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This article explains the benefits of brands being able to send relevant information in real time to consumers mobile devices for the most benefit.

This article, though dated back a couple years ago, I found really interesting because the author made certain predictions about what he believed would happen in the future with travelers and what channels they use to search for/book their room nights at hotels. The article touched on how important social media marketing "will be" (in real time, it is!). He also pointed out how "travelers visit 38 websites on average before purchasing their online travel package" and how the real challenge here is to get customers to use direct bookings to cut out or lower some of those expensive channel costs. Lastly, he also included mobile marketing, meta-search, and the growing importance of Google+. As I stated before, the article caught my attention because the digital marketing trends predictions made in the article have all came true!

This GDS allows over 300 major airlines to get connected with thousands of points of Sale and this platform, consisted by only 3 major ticket distributors known as a GDS other than the airline website. Airlines are paying around $7 billion dollars per year for using GDSs. This is a huge amount and consumers have to pay this.  But at this moment, GDS is still needed as a neutral technology platform especially for small travel agencies.  

Chang, Great Post! Technology continues to advance daily, with new technological advances we will be able to book airline tickets different ways and the need for GDS will continue to reduce. Southwest Airlines has been able to maintain cost by the limited involvement the company has with GDS's. Hopefully by decreasing GDS's cost, we will be able to afford cheaper airlines tickets with other carriers (http://blog.compete.com/2011/01/26/american%E2%80%99s-gds-gamble/).

The digital marketing has undoubtedly been the essential marketing strategy today. This article emphasizes the five trends watch in 2018. Firstly, digital platform should be considered as the primary channel as most of online channels are already intertwined, so a sophisticated strategy is a must. Secondly, searching engine marketing should not be ignored as younger generation start with it. Besides, although smartphone can do almost anything today, the desktops still matter. As for the content, visual images are far more important than the plain words, that's why media channels like snapchat, Instagram are even more important than before. Lastly, digital marketer should remember that loyal member are engaged, but not always loyal.

This article explains some of the benefits of an HRIS system. Explains how companies can cut costs with these systems, and also the features available. For example, automated on boarding, employee self-service, boosts employee engagement, and helps reduce the amount of time an employee is in HR since most questions can be answered through these systems.

Dear friends, i thought that this might be interesting for you to know. Did you know that our favorite Netflix wasn't the first online DVD subscription service? It was a Blockbuster . com :) And the fact that people will mostly shop online? 192 million in the USA! (I' honestly like shopping outside, so this way i can smell, touch, and try; although eBay is doing pretty good job by selling cheap Chinese stuff and having a free shipping. You can not even return the package , because it's 3 times more expensive to return than the original cost! ) What do you think? Thanks

With the internet, emarketing is the best way for many hotels to reach their guests throughout their experience (before, during and after). For hotels, they are able to capture data and better understand what their guests desire and enjoy. For the guests, they are able to learn and see about the hotel and feel secure within their selection. It also allows people across the globe to experience the hotel and thus opens up business.

I found this article online which talks about PMS in France - and according to the author, and as the title hints, PMS change and evolve over time, but not as fast as the market - especially not other technological advancements. This article concentrates on France, but in my opinion many points can also be transferred to other countries/markets - such as the fact that more PMS are becoming cloud based. According to this article, 40% in France are already cloud based. At the end of the article, it also gives an interesting 10-point fact sheet about PMS in France.

This article was very interesting. It is a short read but it talks about the future POS systems and it is a very cool and definitely increase customer satisfaction. The article mentions five examples which are image scanning, quick sales/mobile POS, RFID, Biometrics, and digital product tracking. Image scanning would recognize items on a conveyor belt so it will eliminate human error like double scanning and will speed up the process. The implementation of quick sales/mobile POS will also speed up the process of check outs by allowing associates and customers the ability to purchase anywhere in the store. RFID will ensure accurate scanning and product security. Instead of a tag on the garment a RFID transponder is printed directly into the cloth or packaging using biodegradable conductive inks. Biometrics will improve store operations and customer experience by personalizing the experience for each customer. Digital product tracking will eliminate the need for checkout lines. This will be done through the customers' mobile device, tracking the items on there and then transferred to the POS or self-checkout. Then a digital receipt will be sent to the mobile device. This article at the end is exciting because of what the future holds for POS systems.

As technology advances so does the way consumers buy products and services. In order to keep consumers happy the hospitality industry has adapted itself to be more mobile and convenient. Mobility and convenience are two very important factors when making a website or app for E-Commerce. Many hotels and restaurants have created apps for cell phones and tablets so that guest can have convenience and mobility when booking a reservation or ordering a meal. E-Commerce profitability is maximized by using digital marketing. Two major sources for digital marketing are search engines and social media ads. Through digital marketing companies can constantly advertise to consumers anywhere at anytime in a cost efficient manor. Search engine marketing allows companies to increase the number of visitors to their website by putting them at the top of search engine results.

To summarize this article, it mainly discussed how the layout of digital marketing within the hospitality industry is constantly changing and highly important. This is something that is a challenging task for most hospitality businesses, especially hotels. It was said that there are many factors/questions to consider when approaching digital marketing such as " How much does it cost to acquire a new guest and how do we encourage this new guest to book directly through a brand's website?" Websites are plays a vital role in digital marketing are one of the main starting points. Hotels and other hospitality businesses should be frequently updating websites with useful information that compliments more visuals such as images and videos. In addition to that, it was even mentioned how making sure that the website is easy to navigate and readily accessible to customers is essential. After carefully reading more into article, SEM (Search Engine Marketing) was mentioned. This is more like an assessment in a way and a method to show where a hotel or business stands as a brand. For example, if your were to simply google the word hotel, brands such as Marriott and Hilton would most likely be at the top of the list. That is actually good and will benefit those brands greatly in the aspect that there reputation, which possibly stems from online review sites and social media platforms, is well known. These online review sites are capable of monitoring and responding to customer inquiries/comments. The article also touched basis on how the demand of social media presence is vital and should not be overlooked. Social media proves to be cost effective and efficient. Simply using hashtags with either the brand name or keywords can attract prospective customers which in return will generate more revenue. Overall, the article was clear that as far as the hospitality industry goes, digital marketing is something that has evolved in so many ways and can generate good revenue if the plan

Digital marketers in the hotel industry are adapting to the changing climate for OTA's guest expectations, advertising, and competition. Hotel Websites must be clean, low text, and image based with opportunities for guest to comment or ask questions. How to guests find you online? How can we create strategic links from the website to a brand's social channels for increased retention? Business owners will need to learn search engine marketing (SEM) to ensure that sites appear high on listed results of search engines. Paid advertising and Geo-targeting advertisement will be essential in offering the right products to the right markets. Markets must set measurement goals to monitor performance at different stages of ad campaigns and decided if ads should be adjusted. Lastly, the social media craze is still going strong, and being aware of current trend such as Instagram and hashtaging will be crucial in for current success.

Smaller properties such as independent hotels don't need an elaborate PMS (property management system). They can go by with some advanced ones without having to pay an outrageous cost. The ones listed in this article are Opera, Ezee Master, Roommaster, Hotelogix PMS, MSI Cloud PM, Frontdesk Anywhere, and Rozlynx PMS. The property's needs have to be compared with what the systems have to offer and from there, the management can select the best one. Larger properties that belong to corporate companies usually have their own PMS systems that they use at every brand that has their corporate logo. For instance, Hilton has OnQ PMS system, which whether you are at a large Hilton property such as a resort or a small Hilton property that is a franchised property, they will use the OnQ PMS system.

This article compares the top 5 PMS systems for smaller hotels. Some of these software's are able to function on any size properties, but some are very limited. The most recognized PMS system, Opera by Oracle, is able to function through a cloud or it can be installed. This article provides pros, cons and costs for all PMS's and emphasizes the importance of finding the right match for a hotel.

I found this article to be very interesting. This article gives us a walk through 9 different software solutions for small hotels. This article made it very clear to me that in the hospitality industry it is crucial to find the right software that best matches your hotel. Software has an immense impact on the overall experience of the guests and that brings credibility and customer loyalty. The articles gives us the positive and negatives of each of these systems. This made me realize, that as an aspiring hospitality industry employee and manager, it is crucial to learn about these programs and use them properly.

I chose this article because I believe it is a perfect example of how to make the most out of the technology revolution! Blockbuster did not see the opportunity fast enough and so Netflix put them completely out of business. There are advantages and disadvantages to the "wait and see" approach but I think in this case, Blockbuster missed out on a huge opportunity and they didn't look into the future as they should have. As technology is constantly evolving, the only way to keep up is to stay current.

Capterra is a webiste that offers the proper research for businesses to look for a software that works best for them. The article discusses the most popular software solutions that works best for small hotels. The list of the software's discussed already included what reviewers loved, their advice for improvement, and cost. This is a great article for small hotels to look at because it is an easier way for them to select a software that suits them best.

These are the most popular software that are used by small hotels specifically

Smaller hotels run with tighter profit margins. This article discusses the 7 top softwares that are available to a small hotel that have many features i.e. front desk, bookings, food and beverage - all in one software application.

This article gives a snapshot of what a large grouping of diners say will help them feel safe again to go out to restaurants. Specifically, it shares some great data around takeout vs. delivery percentages as well as cooking at home. It also outlines what measures are most important to consumers and what will really excite them to dine out again.

Security is one of the biggest reasons to keep everything updated. Some software developers release the issues when they find a new version. This lists the problems with security in the old version that have been fixed. If the systems are not updated, hackers use the old now-known flaws in the systems to breach it. It is also important to update to maintain compliance with all regulations and the current laws.

This article is about the integration of social media in marketing for restaurants, and particularly how that has adapted and changed as a result of the pandemic. The article gives a brief introduction with some statistics outlining the particular usage of social media by different generations and how they make decisions regarding the content they see on that social platform. It then goes into detail about how Instagram is the primary platform that leads to success for restaurants marketing. It then takes a slight turn and explains that many consumers are looking to give their business and attention to entities that take social or other stands and seem to have a genuine care for making the world a better place. It has also been shown that outsourcing of marketing has reduced as a result of the pandemic and the need to save money during the hard times. Additionally, there is something that consumers find appealing about the genuine marketing that an internal employee is able to do on a platform such as instagram. The article concludes that even though the pandemic has been a terrible thing, it has forced restaurants to become more proactive and innovative in their marketing strategies.