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This article caught my eye because I think we can relate to the hotel projections for Miami this year. It basically states that everyone wants to be in Miami, and I can see why. I also agree with the topic the article touched up on: Miami is a melting pot. It is, as it states, a "...commercial hub linking the United States to Latin America..." I think that the rising tourism in Miami can help increase revenue and can eventually continue to market Miami is such a positive light. Yes, every city has its flaws but I think Miami will continue to bring in tourists and hopeful residents. 

This article is about a Miami hot dog and sandwich restaurant that is using iPad ordering kiosks with a POS software system built in. In an effort to reduce costs while not reducing customer experiences. Customers can order directly from their tables where the iPad is located. They can view high resolution pictures of menu items, make cooking specifications, as well as pay directly from the iPad terminal.

This article is about The Albion Hotel in Miami Beach. It talks about how they were losing business due to their outdated PBX (Private Branch Exchange) phone system. It was not reliable. They switched to a cloud based system called TCN (Total Connect Now). They are now, not only saving money, but they are able to work from anywhere at any time. This shows the benefits of cloud computing!

In the hotel world, as technology is ever evolving and change it is most times necessary to keep up with change. This hotel was at least 20 years old in the business what worked back then to five years ago even one year ago may not work today. Granted not all hotels need to be tech savvy but if that's the majority of their clientele due to their location they may want to keep up to date to ensure that they are meeting their customers needs.

It was recently brought to my attention that Donald Trump has expanded his portfolio with the $150 million dollar purchase of Miami's Doral Hotel & Country Club. I was casually watching the coverage of the 2012 World Golf Cadillac Championship on NBC and saw Ivanka and Donald on the screen but just brushed it off because of their well known passion for golf. To be honest, it was more exciting for me to see Watson fall to Rose after missing a birdie putt in the playoff round. Anyways, after searching Market Watch for 'IT Investment' and 'RFP' I stumbled upon this article and it all made sense. I am now pleased to summarize the exciting $200 million dollar investment Mr. Trump made with intentions to "reposition all aspects of the resort" resulting in a "greatly enhanced guest experience." Although not explicitly stated, I assume this investment will also include a 'renovation' of the current IT structure of the hotel and country club to increase productivity, revenue and ultimately ROI. Linda Robertson, from the Miami Herald, reported on March 8th that Mr. Trump stated, "to have 800 acres in a city like Miami -that opportunity will never arise again." It will be interesting to see how The Trump Organization follows through on their investment and achieves their goal of making Doral a "world-class facility benefiting of the resort." This article also mentions that The Trump Hotel Collection had been selected by GSA as the preferred developer for Washington D.C.'s The Old Post Office after an "exhaustive" Request For Proposal review. After researching the topic I could not find for what exact reasons he won, besides money. I will take a further look into the news. A lot of exciting new developments for The Trump Organization in the recent few months.

This article details the technological innovation that Burger King began in order to adapt to the changing food service climate during the covid 19 pandemic. The article also talks about how Burger King is utilizing unattended POS systems as well as contactless QR code systems to add to the ordering experience and make guests feel safe at their operation. The article details that at the time, these technological innovations were somewhat of an experimental trial, however now it is much more of the norm.

Having a proper security plan is so critical for hotels. Here in Miami, just days ago, the Doubletree had a fire and everyone was evacuated. Due to proper evacuation measures and a fast responce from fire officals, no one was injured.

The JW Marriott Marquis Miami and Hotel Beaux Arts Miami are three Marriott hotel brands that have been combined as the setting to create a revolutionized guest experience experience with the use of technology throughout the property. Not just technology here and there, but rather technology as the primary provider of the experience. This is evidenced by the conference room amenities: Virtual Meetings by Marriott, mobile video concierge, world's largest video powered by Cisco, digital signage, and wireless IP phones for guest use (which allow guest to order room service, check the weather, special offers, etc.). The goal and vision of the property is to allow guests to experience the advantages of technology to interact with other guets, co-workers, and hotel employees, in hopes that they will enjoy new ways to communicate, as well as have more fun. The hotel has already experienced several benefits and other favourable results: a one-of-a-kind experience for guests, effective marketing of hotel services, operational efficiency from working with one vendor, and increased guest safety thanks to 70 surveillance cameras deployed throughout public areas of the property and monitored by Cisco, who will notify hotel personnel immediately of any emergencies.

It is an impressive article that a security system could be literally so sound and impregnable. It can monitor and assure all the checkpoints; especially it can scan the contractor IDs while access to the property. As we know the hospitality industry is a meeting ground, labor-orinted and customers diversified, easy to be liable for negligence.  There is news I read in the newspaper years ago, the front desk person accidentally assigned the room key to a guest that has been given to another guest in advance. And that leads to the second guest lost his $5000 in his suitcase. The court decision was the hotel was liable and compensated for the loss of the second guests. The hotel is not only has loss in money but also in the reputation. If the hotel could have the InvoTech's system, it would check all the keys, this situation would never happened. And for the system can automatic scan contractor IDs, all I can say is amazing, it not a easy thing from my eyes. Especially for some luxury hotels, there will have some VIPs, or VVIPs, their security is the top one task for the hotel

This article makes me very proud, as I work for 1 Hotel South Beach and know that this Hotel definitely practices what they preach. They have been awarded LEED Silver (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) which was developed by the U.S. Green Council (USGBC). The hotel has a very unique and simple design. The guest rooms are designed with left over construction materials from its surrounding resources. The use of wood, natural material, leather, and stone, silk, linen, cotton are what make our facility so earthy and green. 1 Hotel hopes to start a trend in the Hotel industry by following the sustainable practices that our Hotel makes. More than 82,000 commercial institutional projects are actively participating in LEED. This is huge! and means that the trend 1 Hotel has started is being adopted by other companies.

Restaurant fraud is a vile act in which customer unknowingly are taken advantage of by restaurant staff members. The article referenced Miami, a primary tourist area in South Florida, have seen where customers complain of being charged double the amount of the quoted rate for food. In other instances, customers are solicited by specials buts again charged more than the initial rate. To protect the destination and rid the area of tacky and or false advertising information, city officials have implemented strict laws. So far, compliance have been enforced and violators charges accordingly.

An article about an Eco Friendly luxury hotel. Its nice to see a company that focuses on green initiatives in their entire property, not just in the lobby, or in the public areas. The property in Miami Beach is amazing.

Here BusinessWire, via The National Post, discusses the Inaugural Conference for the travel industry's leading travel advisors. The conference was hosted by ULTRA Luxury Exchange, which is led by a staff of global travel industry experts with decades of experience in the luxury travel industry and event management. Behind the ULTRA Luxury Exchange, is Questex Hospitality + Travel who developed and curated the conference. Questex Hospitality + Travel is the world's largest multinational media, event and eCommerce company which serves the global and hospitality industry. The multi-day conference brought together the "greatest minds in the luxury travel advisor community," according to Ruthanne Terrero of Questex. New travel trends were discussed through key-note speakers, presentations and moderated panels. Topics included, "Capturing and Capitalizing on the Millenial Luxury Travel", "The Art of Customer Service", and "The Rising Trend for Butler Service in Luxury Hotels." The millenial generation was the main topic for discussion with a growth in buying power in the luxury travel industry. The privileged conference attendees will have exclusive access to the formal research presented in the conference to reference for the future.

It seems they are really customizing the guest experience by offering guests the opportunity to take advantage of their relationship with Live Nation. I like how they get the guests involved in promotions by offering them a cash code, a benefit of being an SPG member.

Security and POS wrapped up in one tight little bow. Vectron has came out with a new cctv system that integrates to the hotel or bars POS system. Now the security system time stamps all images linked up to transactions. GM's can set up alerts to be sent to their mobiles or emails. Why is this important? Incidents like employee theft, fraudulent credit card use, guest intoxication, credit card disputes and underage service can all be tracked, imaged and time stamped to serve as evidence. This can help in insurance claims, police reports, reporting credit card fraud or dismissal of employees. There are many times where customers dispute there bills after they have received services in Miami and linking the POS to the security system would be a tool in fighting for payments deserved. Too bad this is a Australian Device and not in America.

This article is about the green initiative of installing electric vehicle charging stations in hotels. Hotels have always considered their concern for the environment as a way to stand out in the market and meet client needs and expectations. Charging stations are not considered just another amenity, they are something the customer is looking for. Drive in business is extremely important to the lodging industry and this technology is what guests are looking for as hybrid and electric vehicles become more affordable and practical.

This article deals with the implementation of electric vehicle charging stations in many hotel properties. These charging stations appear to be a big trend and an item that can set a hotel apart from it's competitors. Taking the initiative to be more conscience of their carbon footprint allows properties to relate with guests who feel the same about protecting the planet. Properties such as the Loews Vanderbilt hotel, and the Fontainebleau Miami have installed charging stations and are receive very positive feedback from ,both, guest, who own electric cars and those who do not. Although electric cars are not prevalent in the auto industry there has been an increase in sales and when Auberge Resorts held a study asking guests about electric cars they were surprised to find out that "many had already had them" and that twenty percent said that an electric car would be a future purchase. "Going green" is a huge trend within the hospitality industry and hotels will continue to implement advances in "green" technology in order to be set apart from the rest.

Light Human Hotel Miami Beach is the first of eight properties to open.These hotels are engineered to go above and beyond being LEED certified. They will offer electric vehicle chagrining stations, farm to table restaurants, bicycles that generated additional electricity. The creators stated "hotels are designed for people and that's the reason why they are sustainable places with well-being as a key factor not only for guests, but for the staff and for the local community in the neighborhood also." Centering the human factor at the core of the business allows it exploits technology. They utilize bioclimatic processes in the orientation of the buildings and will adjust all hotels based upon surroundings. A hotel brand like this could utilize air conditioning cut offs, and flow meters in order to reduce waste. The opportunities are endless for a brand like this because guests have higher expectations than ever from hotels on environmental efficiency. Implementing smart technologies combined with the utilization of surrounding would create extremely efficient businesses.

"The pandemic challenged the hospitality industry like no event before. All elements of business and leisure travel, from lodging and ground travel to food and beverage, were immediately shuttered. Though slow, recovery has returned for some"The article talks about how Covid has impacted the hospitality industry and how they are using technology to change the new normal. For the business that do not adapt and use technology to help them through these tough times they may never recover.

Sergio's in West Kendall in South Florida has implemented ASTRO - short for Automated Service Tray Removal Organizer. The restaurant wasn't filling enough vacancies and their employees felt burnt out so they reached out to Bear Robotics who specialized in automated robots for the restaurant and hospitality industry. ASTRO earns $2-3 hourly and was "hired" to help the human worker, not replace them. The goal is for ASTRO to do grunt work like rushing food and returning dirty dishes. Higueros, of Bear Robotics, said, "The human interaction is never going to be replaced - that's what you want. You want your servers to spend time with your customers."

eMenu systems can cause customers to order more when they see images and descriptions on a tablet. There has been an average of a 6% increase in checks in restaurants that utilize digital menus. It can also save the restaurant money to use this system instead of printing new menus. eMenu systems can be customized to promote whatever the restaurant wants to promote. These menus can also be translated so guests can read the menu in their native language, a feature which would be useful in a city such as Miami.