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New York City union employees are trying to secure a contract that would include a 29 percent wage increase for workers in big hotels. Hotels will also increase contributions to worker pension funds to 10.5 percent of total payroll. That's opposed to the former 9 percent. The seven-year proposed contract would affect some 30 thousand employees and could raise some housekeeper salaries as high as 60 thousand dollars. In perspective, New York City has the highest yearly hotel occupancy rate of anywhere else in the world, at 85 percent. Room rates are well over 200 dollars. It's understandable how Hilton, Hyatt and other large brands can afford to negotiate with union demands. I foresee that the accounting departments in many of the big hotels will be quite busy making the adjustments if the proposed plan is accepted after Monday's vote.

Nor1 announced today the integration of its pricing and merchandising solutions with MICROS OPERA, aiming to enable nearly 22,000 hotel properties to quickly increase revenue and customer satisfaction. This agreement between Nor1 and MICROS is a partnership fueled by common customers such as Hilton, Hyatt, Fairmont, Carlson, and Joie de Vivre, and the desire to help their hotels maximize revenue opportunities at every turn. Furthermore, Nor1's eStandby Upgrade is a revenue enhancement solution that is providing hotels on six continents real bottom-line lift and overall guest satisfaction. It is to note that Nor1's eStandby Upgrade does this through PRiME, the pricing and merchandising engine, which dynamically analyzes over a million points of data to more accurately identify the right product selection, upsell pricing, and display ranking decisions for each individual guest. Now eStandby Upgrade hotels running MICROS OPERA will have access to deep insight into all their guests, ensuring more relevant and targeted offers.

The article discusses the Green Mode and how human activities causing excessive fossil fuel emissions are forcing us to change the way we live and become more eco-friendly. This trend can be seen in the hospitality industry as more buildings are utilizing a green approach. These buildings offer sustainable features such as efficient use of water, energy efficiency, use of recycled materials and improved indoor conditions for better health and comfort. Companies using the green approach create value for occupants and increase property values by offering easier maintenance and lower operating costs. In India, The Indian Green Building Council (IGBC) have produced over 687 projects that have been registered under IGCB green building guidelines. These projects include hotels, hospitals and different factory buildings. Major companies adopting the green mode include Intercontinental Hotel Group, Starwood Hotels, Hyatt and Hilton. The hospitality Industry is beginning to take advantage of the benefits of going green. With energy costs escalating, reduced maintenance and energy saving is becoming increasingly more necessary. 

As the title of the article indicates, Hotels in India have decided to get into green mode. This initiative stemmed from suggestions from the increasing number of "nature loving" guests lodging in their establishments. Consequently, the Indian hospitality industry has realized that adopting an eco-friendly lifestyle would prove to be cost-effective as well as beneficial to the preservation of the environment.

It is examined that many large hotel chines in our industry work on supporting green initiatives. Clearly, they understand the benefits that would get from being somewhat green such as saving money and getting sometimes some facilities from governments. Although some large hotel chains have not done anything in terms of protecting environments, the others have successfully progressed at this environmental dimension. Amazingly, the green program in international hotel group, for example, is saving around $200 million every year. The Hilton Hotels, Ramada & Days Inn, and Hyatt Hotels are given as supporters of this initiative, and also the benefits that they get by implementing this environmental concept.

This article, although posted in March of 2011, focuses on the misleading ads posted online by hotels. "Photo fakeouts" present "breathtaking views that sometimes owe a lot to the marketer's imagination or reflect additional luxuries not found in the real hotel rooms." Oyster.com has undercover researchers book into these hotels and take photos of the what the rooms and views really look like and then they post them on the website. Although what the hotels are doing is technically not illegal, this is a prime example of invalid information and why what you see on the Internet is not all valid.

Today, going green is one of the defining movements of our time. The movement to conserve and replenish the earth's resources continues to build momentum and meeting planners and suppliers are doing their share to advance the cause. It is really a very good phenomenon that some major hotel chains are making to help planners organize eco-friendly meetings and events. This article talked about what the major hotel chains are doing to support eco-friendly meetings. 1. Toronto-based Fairmont Hotels & Resorts' Eco-Meet program. 2. Hilton International has declared that all of its 3,600 properties will be using its carbon calculator program, which the system analyzes 200 operational practices, including housekeeping, paper product usage, food waste and transportation, and determines their environmental impact in terms of energy and water use, waste production and carbon output. 3. Hyatt Hotels & Resorts' Meet and Be Green initiative, offers clients a 3 percent rebate on qualifying charges on the final pretax master bill for following the chain's 10-point green guidelines. 4. Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants became one of the first hotel chains to offer a dedicated green meetings package brandwide, attracting immediate interest from corporate clients such as Microsoft and Aveda. 5. Marriott has offered green meetings standards across its JW Marriott, Marriott, Renaissance Hotels & Resorts and Courtyard by Marriott brands. 6. Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide recently announced it would implement its new Sustainable Meeting Practices (SMPs). According to those hotel chains , by following the Eco-Meet guidelines, groups can save up to thoughts of plastic water bottles, aluminum cans, writing pads, pencils, paper cups and other else per year.

As hotels make every attempt to come up with new and innovative techniques to conduct business, technology companies are looking for ways to being the first on scene with new technological tools. Many hotels now have instead of swiping ones card through the lock and waiting for the green light to enter, the guest can simply approach the door with a card in their hands and walk right into their rooms. This is possible through radio frequency identification (RFID). RFID are also being used to track customer loyalty to ones brand. RFID Technology also allows the hotel to maintain better security by knowing more clearly who's coming in and going throughout the hotel, since each RFID card be detected by multiple sensors in the lobby, elevators and rooms. There is even the possibility to access ones room by simply utilizing their cell phones and having the phone unlock the door. This is done by simply dialing a phone number and when prompted placing the cell phone next to the door lock. An audio key will play and the door will be unlocked. The audio is unique to each and every reservation.

This article brings up some great points on building your Brand on a mobile App. As a whole, we are attached to our cell phones and using apps for everything. Creating a Brand for your Mobile App is a must have in our industry and it is the direction most hotels, cruise ships, and resorts are taking when you are on property/ship. Personalization and Onboarding is important to the user as they want to be able view their interests/preferences/needs. By providing a personalized experience (interactive maps, videos, etc.) via App we hope to provide the most positive guest experience. As the article states, providing a positive user experience creates happy users which results in Brand loyalty. The end result is always to capture repeat business and Brand loyalty.

The article describes a telecommunication system required for all types of hotels, as good communication is very important for the hotel industry. The article proposes that hotels should install hospitality PBX, which is a telecommunication system that allows multi attendants to answer calls and allow multiple users to make calls. Installing this system in a hotel would help the hotel guests to easily communicate with the hotel staff without having to move from their rooms. The advantages of this system are that PBX can help a hotel to centralize PBX management, control, and standards, boost communication and interaction between the hotel staff and guests, and improve comfort for the guests for they do not require to go to the reception to ask questions or make orders. PBX also improves communication between the hotel staff and the between staff and managers as it provides several features such as call hold and allows making multiple calls.

The system, PBX (private branch exchange), is a computer that controls the communications on a branch line from the telecommunications company. It is the technology that allows lines to be shared and can save a company money.

The article talks about an important telecommunications system known as PBX (Public Branch Exchange) that connects guests and hotel employees in different departments with just the press of a button. I have had experience working with the PBX system personally in two of the three hotels that I have worked in; so I can understand both of the positive points and negative points of having a PBX system as well as not having a PBX system. When I was working at the Hyatt Regency in Coral Gables, we did not have PBX employees or a PBX department; all of the calls, outside and inside, the hotel came through to the front desk itself. We answered all calls and also transferred all calls to the respective departments if necessary. Despite not having a PBX department or employees, we still had the PBX system to make those transfers to the departments that were needed; otherwise we would take care of the guests and their issues ourselves. In addition, it helped those of us working within the hotel because it was the best way to contact managers and other respective employees. On the other hand, if someone is not trained to make the proper calls or transfers, then you are out of luck. I know that it is not exactly a hard job or task to train new employees on, but the fact still remains that the basic need to be taught and known as well as the other duties involved. For example, at the hotel I currently work at, the PBX employees not only handle phone calls, but they also packages coming to and through the hotel for guests and others in the hotel. Overall, I would see it as a vital piece of a hotel's inner workings/departments and it would be a major advantage when installed in any hotel.

This article discusses how a hotel has put hotel owner model second to marketing, branding and technology related functions. Although it may seem like an easy job, however it's actually a huge job due to the heavy competition. Travel is a hard e-commerce category because it's hard to get customers to be loyal to their hotel. It's not simply about loyalty points anymore. Another aspect in this article mentions is how hotels are investing in tech to improve profitability. Having better tech can ensure a guest has a better experience and providing benefits to hotel owners. Specifically, the Hyatt is using technology in order to engage with their guests. Wyndham has installed over 4000 cloud-based reservation systems. Hilton also developed a system for loyalty members to be able to control the lighting and entertainment in their hotel rooms right from their mobile phone. This is called Connected Room and will launch this year.

The article talks about the effect that cloud computing has had on property management systems. Particularly, PMS integrations.

My opinions on this article are based on my own experience with PMS systems, specifically Oracle Opera. It has been a terrible experience over the years trying to solve any type of issue with Opera and the support is existent but very limited, which makes it difficult for an average front desk agent to even understand what is going on. With Cloud-Based PMS systems, it would definitely need to be crucial to develop excellent customer service that will actually help with things go wrong with the PMS system.

New entrants into the property management system have provided better alternatives to the legacy systems. Integrating those systems has been somewhat a challenge but in the future they(Cloud system) may well be the norm.

This article uses research information from five star hotel in Jakarta to scope out the feasibility of IT investment in hospitality to determine the value and tangible/intangible benefits of IT implementation. These hotels include the Grand Hyatt Hotel, Mandarin Oriental Hotel and Ayana Midplaza Hotel Jakarta. It is agreed upon by industry professionals that technology can improve business effectiveness and efficiency. Implementation of IT is one of the strategies to improve hotel performance, and as the development of information technology in hospitality has an impact on improving service quality, reducing costs, increasing productivity, gaining competitive advantage, and improving bottom line profitability. Research on this subject determined that most companies do not have procedures to see how effective IT investment has been. This article uses research to see hoe effective spending on information technology has been by means of financial evaluation, and secondary research that evaluates investments in the system. As a result, the analysis determines that in five star hotels in Jakarta, IT investment is quite beneficial for the hotel business process.

This article is giving the reader a look into the new check in procedures being implemented by hotels across the world. This "speedy check-in" allows for guests to by pass the traditional front desk check in and instead opt for check in via kiosks located in the lobby or even checking in before arrival. The automatic check in trend began as a way to relieve guests from having to wait in long lines when arriving at their hotel to check in . The option for speaking with front desk associates is still there but would rather serve as more of concierge, with suggestions on restaurants and questions regarding any leisure activities within the city or hotel itself. Some hotels are also taking the approach of personal greeters who approach the guest upon arrival, making the check in process more like a welcoming into a friends home. Overall I love the idea of being able to bypass hotel lines, especially during holidays when lines tend to get quite long or when arriving to a hotel fairly late in the night. Being able to arrive and head straight to the room allows for smoother check-ins and more efficient use of front desk associates. The personal greeters also provide more of an at home feeling. Guests can feel like they are personally being cared for as opposed to just being another occupied room. 

As we move into a technology focused society hotel needs to follow the trend of what travelers want and how to streamline using technology. This article describes how hotels are implimating kiosk in their lobbies to offer their guest a quick and easy way to check-in without having to make the line at the front desk. The hotels goal is to leave the "hotel embassador" and/or front desk for guests that have special requests or questions about their stay. They reference a hotel in Boston that has taken the electronic checkin a step further. They email the guests prior to arriving at the hotel two codes. The first code is to be used at the front door to enter the hotel, and the second code to enter into their hotel room keypad. They interviewed President and General Manager of NCR Corporation's travel business about these types of services. He stated that they offer travelers the same speed and quick services as ATM machines at banks or kiosks at the airport for quick checkin. He went on to say that they expect that type of service when traveling. Mr. Craig even touched on how a travelers feedback is even more important due to social media. One bad review can affect the hotel instantly after they tweet, post, etc. In the article they also interviewed Glenn Haussman, editor of the online trade magazine Hotel Interactive. He stated that with the use of the kiosk and express check-in the front desk staff can offer a more personal experience by doing other tasks. For example they mentioned a late check guest might want a snack or something to relax after a tough flight. By the staff not needing to check them in can go get the guest a coffee, or something to eat; this making the experience feeling more personal. The article states the Hyatt chain has implemented their kiosk in almost all their properties in major cities. They still offer a more traditional check-in as well. They went on to say some chains are using greeters with ipads to check guests in as they ente

This article talks about how hoteliers should be balancing the human touch with technology. Some businesses in the hospitality industry are leaning towards technology, forgetting the human touch is what hospitality is all about. Cutting costs does not outweigh guest experience. Hotels still keep the front desk as a nice touch, yet when we go to the movies we tend to go to the shortest line possible, which is usually the self-service machine. I think this is a trend at the movies because we don't consider it to be hospitality, all we are asking for is a movie ticket and can barely hear the person behind the speaker anyways. Front desk at a hotel is completely different. This is a huge first impression of the hotel itself. Guests are deciding to use mobile apps to check in early or use keyless entry, which means one of the things for front desk: a promotion or getting fired. Hotels are deciding to become more tech friendly to please guests and of course, to cut labor costs. The article mentioned: "The travel industry also needs to rethink its chase of digital tools and services as a proxy to the human experience, and build real social experiences as part of the social spaces it incorporates." This statement was very important to me going back to what I said about human interaction being the face of hospitality. Hotels in China began using mobile check in devices, which seems to be a way to meet in the middle with human experience and technology. These clerks are no longer standing behind a desk. In a way, this seems a bit more personal. Hotel front desks have not changed much within two decades. Of course, certain hotels within Hyatt or Marriott are exceptions. The point here is simply to make checkin and checkout flexible. A hotel can earn customer loyalty this way. It's nice for a guest to feel remembered if they have stayed at the hotel before. Creating loyalty can be very difficult when guests are booking through third parties.When it comes to check

In today's world no business entity is impervious to cyber-attacks. Marriot, Hilton and InterContential Hotel Groups were all recently affected by such acts. The traditional cyber-attack method which the hospitality industry employs is oftentimes simply a reaction to the attack- "incident responses". Instead, the industry needs to shift its focus and allocate resources to aid prevention of future of attacks. This new focus was be surrounding tactics, techniques and procedures (TTP) - the ability to identify adversary and implement the necessary processes to hinder attacks.

This article tells us about the importance of having a good cybersecurity. There are some big hospitality companies like Marriott and Hilton which have revealed that many cyberattackes compromised personal information for many guests and that cybersecurity has to be improved.

This article talks about Marriott's data breach. It talks about what other companies that have also been affected are doing. California has passed an act that protects guest information. The new law is a bit challenging for smaller businesses that dont typically have any IT onsite.

This article emphasizes how imperative it is for hospitality businesses to stay on the cutting edge of technology as a part of their business design and strategy if they want to survive in today's competitive market and remain in it, in the near future. The author expresses that today's hospitality market is being driven by Millennials' "the largest generation in the country's history" who patronize businesses that are socially and environmentally responsible. Armed with this information to capture their targeted market, more and more hotels are now incorporating from inception within their physical blueprint infrastructure that is environmentally sustainable and cost-effective. As well as obtaining Green certifications and implementing sustainable software to reduce waste and minimize leakages. This concept has also been adopted by cruise ship operators to reduce environmental impact through the use of technology.

This article introduces the different initiatives that the hospitality industry is taking with regard to technology in order to align with their target market or a large segment of their market. As being perceived, millennials are sought to be the largest generation in the country's history which leads companies to infer that they have a massive amount of buying power in their hands. Hospitality companies are now making strides to become more environmentally conscious. Some of these initiatives is incorporating LED lights throughout the facilities to reduce energy waste and cut down on costs. Another initiative is incorporating new systems in the guest rooms that enhance the stay while keeping it green like systems that adjust temperatures in the rooms, remotely powered shades, etc. Other companies are even using systems as a tool to help track, measure, and reduce food waste for more sustainable and effective restaurant/bar operations. It is no secret that technology is ever-evolving, and it will continue to develop as new features are discovered.

Article discusses millennials as the largest generation in U.S. history, and the speed at which technology progresses. In addition to paying attention to millennials' purchasing decisions, other industries must also meet their financial expectations. Many brands are taking steps to become more sustainable in the hospitality industry despite its reputation for producing massive amounts of waste.

Baha Mar was recently built to compete with the long time staple in Nassau; Atlantis. In order to overcome the already popular destination, Baha Mar knew they needed to knock the marketing and advertising out of the park. This article talks about how the marketing campaign aimed to highlight all the perks of the 4.2 billion dollar destination. I have personally received a ton of social media ads for Baha Mar, and the sell is that they have 3 different properties for each type of person on vacation. Whether for kids, a romantic getaway, or adults only, they covered all bases with their ads.

The major hotel chains are influencing legislation and also now requiring employee safety devices (ESDs) to make the workplace safer for employees (i.e. room service attendants or housekeepers) who find themselves alone in guest rooms with ill-intentioned guests. ESDs can also be appropriate for large resorts with beach personnel, activities personnel, or other positions that find themselves in enclosed, or remote areas with less security. Not every hotel has a security department that can constantly monitor cameras and ESDs. Will these devices present more strain on hotel wireless networks? That depends. Hoteliers need to consider whether these devices will be provided by or monitored through their keylock vendor, through their guest room entertainment vendor, or through a wireless provider. Could there be a benefit to an ESD interface with the PMS? I'm not finding an obvious answer. Hotels, varying in room count, are providing ESDs that range from whistles to wireless to BLE or RFID enabled. Hotel owners and management companies have the responsibility to research the most appropriate solution for their hotel without undermining the safety and privacy of their employees and their hotel networks.