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What's Driving IT Investment in 2011? | News | Hospitality Magazine (HT) - 2 views

  • “Advances in wireless and mobile technologies, products and services are changing the landscape of the hospitality industry and how it operates,” says Craig Mathias, principal, Farpoint Group. “With a demanding client base equipped with increasing numbers of smartphones, tablet computers, notebook PCs and even rugged devices, successful hospitality IT organizations recognize the need to upgrade their existing WLANs to improve network reliability, capacity and coverage to support customer-facing applications, as well as internal services that enable their own mobile workforce and improve the guest experience.”
  • Elevating the guest experience
  • The Motorola Solutions 2011 Hospitality Market Barometer reveals that 91 percent of hospitality decision makers realize the increasing importance of mobile and wireless technology, while 78 percent recognize the role mobility plays in ensuring a competitive advantage for their business.
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  • Enabling operational efficiency
  • Empowering the mobile worker
  • Fifty-six percent of hospitality organizations plan to raise mobile investments to better equip their workforces, improve operational efficiencies and enhance the customer experience.
  • Advances in wireless and mobile technologies, products and services are changing the landscape of the hospitality industry and how it operates,” says Craig Mathias, principal, Farpoint Group . “With a demanding client base equipped with increasing numbers of smartphones, tablet computers, notebook PCs and even rugged devices, successful hospitality IT organizations recognize the need to upgrade their existing WLANs to improve network reliability, capacity and coverage to support customer-facing applications, as well as internal services that enable their own mobile workforce and improve the guest experience.”
  • Improved guest experience is the top driver for mobility investments, cited by 76 percent of hospitality venues surveyed. Hospitality decision makers are investing in mobile technologies to support customer-facing applications that improve guest services by handling wireless email, guest/attendee check-in, table-side order/payment or event ticketing, among others. Sixty-one percent of respondents plan to deploy some form of video capabilities, including video surveillance, video conferencing and streaming video, in public access areas such as lobbies. Fifty-eight percent of surveyed hospitality organizations deploying mobile technology today see improved customer satisfaction. 
  • Key facts from the survey
  • A recent Motorola Solutions, Inc. study uncovered that information technology (IT) spending in the hospitality industry is expected to increase in 2011, with guest experience cited as the top driver for investment.
  • The Motorola Solutions 2011 Hospitality Market Barometer reveals that 91 percent of hospitality decision makers realize the increasing importance of mobile and wireless technology, while 78 percent recognize the role mobility plays in ensuring a competitive advantage for their business.
  • Elevating the guest experience
  • Improved guest experience is the top driver for mobility investments, cited by 76 percent of hospitality venues surveyed.
  • Hospitality decision makers are investing in mobile technologies to support customer-facing applications that improve guest services by handling wireless email, guest/attendee check-in, table-side order/payment or event ticketing, among others. Sixty-one percent of respondents plan to deploy some form of video capabilities, including video surveillance, video conferencing and streaming video, in public access areas such as lobbies.
  • Fifty-eight percent of surveyed hospitality organizations deploying mobile technology today see improved customer satisfaction. 
  • Empowering the mobile worker
  • Fifty-nine percent of respondents currently deploying mobile and wireless technology witnessed an increase in employee productivity and efficiency, while 55 percent saw improved sales results.
  • Currently, the most popular applications on two-way radios are project management (51 percent) and collaboration (41 percent). Unified messaging and remote management/monitoring have the highest rate of planned deployments into 2012.
  • Among survey respondents, tablets and VoIP handsets are the top two mobile devices planned for new deployments by 2012.
  • Enabling operational efficiency
  • Seventy-five percent of hospitality organizations surveyed already have wireless LAN (WLAN) installed in their facilities.
  • “Advances in wireless and mobile technologies, products and services are changing the landscape of the hospitality industry and how it operates,” says Craig Mathias, principal, Farpoint Group. “With a demanding client base equipped with increasing numbers of smartphones, tablet computers, notebook PCs and even rugged devices, successful hospitality IT organizations recognize the need to upgrade their existing WLANs to improve network reliability, capacity and coverage to support customer-facing applications, as well as internal services that enable their own mobile workforce and improve the guest experience.”
  •   More than one third of survey respondents represent companies exceeding $1 billion in revenues. Responses came from the executive suite, IT functions and managers closest to the day-to-day implementation of mobile solutions.
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    "The Motorola Solutions 2011 Hospitality Market Barometer reveals that 91 percent of hospitality decision makers realize the increasing importance of mobile and wireless technology, while 78 percent recognize the role mobility plays in ensuring a competitive advantage for their business. As a result, hospitality venues are investing in new technology, as well as powerful wireless networks to handle greater data volumes and increasing demands for high-speed access from the customer and mobile workforce. "
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    This is a survey from The Motorola Solutions , it reveals how IT investment is gaining pace in hospitality industry. The resuults reveals that 91 percent of hospitality decision makers realize the increasing importance of mobile and wireless technology, while 78 percent recognize the role mobility plays in ensuring a competitive advantage for their business. As a result, hospitality venues are investing in new technology, as well as powerful wireless networks to handle greater data volumes and increasing demands for high-speed access from the customer and mobile workforce.
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    Widely utilization and application of IT technology especially wireless and mobile technology are expected to increase in recent years.More and more hospitality organizations are realize the important role the mobile investment played in improving operational efficiency and enhance the customer experience. With wireless devices, hospitality organizations can save time of doing guest/attendee check-in, table-side order/payment or event ticketing which will improve operation efficiency and customers' satisfaction. According to survey results, tablets and VoIP handsets are the top two mobile devices planned for new deployments. Furthermore, right IT investment will increase revenues and have a good sales.
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    Motorola Solutions, Inc (MS) conducted a study and discovered that IT (information technology) spending is expected to rise in the hospitality filed in the years to come, practically in 2011. The main reason for the increase in spending on IT is because of the guest experience. According to MS, fifty- six percent of hospitality establishments plan to increase mobile investment to better outfit their workforces, advance operational efficiencies and boost the customer experience. The survey main facts included three areas; One, to elevate the guest experience Hospitality decision makers are investing in mobile technologies to support customer-facing applications that improve guest services by handling wireless email, guest/attendee check-in, table-side order/payment or event ticketing, among others. Two, to empower the employees by giving them the correct tools, fifty-nine percent of respondents currently deploying mobile and wireless technology witnessed an increase in employee productivity and efficiency, while 55 percent saw improved sales results. Finally, to enable operational efficiency, improvement, reliability, and extending range of current wireless data networks are the top three drivers behind 802.11n WLAN adoption - all critical network features to meet greater data volumes and increasing demands for access from the customer and mobile workforce. Seventy-five percent of hospitality organizations surveyed already have wireless LAN (WLAN) installed in their facilities. In North America, approximately one third of these venues have 802.11n, while European venues predominately have 802.11b/g.
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    This article is introducing a survey about information technology in the hospitality industry. It shows that there was a speedy increasing in IT investing which is aiming to improve customers' satisfaction and experience. Almost fifty-six percent of hospitality organizations plan to equip IT devices inside their organizations. Also, ninety-one percent of the hospitality decision makers have realized the importance of the mobile and wireless technology. There are three key facts that show the outcome of the survey. The first is to elevate the guest experience. The hotels are investing mobile and wireless technologies, also the video capabilities to improve customer satisfaction. The second one is to empower the mobile worker. The managers, security personnel and customer services all needs some applications to ensure the work efficiency and keep the management productive. The third one is to enable operational efficiency. It shows that the hotel wants to expand the ability of wireless and data transportation.
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    IT investment becomes a big part of the investment in the hospitality industry. A research had been done in 2011 to find what factors drive IT investment in the hospitality industry. There are three main factors, which are elevating the guest experience, empowering the mobile worker, and enabling operational efficiency. Management finds that improved guest experience is the top driver for mobility investment, and over half percentage of the respondents witnessed an increase in employee productivity. IT investment also enables operational efficiency and it is said that 3/4 of the hospitality organization have WLAN installed in their facilities. In my opinion, I believe it is the trend to invest in IT, because people cannot live without modern technology nowadays, and even if you do not want to change, your competitors will do so, which will ultimately makes you out of the market. So IT investment is very important, and businesses in the hospitality industry need to take more concern on IT investment.
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    The Motorola Solutions, Inc. study exposed that information technology spending in the hospitality industry is expected to increase in 2011, with guest experience cited as the top driver for investment. Mobility investments can elevate the guest experience by handling wireless email, guest check-in, tableside order/payment or event ticketing. Managers can empower the mobile worker by using smartphone. Installing the wireless LAN (WLAN) can enhance operational efficiency. Motorola Solutions conducts market research and provides indicators of the opportunities and challenges that mobility poses to hospitality enterprises.
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    This article shared information from a Motorola Solutions, Inc. study predicting that information technology (IT) spending in the hospitality industry would increase in 2011, with guest experience cited as the top driver for investment. The study revealed that 91% of hotel decision makers recognized the importance of mobile and wireless technology and that they would be focused on enhancing guest experience, empowering the mobile worker, and enabling operational efficiency. Motorola Solutions conducts independent market research and collected surveys from 161 qualified participants. I found this article relevant because guests are now expected the hotels they stay at to be able to meet their technological needs. I attended a conference just this week and heard multiple attendees ask if the hotel had wifi and how/where to access it. Nowadays, it's more of a necessity than an option for hoteliers to make the decision to invest in technology. Not only does this investment meet guests' needs and increase satisfaction, but it also benefits employees. According to the article, over half of the survey respondents who use wireless and mobile technology in their workforce saw increases in employee productivity and efficiency. Often times, if employees are able to be more productive and efficient on the job, there is a positive correlation with guest service and satisfaction. Thus, IT investments are crucial for hoteliers to make.
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    This article is talked about the IT trend in hospitality industry. From a recent Motorola Solutions, Inc. study, it showed that information technology(IT) spending in the hospitality industry is expected to increase in 2011. What is more, 91% of hospitality decision makers realize the increasing important of mobile and wireless technology. Then it introduced some key facts from the survey. They are elevating the guest experience, empowering the mobile worker and enabling operational efficiency. Advances in wireless and mobile technologies, products and services are changing the landscape of the hospitality industry and how it operates. Successful hospitality IT organizations recognize the need to upgrade their existing WLANs to improve network reliability, capacity and coverage to support customer-facing applications, as well as internal services that enable their own mobile workforce and improve the guest experience. This is the information technology trend for hospitality industry. And IT will become an indispensable part in hospitality industry.
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    Just like the saying in the article, in 2011, the investment is mostly focus on the mobile investments. As we know that with the development of the internet, more and more people can not live without the internet. So, it is very important for hotel or hospitality industry to put investments on this section. It is become the necessary part of the hospitality industry. So, increase the investments of mobile and internet will bring a strong advantages for your business and make you stand on the market.
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    The hospitality industry is investing in new technology to satisfy guests demands, it is important for hotels to provide wireless connections that are fast and reliable, this now also considered part of the guest experience.
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    A recent study uncovered that information technology (IT) spending in the hospitality industry is expected to increase in 2011, with guest experience cited as the top driver for investment. 56% of hospitality organizations plan to raise mobile investments to better equip their workforces, improve operational efficiencies and enhance the customer experience. 91% of hospitality decision makers realize the increasing importance of mobile and wireless technology, while 78 percent recognize the role mobility plays in ensuring a competitive advantage for their business. Based on elevating the guest experience, empowering the mobile worker and enabling operational efficiency, a survey about this was set up. With a demanding client base equipped with increasing numbers of smartphones, tablet computers, notebook PCs and even rugged devices, successful hospitality IT organizations recognize the need to upgrade their existing WLANs to improve network reliability, capacity and coverage to support customer-facing applications, as well as internal services that enable their own mobile workforce and improve the guest experience.
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    Nowadays more than ever does technology make a difference in how we run our operations, how effective our operations are which results in how satisfied our customers are. The article What's Driving IT investment in 2011 talks about the advances in the hospitality industry providing us with some important statistics in IT investments. According to the article, technology spending is expected to increase with the focus on customer experience. Fortunately, the statistics shows that 91 percent of hospitality decision makers realize the importance of mobile and wireless technology. As stated in the article, hospitality venues invest in new technologies to improve operational efficiencies and to enhance customer experience. As the survey shows, customer experience is the number on priority and driving force for implementing new technology. Hospitality properties also invest in technologies that enhance the check in procedures, wireless e-mail or table side orders and payments. After implementing new technologies, 59% of respondents to the survey taken could see improve employee efficiency and 55% saw improved sales results. According to the survey that was filled out by 161 respondents representing variety of hospitality enterprises, 58% saw improved customer satisfaction. Even though this article does not state which technologies in particular yielded these results, it is still important to see that investing in IT technologies does make a difference in customer satisfaction, employee efficiency and sales improvement. Many properties are afraid to invest new technologies, as they are unsure of the final results of the investment. I am strongly convinced that in order to keep up with the competition and the supply in the market, business had to take the technology route and use it to their fullest advantage.
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    The article analyzed why hotels do investment to It in 2011. It concluded three main reasons, which are elevating the guest experience, empowering the mobile worker, and enabling operational efficiency. It's already 2013 now and things can become different. Hotels should invent carefully according to its specific necessary and customers' necessary.
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    Dear team! I found an article, very old but to me, very actual and interesting about how the Internet Technology is improving and progressing, and the investment bring benefits only. In 2011 , only 4 years ago, we can see that the companies were having a clear plan to improve the communication system. By introducing wireless, tablets, WLANs , to improve network reliability... Today we have it all on hands. We are using all the devices online , wireless and with no problem to access. No cords on the floor, no telegrams ... Internet technologies is a big progress in our century and is developing and growing, by leaving some of us behind. :)
Xu Wang

Hospitality industry invests in IT - IT Business - News & Features - ITP.net - 0 views

  • IT spending in the hospitality industry is set to rise in 2011 with 56% of hospitality organisations
  • 91% of hospitality decision makers are aware of the importance of mobile and wireless technology and 78% recognise the role that mobility plays in ensuring a competitive advantage for their business.
  • Hospitality decision makers are now investing in mobile technologies to support customer-centric applications,
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  • for the future, while improving sales and productivity, streamlining operations and increasing customer satisfaction in the near-term,
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    Nowadays, according to the Motorola Solutions 2011 Hospitality Market Barometer, nearly all hospitality decision makers are aware of the importance of mobile and wireless technology and recognize the role that mobility plays. So the hospitality industry begin to invest more money in IT industry. Actually, technology really helps the hospitality industry a lot, it improves sales and productivity, streamlines operations and increases customer satisfaction in the near-term.
Marcos Oliveira

Increase in Information Technology (IT) Spending Within the Hospitality Industry :: Hot... - 0 views

  • fifty-six percent of hospitality organisations planned to raise mobile investments to better equip their workforces, improve operational efficiencies and ultimately enhance the customer experience.
  • fifty-six percent of hospitality organisations planned to raise mobile investments to better equip their workforces, improve operational efficiencies and ultimately enhance the customer experience.
  • You will see an increase in Information Technology (IT) spending within the hospitality industry, with guest experience cited as the top driver for investment
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  • 91 percent of hospitality decision makers realise the increasing importance of mobile and wireless technology, while 78 percent recognise the role mobility plays in ensuring a competitive advantage for their business
  • One of the critical challenges for hotel technology managers is convincing upper management to approve investing in the latest technology
  • IT experts must always make a clear differentiation between an investment and an expense."
  • Smart phones will definitely be the top priority in my opinion
  • IQPC provides business executives around the world with tailored practical conferences, large scale events, topical seminars and in-house training programs, keeping them up-to-date with industry trends, technological developments and the regulatory landscape
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    A recent study conducted by Motorola Solutions Inc. has revealed that 56% of hospitality organizations planned to raise mobile investments to better equip their workforces, improve operational efficiencies and ultimately enhance the customer experience. The sytudy shows that consumers will see an increase in information technology spending within the hospitality industry with guest experience cited as the top driver for investment. The interesting datas revelaed that 91% of hospitlaity decision makers realise the increasing importance of mobile and wireless technology. One of the critical challenges for hotel technology managers is convinving upper management to approve investing in the latest technology. Often times cost is not the only deterrent for a company to upgrade their system but having to go through various layers of red tape and await hierachial approval can often lead to companies not keeping up with the latest technology and always having to play catch up rather than setting an industry standard for others to follow.
Le Chai

Increase in Information Technology (IT) Spending Within the Hospitality Industry - 0 views

  • The Motorola Solutions 2011 Hospitality Market Barometer reveals that 91 percent of hospitality decision makers realise the increasing importance of mobile and wireless technology, while 78 percent recognise the role mobility plays in ensuring a competitive advantage for their business.
  • "It is a challenge to demonstrate that the proposed technology infrastructure will indirectly reflect into a benefit to our business and will keep us up to date with the technology trends and market competition."
  • Presentation of the added value functions and services for any new technology product procurement ... Demonstrating a proper case study using the senior management terms ... Financial analysis, showing a complete financial study listing the cost versus functions for the IT project"
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    This article talks about most of the hospitality organizations investment  expenses on IT is increasing. Although the fact is that 91% of decision makers realize that the importance of mobile and wireless technology, one critical challenge is to convince upper managers to approve the investment of the latest technology. However, in order to solve this problem, they present several cases for the new technology procurement to senior managers. This is a good method to use facts to prove the benefits and success of the new technology. 
afost026

Evaluating Hotel and Hospitality Management Software | By Ahmed Mahmoud - Hospitality Net - 0 views

  • stay in-sync with the latest trends
  • This is rather important since trends that are increasingly engaging attention soon can become a standard demand from your guests.
  • assess the direct and indirect costs
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  • Total Cost of Ownership
  • bottom-line impact on profitability, asset turnover and a potential effect on stock value.
  • Return on Investment provides the cost justification and motivation for investing in hotel management software.
  • need to calculate the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) and Return on Investment (ROI) as both of them comes as a handy solution
  • The result of this confusion created a market fragmentation
  • creating immense doubt and confusion in the minds of the IT Managers
  • started a price and promise war
  • he growth in the world economy and the hospitality industry has resulted in a clutter of new Hotel Management software companies vying to increase
  • responsible for maintaining physical room inventory, assignments of guests to rooms, maintaining housekeeping status of rooms, checking guests in and out of rooms, maintaining guest folios, and other functions.
  • Property Management Systems
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    Property Management System functions are commonly used in the hotel and hospitality management software. These functions are responsible for conserving room inventory, maintaining housekeeping status of rooms, checking out guests, and maintaining guest portfolios. PMS has not only started its new software but has also been establishing great doubt and confusion in the minds of IT managers and the decision makers. In evaluating hotel hospitality software they focus on ROI and Total Cost of Ownership. The ROI provides the cost and motivation for investing into the software and also carries intangible assets associated with such decision. The Total Cost of Ownership is basically used to help businesses assess the direct and indirect costs associated with information technology purchases. Consequently, having a lower TCO and a higher ROI are the true defining criteria for the right software choice, which emphasizes not only the benefits but also the intangible need to be considered before making big IT decisions. With this rapidly changing industry, hoteliers should always look for property management tools that will assist in the operations, automate procedures, reduce the risk of human errors and give hoteliers ample time to attend guests.
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    This article was about all of the steps hospitality companies have to go through in order to pick the best PMS. Due to the high capacity of Property Management Systems coming from Canada and Europe, decision makers are having a hard time filtering out which ones will be beneficial to the company. Project managers should calculate the ROI and the TCO in order to see how profitable the system will make them.
Carolina Alfonso

91 Percent of Hospitality Decision Makers Realize the Increasing Importance of Mobile a... - 0 views

  • study uncovered that information technology (IT) spending in the hospitality industry is expected to increase in 2011
  • hospitality venues are investing in new technology
  • hospitality organizations plan to raise mobile investments to better equip their workforces
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  • 91 percent of hospitality decision makers realize the increasing importance of mobile and wireless technolog
  • guest experience cited as the top driver for investment
  • Elevating the guest experience
  • Empowering the mobile worker
  • Enabling operational efficiency
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    In this article the results of a study conducted by Motorola Solutions Inc to understand emerging trends in enterprise and government mobility markets are discussed. One of the main findings was that as way to enhance guest experience, information technology (IT) investments in the hospitality industry are expected to increase. From the survey it was found that 68 percent of the hospitality venues that are already using mobile technology have seen an improvement in costumer satisfaction. It was also found that 91 percent of hoteliers are aware of the importance of mobile and wireless technology and how mobility creates a competitive advantage. More than 50 percent of the hoteliers that are already using mobile and wireless technology according to survey have witness an improvement in their employees efficiency and productivity as well as an increase in sales. All of this is forcing hospitality venues to invest in powerful wireless networks not only for customer use but for mobile workforce. From the survey it was found that already 75 percent of the hospitality venues surveyed have wireless installed and one third of this venues are using 802.11n. The main drivers found for adopting 802.11n were improving throughput and reliability, and extending range of current wireless data networks.
Wei Ding

Case study InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) | Archive | Marketing Week - 0 views

  • By using text specifically aimed at mobile users, we saw revenue from our mobile search increase by 91% year on year
  • The great thing about our mobile website is that it takes account of location so we can provide local maps and directions
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    This article talk about Intercontinental hotels group is the largest hotel group worldwide by measuring the number of room. IHG produced a mobile-optimised site so visitors could check availability and book rooms at nearby IHG hotels. This hotel brand also uses the mobile to increase the income. IHG's interactive marketing manager, Marco De Rosa says that revenue from mobile search increase by 91% year over year over specially using text aimed at most mobile users. Lately, IHG launched the Priority club reward app for both iOS and Android platforms which offer a easy way to customers to search and book their rooms. IHG takes mobile very seriously, and its "test and learn" approach is providing insights and better decision-making. Mobile technology does bring lots of benefit for hotel organizations. Later, it is a trend for hotel decision maker to invest more money for mobile web and mobile app development.
Franc Pulido

Guestline Forms a Strategic Partnership with Luxury Hotel Group, City and Country Hotels - 0 views

  • Using one centralised system provides the best all round option for our needs to standardise reporting, provide opportunities to expand our reservation delivery in the future and fully understand the value of our clients across our group
  • Being web-based, deployment of Guestline's solutions is simple and removes the need to install servers on-site
  • "Guestline stood out from the other solution providers on the market due to the complete package they offered – not only being able to provide the technical solutions we were looking for, but also their guaranteed future support and customer service, and the simplicity of installing and using their systems,"
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    As the title indicates, this article discusses the partnership between Guestline (Europe's leader in software solutions for the hospitality industry) and City and Country Hotels. This collaboration will consist of equipping The Wellesley London and Number Ten Manchester Street (both properties of C&C Hotels) with Guestline Web-based PMS. This system will provide C&C Hotels with a set of features including cross-selling functionalities. In other words, booking sales will be transferred to another property if the requested hotel is full. Thus, City and Country Hotels will be able to maximize productivity (no more calling from property to property to inquire if there are any rooms available, etc) and increase revenue thanks to the seamless integration of both properties into a centralized web-based PMS. The best thing about this partnership is that City and Country Hotels will also cut down hardware and software costs thanks in part to the use of a cloud-based system. Having Guestline has their provider of all technical solutions, City and Country Hotels will be able to place their focus on their revenue makers - their guests.
Matt Turner

Hoteliers see green in 'green' tuxedos, tablecloths - 2 views

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    In an effort to catch up with emerging technology and trends, it is expected more hotels will begin to "go green" this year with their linens and uniforms. I believe this is in part because hotels are being held to hirer expectations as we emerge from the recession. USA Today reports that American Laundry News surveyed several vendors about new products at the 2011 International Hotel, Motel and Restaurant Show in New York. Vendors including popular uniform maker, Cintas revealed more items like the washable tuxedo, made from recycled plastic bottles and the Eco-Cobra Jacket for front door staffers. Hospitality textile maker, Riegel is reportedly getting lots of attention from hoteliers for its recycled polyester tablecloths, also made from recycled bottles. The recycled fibers are expected to cut costs on hotel laundry bills. For example, Cintas estimates the washable tuxedos would save them nearly $1,000 each year. I had the opportunity to attend IHMRS this year, and visited the Cintas display. The recyclable material is no new idea. However, it is apparent that changes are being made to improve the durability of the products. I recall when the recycled fibers were initially used. The material seemed cheap and couldn't be ironed for risk of destroying it. Quality seems to be something hotels and restaurants are forgoing in order to "go green". To add, up front costs aren't necessarily saving companies much money. The USA Today article prompts reader responses by asking if hotel/ restaurant visitors even care whether or not a business has "green" products. I believe this is a fair question. Beyond attempts to save on long term costs, what other motivation do hotel operators have to "go green"?
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    I think it is important to hotel visitors, especially group & corporate, for hotels to go green. Maybe companies and organizations require their employees to book rooms at hotels that meet certain "green" standards. If I am a business owner, and promote the company as "green", then our actions and choices have to be "green" too. The uniforms made of recycled material sound very interesting! I wonder if they are comfotable and liked by employees.
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    While many U.S. hotels are moving from recession style cost cutting to updating their properties, it would appear that they have become interested in a more green approach, at least in one area, laundry. The American Laundry news explains that as many hotels seek to buy new tablecloths and uniforms for their staff, they are looking for green products that can help to trim their laundering costs. One of the things that caught the interest of hoteliers is the hotel industry's first look at machine washable tuxedos for the wait staff. Cintas partnered with Boardroom Eco Apparel to produce the tuxedo, which uses recycled plastic bottles transformed into polyester fibers. Cintas has stated that this green, machine washable tuxedo can save the hotel up to $1000 per employee annually. Cintas has also garnered interest in its recycled polyester bellman's jackets, as well. Another green product that hotels can use is the recycled polyester tablecloth. These tablecloths also come from recycled bottles and are also very eco-friendly. Riegel, the company behind these, has said that just using one of their table napkins can eliminate three plastic bottles from landfills. While these tablecloths may not save the hotel money in the short run, Riegel says that the hotel can save money in the long run by pitching itself as a "green" hotel. It is important to note that hotels have been slowly switching to greener products over the years, such as energy efficient light bulbs, to recycled plastic water bottles, and even sustainable organic ingredients in restaurant kitchens.
liang qian

Revolutionary new guide for enhancing international hotel accounting | ehotelier.com Ne... - 0 views

    • Charlie Barrett
       
      The hotel industry, according to the study, is not using accounting practices to focus on the market. The accounting is focused on departments making it an internal tool. What the article states is that it should be used as an external tool focusing on the consumers. This process is called customer profitablity analysis. This is certainly an intersting concept. As we are focusing on our end of month P&L at my hotel i think about how we look at the market from a group and transient trends perspective.While we do look departmentally at costs and revenues we also look at the ADR (average daily rate) and try to understand how the market is influncing that. I believe that the artile suguests that the market and consumer information should be the focus.
  • On the first and most basic level, the study uncovered what each customer's contribution had been to the firm's operating profit and how this information could be used for cost management through activity-based cost analysis, revenue management, and marketing management.
  • o be seen to be relevant, the information should reflect both the decision-maker's responsibilities, together with the nature of the product and/or service to which the information relates.
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  • for management accounting to add value to the business decision-making process, the information presented should be perceived to have relevance to the decision maker.
  • Second, the study provided detailed description of how revenues and costs are best assigned to individual customers. It is anticipated that the first attempt described in this research is only the start of a continuous improvement of such allocation methods.
  • Third, the case-study in the hotel provided knowledge about the various factors that determine the value of each individual customer - such as customer profitability.
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    This news talk about the benefits of the CPA model to the international hotel sector that for management accounting to add value to the business decision-making process, the information presented should be perceived to have relevance to the decision maker. To be seen to be relevant, the information should reflect both the decision-maker's responsibilities, together with the nature of the product and/or service to which the information relates.
Jing Huang

Tracking Green Initiatives via Business Intelligence - 0 views

  • Green initiatives not only save costs, meet compliance requirements, and reuse resources, but they also help create brand recognition among customers.
  • The benefits that expand beyond the organization include what occurs within the company as well. Whether managing recycling programs, reusing raw materials, lowering consumption, etc. businesses require a way to monitor these initiatives and to identify ways of becoming more efficient over time. This is where the use of BI and analytics comes in.
  • One of the chief benefits of business intelligence is its ability to consolidate information and provide greater insight into operations.  In addition BI helps organizations monitor performance across business units and can be applied to a broad variety of problems. For organizations looking at applying this to energy usage, managing emissions, or electricity consumption in data centers, BI expansion provides a good way to start the process.
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  • Comfort with dashboard use.
  • Current BI infrastructure and data preparation.
  • Companies that are thinking of expanding their BI to include green initiatives should consider the following points:
  • Current green initiatives.
  • Setting realistic goals and expectations.
  • Company priorities are shifting towards cost savings and becoming more environmentally aware and business intelligence can help to achieve these goals.
  • This article identifies the importance of green initiatives within operations and how to link them to available BI solutions.
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    This article identifies the importance of green initiatives within operations and how to link them to available BI solutions. By specifically looking at analytics organizations can assess how they are meeting targets and monitor their performance in relation to their "green" goals. This article also discusses considerations related to expanding BI use to include green initiatives.
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    Company priorities are shifting towards cost savings and becoming more environmentally aware and business intelligence can help to achieve these goals. BI's ability to monitor performance and alert decision makers about changes in behavior makes it a complementary approach to organizations wanting to become more eco-friendly. Although BI applications are well poised to fill this need, businesses still require a roadmap to successfully tie-in their BI use with their green initiatives. Outside of technology adoption and lowering energy consumption, organizations also support social action initiatives and invest in R&D efforts that work towards more environmentally friendly products and internal processes. This in turn has a broader effect on the environment at large. The benefits that expand beyond the organization include what occurs within the company as well. Whether managing recycling programs, reusing raw materials, lowering consumption, etc. businesses require a way to monitor these initiatives and to identify ways of becoming more efficient over time. This is where the use of BI and analytics comes in.
ernestbailey

Chinese Restaurant Owner Says Robot Noodle Maker Doing "A Good Job!" | Singularity Hub - 0 views

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    Restaurateur's evaluation of machines purchased in move to automate noodle making process in business units owned. Owner reports that machines are working proficiently and cost of ownership provides good ROI vs human wages. Also mentioned were projected cost advantages achieved through greater economies of scale vs variable cost that would be incurred utilizing human-based alternative.
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    Foodservice automation technology: Robot Serves Up 360 Hamburgers Per Hour | http://bit.ly/18p0HoW SushiBot Serves Up An Order Of 3,600 Per Hour | http://bit.ly/14gEmg3 Foodservice automation technology issues: Fast food strikes NYC | http://nbcnews.to/175TET1
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    Noodle Power Rangers! Only thing I am worry about is the sanitation standards, not to mention you have no idea what goes inside that noodle dough mix. Other than that, cute little robot with automation technology in food production.
anonymous

Our E-Waste Problem Is Ridiculous, and Gadget Makers Aren't Helping | WIRED - 1 views

  • Oh sure, many companies have green initiatives. Apple in particular has made notable, documented efforts to reduce its carbon footprint, powering a majority of its retail stores and data centers with renewable energy, developing more efficient packaging design, and designing products that use less power than their predecessors. But if your products are going to be tossed out in a year, none of that is particularly brag-worthy. That’s a tremendous amount of wasted resources.
  • In the past, computers were designed to be relatively easy to disassemble, like HP’s towers and older versions of the Mac Mini. You could swap out dead parts and batteries, add more memory if it got sluggish, even replace a motherboard. But in the mid-2000s, things started to change. Apple introduced the ultra-thin, ultra-light MacBook Air and the industry enthusiastically followed with heaping helpings of devices that, while slim, were very difficult to repair due to the construction compromises required to achieve that svelte profile. Smartphones and tablets followed with an even faster purchasing and chucking cycle.
  • Therefore, the easier it is to disassemble something, the more likely it is to be worth someone’s time to recycle it. And that’s where issues arise
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  • “The big problem the electronics industry is facing as a whole is products are getting lighter and lighter,” iFixit’s Kyle Wiens said. “This is great for consumers but a nightmare for recyclers.” Smaller, lighter products can be tricky to take apart, and yield a lower volume of raw materials.
  • Glue and adhesives are a common hurdle. Products like the iPad and Microsoft Surface achieve a slim form factor by using “a metric duckload of adhesive,” as Wiens once put it, particularly to keep the battery in place. All that glue must be removed before any recyclable material can be melted down. And battery recycling is risky endeavorin the best of circumstances—under the right conditions, a damaged battery can cause a fiery explosion. Tack onto that the need to painstakingly pry a battery from its glue-smeared lodging and you’ve got a delicate task indeed. For items with a lot of glue, like a tablet display, Sims Recycling Solutions heats the glue, then uses suction cups to apply pressure across the glass so it can be removed without cracking. Other things that can make a product more challenging to recycle include the number of screws (particularly non-standard screws), the inclusion of hazardous materials like mercury (which is declining, due to the rising popularity of LEDs instead of bulbs), large amounts of glass, and plastics. Waterproof and tightly sealed products also are more arduous to deal with.
  • As we rush headlong into a world in which we’re disposing of more and more gadgets each year, making them easily recyclable should be a growing priority of device makers. Just as display size, processor speed and energy efficiency are marketing points, so too should recyclability.
  • David Thompson, Panasonic’s head of environmental affairs, says the standardization of screws and plastic resin materials, not thermally setting screws in plastic, and minimizing the use of glue will boost recycling efforts, as will designing products for easier disassembly. Would consumers really decry, or even notice, these changes? Probably not. But such changes could require concessions to slim dimensions and light weight. And for manufacturers, increased standardization may mean fewer distinctions between competing products. Take a plastic smartphone housing: Currently there are hundreds of variations (soft touch, textures, and metallic colors, to name a few). Standardization could limit that very marketable variety. Even so, some products are embracing such ideals. Dell won The Institute for Scrap Recycling Industries 2014 Design for Recycling award for the Latitude 10 and XPS 10 tablets and Latitude E7240 notebook. Aside making its products cheap and easy to recycle, Dell has used nearly 8 million pounds of recycled plastic in its desktop and display production. And it is not alone.
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    I found an interesting article about how the big computer companies can recycle the computers. This can solve some of the main problem about the recycling. The article is referring to idea that computers may become bigger size but easier to recycle. In other words we might wanna make a step back in the past, when we was able to just replace one detail from the computer instead of throwing it away.
Qianqian Kang

How to Measure the Value of an IT Investment - 0 views

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    How to count the ROI for IT investment is critique to a large extent. However, the author said it is not simply a financial formula but should take numerous factors into consideration. Firstly, of course, you need to have a full knowledge about why you are investing I.T. What improvement you will gain after? What problem will be solved? Secondly, I.T. is always designed to replace the human. Then could you handle the staff changes after implementing the I.T? What's more, are those decision makers agree and support your approach? Finally, have you had the full plan of training and other on board plan? Once complete those four steps, be sure to track both short- and long-term impacts. And it is not always dollar talks, it can have many metrics like hours to work, number of employees devoting to the same task and so on.
espence13

Eric Lundgren, 'e-waste' recycling innovator, faces prison for trying to extend life sp... - 0 views

  • Eric Lundgren is obsessed with recycling electronics.
  • He built an electric car out of recycled parts that far outdistanced a Tesla in a  test. He launched what he thinks is the first “electronic hybrid recycling” facility in the United States, which turns discarded cellphones and other electronics into functional devices, slowing the stream of harmful chemicals and metals into landfills and the environment. His California-based company processes more than 41 million pounds of e-waste each year and counts IBM, Motorola and Sprint among its clients.
  • But an idea Lundgren had to prolong the life of personal computers could land him in prison.
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  • Prosecutors said the 33-year-old ripped off Microsoft by manufacturing 28,000 counterfeit discs with the company’s Windows operating system on them. He was convicted of conspiracy and copyright infringement, which brought a 15-month prison sentence and a $50,000 fine.
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    You may perceive the name Eric Lundgren. In 2017, he was everywhere throughout the news for making a $13,000 DIY electric vehicle with a 380 or more mile extend, effectively besting a Tesla. His LA-based organization worked in overseeing e-waste from regular electronic gadgets like cell phones and PCs. He's committed a huge number of hours to recuperating batteries, engines, and circuits from disposed of things reuse in wheelchairs, vehicles, or even different PCs. At 19, he began an organization to refurbish and offer PCs given to him by corporate customers like Dell, Asus, and Lenovo. At the point when a PC is sold or scrapped the Windows license accompanying it is legitimately transferrable to the new proprietor, making reestablishing non-working PCs and exchanging them a generally simple process. With a real Windows license, everything necessary is introducing the working framework from a reestablish circle and connecting the license key to demonstrate it's a legitimate install. The license key was frequently shown on a sparkly sticker along the edge or base of a PC. The certificate of realness, and the license key, is all you'd have to authentically introduce a working rendition of Windows on a non-running device. Those that didn't have the sticker, Lundgren told the Los Angeles Times, he rejected, pitching the parts to be utilized in different machines. Yet, it's here that Lundgren kept running into inconvenience. In the wake of aggregating exactly 28,000 restore discs, similar discs that used to come included with a bought PC, in any event before makers began getting rid of optical drives, Lundgren endeavored to dispatch them to his accomplice, for use in reestablishing non-working gadgets. After Microsoft and Dell caught wind of the plan, Lundgren was issued an indictment and fines
ahand019

Hoteliers increase investment in enhancing guest experience - 5 views

    • jessica carvalho
       
      This article is great as it talks about what specifically to this company is important when it comes to their certain aspects of what they want in their i.t. investment. It speaks about all the different benefits that come along with what is going good and what is going bad in this situation and all the different ways they are trying to improve and benefit from it.
  • The solutions associated with the challenges of enhancing the guest experience and presenting a business case to senior management will be discussed by hospitality experts including Daniel Hajjar and Radi Karnib at the 3rd Annual Hotel Technology Middle East exhibition and conference in September. Current exhibitors include: Sony, Jumbo, Mitel, VingCard and Aegis Tech.
  • fifty-six percent of hospitality organisations planned to raise mobile investments to better equip their workforces, improve operational efficiencies and ultimately enhance the customer experience.
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  • It is (the IT) a department that evolves on a daily basis and you owe it to your organisation to consider any "new" development ... IT experts must always make a clear differentiation between an investment and an expense.
  • One of the critical challenges for hotel technology managers is convincing upper management to approve investing in the latest technology.
  • You will see an increase in Information Technology (IT) spending within the hospitality industry, with guest experience cited as the top driver for investment
  • 91 percent of hospitality decision makers realise the increasing importance of mobile and wireless technology, while 78 percent recognise the role mobility plays in ensuring a competitive advantage for their business.
  • "It is a challenge to demonstrate that the proposed technology infrastructure will indirectly reflect into a benefit to our business and will keep us up to date with the technology trends and market competition."
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    IT investment are pushed forward now and days more so for guest satisfaction. A recent Motorola Solutions Inc has uncovered a study that fifty six percent of hospitality organization plan to increase their mobile investment and wireless technology with greater data volumes and high speed access. This will increase drastically competitive advantage for the business and customer experience. Some find it a challenge in convincing upper management to approve investing in to the latest technology. As well as demonstrating that a proposed technology investment will be beneficial for their business and will assist in continuous up to date trends and market competition. I highly agree that technology is a must in this industry, especially how fast it is changing. In order to stay within the competitive advantage and provide convenience for our guest it is necessary to invest and update into the latest technology. The initial investment might be extreme especially if you have been out of date from any recent technology however, with time the results will be returned with satisfied guest and fast paced PMS systems.
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    This article speaks on the recent increase in hospitality spending on new and innovative technology advances. One of the leading locations for hospitality, Dubai, is being seen as a front runner in investment. The article also talks about how these technology companies see the potential in the hospitality industry and are focusing their efforts on this business sector. One challenge mentioned is convincing the management of a company to "dish out the money" for the advances. This is a very informative article with an unbiased view point.
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    I liked how this article talked about mobile apps, I think it won't be long until we start seeing that replace the existing room keys. The only problem is if some has a lot of apps and a lot of security passwords to bypass, it would take forever to open your room door, you would much rather have a standard room key. However, this creates lots of partnerships with cell phone companies further increasing hotel revenue. You can even save labor with this at the front of house areas. The possibilities are endless.
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    Information technology spending is on the rise in the hospitality industry in attempts to enhance the guest experience in the highly competitive market. According to Motorola hotels are looking to increasing mobile investments in the hopes that their staff will be better equipped and that with their new hardware will improve operational efficiency. The article states that 91% of hospitality decision-makers see mobile and wireless technology as the wave of the future, as well as the need for mobility to stay competitive. A few large challenges are: keeping up with cost, ever-changing technology, the need for more bandwidth, and data storage.
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    Information Technology is indispensable in the hospitality industry for several reasons. This article discusses how many hotels are increasing their investment in I.T because of its abundant advantages, especially guest satisfaction. It particularly states how mobile and wireless technology will aid in guests pleasure but ensure competitive advantage as well. They looked at a study of Motorola Solutions Market Barometer of 2011 where they fundamentally determine the emerging trends in the industry and opportunities. They then came to understand that businesses are investing more on hospitality information technology to not only assist in customer retention but to have an overall high-quality system that can manage their daily duties such as inventory, budget, and status of room reservations.
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    This article talks about how hotel companies are starting to invest more in information technology to provide a more enhanced guest experience. A survey done by Motorola Solutions found that 56% of hospitality companies are looking to invest in more mobile technology. While companies are looking to invest more in technology, it has been challenging to convince higher management levels to make the investment. Radi Karnib with Rotana Hotel Management said that it's important to demonstrate the benefits of the investment. Daniel Haijar with Layia Hospitality agrees and goes on to say that it's important to differentiate between what's an investment and what's an expense.
dominiquecolas

Nino robotic bartender can make "any drink in seconds" - 2 views

  • Customers can place orders via an accompanying phone app, where they can either pick a recipe created by a professional mixologist, or devise their own concoctions.
  • Ratti told Dezeen that Nino is not intended to replace human bartenders; rather, he sees it as an opportunity to teach people how to interact with the machines that will almost certainly be part of their lives in the future.
  • he company says that these units have so far made more than 1 million drinks, sometimes serving as many as 800 cocktails per night.
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    The Nino Robotic cocktail maker is a larger scale version of the roboctic bartender discussed this week in class. One of the main highlights is that guests are able to order and craft drinks from a smartphone app, and the robot is able to make as many as 800 cocktails per night. The architect of the machine explains that his concept is is not intended to replace human interaction, but instead is just one of the first of many tech-based amenities that will inevitably be part of every day life in the future.
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    Yes, I believe this technology is our future. There are so many avenues to be explored in the drink world. Concocting a drink at your fingertips is daunting. Having this system placed in facilities, like cruise ships, would be beneficial because of the quantity of patrons in a single place. As far as other places, like hotels, I'm not sure its necessary. It seems like it would take up a lot more space than a traditional bar.
mirandajaye

What Decision Makers Need to Know About the Tech Takeover in Fast-Food Restaurants - My... - 0 views

  • he fast-food industry might see a major overhaul with robots and digital kiosks
  • because of the high turnover rate.
  • Additionally, a decreased interest in obtaining a job in a fast-food restaurant, particularly serving, is a contributing factor to the current industry crisis
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  • Some restaurants are implementing kiosks in order to save money on other costs as the average cost of a fast-food meal increases, which is achieved by investing in automated services, and cutting back on employees
  • just because there is more technology usage in fast-food restaurants doesn’t mean it will fully take over. In fact, he says that technology and humans can work together to make a restaurant more profitable.
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    This article states that one of the main reasons for digital kiosks in fast food places is because of a high turnover rate. A lot of fast food places are getting less applications and a higher turnover because of the low wages they offer and little room to grow. Some have no choice but to start using these because of the lack of employees. The article states that restaurants are also starting to use this type of technology to save money on other costs they may need to put forth money towards. But some do think this doesn't mean technology will take over. Some even believe it is a way we can work together as one to make more money for the restaurants we may work in.
rderonville

Cisco Revenue Forecast Disappoints, Hurt by Networking Shift - Bloomberg - 0 views

  • Chief Executive Officer Chuck Robbins is trying to recast Cisco as a provider of networking services, seeking to reduce its dependence on hardware by offering more software and cloud-based products that provide predictable revenue.
  • Companies are ordering less equipment for installation on their own premises, according to Raymond James & Associates analyst Simo
  • Robbins is working to restore the kind of growth that made Cisco one of the world’s largest companies
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    "Cisco Systems Inc., is the biggest maker of equipment that runs the internet". This article highlights the disappointing revenue that Cisco Systems is facing currently. However, the CEO is pushing to have Cisco's networking services to be more cloud based than hardware based. Because their company is known for its hardware, they are taking a hit revenue wise in their transition to a cloud based system. Companies are buying less hardware and are relying on other alternatives to keep their business running efficiently. I believe that Cisco is identifying with the current trends that are apparent in the IT world. As stated in our discussions, a cloud-based software eliminates the use of bulky hardware, eliminates costs, and allows companies to scale up or down depending on their size. So Cisco can use this information to help develop their cloud system. The businesses see value in switching systems and Cisco is in the business of providing them with what they need. Cisco is being recasted as a networking system so it is taking time for companies to switch their view on Cisco. I believe that Cisco should not deter from this transition and be able to reinvent themselves as a cloud based network. Though their revenue is taking a hit, they should continue for now until they are able to establish themselves.
hankunli

What's Behind Alibaba's $486 Million Investment in Hotel Tech Giant Shiji - Skift - 0 views

  • Shiji, a Beijing-based maker of software for hotels, retailers, and food service providers, is much better at raising funding than it is at explaining to Western vendors and media its global strategy.
  • E-commerce giant Alibaba is investing $486 million in Shiji, a Beijing-based maker of software for hotels, retailers, and food service providers.
  • Within China, Shiji has the largest share of the market for property management software, which helps hotels run their operations, and central reservation system tools, which enable hotels to distribute their rates.
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  • InterContinental Hotels Group, Kempinski, and Shangri-La hotels in China use its software tools, to give a few example. So do Starbucks and Swarovski as retailers
  • Within China, the big online travel players Ctrip and Qunar provide competition with their own self-developed or acquired solutions for the hotel supply base.
  • Looking beyond China, Shiji has lately been expanding into Western Europe and North America, particularly on the hotel technology front.
  • When Goldman Sachs analysts researched Shiji a few years ago, they said it was dominant in providing IT systems to high-end hotels in China, and had a greater than 30 percent market share. That share has likely grown.
  • A key growth area then and now is helping hotels and restaurant integrate their payment systems with Shiji’s back-end IT infrastructure through Shiji’s own or through third-party payment hardware and software.
  • Another gap is its ability to copy the Oracle Hospitality playbook and attempt to cross-sell more of its services to hotel food-and-beverage divisions.
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    Alibaba is a well-known e-commerce company and the largest stockholder of Shiji. It added investment in this dominating PMS software company in China. Shiji is not only expanding its PMS software business in China, but also seeking chances to expand their business to Europe and America. It has the goal of being a well-known company worldwide and has a long way to go according to some business analysts.
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