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Interesting read about up and coming Lifehouse Hotels and how they are waiving management fees for this year and looking to expand their hotel management software to hotels that are not part of their brand. Lifehouse currently has five hotels in Miami.

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.

Hertz introduces iphone apps to deliver extended travel experience to customers. The app is called My Explore, including 11 major cities in U.S. with most travel information. Each city app includes six categories: explore, Top Must See, Events, Favorites, Tours and neighborhoods. Those probably cover major needs during traveling.

This article discussed the Mandarin Oriental Hotel's security system upgrade to SAMS, from InvoTech Systems, and how they scored 98.8 out of 100 on an independent security audit. Mandarin's director of safety and security is Nelson Ballester, and after coming into his position, he upgraded from just using SAMS' key tracking solution to four other SAMS modules: Patrol Monitor, Security Logs, Incident Reports, and Lost and Found. According to Ballester, the SAMS system has made security at the Mandarin much more effective and efficient. In discussing security within the hospitality industry, it is important to realize that while guests want to feel safe and secure, too much, or the wrong kind of security gives the impression of danger. Thus, properties have to come up with innovative ways to have strong security measures without frightening guests. Nelson Ballester spoke really highly of the SAMS system, crediting it with the reason for his property's high score on the security audit. It appeared that two key areas that SAMS really benefited the property were with the processing and tracking of keys and being able to have greater control and knowledge of who's entering and exiting the building. SAMS' ability to integrate with multiple processes makes employees' jobs easier, and hopefully translates into providing greater customer service.

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina , Sept. 11, 2014 /PRNewswire-iReach/ -- Guests staying at Four Season Hotel Buenos Aires have a new, complimentary digital amenity to keep them connected during their stay. The hotel now offers a digital, all-you-can-read newspaper and magazine service from PressReader, treating guests to more than 3,000 local, regional and international publications by using their laptops, tablets or smartphones.

Four Seasons Miami also just took another step in "going green" and now offers the press reader application to our guests. We don't buy hard copies of newspapers anymore to reduce the amount of paper being used to save the trees and rain forest. Guests don't have to pay any extra cost for this technology and have thousands of newspapers to choose from.

I found an old article on Physical Plant and preparation for Y2K! The claimed that high tech hotels needed to check their flash light batteries, first floor grounding of elevators, back up generators and fuel tanks. Besides the fact that this is written for doomsday Y2K they have a valid point to have a disaster plan if an earthquake, hurricane or any disaster takes the hotel off line. Loss of power is a real threat especially in hurricane Miami. We need to know that data will be backed up, rooms can be accessed, and that people will not remain stuck in an elevator. Please read below With hotel systems growing ever-more tech-dependent, disaster planning extends well beyond protecting data. Proaction Better Than Reaction Computer Systems Demand Special Attention Just outside California's state capital, the Sheraton Sacramento Rancho Cordova Hotel is a magnet for business travelers in the high-tech and government sectors.

Before Midnight Cilli! No pumpkin carriage here lol. Thanks

Surface interactive table is very popular in recently years. It is a technology that through glass capacitive touch screen. The technology is used to capture guests touch on acrylic surface. This kind of interactive table could be included games, internet and communication to offer a complete interactive experience. Guests can pass by, touch or approach the screen to activate the system and the content will start immediately when guests use finger to point the device. The technology has a lot of methods to use. The screen not only can click, double-click but also rollover, multi-touch. Because some users are use the same screen for meeting, playing game and organizing, the interactive table has a lot of ways to use even to perform activities which use two hands in parallel. If the hotel has this technology, it is really a surprise. The businessmen will use it for meeting and communication. The children use it to play games together and the travelers are likely to design maps, mark destination and organize their tourism.

In the hotel that I used to work in Down Town Miami they have two surface interactive tables. Guests love them! As you mentioned before they play games such as chess, Chinese checkers, and you can play the piano too. You can also check for directions, listen music, and look for information. I know there is a restaurant in Orlando that have Surface interactive tables too, it would be nice to check it out.

That is a great idea that Paris is putting into practice. For only 199 Euros which is around $256 dollars you can get a room like that, I will totally do it! Comparing rooms here in South Beach that are much more expensive and do not have The Eiffel Tower as the view, that is a great deal. And, they are just testing this concept for 3 months and if they see that the demand is high enough they will keep it for longer. This, at the end will result with higher profit and product differentiation. Customers will love it!

Great article, Craig! I agree that this is a great app for hotel managers to integrate into their company because although they may need to invest money to create these apps, the incoming revenue produced from the app will be well worth it. Tourists usually go on leisurely vacations to relax and be pampered. This app is just another guest service tool that allows the customer to do what they'd like from the comfort of their bed or tanning chair.

This is an interesting article about Google, who is quickly becoming a big name player in just about every business segment out there. The article addresses Googles new search tool called Hotel Finder, which is still in testing phases. This tool is designed to make it easier for users to find, compare, and book hotels, by drawing on a map around an area they want to stay in a certain location or city and it lists the hotels in the search area, with prices, availability, star rating's and reviews. In addition it lets you filter the results by price, price compared to usual, Hotel class, and user reviews, and allows the user to book directly through the hotel or through an intermediary site with a click of a button. This article also talks about a possible downside to Googles new service in the online travel agency segment. The article explains how some are concerned, because Google is placing comparison ads in premium space on top of the Google search results for hotels, which when clicked by a user takes the them to the full Google site and pushes OTA sites like Expedia, Hotels.com, and Orbitz and hotel websites farther down the search results list, which is making them pay more for premium Comparison Ads. Also the OTA's are concerned about how the Price Per Click may go up, making the OTA's pay more to Google. I went on and played around with Hotel Finder, and I have to say it is very easy to use, and allows you to really customize your experience and pick exactly where you want to stay. http://www.google.com/hotelfinder/#search;l=miami+florida;d=2012-01-22;n=1;v=l;r=0;s=m;fv=

I love the part of the Google Hotel Finder about the comparison ads that help me know how much I would pay if I book the same hotel from other websites by only visiting one Google Hotel Finder website. I hate to search the same hotel on different websites to choose the best price. It costs me much time to make a plan of travel. The page of Hotel Finder is clear and easy to understand how to use it. All results of hotels would be sorted by price and I could get best price fast. Yesterday was my first time to use Hotel Finder and I used it just like I already knew how to use. I don't need to spend much time to study the search website and the page has several recommended words to help me get what I want.

The  first part of the article talks about how the cloud is being used in restaurants to monitor all transactions. Aloha POS systems has a add on that takes all the transactions to the cloud in 10 minutes intervals, after that they analyse the date to see if a employee has been doing to many voids or gets to much tips, they do this via algorithms in the cloud. Just another way that the cloud makes the life of a restaurant owner that much simpler. 

There are many posts about Green hotels. If you are interested in the process for your hotel in Florida please go to the Florida Green Lodging website and click on the designation application link. There are also helpful links to Best Practices, Designated Properties, and Webinars. I was fortunate to sit in on their meeting with the AHLA in Miami with Professor Scanlon and I learned a wealth of information most of which can be accessed on this website. Start your green team today! Angela Before You Apply [PDF - 94KB]Review this document before beginning the application to learn more about the Florida Green Lodging Program. Application Instructions [PDF - 67KB] [DOC - 31KB] Please follow these instructions when completing the Designation Application. Designation Application [PDF - 1,388KB] This application is a comprehensive evaluation tool that details the requirements of the Florida Green Lodging Program.

This article announces the use of Wind Turbines as one of Hilton Fort Lauderdale's green initiatives. Six 40-foot turbines will be installed on the roof of the hotel and are the first part of a process that will include solar panels and possible even street-level turbines. Both methods will help increase the amount of electricity provided by renewable resources. The wind turbines are projected to provide 5-10% of the hotel's electricity, and the solar panels could add another 5-10%. I think this is an excellent green initiative, and I've never heard of a hotel undertaking it before. The possibility of 10-20% of the hotel's electricity coming from wind turbines and solar panels is pretty significant. According to Andreas Ioannou, general manager, the hotel is hoping to get up to 25% of their energy from these sources. It appears that the resort has been very energy conscious since its opening, and is the first resort in Broward County to receive the Florida Green Lodging designation. They also have a Green Team, which oversees other green initiatives such as recycling all paper, using fluorescent light bulbs, and automatic water flush-o-meters in public restrooms.

The article "The Software Algorithm That Turns Hotel 'Lookers' Into 'Bookers'" poses questions about the pricing algorithms in the airline and hotel industry. It then introduces and explains the software developed by Bruno Perez and Jean Francois Mourier called REVPAR GURU. In essence, the software is a revenue management system that analyzes data points online and internal factors within the company to provide suggested price-points to maximize profit. I believe that this software simplifies the job of the revenue manager because with the software they no longer have to agonize over data about reaching capacity at the highest room rate, they now focus on the data given by the software and its suggested prices. The idea for the software stemmed from the fact that we are going through a shift from offline to online in our society and more and more people are now doing their bookings online. I believe that this software has the right idea and is available at the right time during the shift to online. As more and more companies adapt, adjust, and use the online world, this program will continue to succeed. 

Great article! I might biased but I love Hilton Chain. In the article they go on to say how they are taking the mobile frenzy to the hotels! They will be implementing not only apps but allowing guests to checkin/out with their phones, and use their phone to open the door. 

This article discusses what benefits an HRIS will provide a firm. Some of the most important benefits include cost savings. The system allows an HR manager to manage more employees so they firm can hire less in the HR department. Additionally it provides insight into other departments if turnover is high and the system can save money in the long run in the case of legal disputes. For employees it allows them to access their information and get contact information for other employees. All these benefits improve the job performance of everyone involved.

This article discussed how the 1 Hotel in Central Park uses technology to remain eco-friendly while also providing luxury service to guest. The technology is a computer system that controls the amount of light in a room, this changes automatically or can be controlled by the staff. This hotel has mastered a way to be eco-friendly while providing luxury service.

Site Minder by GDS experience, serves as good example to better understand the impact of a GDS's impact on the hotel industry. GDS by SiteMinder provides a single point of entry to over 500 000 travel agents across the globe, which means that hotels can target many type of travelers in multiple geographic regions. By connecting hotels directly to the world's major GDS providers - Sabre, Amadeus, and Travelport - and travel agent network, GDS by SiteMinder offers a major convenience to participating hotels. Through this service, hotels don't have to worry about signing up with each one of these providers. Another advantage of SiteMinder is its affordability; there are no commission fees, rather, just one flat transaction fee per reservation. The company offers free services from GDS experts and free technical account management advice which are other benefits. For instance, in another article, in mid-2013, South Beach Group who has boutique hotels in the heart of Miami Beach, decided to switch its 12 hotels to GDS by SiteMinder. After moving to GDS by SiteMinder, South Beach Group representative highlights the significant increase in bookings leading to a growth in annual revenues by17% in 2013. In essence, GDS by SiteMinder advertises participating hotels to more customers globally within an incomparable distribution platform, with real-time and two-way GDS connectivity. As we can see in the article, in 2016, just within 12 months the total number of users of GDS by SiteMinder increased from 250 to almost 900. This article underlines the importance of GDS for the growth of travel industry. With Site Minder by GDS, one can realize how GDS helps increase hotel bookings by placing hotels on more virtual channels (an analogue of supermarket shelves) globally.  

This article outlines how hotels are trying to become eco-friendly sustainable and still able to paramount guest needs. With this initiative, modern consumers are showing a definitive preference for experiential purchasing over material goods.