadeus, and Sabre do generate billions of dollars of global travel sales for travel providers. The fact is though that the current system is old, dating back to the 60's, has serious flaws, and can be hacked. It is also biased as travel agents bookings are swayed by the airlines they have preferred agreements with, which can skew the equation away from the traveler's best interests. Having 3 Big players with a virtual travel monopoly is not an ideal situation. Carriers are fighting back and airlines are changing strategy. Tension between airlines and the GDS caused by disputes has European airlines exploring models outside the GDS. To make the changes successful they cannot be restricted by outdated systems, old technology or financial burdens.

It discusses the high fees of the GDS and the fact that their system needs to be upgraded. Also, the challenges airlines face with paying those fees and ways the airlines are making additional revenue without having to pay fees to the GDS.

Due to the high fees some airlines were or are paying to the GDS companies, they are re-thinking their strategy to get more revenue out of the passengers, in order to mitigate the lost of revenue for not being anymore in an open GDS market like Amadeus. Amadeus knows they are the big gorilla in the market with a 44% of the share, compared to Sabre or Travelport, the other two leaders in the GDS market.

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

In their attempt to cease the use of "middlemen", British Airways and Iberia will attempt something so bold that not many other airlines have done. The airline plans to add surcharges to the tickets consumers purchase through GDS's in hopes that they will book directly through them. Although many predict that they will fail, they originally got the idea from the airline Lufthansa, which implemented this approach back in the summer of 2015 and have not seen a loss in revenue since. Sabre did try to sue the airline for this however the case remains in limbo.

The article basically discusses the differences between investing before and investing now since the internet has been born. Previously, people had to try and gather as much information about the company they were interested in investing in by going to the library and reading as much as possible but now it is easier for investors to search a company up and gain all the information they need and more to invest in that company just by entering keywords. Therefore, the internet has changed the investing game completely and even lowered the amount in fees that brokers pay immensely.

This article discusses how Google Flights has become a threat to global distribution systems, such as Sabre. Google Flights allows airlines to market directly to travelers and keep more of the fare. Sabre, on the other hand, has been charging airlines fees for their services. This contrast has changed how airlines utilize global distribution systems, and Google Flights could ultimately replace GDS's like Sabre.

Interesting read about up and coming Lifehouse Hotels and how they are waiving management fees for this year and looking to expand their hotel management software to hotels that are not part of their brand. Lifehouse currently has five hotels in Miami.

As technology advances and people start to change how they travel, the hotel industry must not shy away from these changes. This article talks about consumer trends that hotels should be implementing onto their properties. Guests are beginning to find places that will allow them to relax but focus on their work. They also want to be assisted immediately, whether from a human being or a kiosk. They want to stay someplace they can brag about to others, which helps your company. They want to do business with a company that are honest with them about any policies or fees included with their stay. Lastly, guests are accepting the change of having things on a digital scale.

Revel Systems is an iPad point of sale company that is backed by $3.7 million in funding. The Revel Router is an Apple certified made for iPad technology that allows shops to run their POS through an Apple iPad. The company is selling the device as a package deal which includes an iPad, the routerm peripherals and the POS software. Currently there are 300 locations installed. Revel CEO Lisa Falzone says that a restaurant owner or retail owner doesnt even know when the internet goes out and with the iPad being on either 3G or 4G connectivity this problem will not exist. Also the need for intenret is eliminated due to the iPad. The system isnt really designed for mobility but rather it aims to replace the existing, stationary setups at the point of sale. The starting package is $3,330 and includes an iPad, cash box, printer, credit card swiper, the router, and the software license. The company offers two support pacakges and meail and online ticketing support for $100/month or per terminal fee thats available 24/7. The use of the iPad will make it easier for an establishment that is just starting out. Rather than running wires and installing internet, the use of the iPad will give the same functionality that a regualr touchscreen POS can bring. The amount of downtime due to internet failure is virtually non existent and the cost is at a very affordable price for any restaurant..

Almost everyone has a smart phone now and days. Apps are used for almost anything and this article gives evidence to how much you can do with an app. The article focuses on Las Vegas and how many hotels have different apps for every occasion. Vegas Mate caught my attention from how it has things such as "a listing of resort fees, top suites, information for travelers on getting around, conventions, gambling and more" that other Vegas apps don't have. I believe it takes great time and money for these companies to keep up with the ever changing schedules for each hotel. I'm a planner and I was really intrigued on how this certain app pulls up the latest update and weather from around the city and even "keep all those show tickets, dinner reservations and hotel bookings in order." I mean who can beat that? There's no excuse to why hotels and many other tourism spots don't have an app for all the amenities that are offered. It'll surprise guests and make them really pleased with their stay.

This article talks about the challenges of internet referral webpages that is hurting American Airlines and other big airlines.  This is an example of how this travel business is loosing profit by paying referral fees.

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

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

This article discusses how the traditional vendor RFP (Request for Proposal) model is no longer the ideal way to integrate the right technology marketing that a hotel needs. The traditional vendor RFP model is time-consuming and expensive, and with the way that technology is constantly expanding and changing, hotels need to stay up-to-date with technology more and more frequently, which can mean this process is wasting time and money on an ever-increasing scale. Furthermore, it is not always an accurate indicator of the kinds of technology a hotel might need, especially what a hotel might need in the future, and it is difficult to determine who would best be capable of knowing what the property will need or what exactly to ask for in an RFP. The article talks about three alternatives to the traditional model: the Scorecard model, the Digital Marketing Partner Interview model, and the Trusted Partner model. With the Scorecard model, hotels have a checklist of things they need and can check off each point from each potential vendor. With the Digital Marketing Partner Interview model, which is similar to the traditional vendor RFP process, except that the interview focused on finding a Digital Marketing Partner that aligns with the hotel's management philosophy, values, and culture in order to find the right partnership. With the Trusted Partner model, the hotel works with one particular company with whom they share common goals and objectives, and they work together to solve problems and adapt new technology as the hotel's technological needs are manifested over time.

This article talks about the pros and cons about utilizing a GDS system in your hotel property. How the benefits out-weights the cost? Does it make sense for your business needs and more importantly, can you maximize your revenue per available room.

This article discusses the collaborative creation of hotel chains such as Hilton and Marriott, RoomKey.com. It is an OTA site that provides benefits to users who choose to make reservations with the partnered hotels. It is different from other OTAs in that loyalty program points can be used, users are aware of the hotel at which they are making the reservations, the prices are lower, RoomKey provides detailed views of the location and rooms, and there are no hidden fees. I thought this was an interesting article in that it displayed some of the hotels' efforts to compete with OTA websites.

On August 17th, 2012 Forbes Magazine wrote about Onity's security breach with hotels room doors that affected over 4 million hotel rooms across the globe. During a security conference, Cody Brocious, a program developer showed how simply he could insert a device into the data port to access hotel rooms. The cost of this device cost him $50 to build. The company responded to the security issues with a two part resolution. To avoid hackers from accessing the data so easily, Onity will be issuing the hotels new caps that will cover the data case on the doors. Onity is also protecting the equipment with obscure torx screws that will enable the hackers from accessing the panel. The second fix is more costly and challenging for Onity. The company has created a new circuit board and firmware that allegedly fix the security issue. However, Onity is asking hotel owners to pay a nominal fee to help with the fix. Onity could face many financial hurtle through the recall of the 4 million door locks that need to be replaced. The security and safety of many travelers are at risk if this issue is not resolved. Companies such as Marriott International, Starwood Hotels and Hilton utilize Onity's key system across the globe (http://en.onity.com/companyprofile/Pages/Hotel-Resort-Worldwide-References.aspx). These companies won't be affected by the cost associated with the fix; however the small and independently owned and operated hotels will be affected. The question Brocious wrote on his blog and I also ask myself; how many hotels will refrain from properly fixing the issue? Are the major corporations such as Marriott and Starwood given each hotel a deadline to complete such project? Since neither company owns the properly, they simply operate the hotel, how much money and how quickly are owner willing to get this issue resolved?

This article claims that the hotels are trying to apply and adopt cloud-based hardware and software as the developing of computers and smartphones. The article uses the Delta Hotel as a example, explaining how the software apply to the management and how it be updated. In the Delta Hotel, Micro Opera 9 hotel management software is applied to many supportable devices. Also, the software contains the original product, mixing with new functions and fashion designs. Some company now is developing the software and application based on the Cloud system. Hotel Concepts-Brilliant a company providing such kind of service to hotels by collecting just only monthly subscription fee. The software-as-a-service has some advantages such as cost less, upgrade in time, no extra up-front investment and no property software or hardware to maintain. iTesso，which includes the booking engine, interface hardware and mobile applications is available as a front-end service. Call charging, POS system, accounting and keycard system are also included. The client who uses this software is able to use functions such as dashboard, check-in, check-out and housekeeping.

Now that cloud computing systems have become more widely used, hotels are also turning to this emerging technology. Cloud computing is far more convenient than traditional methods and this article states: "Delta Hotels and Resorts is piloting Micros Opera 9 hotel management software, which works with popular browsers and tablet devices, including the iPad. Through the transition, Micros will release Opera 9 modules that complement, and add value to the current Opera V5 application." "Using the software-as-a-service (SaaS) model, the iTesso Enterprise Lodging System eliminates the perpetual licensing fees that are standard with traditional, premise-based software. Instead, hoteliers pay a monthly fee per room for full use of the web-based system. The company claims that the SaaS model is more cost-efficient and offers perks like quick deployment, continuous upgrades, no up-front investment in either software or server hardware, and no property software or hardware to maintain."