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The Hotel Industry and its vendors are acknowledging and taking a keen revenue advantage, because their customers are supporting a green environment focus. This green economic revolution has impacted the $90 billion dollar Hotel industry. The article describes a hotel in Austin Texas profoundly in regards to their property having the "largest solar system in the continental U.S.". The hotel goes as far as creating their motto, which gear guest towards a green environment focus; their motto states "Environmental consciousness in action." The hotel grows its own food and vegetables, in which they serve the guest with, and they also give some of their produce to local food banks. The hotel guest often brag about how well they slept in the night, this might be caused by the toxic free chemical environment they are in. The lodging have refrained from using chemical pesticides 20 years ago, which may have added to the result of guest sleeping well; stated the general manager. The Ritz-Carlton program "Jean-Michel Cousteau's Ambassadors of the Environment program" was originally for the children that were staying on the Kapalua in Hawaii. The children enjoyed it so much, and their parents became very inquisitive; that the program emerged into the entire property focus. This program gives guest the opportunity to have involvement with the native forest; native nature walk and the hotel also harvest a native garden. This is almost the same idea as the hotel located in Austin Texas. There are many valid reasons for the reason why the Hotel Industry should be green conscious. The Green Hotels Association states that "Companies with proactive environmental strategies will make 4 percent higher investment, 9 higher sales growth and 17 percent higher operating income growth than companies with poor environmental practices.". If I was a general manager, this would be one of my main concerns and focus. Going green is cost effective, but the ending

nowadays, more and more hotels attending to join the green army. one of the most important reason is this kind of hotel will have a better market. because of the education level of the guests, their invironmental awareness become stongly. so the guests want to do more to make a contribution the the environment protection. on the other hand, the customers all knows that even the price of the green hotel is higher, but it is more health and safe. it will make them feel better and have a good experience in the hotel. as we know, a good experience is the final goal of hotel. so, the green hotel must have a bright future.

The green economic revolution is impacting the $90 billion U.S. hotel industry. There is an opportunity to increase revenue and market share by "going green". Habitat Suites in Austin, Texas is a leader in this area. The hotel's motto is "Environmental consciousness in action." Habitat Suites has an environment that is free of chemicals, has the largest hotel solar system, and uses their own organic fruit and vegetable garden for food in the hotel. Due to this environmental consciousness, the customers are reacting positively. Commenting on how great they slept, due to the ecologically fresh rooms. Many hotel chains are jumping on the green revolution bandwagon. At the Ritz-Carlton, Kapalua in Hawaii, they started an environment program that was originally designed to provide fun for kids. But after positive feedback from the children, this has grown from just learning about local marine life to educational nature walks. These walks go through Maui's native forests and a garden that grows native foods and has community engagement in order to preserve their island's culture and environment. The food that is grown in the native garden is used in the hotel to provide guests with a healthy dining experience. Because of this, it has increased guests' reason to eat at the hotel and is 15 percent of the hotel guests' revenue stream. This environmentally friendly program increases the possibility of repeat business and attract new travelers who search for these types of experiences. A report published by the Green Hotels Association states, "Companies with proactive environmental strategies have a 4 percent higher return on investment, 9 percent higher sales growth and 17 percent higher operating income growth than companies with poor environmental track records." Even non-hotel-industry entrepreneurs are realizing business opportunities in the green vacation industry. Patricia Griffin, president of the Green Hotel Association, started the associatio

According to the article, a survey sponsored by SAP suggests that businesses are looking to make investments in IT and effective use of technology is seen as a key priority in achieving growth. When it comes to technology, becoming more efficient and using IT more effectively over the next year is among the top three priorities of those surveyed, with 46 percent saying using technology more effectively was a top business priority. The survey indicated this was especially important in emerging countries, including India (72 percent), Brazil (75 percent), Russia (33 percent), China (44 percent) and Mexico (33 percent). In addition, 60 percent of respondents said they are automating more tasks and functions now than three years ago.

According to an Economist Intelligence Unit survey, the survey of more than 1,000 SMEs included businesses from the developed economies of France, Germany, Japan, the UK, and the United States. 53 percent of those in developed markets said growth were a top business priority. Effective use of technology was seen as a key priority in achieving growth, and according to respondents, the three main internal obstacles to growth were finding and keeping new customers, hiring and retaining people with the right skills and operating the business efficiently. When it comes to technology, becoming more efficient and using IT more effectively over the next year is among the top three priorities of those surveyed, with 46 percent saying using technology more effectively was a top business priority. The hotel industry usually does not invest enough to grow compared to other industries. I believe it is because they consider being a technological leader in this industry does not bring more profit than they invest. Investing on technology might not bring instant profits but it can be one of ways to become a top business priority.

The article discusses how hotel lenders and investors have found success with the direction of the investment market. According to the 2012 edition of the Hospitality Investment Survey, lower interest rates along with revenues that are outpacing expense growth are combining to provide investors with a greater level of comfort in regards to the U.S. lodging investment market. According to Scott Smith, vice president of PKF Consulting USA, the double digit growth of profits along with low capital and limited supply growth has made hotel real estate much more attractive to commercial real estate investors. Smith notes that institutional investors as well as private equity funds are more inclined to invest in full service hotels existing in the major markets, which has shown the most profit growth.  According to the text, investments in the hospitality industry will continue to remain attractive to investors due to the expected continued improvement in industry performance along with the availability of cheap capital. 

"Despite the challenges unfolding at a regional level in the Middle East and North Africa, hoteliers were still able to raise rates enough in February to achieve average rate growth worldwide and capture more bookings than last year. "Consumers are not only traveling, but they are also willing to spend more. Additionally, the corporate market is booking more groups and meetings business from corporations of all sizes as February bookings, rate and revenue growth was coupled with increases in length of stay and booking lead time. Even though at the time, hoteliers continue to raise rates, but people are still continuing to travel and spend money. The traveling public understands that their leisure time is valuable and are willing to pay for peace of mind. Also, bookings made through online channels provide a perfect virtual marketplace for travel inventory sellers.

This article post on the year of 2011, it said that the global GDS hotel bookings grew substantially by 23.5%, which driving revenue up by 36.8% in two years. And the monthly growth of more than 20% through July in 2010 to now. At the same time, the length of stay and booking lead time are also expanded. Compared with the booking rates in 2010, the business travel rates rose about 7% and rates paid by leisure travelers for hotel rooms increased 3.6%. The booking mostly through the ADS or online channels were all declined due to varieties of factors such as regional unrest in the Middle East and North Africa. Despite these challenges, the hotel managers still tried to achieve the high booking rates and capture more bookings than last year. Consumers are not only travelling , but they are also willing to spend more. People are tend to travel by groups in business or meetings, this will increase the length of stay and booking lead time. GDS bookings represent the mostly corporate market, despite of all the problems which could influence the travel rates, bookings made through online channels like GDS made growth rates keep increasing both in tourist on or off season.

This article speaks about, for the most part, how bookings done through systems are now only at an all time high, but continue to grow substantially.  ADS's on the other hand, declined from January's levels declined due a variety of factors including regional unrest, etc. However, growth bounced back in February and even set a new record for North America. Also, despite all the challenges throughout the middle east and north Africa, average rate growth was still achieved throughout the month of February and even outperform last years bookings for that month.

Moving into the sixth month of the year, this article seems to hold true to the growth of international tourism. In relating articles you will find that tourism has hit an all time high so far this year. With the economies slowly bouncing back from the recession people are starting to jump back into traveling. I must agree with the UNWTO Secretary- General, Taleb Rifai, when he stated that tourism should be supported by all governments around the world for economic growth. Tourism is a business in itself and there is always room for growth and potential money gain.

The topic mainly implies on how well POS system integrate and how useful it is in the industry from small to large business entities. The market growth definitely rely in the point of Sale system as they adopt the flow and the advancements which is mainly beneficial to hospitality industry. As it has been pointed out on the demand for enhancement applicable to the industry's tech savvy customers. It features it's functionality, convenience, as well as the use of different type of devices. It also entails a well detailed information with all the product types, components, application and geography. Although the research gives us a standard basis on its uses and functions but it gives ideas that the system is a demand as technology evolves quickly in business. POS function so well that it helps boost the market, and the hospitality's revenue. It also focuses not only for the easy use, but also assist associates when it comes to accuracy and efficiency to improve customer service. It is also good to know that implementation of the compliance requirements to ensure safety and security will not be disregarded as they enhance further.

Unattended POS is growing global trend which industry leaders will soon have to adapt in their business place. Quick service restaurants are quickly adapting to this change as it reduces wait time and increase in customer return rate. Other key benefits for businesses are the decrease in labor costs & minimal errors when processing guests' request. Ideally, merchants must speak with vendors to customize the self-service kiosk and to ensure they are in compliance. In the end this will expand revenue and efficiency.

Unattended POS machines hit a global growth of $9.22 billion in 2018 from 2017, and is still climbing. The unattended POS machine has shown to be particular popular in the quick service restaurant sector. McDonald's has announced a plan to put 1,000 self-service kiosks in their stores per quarter. Taco bell and Subway have also announced they will be adding the kiosks in their stores as an initiative to offer a heightened customer experience. The machines have come with the benefits of reduced wait time and faster customer turnover. POS growth is attributed to aligning with today's consumers' expectations. Customers value their time and rising labor costs can be eased with the machine as it expedites transactions and covers tasks not relied on by human interaction.

Global distribution systems have thought to eventually become extinct but the growth of new technologies has given GDS new hope. The three main companies that control this market are Amadeus, Sabre, and Travelport. Each of the companies has expanded their market penetration via their subsidiaries that are currently operating with global distribution systems. In 2014 Amadeus brought in almost $1billion in revenue. In addition, Sabre and Travelport showed positive growth. Airlines on the other hand, would prefer to directly have travelers book with them to save on fees. At the same time GDS brings attractive promotions to customers making them useful to the airlines and their revenue. GDS has stimulated the growth of online websites like, Expedia, Kayak, Orbitz, Priceline). Where potential customers find competitive rates and can book more than just a plane ticket.

This article identified some factors that happening in the market which drives a trend for increased bookings through non-GDS hotels. Business travel buyers are increasingly looking at newer opportunities to cut travel costs. Business travel slowdown imminent, The Global Business Travel Association forecasts that the business travel growth is expected to slow in 2012. And business-travel growth will outpace anticipated GDP growth, despite uncertainties in the economy. Rate negotiation process is getting increasingly tougher With a declining market demand, hotels try hard to remain profitable, and have toughened the rate negotiations with buyers. Many are exploring alternative strategies to generate savings from their hotel programs. Some buyers are considering alternative negotiating strategies to derive savings. Due to the demand for wider range of rates to aid policy compliance, corporates are looking for a better value proposition in using hotel aggregators. Hotel aggregation offers key value proposition The latest versions of HotelHub indicate that hotel aggregation offers a major advantage in corporate hotel reservation process. GDS firms and non-GDS are realizing the gap, and aggregation makes Travel Managers save lot of time and cost in servicing booking requests. This article identified some factors that happening in the market which drives a trend for increased bookings through non-GDS hotels. Business travel buyers are increasingly looking at newer opportunities to cut travel costs. Business travel slowdown imminent, The Global Business Travel Association forecasts that the business travel growth is expected to slow in 2012. And business-travel growth will outpace anticipated GDP growth, despite uncertainties in the economy. Rate negotiation process is getting increasingly tougher With a declining market demand, hotels try hard to remain profitable, and have toughened the rate negotiations with buyers. Many are exploring alternative strategies to gener

The reason for my choice is to show that GDS is still preferred in this age. No matter what evolution takes place with direct booking, GDS would never fade away. It is proven that via GDS, the occupancy in hotels are greater than direct booking, once again due to the fact that people have used this before and are comfortable with it and will not want to change.

Hotel booking transactions have increased by 8.8% since April which is the highest year increase through GDS since August 2011 setting a new record. Previously January lead with the strongest growth at 7.9% over 2012. Bookings are primarily business travel and have helped set an increase of 4% with rates .1% ahead of last years. When reported in 2011 it was said that the hotel industry is heavily influenced by the economy verses today reporting positive economic indicators which is definitely welcoming business and leisure travelers to book their travel plans using GDS. Not only did business travel increase so did leisure travel increasing by 6.2% from April 2012. This year in April growth reached its highest growth pace thus far at 5.4% with an increase in rates by 1.2%. Seems like people can always find money in their budget to travel. For the "condition" of the economy I am happy to see that leisure travel is still increasing and people are still using GDS to book. As we discussed in our discussion board, GDS should continue to be used. It is obviously growing and people have not stopped using it. All ages are using GDS and are finding it to work for them. As far as business travel, my company requires us to use our online travel agent even when booking through Expedia or another site is cheaper. They say it's the way they track our expenses for the year. I think businesses have started hiring less people and are requiring their employees to work remotely and then travel when needed. This could be where some of the increase in business travel is coming from.

Mobile POS has boosted F&B growth due to the ability to complete sales much faster and from non-F&B serviced areas of the property. The mobility contributes greatly to the increase in customer spending. With this mobility, companies must ensure compliance with PCI standards, and ensure that no credit card information is stored directly on the POS terminal. The article also touches on the subject of tokenization, and the usage of technology to secure a "token" rather than actual card data aids in reducing security risks.

POS Technology has developed majorly over the past years. Growing developing offering mobile devices that can help workers pace themselves and generate more sales. These programs also offer extra data security to protect the clients information against fraud. This device is perfect for sport arenas, bar, golf course and more open outdoor and large venues that cater to voluminous crowds.

This article is about the benefits of technology in POS systems. It shows how the technology can personalize the experience of the guest by having them be able to order from the moment they step into the lobby. The article also discusses how all the technology is good but in the hospitality we are walking on a fine line that we don't want to cross to creepy with biometrics. Technology offers efficiency in speed and will give a better experience. Not only this but it talks about how POS is becoming more secure, and how people want to pay in different ways.

This article shows how despite the trend into mobile devices and tablets, the industry growth of fixed POS system is still ahead. it is very interesting to see these findings, since nowadays all one seems to see or read about is this addiction to mobile devices and tablets. The article found growth in all the major regions of the world, which clearly states that this is not a random occurrence.

Although this is just a briefing of what is included in the full report, it is clear that event planning is a growth industry. With the growth in smart devices and nearly universal internet coverage, hotels that have their own venues or are affiliated with a venue can almost not afford to have a piece of the event industry. By automating their processes, hotels and their event planners can increase efficiency and their bottom line.

The growth of e-commerce has had a dramatic effect on travel and hospitality marketing. While consumers once relied on travel agents and other intermediaries to help book and research trips, a number of developments from the growth of sites, such as Airbnb and Google's high-ranking display of travel results for specific geographic terms, is leading a change in the way consumers buy travel and hospitality services. Therefore, marketing techniques are changing too.

This article is very interesting to me and what stood out was when it talked about how today's society, travelers rely more on travel apps and websites to handle their own research and compare prices. The upside for the hospitality technology industry is that there are more companies selling directly to the consumers. Their is an increase in competitive e-commerce environment industries which offers extensive applications to offer everything from owner-listed accommodations to discounted flights. A strategy a company would use is by standing out by offering a wider range of localized content assets in multiple languages. In the article the role of content in e-commerce travel is the research of travelers to conduct an extensive background check and research when creating travel plans and making bookings. In the years to come e-commerce companies plan to grow extensively and serve the International markets . I believe that hospitality sites that offer significant amount of information in the consumers native language and have applications and websites that are responsive on mobile devices are more likely to stand out from their direct competition.

This article talks about the importance of electronic business and the new advances that affect the way that business is done; the growth of sites is changing the way consumers buy travel and hospitality services. As a result, marketers are changing strategies to become successful in this very competitive environment, differentiating themselves offering a wider range of localized content assets in many languages to reach consumers globally. Smart planning and optimizing mobile applications to serve the international markets are the keys that lead to success.

this article is about the increasing demands of cloud computing, and is also leading to a rise in dollar spending. Remote working has been the drive for the increasing demands of cloud computing but as the result of the Covid-19 pandemic and the slow down of large business advising led project. The concern is that while the demands are going up, the actual growth of cloud computing is not.

Smart stadiums are growing in popularity around the world. In 2016 was estimated to be 4.62 million dollars and is expected to grow by just over 30% by 2021. There are different models available when designing a smart stadium. The on-demand deployment model will make up the largest share of the market. The leader in the growth of smart stadiums are Europe, Middle East, and Africa. There are six factors contributing to the growth of smart stadiums. However, there are two factors that are hindering the growth of smart stadiums. One of these factors is the investment. There are at least ten major corporations that are offering smart stadium solutions. Five of the ten corporations are based in the United States. However, there are some smaller companies that are forming partnerships to help stadiums implement the new technology.

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.

As competition has intensified in the hotel industry, hotels constantly invest huge money in IT to differentiate themselves from others, and ultimately win competition. This article talks about Choice Hotels' IT investment. The company decided to put multi-million dollars in IT to accelerate European market's growth. The investment is mainly designed to improve Choice's technology platform, central reservation system (CRS) and to automate back and front office processes. The investment also includes the company's web-based property management system (PMS), which automates front and back office processes, such as check-in/out, invoicing and inventory management. The hotel expects the technology infrastructure to benefit both hoteliers and guests in Europe. As hotels implement new technology, it eliminates certain jobs, such as front desk agents, and changes the way hotels conduct business. Hotels keep investing in IT in order to be more profitable and competitive. Choice's IT investment is an example of how hotels are changing with new technology.