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Airbnb has paired with several of their hosts to offer free housing for individuals affected by Hurricane Dorian. This program was started back when Hurricane Sandy took affect but they have decided to bring back this concept and help those in need. In hospitality we must offer what we can at all times with arms open and Airbnb is offering shelter to those that lost it all.

In the article, "Green and Eco-Friendly Hotel Amenities" it talks about how many different hotels are doing their part and keeping the planet green. The first place that the article talks about is the Mayakoba, Riviera Maya, it uses no motorized vehicles instead the guests can use electric golf carts or electric boats to ride around on the nine miles of canal. "Each resort also has an onsite biologist to lead educational boat tours through the lagoons." At the Palmer House Hilton in Chicago they built a rooftop garden to provide fresh vegetables and herbs for the hotel's restaurant, they are also considering making space to put several beehives, this will lead to a natural approach of producing honey. One of the most interesting and easy ways to stay green was at the Calistoga Ranch in Napa Valley; they have sheep that eat the grass replacing all lawnmowers and on top on that, their manure helps fertilize the soil. It's a win, win solution! In New York they have a restaurant called Habana Outpost and you really have to work for your food, literally. At this restaurant you have ride a bike that powers the eatery blender and if they generate up to 100 watts of energy, they will earn a free meal, such an amazing and creative idea! This "is part of the hotel's larger commitment to eco-friendliness, which includes a CO2-neutral building, solar panels, and groundwater-based heating and cooling systems." At Jicaro Island lodge in Nicaragua, they used all of they wood from trees that were knocked down in Hurricane Felix and they also use a good majority of their wastewater that is recycled to irrigate the trees and plants. Before reading this article, I never knew that so many hotels were doing their part at staying green and I'm surprised by all the new and unique ways that they have come up with, it gives me hope for the future!

This article was very interesting and it was about how safety security is very important to the hospitality industry. This article also explained how a study shows the safety and security systems work in the hospitality industry. They also said that it is very important to update the emergency plan because you never know when something going to happen in the hotel and you always have to be ready for anything. This study just showed how an effective information system could prevent and being well prepared can definitely help prevent any emergency.

The article is a study that was conducted in regards to the security management within a hotel and how an effective security system can help in preventing accidents or emergencies from occuring. The main priority of a hotel or any establishment, besides the service provided, is having an effective emergency plan set in place to be able to respond and overcome a crisis. International hospitality being a focus over the recent years, has suffered crises, risks, and disasters causing negative impacts on tourism and the community. Hotels should "issue a check-list concerning a hotel's vulnerability to emergencies caused by natural disasters (hurricanes, earthquakes, tsunamis) or man-made crises (terrorist attacks, explosions, fires, spill, food poisoning)." Another part of the plan is to focus on the loss prevention aspect of a hotel by implementing information technology to secure or improve security. On technology mentioned was biometric to increase the hotel information system and also to help reduce cost and improve the way we recognize criminal activities. With the hospitality industry being one of the most vulnerable industries to crimes and disasters, it is important to recognize, improve and update the plans set into place to ensure accurate information. While it's impossible to say that these preventions are going to stop these problems from happening, it can help other learn about the proper steps to handling these situations. I personally think that as much as employers suggest different way, it's the job of the loss prevention team in every industry to construct a plan that address as many issues and conduct trainings that would help to prepare us for these occasions. Trainings are going to be the best way to properly analyze a problem and improve on the emergency plan set.

In the article, "Travel Agents Increase Use of GDS to Book Hotel Rooms," it talked about how the leading global provider of revenue is generating solutions for hotels, it shows how important GDS platforms are to travel agents. "84 percent of respondents indicated that they were using their GDS platform the same amount or more often than in the past, with 35 percent stating that they are using GDS more." Back in 2009, when the last study was conducted, about 26 percents of travel agents said that they used their GDS platform more often than in the past. This study also states that the annual GDS shopping displays will be over $50 million in 2011, which will increase more than a million bookings compared to 2010. There was another survey that was done and they surveyed different travel agents from across the world that were subscribed to a major GDS system. In the survey the travel agents indicated that promotional messages are effective and often prompt bookings. Out of the travel agents they surveyed, 66% said that they were aware of the "promotional messages requested addition information by looking at the screen attached to he promotional message." From this survey it showed that promotional messages are an excellent way to reach travel agents and from reaching the agent, they also reaching the customer, it's a win-win reaction.

I enjoyed the part about brand and promotional messaging, that is always a lure for me. When I see an attractive offer, evern If I'm not interested in booking or going to the destination, I often click on it anyway just to see the offer. It is a very effective marketing tool.

I found an old article on Physical Plant and preparation for Y2K! The claimed that high tech hotels needed to check their flash light batteries, first floor grounding of elevators, back up generators and fuel tanks. Besides the fact that this is written for doomsday Y2K they have a valid point to have a disaster plan if an earthquake, hurricane or any disaster takes the hotel off line. Loss of power is a real threat especially in hurricane Miami. We need to know that data will be backed up, rooms can be accessed, and that people will not remain stuck in an elevator. Please read below With hotel systems growing ever-more tech-dependent, disaster planning extends well beyond protecting data. Proaction Better Than Reaction Computer Systems Demand Special Attention Just outside California's state capital, the Sheraton Sacramento Rancho Cordova Hotel is a magnet for business travelers in the high-tech and government sectors.

Before Midnight Cilli! No pumpkin carriage here lol. Thanks

Because of the global terrorism and political unrest, hospitality as a vulnerable target must take action to prevent terrorism. One big problem is how to keep customers and employees safe without ruin customer's experience. This is said because customers in the United States pay less attention to security while enjoying their vacation. Therefore, it is the responsibility of the hospitality industry to make sure that their customers are safe. There is a couple of ways to protect customers under terrorism. For example, using biometric technology to recognize and monitor suspicious person. Using explosive detection animals to monitor public areas, and installing crash rated fencing and pop up barriers, etc.

Yes, I like this article very much. It would certainly protect guest from not only hurricanes but thrown objects, or any other intruder coming through the window. The problem is statiscally speaking, most break inns occur through the front door or forced entry..

This Hilton is taking on a very ambitious project to help save a lot of money in power costs. They are installing wind turbines on the rooftop of the hotel. The good thing about these turbines is that they seem to be sort of "stylish" and not the typical field turbines. The turbines, a total of six to start, will assist in creating more sources of electricity as opposed to the conventional methods. Electricity is probably one of the most expensive costs a hotel has to deal with. Using turbines will definitely help cut costs. Additionally, Hilton is not new to using green initiatives. They are planning to install solar panels in 2013. Both the turbines and the solar panels are expected to supply about 5 to 10 percent of the needed electricity. Also, the windows are built to block out the heat from the sun and to withstand the forces of a hurricane. Of note: this particularly Hilton was the very first hotel in Broward County, FL to receive the Florida Green Lodging designation. Erica

This article discusses what benefits an HRIS will provide a firm. Some of the most important benefits include cost savings. The system allows an HR manager to manage more employees so they firm can hire less in the HR department. Additionally it provides insight into other departments if turnover is high and the system can save money in the long run in the case of legal disputes. For employees it allows them to access their information and get contact information for other employees. All these benefits improve the job performance of everyone involved.

The article talks about major trends in tourism events, ranging from green initiatives through F&B to the 2nd largest reason people go to events is networking opportunities and providing quiet areas where people can network in is a good idea. More events are being planned so it is necessary to book event venues early.

Like everything nowadays is evolving, also the meetings are evolving in order to stay trendy and appealing for consumers. Meetings are growing exponentially YOY at a rate of between 5-10% according to the prestigious CWT meetings and events company for 2020 (without counting coronavirus). The reality is that the meetings industry also needs to evolve in order to stay in business with the new trends, clientele and times. This list provides 19 trends that every event planner needs to consider to make their event a success, including but not limited to the new demographics in the world (millenials).

This article is about 19 event trends that event planners should be informed about. People are expecting different things from events that in the past years where not expected. Trends have changed, for example, it is a trend now to have minimalistic events instead of gaudy ones. Now people also expect creativity out of the event and to have a unique event. People also care about security of the event and fast WI-fi. All these trends are important to know and will continue changing with the years.

Overall, the hospitality industry has seen tremendous growth over the year. However, utilizing these new software systems and their easy updating features can benefit these hotel properties in a major effective way. These features allows staff members to monitor, easily adjust and plan lower costs, and monitor social media marketing for future hoteliers.

When I was looking through the news, I knew that hotel software would have positive influences based on costs. They are enhanced with developed tools. I like the view that hotel software would take more trends within account retrieving and customers opinions. I think no matter what happened hotel software should be valid for hotel owners to hire. It is innovative. Furthermore, I would make assumptions about estimated future processing. It should be risk free to keep an example while hazardous events happened. It probably costs more like hurricane is running thorough for a hotel. Whether should they run a PMS and RMS are good reasons to concerning about more clients. Whether the chopsticks could be electronic one to apply for a utensil is a wondering. The conclusion I think is a must that I like the article about hotel software.

This article references the specifics of the M3 platform, which is a more efficient accounting software for hoteliers. After several test runs, M3 has proven to help several properties streamline their accounting process, track data in real time and cut costs where possible.

M3 is a useful hotel accounting software that can be used on mobile devices, according to the illustrations. As mentioned in this article, accounting software can do things that generic providers can't, like delivering actionable business intelligence. For M3, it also gains the property managers more benchmarking insight and turned a management company's IT department into a profit center that offers service. Furthermore, by replacing the IT department with two employees and a cloud-based accounting system, it saved a large sum for a management company.