Group items tagged

Actually, an offline business could be very resource consuming in terms of cost of advertising and promotion through postal mails and networking similar business partners through tele-calling and organizing physical interactive sessions. In e-marketing, the cost of establishing your presence and networking with identical bloggers is nothing compared to offline business. The E-business through the internet obviously has huge benefit for the business nowadays.

Most of the marketing efforts that cater to the organized sector are open 24 hours and 7 days a week. Moreover, the reach is global and customers feel convenient to shop/communicate anytime they want to. The clients are updated immediately about any new modifications and alternations in information through RSS feeds.

Almost everyone has recently heard of Cody Brocious and his gadget that was implemented and utilized to unlock guest room doors in Onity locking systems. This issue has been recently broadcasted all over the news and has gained the awareness of millions of people, making travelers panic when staying in hotels, and questioning their safety and security. The truth is, behind the issue at hand, travelers have been utilizing hotels and other establishments without being concerned or conscious of their safety, and with some negligence, and lack of attention, they put themselves at risk in numerous different ways. Although Brocious' invention gained the attention of the public, and although he went out of his way to be sure that other hackers out there knew how to replicate the system and how to utilize it to their advantage, enabling hackers to enter guest rooms and steal their personal belongings without their permission, or potentially cause physical harm to a traveler as well. Stated in this article, according to Forbes, the gadget that Brocious invented has proven inconsistent in its effectiveness. That is not to say that it could not eventually be improved, but with the changing in technology, and now the gained awareness, hotels are focusing more intently on ensuring guest security through their technological outlets. Technology affects many aspects of a hotel guest's security - from internet access to credit card information, along with guest room locks and personal identity. The article also suggests numerous ideas for how guests can avoid a lot of problems with their safety in mind, including using secondary security systems on their door, ensuring closure of the room door when leaving he room, as well as never keeping your room number written down with your key. The article also focuses on how utilizing your energy to ensure that your belongings are safe in your room as you would in your own home, is energy more well spent than being concerned about someone

Hotel wifi connection can be an easy access for identity thieves to stole personal information. Several surveys have show that there are many potential risks to get attacks through hotel internet.  WiFi Hacking Crimes Are Easy to Commit The security of hotel witless networks is a big issue and can be easily attempted by hackers. People may illegally use the internet access by staying in the nearby area of a hotel. Fake access point can also cause consumers in the hotel to lose their personal information such as credit card, banking or other confidential information.  The article also offers some solutions to avoid hackers. 

Reading your article brings us back to some topics that we covered in this weeks reading. The security of hotels is important in that industry, especially when guest give out important information. Like you mentioned for example, credit cards and other confidential information that hotels need and use to process the guests into the systems. It is important that hotels protect their guests by affirming that all systems they use are well protected.

This article basically talks about a successful adoption of HRIS system for Wente Family Estates. This company is comprised of numerous business units including a vineyard and winery, a restaurant, and a world class golf course. Their HR team and managers are responsible for a wide range of people, jobs, and related to the company's workforce. So they needed a solution for better talent management, sustainability, and improved time management and selected the Ultimate Software's HRIS system. The HRIS system enables HR team to easily assess employee performance against measurable goals and job competencies, create employee development plans, identity high performing employees for key positions, and build an environment that maximizes talent and rewards their best performers. Besides, it enables their employees to go online to view relevant details about their hours worked and schedules. It also enables managers to log on to the system at any time to stay on top of hours and labor costs so that they can quickly make decisions such as modifying schedules or job responsibilities, if needed, to control costs.  This type of cloud based HRIS system will bring many benefits to companies comprised of diverse business units to manage their human capital.

For large corporations is indispensable to count with the right HRIS that will assist the companies to organize in a logical order all the such as employment activities and job analysis.

The International Air Transport Association introduced a new security system at the 67th Annual General Meeting and World Air Transport Summit in Singapore in 2011. This new system would divide travelers in three different categories: known travelers, normal travelers and enhanced security travelers. Each level would have different security procedures and then passengers would pass through different tunnels, one for each category of traveler. For example, if you are a known traveler you would need to pass a iris recognition system which would confirm your identity and you would pass through a tunnel with minimal scanning technology. The scanning procedures get more invasive for normal passengers and even worse for enhanced security travelers.

In today's world of heightened sensitivity to security, the hospitality industry finds itself at the front line of this conflict. The biggest concern for the management of any hotel is to provide robust security to its guests, ensuring that their entire stay will be peaceful and problem free. To achieve this goal, hotels deploy a very structured and professional security policy. It ensures safety of its guests, staff and the estate. With changing security threat scenarios, there is a need to revisit existing measures and enhance the system where necessary. The BHMS system takes the security and ease of hotel management to new levels. The system revolves around a core biometric verification system which, when deployed in any hotel provides best in class security and ease of management in all departments. When a guest arrives at the front desk to check-in as part of the check-in process the guest is required to register his biometric fingerprint data with the check-in system. This data is automatically mapped against his room number and the room lock is updated accordingly. in some countries, hotels have to keep identity records and/or biometric records of all guests who stay or have stayed with them. These records are a great help to law enforcement agencies in case of need. To access the room, a guest is required to authenticate identity by placing finger on the biometric door lock. Only on successful authentication can a guest enter the room. This reduces a lot of burden on security systems as unauthorized access of the room and instances of theft are greatly decreased. This also eliminates the need to have any kind of keys to be issued to the guests.

Just as a website can be the online brand identity, the ecommerce website enables the entrepreneur to successfully display information about their products and services.

This article particularly caught my attention because it points out the major advantages of web-based PMS, but it does not mention the risk of transfering such sensitive guest information over the unsecure and unregulated Internet. Surely there are great cost-related and operational advantages to web-based PMS and that alone often motivates hotels to upgrade in that general direction. Afterall, the reason why the hotel is operated is to generate revenues. However, is risking the identity of thousands of your guests worth the money you will save? That is what this article does not cover. As the title points out, web-based PMS is the future of the industry, but securing the identity of the biggest drivers behind all revenue for your hotel is arguably more important. Is the risk worth the reward? I believe the Internet needs to become a more secure highway of information before the industry can fully embrace this new technological advancement. My thoughts on considering an upgrade to web based PMS: Research and proceed with caution.

This article indicated the importance of Internet for hotel industry and also assumed that web based property management systems will widely used in future. The author listed some advantages of web based property management system:1) Central Reservation System: One of the greatest advantages of using an online hotel software is that you do not have any more headaches about reservations.2)   Numerous Point of Sale: Keeping a check on the add-on services your hotel provides can easily be done with the help of the numerous points of sales.3) Sales and Marketing Console. With the help of this console, you can access the database of your customers get in touch with them notifying them of special offers and discounts. 4)Travel Agents and Corporate Clients:It is important that you properly deal with travel agents and corporate clients as they play a very important role in bringing in more guests to the hotel.5)   Connected to 1000s of Travel Portals: Web based PMS help you get connected to many travel portals like Travelocity, Tripadvisor and Expedia helping you reach more people. 

t is the age of the Internet, the age when many businesses solely run on the Internet. From marketing to reaching new people, there is a lot that can be done with the help of this medium. The hotel industry too is not insulated from its effect. Almost all kinds of hotels, from inns to bed and breakfasts to resorts, everyone is trying to tap the energies of the Internet and make optimum use of the medium. The Internet plays a major role in improving the sales and customer relationship.

As the iPad achieves success in the market, there has been increasing interest in using the iPad as POS devices in the restaurant businesses. This article introduces some advantages and disadvantages of an iPad POS system. First of all, with the iPad POS system, restaurant servers could use their time more efficiently because they don't have to go to POS terminal to punch orders or print receipts, saving much time. This may result in enhancing customer satisfaction because servers can spend more time with their customers. Another advantage can be security. Since servers carry POS devices, they are able to swipe customers' credit cards in front of customers. Therefore, customers would not have to worry about their identity theft. Lastly, the iPad POS system is cheaper than the traditional one, so it may be appealing to small restaurants. On the other hand, there are some cons of using the iPad as POS devices. Most of all, the iPad devices are sometimes unreliable since they rely on wireless Internet. Needless to say, there will be huge confusion to not only servers but kitchen staff if there is no wireless connectivity. In addition, the iPad should be handled with care as it is vulnerable to being dropped or hit. Also, restaurant managers and servers should keep their eyes on the devices since they can be stolen sometimes. Overall, the iPad POS system could be an innovative tool that may change the way restaurant businesses are now. However, restaurants should carefully consider the advantages and disadvantages before installing the new POS.

This article basically talks about four different types of POSs for restaurants, a brief overview of the main contenders and considerations.  The one of the interesting POS systems in the article is The Rail which is introduced last month, a digital bill folder that enables restaurant customers to self-swipe credit or debit cards at the table without the cards ever leaving their possession, thereby protecting against credit card and identity theft.  The basic Rail system includes POS integration, the BaseStation, a secure wireless system, a set of Rail devices (generally 1 device per every 3 tables), and monthly maintenance. Basic Rail devices incorporate a credit card swiper with encryption, billing touch screen display, bill splitting, tip calculator, signature field, NFC payment capabilities, LED stage lights, and receipt email program. The other POSs in the article are Card Case, Tabbedout which are a mobile payment system with smart phone, Square which is mobile card reader, and Chain-Specific Apps which permit the patron to call up menus, locations and nutritional data, as well as to order and pay on-line. Nowadays, many mobile payment systems tailored for restaurants and other food vendors are being introduced. Since they are new and challenges to restaurateur, considering what the pros and cons are and what kinds of POSs best fit to their establishments will be necessary and critical to remain competitive with others.

The article reports that the great majority of hotel guests desire to have state of the art innovation for their convenience, such as casting and voice interface technology. The type of innovation stems largely from guests being able to use their laptops or phones on the TV, while also access hotel services such as restaurant hours and possibly food services from the same interface. They assert. however that it is important for hoteliers to know how guests may be able to keep their identity hidden from potential practices such as "integration with the platform that may use this data for remarketing", integrate a system that can understand an manage foreign accents. It also brings up concerns of how to measure return on investment, showing a increase in revenue and that it is possible to update the interactions with guests once the technology is deployed.

Zippin is a provider of check out free technology that partnered up with Fujitsu to work with the Koyo Group to create the first checkout free store in Japan. This store opened as a test to see if this concept will be successful. The Koyo ultimate goal is to create check out free convenience stores in the hospital. So they can run 24 hour markets without relying on staff members to operate. The way it works it that customers have to register on an app and can use multi biometric authentication technology that links their palm vein and facial recognition. After registration they do not need their phones they can just swipe their palms.

Amazon has introduced a new biometric payment device that works by having shoppers scan their palms. This is similar to the Amazon Go app where shoppers can set up a credit card and scan the app on the way into an Amazon store. Palm scanning works well in a the current climate where people do not want to touch things others have also touched. This technology could be implemented and work well in places with high foot traffic such as stadiums. Palm scanning also has some security advantages. Palms are not as easy to observe and read as faces and not as commonly used as fingerprints. The data will be stored in the cloud and consumers have the option of removing it later, which helps some feel safer with regards to security concerns.

MGM Resorts falls victim to data breach last summer, more than 10 million customers' information were leaked out. It was took place through "unauthorized access to a cloud server." However, specialist said this breach can be avoided by regularly checking and monitoring. Also, specialist advised that MGM also need to take same security levels for data on premise in their could.

It was reported that MGM Resorts fell victim to a data breach on a cloud server but not much critical guest information was leaked out. Experts said that this kind of breach can be avoided by checking who was able to access the server regularly. Also, the company needs to monitor data to find out the leakage earlier than anyone else. Monitoring the data stored on the cloud should also be as important as those stored on-site.

the article gives details about a data security breach that the company was a victim of and how information of 10 million customers were shared .

The Hospitality industry have been greatly impacted over the years by the advancements made in technology. Customers have everything assessable by the click of a button or utilization of an app. Various software is being created to provide for quick and easy service but in turn takes away from the personal experiences.

This article is about the new advances in technology and investing whether it has been taken too far. It analyzes the new advancements such as apps where reservations are made. These new technologies have been made to enhance experience but not replace the warm feeling that hospitality gives you. The article concludes that we haven't taken it too far, instead it has made guest experience better. Especially when it comes to checking in, and not having to wait a huge line when you just want to get to your room.

As we learned this week, technology is impacting the hospitality industry. As the article states- "improving a guest's experience depends on the ability to identify the individual guest's preferences." This reminded me of the Smart Bar video we watched this week. Technology can enhance the quality of experience. However, depending on the businness/ company- most people would be unwilling to put a an investment into tech unless they see a significant uptake from the technology. Even though technology plays a major role in the industry, it has not completely took over human interaction.

A question we have all been asking is how can our data that we share be safe with businesses as technology continues to improve and progress into the hospitality industry. Biometrics are biological measurements or physical characteristics that are used to identify individuals like fingerprint mapping or facial recognition. Marriott hotels in China are already using facial recognition technology for checking in and charging the room fee and deposit to the guest's account. Many hotels also use biometrics for their IT operations. The closer connection between biometric methods and the user the security is greater. A person's phone is effectively safer than a hotel's facial recognition system and provides increased security of data.

University of Wisconsin at Madison has partnered up with Physical Plant and the UW police department to upgrade their security system. Instead of the traditional hardwired cameras the university has switched to wireless cameras which should offer more benefits. The wireless cameras will allow all the cameras to be seen at one location instead of at the specific buildings or nearby locations. The new cameras are now color instead of black and white and have a highly upgraded motion sensor compared to the old ones. I think these cameras will help the university and help them bring the crime rate down around campus.

In this paper a computer network is defined to be a set of autonomous, independent computer systems, interconnected so as to permit interactive resource sharing between any pair of systems. An overview of the need for a computer network, the requirements of a computer communication system, a description of the properties of the communication system chosen, and the potential uses of such a network are described in this paper.

The goal of the computer network is for each computer to make every local resource available to any computer in the net in such a way that any program available to local users can be used remotely without degradation. That is, any program should be able to call on the resources of other computers much as it would call a subroutine. The resources which can be shared in this way include software and data, as well as hardware. Within a local community, time-sharing systems already permit the sharing of software resources. An effective network would eliminate the size and distance limitations on such communities. Currently, each computer center in the country is forced to recreate all of the software and data files it wishes to utilize. In many cases this involves complete reprogramming of software or reformatting the data files. This duplication is extremely costly and has led to considerable pressure for both very restrictive language standards and the use of identical hardware systems. With a successful network, the core problem of sharing resources would be severely reduced, thus eliminating the need for stifling language standards. The basic technology necessary to construct a resource sharing computer network has been available since the advent of time-sharing. For example, a time-sharing system makes all its resources available to a number of users at remote consoles. By splicing two systems together as remote users of each other and permitting user programs to interact with two consoles (the human user and the remote computer), the basic characteristics of a network connection arc obtained. Such an experiment was made between the TX-2 computer at Lincoln Lab and the Q-32 computer at SDC in 1966 in order to test the philosophy.' Logically, such an interconnection is quite powerful and one can tap all the resource of the other system. Practically, however, the interconnection of pairs of computers with console grade communication service is virtually useless. Firs

This article discusses several technologies in which all hotels should invest in, in order to stay competitive within the market. The author goes on to discuss technologies such as: interactive television, increasing bandwith, RFID sensors, mobile application technology, and energy management. I think the article brings up valid points in awknowledging that the identity of the traveler is changing and becoming more "tech-savy". In essence, to keep attracting guests hotels must invest in these technologies in order to have a competitive advantage among those who haven't yet invested in such new innovations.

Now as the world developed, security of every area becomes more and more important especially in hospitality industry. More and more new technology is used in hotel. From this article, we know that the Hilton Americas-Houston has installed a cutting edge digital video system that relies on facial recognition technology.The hotel isn't just monitoring for potential outsider threat; it's also keeping an eye out for rogue insiders, too. The hotel is using facial recognition to monitor employee behavior, paying particular attention to any former employees who leave on less-than-pleasant terms. All employees are informed that video monitoring of them takes place. The video system monitors the areas where employees come to punch into time clocks in order to verify the person's identity. But perhaps more significantly, the facial recognition system is used to watch for any suspicious activities of employees or former employees. For security problems that happened already, the system can find relevant surveillance footage in seconds rather than hours, which can aid in solving crimes and possibly prosecuting criminals. Hotel security could also derail potential dangers before they happen by, for instance, uploading a digital image of someone who is banned from the hotel and letting the system send an alert when the person shows up. Using facial recognition, the system would issue an alert if the person walked into a hotel so security so then hotel security could then escort the people out of the hotel. In serious cases, footage can be stored and e-mailed to an insurance company or local district attorney.

This seems similar to the casino facial recognition technology that Professor Cilli mentioned in the video lecture. Its interesting that you mentioned protecting the Hotel and their guests from disgruntled former employees backlash. With the Hotel common areas not being private space I don't see why guests would have a problem with privacy infringement.

3VR highlights hotel security program that incorporates facial recognition to track guest, identify unwanted or banned guest and monitor employee attendance and behaviors. Also it can be used to help those pesky items that guests seem to keep losing by using color, size and other physical attributes. While this system has many benefits to a hotel, I see this being only feasible in a large property where the sheer volume of customers and guest can produce enough revenues to offset the cost of this system.