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"Being "green" is more than just complying with local municipal codes; it's about going above and beyond the call of duty to make a difference."

As Peter Greenberg reports, it's simply not enough anymore for hotels to "go green." It is a hotel's responsbility to go above and beyond to help maintain a sustainable environment and limit the polution they are putting out into the world. I found how the initiatives by the Ritz Carlton in Charlotte, NC as well as the efforts from the Palazzo In Las Vegas particularly interesting as both hotels are in markets that one might not assume to be on the cutting edge when it comes to going green and receiving high marks for LEEDS certification. The Ritz-Carlton, a brand known for luxury lodging, might be expected to offer the highest level of service when offering valet parking to their guests. A typical guest might expect to see expensive cars utilizing the valet, however the Ritz has created a bike valet which encourages eco-travel amongst their guests. Personally I find this added "green" feature impressive. I think it allows guests to see just the lengths the hotel is going to in order to go above and beyond the standard green codes. Las Vegas, a city built on the ideas of excess, would not be a location where I would think of many hotels utilizing Green practices. The city is known to run 24 hours 7 days a week non-stop. The Palazzo uses solar panels, water conservation, as well as energy conservation to operate as a Silver LEED certified hotel. This hotel is able to make an impression on it's guests as they are able to operate successfully while conserving resources that will supply Nevada residents additional resources for years to come. I think Greenberg points out perfect examples of who the hotel industry should take notice of in regards to "Going Green." If these hotels are using it to their advantage, shouldn't everyone else?

Hotels around the world are looking for way to cut unnecessary expenses and costs, and are increasingly turning to technology to find a solution to this problem. InvoTech Systems, Inc. has introduced RFID to the JW Marriott Hotel Santo Domingo (in the Dominican Republic) in order to keep track of linens and staff uniforms. RFID (radio-frequency identification) is a growing method in the hospitality industry to collect, store and manage data. All losses will now be accounted for and that will reduce the purchase of replacement uniforms and linens. It is a great way to increase revenue as the hotel will be able to allocate more funds to other pressing matters such as making guests' stay more enjoyable; funds that previously would have had to be disbursed to replace missing linens and uniforms. Also, thanks to handheld readers, this technology is portable and the software seems to be fairly user-friendly.

The use of RFID to track employee uniforms is a phenomenal idea! When people hear RFID they usually think of the ability to fill a shopping cart and walk out while having funds automatically withdrawn from an account or applied to a credit card, but this use is innovative and a sure-fire way to reduce costs associated with inventory loss. At my previous property, the uniform department found that uniforms not being returned was so rampant that they eventually just accepted it as a cost of doing business. The department didn't even attempt to have items returned and employees of the department were always shocked when someone returned an item, especially after leaving the company. Needless to say, this practice probably cost the department a very pretty penny.

Conrad hotels have provided a new function into their Concierge mobile app, The Conrad Meeting. This app provides detail information about any of the twenty-three Conrad properties. The app can assist in adjusting meeting room amenities and provide any updates or changes to events. The Conrad Meeting allows excellent communication between hotel workers, event managers, and guests. Technology has provided convenience ways to make jobs easier and more efficient. Conrad had just made planners job a lot much smoother in their operational process when things or last minute things need to get done.

Even though the GDS had reformed the distribution system of the travel industry, will it continue to grow and update it's current model to upkeep the growing age of tourism? The International Air Transport Association (IATA) is looking for newer ways to revolutionize the travel industry. Tony Tyler, IATA CEO, feels that the Global Distribution System (GDS) is lacking upgrades and says "the GDS model is too clunky to adapt easily to the emergence of trends". As a result, the IATA is working on a new distribution capability (NDC) that will enable the industry to become on trend with online retailers and transform distribution. However, the GDS will still play an important role in aiding the NDS to get there. Tyler spoke at the SITA Air Transport IT Summit in Belgium, asking the IT partners to help innovate the air transport industry. He also explained that the IT already did and will continue on doing a great job with facilitating the operational efficiency.

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. 

This article summarizes the results of a study examining the usefulness of technology tools for event planning. Technology aids in the venue sourcing process as well as RFP generation and organization. This type of technology is also a useful tool for forecasting budgets and tracking financial KPIs. IN addition, it serves as a great communication tool connecting planners with vendors as well as customers.

I found this article very interesting as it covers some of the next technological changes the hotel industry would see. Hotel companies and property owners are spending lots of money to ensure they are able to satisfy modern day traveler's needs. As technology advances and more and more studies show travelers prefer to use their own mobile devices, companies have to constantly improve their mobile platform. Sooner or later hotels will have mobile keys that work via a phone on the customers phone or tabloid. Features like mobile keys, check-in, and communications via a mobile app will all require significant amount of investments by major hotel chains. All of these new types of feature also require more advanced security to protect hotel stayers while using the hotels' mobile apps. Over the long run the investment will pay off for large hotel companies as they will gain tons of data and data is very powerful and useful. I am interested to see how this affects small-scale motels as the investment in mobile platforms may not be feasible for an independent motel.

This article discusses six of the new upcoming trends in the hospitality industry in regards to technology. The first is mobile ubiquity - meaning the amount of usability of guests using mobile devices to check in, make a reservation, or purchase. The second is integrating mobile data and the integration of such valuable data. Third would be the Enabling of guest room technology, such as on-demand content and room features. Fourth would be Future-proofing networks and ensuring safety from hackers or malwares. Fifth would be beefing up security. Sixth would be energy conservation to save money on wastes and energy consumption.

Future proofing or building a more robust network infrastructure is the backbone and the most important part of any network model. It seems that newer buildings will have an advantage as they will have fiber optic installed as they are constructed which would be cheaper than replacing an entire existing copper network. This trend, will enable companies that have newer hotels to offer more services and meet the technological demand that their customers now expect.

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.

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.

This is a very detailed article about the various ways that hospitality firms are utilizing technology and using their capital to invest in IT related projects. A variety of hospitality firms were surveyed to produce this article on ways they plan to invest in IT and the various projects they feel are most worthy of their dollars. Some of the areas that were most noted and listed as worthy of additional IT investment include improving technology to improve financial performance and enhancements in CRM and loyalty programs, guest experience technology and ensuring the guest stay is always seen as paramount, as well as improved information and cyber security technology as well as an increased focus on understanding big data and improving employee engagement. This article is highly detailed in what it analyzes and it lists a long list of potential investments that a variety of companies will be taking on in the future. The focus of this article was on the year 2017, but many of these concepts still apply to the hospitality industry today and well into the future. Many of these things listed are also things we can see that many companies worked on leading to 2018 and continue to work on and it is the companies that put these IT investments at the forefront that will be leading the hospitality enterprises of the future.

The article discusses the numerous benefits of the self-order kiosk. Before, old iPads were used, but now, restaurants of any size can afford these kinds of devices. The article talks about a restaurant owner who were frustrated with an old POS system, who said that when his POS system crashed it costed him $8,000 to replace and update the system. But with the tablet-based system, you no longer need $10,000-20,000 up front for a POS system. The article also mentions the efficiencies boosted with the tablet-based system. For example dividing a bill used to take 30 minutes, now it takes 30 seconds. Also, some customers experience "line anxiety" when people are waiting in line for them to order, so they sometimes pass on the complex orders in favor of quick ones. But with the self-ordering system, customers are more likely to order complex options such as adding bacon or avocado. The article states that at one restaurant, the average guest check through the kiosk is nearly two times the average placed with a waiter. The restaurant can focus on service and the food, and less on the ordering and its accuracy.

The article discusses the aspects where technology is applied in the hotels. First, it is argued that although the hotel industry is considered to be among the slow adopters of technology, still the hoteliers are monitoring the innovations that can increase their efficiency. With the millennials constituting more than a half of all travelers by 2025 the industry should be ready to accommodate their needs for effective service with the help of technology. Bookings are made not only through traditional websites or OTAs but also via Twitter or Facebook. Online check-in process on a mobile device allows the guests select the exact room they want and open the door with the keyless access without stopping at the reception. The hotel rooms design is also changing to provide high connectivity opportunities. Traditional phones are substituted by tablets enabling guests to control the room features and connect with the hotel staff if needed. Internet of Things (IoT) is also considered as a way to improve the guests' experience and hotels efficiency. Finally, every guest now may have a great impact on the hotels' reputation through the social media. I believe that the article highlights the spheres where technology is applicable in the hotel industry and emphasizes the technological issues that should not be overseen by the hotels in order to remain competitive.

Air Canada's new platform, NDC Exchange, which works outside of the GDSes, allows the airline to manage the way its bookings appear on travel agency registration systems. The system was created by ATPCO (Airline Tariff Publishing Co.) and SITA, the latter of which transforms the data while the former provides the data services that make it have the ability to run,. Recently, several GDSes, such as Sabre, Amadeus, along with other entities like Verteil Technologies, Serko, and more, have also began to utilize their own NDC Exchange program.

Maestro is an Diamond star hospitality software started in 1978. The software has kept up with all the growing trends in the industry and has finally introduced an integrated system support. Some of the features of this new upgrade include direct help on each screen of Maestro's property software and also the ability to perform screen captures. They have real-time help available with 24/7 tech support with chat feature and screen sharing options. The new upgrade also enables users to request support or training online. These features enable Maestro to optimize it's response times for incidents. These new features give users personalized support and makes them more productive since they don't lose time waiting for tech support to show up. This is a great step forward in PMS technology.

eZee - a leading hospitality technology provider company have recently infused their eZee Absolute hotel PMS mobile app with the smart digital assistant and eZee Reservation booking engine with an intuitive chatbot. eZee have always been upright to bring the latest solutions before the industry; And with such futuristic initiatives, we can certainly affirm a bright and promising future for the industry." Empowering the hospitality industry with the right and the latest technology has been the prime motive of eZee. With the help of the chatbot in the eZee's booking engine- eZee Reservation, the hoteliers will be able to enhance their conversations with their website visitors. Upon setting a yet another technology milestone, Harshdeep Khatri, the CTO of eZee has his own vision to share: "Being the global leaders of the hospitality industry, it becomes our responsibility to revolutionise our software with respect to universal advancement of the technology. The digital assistant in eZee Absolute mobile app obeys the chat and voice commands made by hoteliers.

In this article marketing software that hotel's can use to send pre-arrival emails to guests is discussed. This type of contact allows hotels to increase revenue by offering additional services or upgrades as well as create detailed profiles about their guests. These profiles can be used to further segment and advertise as well as just improve the guest experience. 

This article describes how one company named ShopAdvisor set themselves apart from the others by delivering specific marketing messages and advertisements in a store instead of generic ones.

The purpose of this article was to review the available literature on the subject of ensuring software integrity for IoT (Internet of Things) devices, focusing on detecting and preventing modification of the original software, so that the device cannot be used for unintended purposes. The literature reviewed; secure boot, trusted boot and runtime security. Concluding that no one single control is going to adequately protect a device the solution based upon 25 years of experience is to create a multi-layered approach to security that starts at the beginning when power is applied, establishes a trusted computing baseline, and anchors that trust in something immutable that cannot be tampered with. Additionally, because a device built today can become a major problem tomorrow, due to them having hardcore keys "set and forget", the internet will then have literally billions of obsolete hosts in the coming years. Therefore it is important for MIS Managers/ Consultants investigate how to change the game in order to mitigate the damage or economic value of new systems being breached and by asking questions such as 'Can we even in the presence of a malicious attacker offer some limited form of security for the most valuable transactions (such as e-banking) or assets?' and 'Can we make the 'business' of the attackers less attractive by applying security technologies that are particularly tailored towards destroying the business model of the attackers?'

Several different hotel chains have fallen victim to hackers who have stolen the personal information of their guests therefore Hyatt is taking matters into their own hands. The hotel chain is offering a bug bounty program via HackerOne which will reward ethical hackers with monetary compensation for reporting flaws in their network and programs. They will then take the information that these hackers provide them with & work to strengthen the weaknesses in their cyber security.

With the demand for sustainability initiatives by consumers, hotel are having to make major changes in order to oblige. Sustainability has become a major concern for many consumers and businesses have taken notice. As a result, major hotel chains across country have begun to put in order plans to make changes to their daily operations. As noted in the article by L.A. Times, changes have been made to features such as water usage, machinery operations and even landscaping design . These changes and updates are in the hopes to attract a wider consumer market which now includes Eco-friendly travelers.

The LA Times article, "More hotels are going green, and not just to save water or money" highlights how an "earth-friendly image" is important to many corporate travel managers. Research suggests that having an environmentally friendly hotel not only aids in decreasing operational cost and avoiding city or county fines but may also be a way to differentiate a firm's brand and compete more effectively in the market. With travelers specifically seeking out eco-friendly choices and demonstrating a willingness to pay extra to accommodate a hotels ability to provide these services; going green could be a strategic solution implemented in a manner that allows for increasing market share while reducing operational cost.

Good Afternoon, It good to see hotels are being proactive about being environmentally friendly. It also great they mentioned that corporate travelers are looking for Eco-friendly hotels. I know a lot of companies require corporate travelers to seek out hotels that meet certain green levels and along with there corporate rates. Hotels are demonstrating that they are willing to invest in green technology not only for money but because it the right thing to.

This article expounds how hoteliers can ensure that their property provides a secure environment, while maintaining friendly customer service. This article goes into further detail about implementing key card access reviews in order to prevent the possibility for a criminal to gain undetectable entree to millions of keycard-protected hotel rooms. According to this article, establishing evergreen background screening protocols and controlling after hours access was also crucial in Hotels ensuring that their key card access systems are not vulnerable to hacking or unlawful access. Above all else, this article goes into great depth about maintaining an emergency response plan and team that would allow hotels to proactively implement prevention and response plans for everything from workplace violence to natural disasters.