Savvy businesses are
aware that regulations do not have to be a
negative restraint on their daily operations
- in fact, they can offer opportunities to
gain an advantage over competitors
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Why Go Green? The Business Case For Sustainability - How To Increase Your Bottom Line B... - 1 views
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In recent years however, environmental and social issues are emerging as a key risk issue for the lodging sector.
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Companies that integrate the environment into their business decisions and reduce their environmental risk and potential liabilities are in a better position to secure investment and reduce their financial and reputational market exposure (Graci and Dodds, 2009).
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Whether driven by cost savings or a principled strategy, the hotel industry is recognizing the environment, the community and their human capital as a valuable resource to be protected.
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Larger companies have been criticized as being the main culprit in releasing excess greenhouse emissions, climate change, environmental devastation, and unfair treatment of employees. Due to such criticisms and negative publicity, many businesses have increased the focus on corporate social responsibility
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Several studies have indicated that economic benefits can be gained in hotels through implementing environmental and social initiatives; many with little or no capita
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The ultimate result of these actions is a win-win situation; to reduce hotel operational costs and harmful environmental impacts
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For example, a hotel can reduce its energy consumption by 20-40% without adversely affecting performance
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Over time, however, green practices in the hospitality industry will become a baseline requirement, particularly as the cost of non-renewable energy continues to rise, regulatory pressure increases, and consumers become more demanding.
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Environmental programs have proved to be an effective means of generating enthusiasm and motivating staff to work as a team to achieve a common purpose
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I think that it is very important for hotel to go green. Many top hotels are the members of green hotels. That means go green is a trend. Go green could makes the hotel cost savings, competitive advantage, employee retention, customer loyalty, regulatory compliance, decrease risk and it's the right thing to do. When I went to New York, Key West and Boston, I found the hotels where I lived are all green hotels. They use retrofitting light bulbs instead of regular bulbs. But in China, green hotel is not popular. I think that it will be the trend in the future all over the world!
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Do Robots Have a Real Future in the Hospitality Industry? - Skift - 0 views
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Starwood’s Aloft Hotels announced earlier this month the introduction of a robot “Boltr” to aid check-ins and deliver items to guest rooms. Royal Caribbean followed suit with the announcement of robot bartenders on its newest ship Quantum of the Seas.
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While is may seem like the future promised to us on shows like "The Jetsons" may have never really arrived, we might be one step closer to seeing the gadgets and gizmos of the cartoon world become a reality in the hospitality industry. Starwood's Aloft Hotels, an upscale, modern hotel line that appeals to Millennials, recently introduced Boltr - a check-in and delivery robot. This machine was created by Savioke - a Silicon-Valley design firm. Like other startups, Savioke aims to minimize unnecessary work and increase efficiency. There is no reason an employee needs to be paid to walk back and forth to deliver items when a robot can do the job. Royal Caribbean has also introduced its own robot, specifically for bartending, in its new luxury cruise ship, Quantum of the Seas. Hotel staff unions see robots as a potential threat to their member-employees. Nonetheless, robots replacing employees is not just unique to the hospitality industry.
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Very much like the computerized bartender we've already studied, when does automation become too much? We are a "high touch" industry that relies heavily on our guest relationships. The human wait staff can make the guest feel welcome and spoiled (isn't that why we go on cruises in the first place?), the robot cannot. Let the machine prepare the perfect drink, then let the bartender add a smile and place it in the hands of the guest. It'll keep them coming back for more.
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E-Commerce for the Hospitality Industry | News | The Moscow Times - 0 views
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a list of the basic e-commerce strategies that will help to get the best from the Internet world.
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ensure that your landing pages clearly reflect the offer promoted in the ad copy and includes clear calls to action and conversion factors.
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Maps, photo galleries, videos and press releases are creative ways to distribute content on different channels.
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93 percent of social media users expect companies to have a social presence. 85 percent of social media users want companies to interact with them on social sites.
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Improve conversion and usability. With the increasing volume of information that hoteliers are trying to provide travelers, it is key for hotels to focus on usability and conversion.
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Paid search. This instantly drives targeted, qualified traffic to the web site and increases conversions.
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Real time search — natural ranking. Building strong sites with compelling fresh content, and quality incoming links will always be essential for any site.
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Hotels can leverage the mobile market by optimizing their site for mobile phones, improving the download speed of their site by avoiding heavy graphics and flash, making sure their site is mobile compatible, and promoting mobile sites across all platforms including paid, social and local.
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With the rapid growth and increased use of the Internet over the past 2 decades, industry professional Andrey Smirnov gives 7 tips to other industry leaders on maximizing their presence in e-commerce and in consumer minds: (1) make your website quick to download and easy to find; (2) organize content by prioritizing information; (3) when offering promotions, clearly reflect it with a call to action; (4) distribute 'fresh' content on different channels (i.e., photo galleries, press releases, etc.); (5) maximize on mobile marketing; (6) embrace social media; and (7) continually improve by testing new things.
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The internet is constantly changing, the way we communicate and they way we do business. The hospitality industry is always quick to capitalize on new technologies. However, the e-commerce growth in the hospitality industry has created an urgent need for simple changes to companies' presence online. So when every hotel is involved in e-commerce, why is it so important today? It is simple. Today, the internet is the lowest cost hotel-booking channel. As well as now, most travelers are searching and making hotel reservations online. Lastly, social media and online hotel reviews are increasing and have made an important decision factor. Now, hoteliers need to keep focus on what information customers are seeking and what they are looking for online. There are a few basic strategies that will help drive usage from the internet world. Some of those are: vave a search-friendly website, focus on usability and conversation taking a holistic approach and prioritize information, and lastly make websites compatible for mobile phones. If hoteliers can use the full potential of the internet, they will maximize their return on investment in e-commerce. The hospitality industry needs to constantly learn and look for ways to use the new developments and trends.
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Andrey Smirnov in his article "E-Commerce for the Hospitality Industry highlights how the internet has changed the way business is done not only in the hospitality industry but as a whole. He stresses the importance of e-commerce in the hospitatlity industry and why hoteliers must utilise strategies to ensure they make the most of the marketing and sales opportunties the internet provides. There are a few things that hoteliers must do to make the most of what the internet provides. They include: (1) Search Friendly Website Design - "site download speed is one of the most important ranking factors in organic search" says Smirnov therfore hoteliers must ensure that their site is properly designed and compatible across any browser, any items that causes the site to perform poorly shoud be eliminated as internet users similar to hotel guests tend to only visit sites where they can receive the best experience yet. (2) Improve conversion and Usability - content on website must be properly organised and users must not be bombaded by information. (3)Search - Hoteliers must focus on Paid searches as well as Real time search to increase traffic. Paid searches ensure that your targeted traffic are directed right to you. Whereas with a great web design with strong content that is also timely the natural ranking of the oranisation website can be increased thus increasing tracffic to it. (4)Mobile - Mobile devices have become a popular means of conducting e-business related activities for consumers therefore the hotel that ensures that their online services are accessible from mobile devices will be putting themselves ahead of the game. (5) Embracing Social Media - According to Smirnov 93 percent of social media users expect companies to have a social presence and 85 percent of social media users want companies to interact with them on social sites. With this being said one can see why a social media presence is one that cannot be overlooked. It is important that co
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Mobile Point of Sale is Helping to Save Small Business|PaymentsSource - 0 views
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Leading the way to more efficient paperless businesses are technologies like cloud accounting software, digital payments processors, web-based payroll solutions and accounts payable/receivable software
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digital payments processors like Square, Stripe and Braintree in recent years have been a godsend for businesses
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making it faster and easier for them to accept money from customers in exchange for goods and services
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efore the launch of Square, local merchants like food trucks, artists and coffee shops, had to default to only accepting cash to avoid incurring exorbitant credit card fees
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Beyond the immediate and considerable technical challenges of building payments processing infrastructures into your app or Ecommerce store, there are also security issues to consider
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Technology is also advancing accounts payable/receivable, payroll and other business services such as accounting.
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The term known as a Point of Sale (POS) has evolved greatly in the past couple decades. From an actual human being in a ticket window, to instant mobile ticket sales, we've come quite a long way. Technology has given us the ability to purchase things on both a leisure and business level instantly. From a business standpoint, POS helps optimize inventory, cash flow, expenses, and revenue. And from a leisure standpoint, it just gets consumers what they want faster. This article focuses on the importance of today's POS in small businesses. Stripe, Venmo, and Square are just a few POS applications that help small businesses. This allows the company user-friendly access to invoices, billing, taxes, inventory, payroll, purchase history, etc, etc. Venmo, for example, allows instant payments to either individuals or companies with a few touches of a mobile device, without the presence of the actual card. This third-party POS system verifies and then stores your account information. Prior to these tools, many companies had to resort to only taking cash, or incurring overwhelming credit-card transaction fees. Although evolving POS systems are an asset to small business, there is still a risk of compromising confidential information. For example, WingStop had four locations' POS systems compromised. This results in a lot of bad press and a lot of upset customers.
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Three Hotel Companies Select Aptech's Profitvue ASP Back Office Accounting; Hilton Gard... - 0 views
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The Aptech is a financial and operations technology solutions and service company which include 2500 properties to leading the hospitality industry valuing the human relationships and solve business problems by their understanding of the financial operational data. The newest Profitvue enhanced productivity ,reduce the expenses, provide professional training and increase profitability for more than 1000 properties. Many companies choose the Aptech by their previous experiences. They thought the Aptech keeps their financial processes running smoothly which include the revenue and expenses for rooms, F&B outlets, spa, and gift shop. The Gold Eagle Lodge also selected the Profitvue because the extremely stable make it become the best system to automate our accounting processes for the company and with accurate, same-day financials to guide business decisions. .
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The "IT" Factor in Service...How Does the Information Technology Team Fit into Today's ... - 0 views
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The IT or technology team is not always on the front line of attention when it comes to Guest Service skills.
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Their roles and guest demand for technology services has increased and is going up and yet, guest service may not be a priority in this department
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Ms. Nedry Guest Service / Customer Experience Mgmt The "IT” Factor in Service...How Does the Information Technology Team Fit into Today’s Guest Experience?
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Are IT teams oriented or trained to understand that they are providing customer service to internal customers, the employees and do they comprehend the behaviors that will add or decrease anxiety in these anxiety –producing situations?
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They are trained to understand the intricacies and nuances of machines, software and the internet. They are probably not trained to understand the intricacies and nuances of the humans and the emotions around them. Frontline personnel are trained to anticipate, be proactive and responsive to guest needs. Technology teams are trained to anticipate, analyze and be responsive to machine and software needs. Integrating the two philosophies and approaches can lead to productive new strategies to benefit both employees and guests.
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Now, with additional hi-tech duties and guest needs for immediate access to wireless and the ability to set up their hotel room office away from home as soon as they arrive, expectations are higher.
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Understanding the big picture and all the sensitivities involved can be powerful to share with IT teams.
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Providing a deeper understanding works both ways to create the most effective guest service strategies. IT teams can explain what it takes to analyze and solve problems to frontline teams. Frontline teams can explain to IT how guests react and what type of communication would be helpful to them and enhance service delivery. Developing effective working relationships between these two very different employee ‘cultures’ may seem obvious but is often neglected and that’s when misunderstandings occur.
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Other areas impacted by the IT/frontline interface include the hotel’s website, customer loyalty tracking systems, data collection, meeting planner specs, reviews and responses to them and especially now social media.
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Include and provide Guest Service training to all employees involved in IT or technology efforts. If any services are outsourced, make sure a representative of that company or key points of contact are integrated into the hotel’s guest service philosophy and standards
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This article describes the importance of investing in training between front of house personnel, and the IT department. While maintaining the efficiency of both of these departments is half the battle, it is also important to make sure they understand each others roles and needs in challenging situations. Cross training for both of these departments enhances the guest experience, and helps both teams understand the other more.
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shared by Yudika Claude on 08 Feb 15
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Why Indian hotels are not riding the cloud - The Financial Express - 0 views
www.financialexpress.com/...15791
PMS Internet Technology Hospitality hotel Software business Tech mobile
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Though cloud based PMS is gaining momentum in the global hospitality market, it still has a long way to go in India as hotels are hesitant to adopt it.
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Today PMSs have become more powerful, with features that enhance efficiency, improve control over processes, enable faster delivery of services, and engender guest loyalty. But among the biggest trends in PMS is cloud computing. The introduction of cloud based PMS has revolutionised the hospitality industry globally as it has opened up a vast array of features, allowing hotels to work in a new environment that is highly efficient, secured and technical, and minimises human errors. It also allows easy accessibility anywhere across the world and can be customised according to the hotel’s requirements.
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despite the benefits, cloud based PMS still hasn’t been able to gain the much needed impetus in the India market. Concerns over internet connection loss and data security are the two consistent arguments against cloud-based PMS.
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current internet infrastructure is not yet robust enough to handle the requirement of property system in terms of speed, up-time and minimum delay.” Security is another issue. “It definitely is more viable but less secure as information is literally in an unknown electronic cloud. However, with this technology, access of information has become much easier and larger data can be stored and accessed at any given time,” mentions Apte. Though these are legitimate concerns, hotels need to find themselves a professional, dependable and trustworthy cloud PMS vendor.
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Centralised PMS is a potential capital cost saving option for any property owner which will help him to minimise the entire project cost. The saving comes through many aspects like hardware cost, data centre space, electricity, air-conditioning, fire suppression cost in data center, etc.
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Interactive mobile PMS application and self check-in kiosks is going to be the future trend. This will help the hospitality industry to eliminate the fixed desk concept in the lobby area. Self check-in and in-car check-in will help guests to access his room in minimum time after exhaustive office hours and hectic travel
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As for Holiday Inn Mumbai International Airport, the OPERA PMS system in the hotel offers several modules including housekeeping, reservations and account receivable. “It is well interfaced and connected with the outside world for online reservation from different portals and our own website holidayinn.com
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There were days when guests would enter the hotel and line up at the counters to get their room and compete the check-in formalities. With our mobile check-in app guests can now check in a day prior, get their allotted room and even complete basic check-in formalities such as ID or passport scan right from their smartphones,” reveals Apte. Another initiative on its way at the hotel is the mobile concierge. Guests would be able to order room dining, get their laundries ordered or even request for a dental kit from their smartphones. “High speed internet, smart TVs, mobile check-in, mobile integrated room controls, etc are some of the factors that each guest highly prefer. Guests even desire internet access and Wi-Fi in the hotel cars and we have provided each of these services. With our PMS solution you can set parameters important to your enterprise. It offers a friendlier user interface, while ensuring easy maintenance, faster updates and greater security
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emergence of cloud computing has made centralised PMS a reality. Definitely, hotels in the future would opt for a centralised PMS as even today we co depend on each other for information. Making it centralised would mean access to information at any given point for use in any part of the country. A definite time efficient system to opt for
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With such advancements, the hospitality sector is on its way to become a highly technology oriented sector where manual tasks and services are no longer required
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This is a great article highlighting the cons of of cloud-based PMS. In India, the infrastructure is not developed enough for hotels to rely on a cloud-based PMS. While the hotel industry is slowly adopting things such as mobile check-in, there is great hesitation to adopt the cloud-based PMS. The Internet in India is not reliable therefore it would not be efficient for hotels to send all their data to the cloud. In the event of an outage, the hotels would not be able to operate. There are also many concerns over data security; Indian hotels are worried about transferring secure information to an "unknown" place. Yet, individualized properties are looking forward to centralizing PMS and perhaps embracing cloud-based PMS in the near future. Only time will tell how long it will take the Indian hotel industry to become more technology oriented.
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2014 POS Software Trends - 0 views
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. When asked to ID the key business drivers pushing them to make a POS upgrade, the vast majority (69.6%) of restaurant operators named “adding a mobile POS” (Figure 1). Coming in a close second, 62.5% chose “enabling new payment options.” Rounding out their top three business drivers, almost half of restaurants surveyed (46.4%) named “delivering personalized guest promotions” as a major objective.
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Hospitality Technology’s annual POS Software Trends Report polls restaurant operators about the major business drivers influencing point of sale technology, and asks them about the functionality they’ll be shopping for in their next POS upgrade (Figures 1 and 2). HT also asks the POS software vendor community to reveal their 2014 plans. This year’s results overwhelmingly indicate that restaurant operators and suppliers alike are focusing on mobile POS strategies, and are looking to add everything from mobile payment to tablet-based ordering to their repertoires
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Timing and mobility to conduct business is the key. Mobile devices can make transactions fast and seamless. In the customers point of view, hospitality is all about experience and meeting expectations. Utilization of appropriate technology can create personal service and success.
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By reading this article it is clear that customers want mobile POS systems. 69.6% of business drivers that influence the restaurant industry believe that mobile POS systems are needed. Mobile POS system are the hot new item in the restaurant industry. They allow the customers to take control of their experience and make it ask quickly or slow as they would like. We are living in a world of instant gratification and the technology in hospitality is no different. It sounds absurd that we can't wait on a human being to take our order or pay our check but it is true. The rate that people are working in today's time does not allow down time while dining so to add in some extra time we are using the assistance of technology. When asked about the top features in a POS system the highest was mobile phone integration at 45.8%. This comes as no surprise, we now do everything on our mobile devices. They are more than just phones or tablets anymore, they store and control our lives. We can pay bills, order items on the internet, make reservations, check the weather etc… all with a touch of a button so why shouldn't dining be any different. It will be very interesting to see what technology comes about in the next two years and if our way of dining out will be totally transformed.
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shared by dstic005 on 14 Oct 18
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Information Systems Used in the Hotel Industry | Global Hospitality Portal - 0 views
www.soegjobs.com/...on-systems-used-hotel-industry
technology hospitality hotel software tech Travel mobile solution
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Information systems typically include all computerised systems which are used to gather data continuously both for use internally and externally. Information technology has influenced every sphere of human life in the last few decades in a tremendous way. The tourism and hospitality sector has been a key beneficiary as it has allowed the contemporary traveler to enjoy a plethora of options. Information systems play a crucial role in the hotel industry as they facilitate planning, management, overall operations of the hotels as well as policy making.
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Smart Hotel Technology: Five Hotels That Are Doing It Right - 1 views
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This article identifies five hotels that are using smart technology in a way that is beneficial to the company and the guests. Luggage storage, voice controlled rooms, robotic butlers, streamlined check-in and entertainment with compatibility with smart phones and a digital concierge are all examined. The future of the hotel industry is going towards a hybrid of human and artificial intelligence systems to service guest needs.
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Hotel Industry Embraces Green Revolution - Green Hotels - Entrepreneur.com - 1 views
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The hotel's motto is "Environmental consciousness in action." The hotel environment is free of toxic chemicals, has the largest hotel solar system in the continental U.S., and the property's organic fruit and vegetable garden is used for hotel food services and contributes to local food banks.
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This program could potentially increase repeat business and attract frequent travelers who make last-minute decisions based on a search for unique experiences.
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Food grown in the hotel's native garden provides hotel guests with a healthy dining experience. In fact, the hotel's adoption of native gardening also gives guests a compelling reason to eat at the hotel and accounts for 15 percent of hotel guests' revenue stream.
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"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."
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"The eco-tourist understands that you can go to Disneyland or Las Vegas where things are done for you; but when an eco-tourist comes to a place like Hawaii he gets to do activities that benefit the environment, native culture and the human spirit." The value in experiential learning is a major marketing theme and competitive advantage green hotels are using to maintain and expand their revenues.
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The hotel and hospitality industry has become aware of the green revolution. Hotel guests are now leaning towards hotels that are environmentally friendly. This has lead to hotels establishing environmental programs, growing their our fruits and vegetables for use in the hotel restaurant, non- daily towl and sheet cycling, etc. There has also been an increase in eco-tourism. If the hospitality industry wishes to capitalize on the green revolution they should follow the trend closely.
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This article discusses the advantages of having a "green" hotel and how much it impacts the guest experience, in a positive way. From not using chemicals and growing food on site, they have capitalized on a new type of traveler and will find these guests to most likely refer business and be a repeat guest. These travelers know they are participating in "experiential learning" that benefit the environment and provide a more local experience. They are also generating revenue as guests are staying on site and enjoying the local fare, such as food grown on site.
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How Employee Time Tracking Software Transforms Hotel Management - 0 views
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Since the cost of labor is a significant expense, optimizing human capital is paramount. Time tracking software is the answer for streamlining employee hospitality timekeeping and scheduling.
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Employee scheduling requires: Forecasting occupancy Matching staffing demands to expected occupancy Creating shift schedules Adapting schedules to changes Accommodating employee availability and preferences
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The solution for efficient and cost-effective employee management is advanced time and attendance software. Let’s discuss some of the benefits.
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Cloud-based time and attendance eliminates hardware compatibility issues. This was a shortcoming of older enterprise systems. With cloud computing, all players can access work information from any internet-enabled device.
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With an online shift trade board, the manager posts open shifts when an employee calls in sick before the shift begins. If the employee fails to call and just doesn’t show up, the system signals that a worker neglected to clock in. The system sends alerts to all available workers. The current schedule feeds information to the trade board. The system knows which workers are already working and, therefore, unavailable.
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Any business is susceptible to time theft. Since many hotel employees are unsupervised, the hospitality industry is especially vulnerable.
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US employers pay millions a year in unnecessary wages due to time theft. A biometric time clock paired with a time tracking system allows managers to apply schedule lockouts and break rules.
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Time tracking software handles the complex logistics of multiple employee types and pay rates. These include overtime calculations, accruals tracking, break tracking, and absence management.
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With technology constantly updating and hotels getting larger and obtaining more employees, it is important to have a system that is keeping up with the times, and makes bosses work a little easier and more efficient. With the time tracking software it does all of that. The software allows managers to have available employees cover shifts, it ensures there will be no time theft, it keeps track of overtime, pay rates, absences and more. The system is cost effective because it does not hold up the employer in the office all day, and with the watches out for the time thieves. This system does everything a manual tracker can do and more. It is extremely efficient.
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Ahead of the Curve: Groundbreaking Tech in Hospitality - 1 views
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The hotel industry is well aware of this possibility, which is why the big brands are innovating like crazy to maintain an edge over smaller, more nimble lodging industry disruptors. By taking a proactive approach to new technology, brands are able to keep ahead of trends and implement solutions before guests even know what it is, exactly, that they’re looking for
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So, how do these big hotel companies implement innovations that, by definition, are disruptive to existing processes, while still providing the best guest experience? It’s apparently a combination of deep research, careful preparation, and closely monitored pilot programs.
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That interaction is key, because no matter how cool new technology may be, hotels are in the hospitality industry. Connecting with guests on a human level is integral to their overall satisfaction with their stay. If a front desk agent is using the best software on the market, but doesn’t make eye contact and smile at a guest as she’s checking in, what will the guest’s impression be?
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The rise of the Echo and voice-recognition technology is just one example of the lightning-fast way technology is evolving and changing people’s lives
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Guests want to be able to access all the amenities and conveniences of home when they’re on the road, and if a property isn’t able to keep up, it will likely be left behind.
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With new tech hitting the hotel industry so rapidly, taking the time to examine the main trends to best direct focus can be extremely valuable.
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There has also been a move towards cloud connectivity and the integration of systems that previously would have been separate
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Hilton is somewhat unique in that it relies very heavily on what Wilson calls its “innovation hotel,”
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The McLean property is also unique in that everyone in the hotel—including the guests—knows when pilot programs are happening. “We’re very transparent about what we’re testing and why we’re testing it.
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The big brands, while constantly innovating, are still fixated on one goal—giving guests the best experience possible. “Our primary focus when delivering technology is making sure it also aligns with our strategic initiatives, including driving consistency in delivering an outstanding guest experience,” Cline says.
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“Imagine, a Hello Rewards member walks up to the hotel’s coffee shop and the barista is automatically notified that this guest is named Sarah and Sarah enjoys lattes with almond milk.
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This article goes into details about the new technology emerging in the hospitality industry and how it is that hotels are able to stay ahead of the cutting edge trends of today.
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I found this article interesting as it is closely related to the discussion board topic for this week. It touches on the point that guests expect the same level of convenience that they can experience at home when they are travelling. Voice recognition devises are on the rise and this new technology is affordable enough to be a regular house-hold item. It's difficult for hotels to have a competitive edge while trying to stay one step ahead of the game. Maintaining excellent customer experiences while avoiding unnecessary touch points for the guests is the goal for many businesses. The article mentions that Hilton as a technology "test" property, where all new technology is transparently tested on staff and guests and valuable feedback in derived. I think this is an excellent idea that more hotel brands should incorporate.
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New Report: Guests Demand Investment in Hotel Technology - Intelity - 0 views
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This article is about how guests prefer the use of technology when they stay at a hotel. According to the article, 64% of guests say that investing in hotel technology is important. Everyone uses mobile devices each and every day and they expect to continue using them while on vacation. "A third of guests are interested in using a complimentary hotel tablet provided in guest rooms. Forty-one percent of guests want a message to their smartphone when their guest room is ready. About 21 percent of guests want the ability to stream content onto the in-room TV." Although excessively using technology has decreased human interactions, while on vacation travelers rather have the information given to them on a device rather than having to go to the front desk for everything. Smart phones have made trips more convenient from start to finish.
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5 Benefits of Using a Hotel Accounting Software That Integrates With Your Cloud PMS - 1 views
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5 Benefits of Using a Hotel Accounting Software That Integrates With Your Cloud PMS
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I felt like this was a really great article for this week's topic as it reiterated many of the points mentioned in the PowerPoint and lecture video. There are so many benefits to incorporating accounting software into your business practice. Companies can worry less about human error and save a lot of money by cutting down on the hours it takes for someone to do all the work manually. You can also utilize the software in a variety of ways: generating cash flow statements, monitoring payroll management, and compiling budgets are just a few mentioned in the article. In doing so hoteliers may see trends in their data that they couldn't previously. This article is sponsored by Hotelogix, a cloud-based property management system, as a way to advertise their product. Typically I would take what they have to say with a grain of salt but I feel like the advice they give is actually really unbiased.
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Accounting in the hotel industry has moved on from the traditional methods of using spreadsheets to the modern hotel accounting software.
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● Budgets● Compare profits (between current and past periods)● Prepare financial statements, balance sheets● Cash flow statements● Payroll management● Business planning and much more
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Generating and procuring all these details manually, consumes time and involves tremendous effort. Plus, it may lead to errors, too
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A hotel accounting system makes it easy for you to generate invoices, account statements, produce payslips, and much more
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When integrated with a cloud-based Hotel PMS, it becomes easier for you to access your accounting data from anywhere, anytime, and on any device.
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Tablets replacing paper menus in restaurants - a long-term trend or too problematic? - ... - 0 views
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Customers will be able to browse the food menu and place their order which eventually gets posted in the kitchen display console. That’s the core functionality. But there are other extended features: Customize: Monteko of Stacked Restaurants says that 95% of diners customize their orders. Visualize: Pictures and detailed descriptions of the food item can be shown. How many times have you read a food item (say ‘Death By Chocolate’, a dessert dish) and wondered “how does this dish look?” Engage (and Earn): Restaurants can engage the customers by offering a lot of innovative features in the tablet, such as social media connections.
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This article reflects on this weeks topic of e-menus. It refers the different companies that have started this trend and the birth of this technology. It explains the pros of having this and what encouragements are embedded in order to grasp the user and influence them to play. AS mentioned in the summary, not all restaurants will adopt this as their are many risks involved with this type of technology.
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The hospitality industry is a service driven industry. In order to enhance service menus are a current topic of concern. Through the benefits of technology traditional menus are being replaced by E-Menus, ipos, menu pad, deplooid, own point, imenu and many more. This article outlines E -Menus in the form of a tablet and its associated concerns for the long term. In traditional times menus were in the form of paper however, in today's day we are moving towards a technology based society. The core features of the tablet menu for a restaurant are noted as customization, visualization and engagement. A tablet menu allows for a restaurant to ditch the paper. This provides a change and the ability for your restaurant to stand out against the competition. It is however important to note, tablets should not replace the traditional server or waitress. As noted in our previous discussion topics I think technology should be used as an enhancement not a full replacement. As with anything there are both negatives and positives. The article notes theft, credit card security, breakage as several negatives to look out for. Tablet menus are a trend but not one that every restaurant will adapt. The restaurants who adopt new menu changes are able to take the risk. At the end of the day technology is great but also risky.
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This article was very interesting as it analyzes whether combining technology in the restaurant industry will appeal to customers. The debate of using tablets to replace paper menus has been considered by different restaurant segments. Its advantages include the ability of updating a menu continuously and offering clients additional advantages such as the option of viewing images of the dish. One of the benefits it offered is that guests can use tablets for more features, such as playing a game and competing with another diner in the same restaurant. I personally feel that not all restaurant segments will appeal to this. With regards to etiquette, fine dining establishments prefer to offer a well- designed paper menu. A tablet is quite distracting and it is an expensive investment if each guest is to have one. I believe this is only useful in a fine dining establishment while reading the wine menu as it can be updated frequently. For other restaurant segments such as a casual restaurant, this can be appealing. While technology can always be beneficial, some establishments are better off with traditional approaches to dining.
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As i have mentioned in all of my posts this week, e-menu is believe is the future of the restaurant industry. Throughout this article you read about the positives of electronic menus as well as how difficult it might be to get the electronic menus might struggle to hit the ground running. It is a very interesting and educational article.
ELECTRONIC WASTE RECYCLING - 0 views
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shared by imontenegro on 10 Apr 19
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An introduction to building management system vulnerabilities - 1 views
searchsecurity.techtarget.com/...agement-system-vulnerabilities
technology hotel software business tech solution
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In December 2018, the FBI warned that unpatched devices on networks were exposed to hackers through an open port used to communicate with control systems.
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Target stores attack in 2013. Criminals gained access to Target's point-of-sale (POS) system software to obtain the credit and debit card data associated with over 110 million accounts. However, the criminals did not directly attack the POS, but instead began stealing login credentials used by Target's heating, ventilation and air conditioning vendor when they connected to the Target web applications. Through this vector, the attackers gained access to Target's Active Directory and, ultimately, the Target POS system where they could collect credit card numbers and other sensitive data.
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In another example from 2014, a hacker broke into the building control system of a five-star hotel in Shenzhen, China, to manipulate room control systems and steal customer data.
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The four key modules of a building management system include management, automation, field devices and communications. The management level includes the human-machine interface, enterprise software, workstations, servers and, sometimes, network switches. Automation is the primary control for field devices.
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Another common BMS vulnerability is ineffectively controlled remote access to systems. The Target hack demonstrated how remote access, if it is not rigidly controlled, can be used against customers.
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One last, often-overlooked vulnerability is an aging BMS. Many buildings still have legacy BMSes installed that could be subject to simple attacks, although some of the older systems are analog-based and are not as easy to hack as modern, Ethernet-based systems. Regardless, the old systems may have default passwords that can be found on the internet and that cannot be changed or patched. These old systems may also have open ports that cannot be blocked unless you install a major -- and expensive -- upgrade or retrofit.
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Building management system is an intelligent microprocessor-based controller network installed to monitor and control a building's technical systems and services. they can be directly integrated with a broad range of building services, including access control, security, power, lighting, fire systems, elevator and escalator controls, smart whiteboards, and clinical systems. Hackers are becoming more savvy to BMSes. As a resullt, businesses must spend time and resources to patch any vulnerabilities.
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shared by imontenegro on 29 Jan 19
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The Top Technology Trends In Hospitality For 2019 - Minutehack - 0 views
minutehack.com/...trends-in-hospitality-for-2019
technology hospitality hotel tech business travel mobile green
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Technology is providing travelers novel experiences and interactions. The new technologies include: Artificial Intelligence (AI), Internet of Things (IoT), connectivity, and other technology. Artificial intelligence is currently being integrated into chat bots for phone calls, but there are far greater uses. Facial scanning and voice recognition is starting to gain traction. It offers more secure, faster, ad better customer service. Some hotels have even added Amazon Alexa devices for their patrons. The internet of things features hotel guests to unlock the door to their room using only their smartphone. Blockchain and cryptocurrency transactions eliminate the need for third-party mediators. As a result, hotels that utilize blockchain and cryptocurrency can offer better rates to the consumer without affecting profitability. All of the emerging technology frees up the preexisting staff to provide and maintain excellent customer relationships. "Over the last few years, travelers have been meeting robot butlers and concierges in hotels like Hilton's Connie, powered by IBM Watson AI technology." "SoftBank Robotics' Pepper, a humanoid robot developed with IBM Watson, has been introduced at Munich Airport and Václav Havel Airport Prague, where the robot not only informs but entertains passengers by dancing and offering to take selfies." "Gartner predicts that 85% of customer interactions will be managed without a human by 2020." "At Intercontinental Shanghai Wonderland, face scanners enable guests to verify their identity at check-in, pick up a digital room key and gain access to the dining room at breakfast." "Two Roads Hospitality has partnered with Amazon and Volara to develop a customised Alexa for Hospitality platform that facilitates daily tasks for staff, such as identifying maintenance problems or signaling that a room is ready for check-in." "Luxury hotels like The Plaza New York, Aria in Las Vegas, The Torch Doha in Qa