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This particular article on hospitality and tourism accounting states that the global travel industry is expanding at an accelerated rate. Although there are high demands in corporate travel and high level of satisfaction in the economy, the ever growing industry is vulnerable to many risks given by its consumers. Just as much as the guests utilizing these hospitality services are becoming more pressing towards great prices and expressing concern in the quality of service they receive, hotel businesses are adamant about increasing awareness in cost and profit. To balance all these exclusive challenges, hotels are insisting on being educated and equipped with the most up-to-date technological advances to keep up with the ever demanding industry. With this in mind, the article states three methods to conquer the challenges faced today. The first method is to utilize a cloud based system to keep track of all the innumerous activities present to keep the business running. Due to the fact that a hotel is run by an overflowing amount of employees, all with different jobs and tasks, all using different systems respective to their departments, and require several types of pay (part-time, full-time, tipped employees) methods, it is a challenge to keep things efficient without a proper system. This is the reason why the article recommends using a cloud based system to keep track of the daily labor costs, overtime management, daily payroll transactions, and incorporate easy accessibility to reporting functions. The cloud based system will be beneficial in keeping everything in record beginning from the moment an employees clocks in to the end where they receive their paycheck, as well as, the ability to manage transactions. The second method is to centralize all the various sources of data. Hotels have a countless amount of data being stored. That can range from guest satisfaction satisfaction survey and comment reports, PMS data, to financial reports. With all these busy ac

The article discusses how hotels can overcome accounting obstacles. Firstly managing payroll is cumbersome, so a cloud-based reporting system can provide an easy way to monitor labour and manage overtime, and daily payroll transactions. Secondly, hotels have a difficult time to read data as data can come from a huge variety of sources: STR reports, PMS data, satisfaction surveys, comments. Hotels need a centralized dashboard which combines all critical accounting and performance data to assist hotels in making better decisions. Lastly, the article talks about hotels needing a back-up accounting team in case of disasters. In-house accounting teams may not be able to tackle on one-time event disasters and there must be a back-up team in place in times of urgency. The author, Scott Watson, executive vice president of sales and marketing at a cloud-based financial platform, sees that hotels are becoming more "cost and profit conscious" and I agree with him. Technology solutions are what hotels are craving right now to increase revenue, minimize costs, and maximize profits without sacrificing service quality.

This article helps guides hotels in how to overcome challenges when it comes to the accounting department in any situation that deals with staff tracking, how to decipher intricate data, and what to do in emergencies. The article details the usefulness of the Cloud and keeping track of staff members that are FOH and BOH that are both hourly and salary. That the accounting department could simply look them up in the cloud rather than searching through paperwork to understand exactly what their role is in the hotel and pay them accordingly. The article also goes over how having multiple centralized data sources can help accountants understand information from reports, guest satisfaction questionnaires, and other forms of reporting to pinpoint exactly what needs to be changed to become more efficient in the company. Lastly, the article covers how having back up accounting teams could be a definite positive just in case of emergencies (i.e. weather) so accounting can still be in progress no matter what situation occurs and the hotel can run smoothly.

As the topic suggests information is the key for decision making in any business. Computerized modern information technology should make this process much quicker and more efficient. But, of course, as the old saying goes "Garbage in Garbage out." So it is a combination of the Right People and the Right System that makes a business successful. Computers cannot replace men. Good people along with a good computerized system is necessary. The software used for any hospitality business needs to be tailored to the specific needs of that organization depending on whether they primarily sell just room service or whether they offer a lot of food and beverage service or other services. Good I.T personnel should have good knowledge of all three components: System (flow of each activity), Software (that translate the activity in measurable terms both quantitatively and qualitatively) and Hardware (media through which we can see these activities) To achieve this at least two months of training should be done, of which one month must be on the job training. Once an appropriate mix of competent people and a good system is set up this should reflect in guest satisfaction, staff satisfaction, management satisfaction and owner satisfaction.

This article is helpful in understanding property management systems (PMS), while providing beneficial features that they provide. A PMS should be "well-equipped to handle the entire guest journey." These systems enable hotels to provide a faultless guest experience throughout. A PMS offers features that facilitate processes for the hotel. For instance, this system provides a smart calendar giving hotels easier visibility to their reservations and availability. This system also provides reports and analytics for the hotel, such as sales reports, manager reports, and inventory availability reports. This system facilitates the jobs of the hotels employees, in turn creating a more consistent experience for the guests.

Sam Colt wrote an article for Business Insider titled Tablets Are Making Waiters Obsolete - An Chilli's Is Leading The Way. This article bothered me a bit, because knowing what I know about Hospitality we build our brand around customer service and customer satisfaction and how can we do that if we are eliminating the person to person interaction. In his article Colt mentioned Chili's "has recently introduced tablets in dining rooms nationwide that customers can use to place orders, browse the menu, and entertain otherwise noisy children". I understand the thought behind keeping your guests entertain while they wait for service; however, I believe it should be just that, entertainment not self-service. Dine in restaurants should not be treated like a fast food restaurant and guests should expect a reasonable wait time. Having that person to person interaction makes a dining experience more enjoyable. E la Carte co-founder and CEO Rajat Suri argued "if someone does not want to spend time with a server, they're going to ignore the server anyways." My thoughts are why would you dine in a restaurant if you do not want to be severed, why not go to a fast food restaurant. Chili's states the tablets are solely for increasing customer satisfaction and increase revenue and suggests the tablets are making the life of waiters better.

Every year hotels come out with newer more advanced ways to make your stay more comfortable. In some hotels gone are the days of getting up and turning off the light or calling and trying to get services via the telephone. Remembering to put out the Do Not Disturb sign is now a thing of the past combined with remote systems and keyless entry already out and being used it makes one wonder what they could possible think of next.

This article focuses specifically on how technology has transformed the hospitality industry and how softwares have been implemented to make operations at a hotel run smoothly, both for the customer and the employees. Hotel management softwares and reservation softwares like "OPERA, Hotello, and Hotelogix" have created user-friendly management systems in order to help customers book reservations and ensure that hotel staff can meet all guests' needs efficiently. With the ever-changing hospitality industry, technology continues to grow being shaped by millennials as they get more and more attached to their phones. With specialized softwares, this makes a more personable experience, customer loyalty, quality customer service and adaptability.

Hospitality means something different to everyone but one thing in common is that this business relies on a positive customer experience to remain operational. A bad review may point toward a larger issue within the organization, namely, either a lack of tech or poorly implemented tech. Well-implemented technology makes operations easier for both the customer and the business, but poorly-implemented tech will only create more problems. This article discusses softwares in different areas of a hotel and what users like. It is important to choose that right software to run your hotel especially since millennials are prioritizing experiences over things.

The article revolves around new technological concepts that the main cruise lines are adding to the cruising experience. While they have heavily focused on the ships hardware, they want to implement new software that will make the experience more enjoyable and simpler for guests to enjoy. Carnival, would like to implement a "medallion" called the Ocean Compass, that is crossover between the Disney Magic Band, and the band seen at the Universal Volcano Bay water park. It fits the Disney aspect, because it holds information,can open doors, and links guest pictures to the technology. It is similar to Universal, because it informs guests of when to attend something, so that they do not have to wait in a line. Royal Caribbean, likes the band idea that Disney presented, and wants to make bands of their own, that have similar functions that the Ocean Compass from Carnival has. In addition, Royal Caribbean wants to expose their guests to Virtual Reality. They hope to create an immersive experience for their guests, from the comfort of their rooms. Norwegian and MSC are mostly developing smart phone applications, that allow guests to check-in, book excursions, and open rooms. It is obvious that Disney developed a great idea with combining a "magical" band and phone application. The concept is so successful, that other players want to utilize the same formula. Let us see how well it works in the cruising industry.

Augmented reality is flooding the hospitality industry with its many features. As stated in the article, "AR is an interactive experience or enhanced version of the real world to be presented in a more understandable way". Anyone is the hospitality industry knows and are aware of the convenience and satisfaction AR/AI/VI brings to both the guests and businesses. A great example mentioned is the article is how AR can aid travelers from out of the country where there is a language barrier. This provides an untroubled trip, and not to mention a safer trip for someone in a new country. A feature we are seeing a lot now-a-days and many hotels using is 3D models of their rooms and amenities. This allows the guest to tour and experience the hotel without even stepping foot in the hotel yet. AR/AI/VR provides a realistic experience as well as aids in collecting data for businesses and creating better and even personalized experiences.

This article delves into numerous different uses augmented reality (AR) could have in hotel properties. AR is an interactive experience and/or enhanced version of the real world. AR has the abiliy to mobile with internet connection and cell phones. This article suggests interactive hotel rooms, maps, or even guest recognition. They even mentioned how Holiday Inn will allow for cameras on phones to show celebrities in the hotel or even Starwood Hotels utilizing beacon technology to send keys to guests smartphones.

Customers' comments and reviews on the website have a huge influence on business in hospitality industry. This article outlines five key trends that hotel marketers should be aware of as they approach online reputation management. First, customers would like to trust other customers' comments rather than companies' advertisements. Remarkable experiences and consistently extraordinary service can make customers satisfied, which encourage guests to share experience. Second, overwhelming volume of data and information can make customers paralyzed and confused. Hotel marketers should create position-specific reporting and make insights simple. Third, consumers may change their decisions in the last-minute because of online reviews. Listening to guest feedback, making changes, and improving service can keep customers' reviews positive. Forth, companies' revenue can be influenced directly by negative reviews. Firth, real-time web may have a ineffective result du to delayed responses.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. and Sabre Travel Network have signed a multi-year distribution contract that will distribute all Royal Caribbean, Azamara, and Celebrity cruise schedules and fares on the Sabre GDS system. With the Sabre system travel agents in Mexico can now make bookings on Royal Caribbean cruises and associated lines. This system. This system will allow travel agents in Mexico to increase productivity when booking Royal Caribbean cruises. I think this is an interesting step by Royal Caribbean to expand their relationship with Sabre Travel Network and a new region for booking. The impression I get from this agreement is Royal Caribbean is looking at opening their cruises to a new consumer market. This focus is aimed more on making sales and entering a new market. Now Royal Caribbean will be focusing on Mexican consumers. This system will allow travel agents in Mexico to have an easier time at booking a cruise with Royal Caribbean, Azamara, and Celebrity.

After Lloyd Swords used Ipad POS for cash register for his coffee shop, lots of owners of small business started to think about using Ipad for their own business. Besides the coolness features of Ipad, or even Ipod Touch, there are still six advantages of using an Ipad POS. As I highlighted in this article, restaurant can save costs for more than $10,000 by Ipad POS. What's more, Ipad POS makes sales process streamlining, which means customers don't have to stand up and walk to a cash register and it makes them more comfortable because the payment process just happens under their eyes. Last but not the least, since the global warming and carbon dioxide emission, it will be meaningful to use Ipad POS because it makes the sales paperless and environmentally friendly. I have experiences of using this Ipad POS because I am right now working in a japanese restaurant which is using this system from placing order to checking out. And I think it will help sales because customers love this system. Every time I help them check out, they just give me their credit card and I just stand in front of their eyes and process the payment and email the receipt to them, which always makes them feel fantastic. Therefore, I think Ipad POS can be a trend in the future hospitality industry.

My article is about Intacct, which is ahospitality accounting software. This software is considered as one of the best software in the hospitality industry for multi-property hotel businesses, restaurant chains, entertainment business and more. With Intacct, you can automate your hotel accounting and financial management, gain greater visibility into hospitality business and make decisions that will boost profitability. With less focus on accounting solutions in the hospitality industry, hotels, restaurants and other hospitality facilities can concentrate more on customer satisfaction. With intacct, a business can enhance and boost efficiency, analyze performance and improve it and also experience the cloud advantage, which makes everything better, easier and more accessible nowadays. Intacct provides hospitality facilities with secure, web-based access to up-to-the-minute information, so anyone can do their job, from any browser, on any device.

The article that I chose for this week was on Intacct, which is an accounting software that a lot of places in the hospitality industry uses. The intact make a general manager and accounting manager life so much easier because it allows you to see everything that is happening in the hotel, number wise, and it helps you make smart decisions and also ways to make more profit for your hotel. Intacct really helps the hospitality business focus on customer satisfaction, which is probably the most important thing that you should care about. This system also allows your staff to view financial information about a location without having to look at other locations. The Intacct also help you track real time performance across your location. So the Intacct financial management system helps you grow better and faster as a business because you can actually visualize your numbers better and be able to access it from anywhere since it is web based.

More and more restaurants are following the "green move" to make sure they are staying in the loop of an eco-friendly customer.

Nice article Diana. I also chose an article on restaurants going green. Customers really do like the idea of eating at a certified green restaurant because they care about the environment and want to help it stay healthy. There are some easy and quick fixes that restaurants can do to become green from using recycled paper products to making sure the turn any lights on when they are not needed to making sure there are no gaps in doors leading to and from coolers which would let the air leak out. I am glad that more restaurants are becoming green and from reading these articles since I work in a restaurant it makes me want to go to my bosses and see what we can do to help the environment in our restaurant.

Diana I agree with your statistic. From a business point of view it makes more sense to try to attract the customers who are eco-friendly, because people who are not necessarily concerned about the environment are not gonna turn down a restaurant because it is eco-friendy, but on the other hand a green person will turn down a restaurant if it does not meet environmental standards.

This article talks about the full integration between Hotel Concepts' Integrated Distribution Property Management System (IDPMS), the Brilliant PMPRO property management platform and the 3CX Hotel Module, a comprehensive PBX telephony system designed specifically for the global hotel industry. The 3CX is an add on that turns the 3CX phone system into a full featured hotel PBX, and with this new integration, it can directly interface with hotel concepts 'IDPMS or Brilliant PMPRO. this is one of the inexpensive ways/means to carry out property operations when compared to other PBX providers who charge high premiums, making it very affordable along with the VoIP technology. since the hotel and travel market is on an upward trend , integrated technology solutions like these can make those operations cost-efficient, as making calls all over the world is so expensive, and along with this, also streamline the operations by combining the extensive telephony experience with the knowledge of the global hotel industry, which will also set new standards in hotel management and communication.

One of the major issue of cloud computing is encryption, which is the process of transforming information to make it unreadable to others users.  Encryption arises as a problem in cloud computing because not all the companies that are providing the service of cloud computing but not the encryption services which is very important for the safety on the data of the customers. When choosing to use cloud computing, it is important to find out al the services that the cloud offers because without the encryption services, the security of the data also decreased said Subra Kumaraswamy a senior security manager at Sun Microsystems INC.   Another issue when it comes to cloud computing is authorization because not all providers can control who can access their data, which make the data vulnerable to hackers.  In my opinion before someone decide to use the cloud computing it is important that the customers make researchers about the feature  and services that the cloud is using to make sure that is the best option for the company 

The National Restaurant Association has implemented a new "green" restaurant initiative to persuade owners of the US's 945,000 restaurants to adopt measures to control energy use and waste. They have some celebrity firepower in billionaire Ted Turner, who owns Ted's Montana Grill causal dining chain. His restaurants use straws made from biodegradable paper, and the menus are printed on recycled paper, among other initiatives. The NRA makes recommendations like using LED lights, composting, installing low-flow valves, and using recycled materials. In practical terms, however, going green doesn't necessarily mean "making green." In a tough economy, most people won't pay for the extra costs of green initiatives. In a poll, just 29% of consumers said they would be more likely to go to a green restaurant. Those numbers make it difficult to convince a restaurateur to make that extra investment. 

The article I read was called, "What is a Hotel Management System?" In the article it states that in the early 90s Gartner came up with the term ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) that automates a large number of business functions such as finance, accounting, and human resource. "A hotel is a hive of numerous operations such as front office, booking and reservation, banquet, finance, HR, inventory, material management, quality management, security, energy management, housekeeping." All of these activities need to be taken care of at hotels and doing so can sometimes be a lot of work. This led to the introduction of property management systems, an automated software which can optimize hotel operations and keep a tight control on costs. It important for hotels to understand the needs of their guests, if they want them to come back to their hotel, they need to know what they like and dislike. Using the PMS it allows them to make a profile of each guest and they write in if they want a beach view room or if they want a mini bar in their room. There is a difference when it comes to PMS and ERP. "A property management system usually consists of front office software and other best of breed solutions." The ERP, is usually a comprehensive solution from a single vendor. I really enjoyed reading this article and it helped me get a better grasp on how hotels use property management systems.

I completely agree that technology is making deep inroads into the hospitality industry, and hotels across the world are looking to use technology to make operation smooth and efficient. Any operating system that can help optimize the hotel experience is going prosper in their business.

I didn't really care for the passage that talked about PMS vs ERP, I though they could have been more specific... they just said ERP is better, could someone provide an example? Also, they mentioned how when a hotel becomes more complex problems arise in the PMS, how? All the hotel would have to do is come up with another PMS system that would provide them with greater resources, etc whats the problem??

With the rapid growth and increased use of the Internet over the past 2 decades, industry professional Andrey Smirnov gives 7 tips to other industry leaders on maximizing their presence in e-commerce and in consumer minds: (1) make your website quick to download and easy to find; (2) organize content by prioritizing information; (3) when offering promotions, clearly reflect it with a call to action; (4) distribute 'fresh' content on different channels (i.e., photo galleries, press releases, etc.); (5) maximize on mobile marketing; (6) embrace social media; and (7) continually improve by testing new things.

The internet is constantly changing, the way we communicate and they way we do business. The hospitality industry is always quick to capitalize on new technologies. However, the e-commerce growth in the hospitality industry has created an urgent need for simple changes to companies' presence online. So when every hotel is involved in e-commerce, why is it so important today? It is simple. Today, the internet is the lowest cost hotel-booking channel. As well as now, most travelers are searching and making hotel reservations online. Lastly, social media and online hotel reviews are increasing and have made an important decision factor. Now, hoteliers need to keep focus on what information customers are seeking and what they are looking for online. There are a few basic strategies that will help drive usage from the internet world. Some of those are: vave a search-friendly website, focus on usability and conversation taking a holistic approach and prioritize information, and lastly make websites compatible for mobile phones. If hoteliers can use the full potential of the internet, they will maximize their return on investment in e-commerce. The hospitality industry needs to constantly learn and look for ways to use the new developments and trends.

Andrey Smirnov in his article "E-Commerce for the Hospitality Industry highlights how the internet has changed the way business is done not only in the hospitality industry but as a whole. He stresses the importance of e-commerce in the hospitatlity industry and why hoteliers must utilise strategies to ensure they make the most of the marketing and sales opportunties the internet provides. There are a few things that hoteliers must do to make the most of what the internet provides. They include: (1) Search Friendly Website Design - "site download speed is one of the most important ranking factors in organic search" says Smirnov therfore hoteliers must ensure that their site is properly designed and compatible across any browser, any items that causes the site to perform poorly shoud be eliminated as internet users similar to hotel guests tend to only visit sites where they can receive the best experience yet. (2) Improve conversion and Usability - content on website must be properly organised and users must not be bombaded by information. (3)Search - Hoteliers must focus on Paid searches as well as Real time search to increase traffic. Paid searches ensure that your targeted traffic are directed right to you. Whereas with a great web design with strong content that is also timely the natural ranking of the oranisation website can be increased thus increasing tracffic to it. (4)Mobile - Mobile devices have become a popular means of conducting e-business related activities for consumers therefore the hotel that ensures that their online services are accessible from mobile devices will be putting themselves ahead of the game. (5) Embracing Social Media - According to Smirnov 93 percent of social media users expect companies to have a social presence and 85 percent of social media users want companies to interact with them on social sites. With this being said one can see why a social media presence is one that cannot be overlooked. It is important that co

All of the big three global distribution systems were still expanding as well as increasing productivity and revenue as of June 2014. Amadeus, Sabre and Travelport have each made significant moves in the hospitality industry, although primarily for airlines. Amadeus is by far the largest and currently most successful GDS with the highest profit, booking volume, and market share (air travel). As of 2014 Southwest Airlines was their biggest client, but they provide GDS services and access to over 100 other airlines as well. Sabre is second best to Amadeus. The company elected to go public in 2014 and since then their billable bookings, booking share and growth have all increased modestly. During the same year they gained American Airlines, newly reformed at the time, as a client. Presently, the company expects continued improvement in revenue. Travelport has made the decision not to compete directly with Amadeus or Sabre in that they have chosen not to provide "full passenger services systems to airline on a multi-host basis." However the company is still working closely with Delta Airlines and researching "add-on" features with their main focus being the continued growth of "beyond air" activities. Honestly, I was shocked that Amadeus is the largest and most successful GDS. I truly expected it to be Sabre. This belief was based on what I have personally experienced: every OTA I have used required a link to the Sabre GDS, but I can only recall one that required one to the Amadeus GDS. After reading the chapter 8 of D.V. Tesone's "Hospitality Information Systems and E-Commerce, along with the research report from our discussion forum I have changed my paradigm. Regardless, GDSs are still used widely in the hospitality industry. Different segments of the market prefer to book in different ways: via offline Travel Agents, OTAs, hotel websites or on the phone. Those that use either form of TA are using a GDS.

Leisure guests tend to book for themselves with rare exceptions including some forms of international travel and cruise travel. These guests use OTAs or intermediaries such as Travelocity (Owned by a GDS company) or TravelZoo. In the case of TravelZoo, a guest uses the TravelZoo website to access information such as availability and pricing that TravelZoo pulls from a GDS before making a selection and processing a transaction. On the other hand, business and corporate travelers are more likely to use an offline TA. An offline TA is better equipped to meet the needs of a customer whom is travelling for business. Offline TAs require less information when booking a hotel room then an OTA does, making it simple for a secretary to book the travel arrangements for the guest. In addition, offline TAs can work easily with a hotel to make special accommodations. The hotel receives contact information for the travel agency that booked the stay in case clarifications on requests are needed. In conclusion, as long as either form of TA is in the market, a GDS will be necessary to streamline bookings and ensure that each TA has the correct pertinent information when making a booking or completing a transaction. As a result, as new OTA options or hospitality enterprises enter the market GDSs are continuing to morph, merge and grow.

In this article, the author pointed out that nowadays the Internet has played a prominent role in the lives of most consumers, so hotels and restaurants must make the good use of the Internet to send their marketing messages. Through the e-marketing experiences, the article has introduced some best practices as well as tactics for hotels and restaurants, revealing a list of e-marketing Do's and Don'ts. In one word, the author believed that striking the right tone is essential in an e-marketing program. Be clear, straightforward, respectful and fun to score points with recipients, and offer things they value: exclusivity and meaningful rewards. In addition, use database analysis tools to make the most of the data collected: to cater to specific groups and even personalize messages.