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The environmental focus is here to stay and must be embraced.

Clearly, hotels and resorts are in the business of making money, but they must do so in a conscientious manner

The focus on sustainability or "going green" is quickly becoming a major trend. But let’s face it, being environmentally conscious is the right thing to do, and it should be a business imperative for everyone. After all, a significant portion of the hospitality and tourism industries rely on the natural beauty and desirability of destinations: beach resorts, mountain ski lodges and canyon-land ranches

Deploying effective technology practices such as Energy Star compliance to power down computers automatically after periods of inactivity and server virtualization: This means having applications which share a common server rather than each application hosted on a separate server.

There are numerous opportunities for IT professionals to take leadership roles in helping their organizations to adopt sustainable practices.

Using IT responsibly and effectively to reduce energy, water and paper consumption: Energy management systems are effective at controlling guest comfort while saving energy consumption and costs.

Tackling e-waste and deploying recycling technologies to reduce environmental waste and impacts: Many electronic firms offer responsible recycling programs for used hardware. Technology can also be utilized to assist in the recycling process

 Digital marketing practices: Using digital media instead of print media is a great way to save money while reducing the impact on the environment. By tapping into social media, you can let guests be involved in green practices and spread the word virally about all the good the organization is doing

There is a growing environmentally conscious market, a profitable segment to tap

.    Educate employees and guests to improve awareness of environmental issues and green practices in your organization and the industry.

   Conduct an energy audit to see where and how energy is being consumed and to establish a baseline. Continue these audits on a regular basis.

Seek suggestions from employees and guests, and offer rewards for ideas that get implemented.

Celebrate and market key successes

The idea of green business is prominent in short-term rentals and serviced apartments as well.

Fuchs added: “There’s that obvious tension between price and quality.”This tension is at the heart of all business and tends to become unbalanced during times of hardship. When businesses are existentially threatened, as some say hospitality is with the coronavirus outbreak, logic would dictate that price takes over afterwards.

For some hospitality businesses, sustainability may actually be a solution to cut costs with a more difficult market. Basic measures, such as opting out of turndown services and using energy efficient lights and recycling water can realistically be used to shave certain expenses.

In this instance sustainable development can be a double-edged sword. High upfront costs can hamstring businesses with less cash on hand but can create necessary savings for those with just enough.

Madu Rajesh, director for International Tourism Partnership, told HospitalityNet: “There is a strong business case for sustainable hotels including reducing operational costs through utility savings, benefiting from national and local incentives, and increasing control of energy costs through installing on-site renewables.”

The consensus among many professionals is, however, that sustainability is no longer a choice that can really be made by businesses. The future of hospitality will be inherently sustainable.

Paolo Trevisan, head of design at Pininfarina of America, said: “Over the next six to twelve months, consumers will be giving everything a more critical look, from their homes to their vacations. As such, we believe that sustainability –– especially principles of biophilia (access to natural light, green space, etc.) –– will continue to be a topic on the forefront of people’s minds.

Mitra-Kelly said: “More than anything, this pandemic is teaching us that we are so dependent on things that are not locally sourced or sustained.”

The ethics of sustainability are dependent upon the personal views of those who lead a company, but the business sense is not.

For some, sustainability may be the way to recover from a time of genuine business concern. For others it may fall by the wayside.The idea, however, is still present and, while maybe temporarily deprioritised, is set for a significant comeback.

"I think that you will begin to see more hotels going to RFID and smartphone entry before using biosystem recognition," says Wolfe. "These systems are expensive, and there are many consumers who just don't want this information stored somewhere -- for a variety of reasons."

Systems that track the other qualities that make each human unique are in development as well.

Yet more card-free security systems are on the way.

Many industry watchers are keeping an eye on Houston's largest hotel, the vast 1,200-room Hilton Americas–Houston. The hotel has a facial recognition system that can identify and track guests, employees, and even suitcases. With 700 employees and an annual $16 million payroll, the system offers benefits such as employee time-theft monitoring and prevention for the hotel. But travelers aren't that concerned about employees taking an extra cigarette break. What it means for you is that the system includes alerts if unwanted people are on the property and a response time of mere seconds if there's an incident. Customer service is heightened as well: Returning guests will be recognized and greeted by name. And with 1,200 rooms worth of luggage in transit, the system makes it a lot easier to find lost or misdirected bags.

not everyone wants to be on-camera, all the time. With concerns about "snooping" and a Truman Show-like lack of privacy, might guests feel that systems such as this are too intrusive in our hotels? "

Technology is opening new doors to hotel safety, and the way we navigate hotels is set to change in the blink of an eye. Or the swipe of a cellphone. Or the print of a finger. With futuristic systems like scent and iris scanners and digital facial-recognition, hotel security is being taken to the next level. #plain_module { width: 590px; height:170px; border: none; float:left; margin:0px; font-size:12px;} #plain_module img {border:none; width: 13px; height:14; border: 0px; margin:0px; } #plain_module .mini_main { margin: 0px; padding:0px; width:585px; height:220px; repeat scroll 0 0} #plain_module .mini_item_header {padding:10px 0px; margin: 0px 0px; font-size:16px; color: #555555; border-bottom:1px dotted #CCCCCC;} #plain_module .mini_item {padding:5px 0px; margin: 0px 0px;} #plain_module a { color: #49A3CA; text-decoration:none; } #plain_module a:hover { color: #F98419; text-decoration:underline;} span.gray {color:#949494;} .mini_main li{list-style-type: none;background-image: url(http://www.aolcdn.com/travel/bullet);background-repeat: no-repeat;background-position: 0 1px;padding-left: 10px;} Those plastic key cards that once seemed so innovative will soon go the way of the actual key. The new thing is contact-less Smartcards and RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) cards that need just be waved to allow room access. Much like the cruise world's one card system, these cards may soon make hotel stays easier by allowing guests to pay for services, as well as to check-in and check-out, through a single device. Travelers may even be able to save preferences on the cards, from pillow type to floor choice. RFID cards are already in use at New York's Plaza Hotel, and Starwood Hotels are considering introducing them into their hip Aloft and Element properties. But travelers worried they will constantly have to traipse back to reception every time they lose their card need not despair. Security systems in some hotels do away with cards altogether. "In addition to Radio Frequency Identification, there are also systems that use a smartphone, such as an iPhone," says Frank Wolfe, CEO of Hospitality Financial and Technology Professionals. "When a guest checks into a hotel and provides their phone number, they get an encrypted sound code via text message." You can then play back the code to unlock your room door.

Systems that track the other qualities that make each human unique are in development as well. Movement-activated video-capture systems were showcased in New Zealand in September 2010. Researchers are at work on devices capable of recognizing an individual's gait or walk and even their DNA. Frank Wolfe says, "If you want to go 'way out there', there are some systems being explored that can allegedly sniff someone, and also systems that can recognize the pattern of blood veins on a human being which are apparently unique to the individual," says Wolfe. Quite common in Japan, vascular-recognition systems such as this are still "several years off," according to Wolfe. "I think that you will begin to see more hotels going to RFID and smartphone entry before using biosystem recognition," says Wolfe. "These systems are expensive, and there are many consumers who just don't want this information stored somewhere -- for a variety of reasons."

Today more than ever before there is an abundance of products on the market and practices available that take the environment into consideration.

From energy saving lightbulbs to low pressure or low flow shower heads. Many hotels buy their own linens and launder in house, reusing those linens that are not dirtied lessoning the use of water,

detergent and greenhouse gases.

A recent study conducted in conjunction with UCLA found that organic labels yielded higher taste ratings from wine critics.

A Mintel study found that 60% of millennials and 55% of Gen-Xers are concerned about harmful ingredients in their food and groceries.

While organic represents less than 5% of the U.S. wine industry, it grew at rates between 10% and 20% per year in volume from 2013-2016, according to Nielsen. In the last decade, the number of organic vineyards tripled worldwide.

Women outnumber men as the leading consumer of wine in both retail and restaurants, consuming 57% of bottles in the U.S, reports Nielsen. Of those, 51% of those aged 21-24 say organic factors in into their purchasing wine.

(Several studies suggest women eat more nutritiously than their male counterparts).

Natural wine is generally lighter and tends towards a funkier, less manipulated consistency.

The definitions involve both the environment (how the grapes are tended to, without artificial chemical fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides) and the winemaking process (with limited or no added chemicals/sulfates).

millennials, who constitute 36% of wine drinkers, according to a report by Beverage Dynamics.

more subtle, restrained, and elegant than it’s predecessors. “Women’s wine tends to use less of the winemakers’ bag of tricks as far as oak is concerned and different methods to manipulate the flavors of wine,” says Den Haan.

“They’re geared to the female consumer,” adds Ed Field, owner of Natural Merchants, Inc., one of North America’s leading importers of organic wines, which counts Whole Foods as client. “There’s not necessarily heavy tannins–it’s more refined.”

Magdevski says that in the past, women probably veered away from winemaking in part because of the physicality required.

Women might also gravitate towards small, natural producers and local markets since larger operations have long been dominated by men.

In 2013, Ann Rabin Arnold founded the Organic Wine Exchange, an organic wine club that’s now available in 13 states with a clientele that is  80% female.

larger producers will co-opt it as a smart marketing move. “That’s my fear,” she says, adding, “and my hope.”

organic wine is “at the tip of the iceberg” as more and more consumers, especially millennials, actively look for not only healthier solutions, but more distinct dining options.

Planners will try to book events further in advance. This leaves hotels and venues in a pickle: Taking early bookings could mean missing out on higher-value events later.To avoid missing out on revenue, hotels and venues need to segment business intelligently. That way, you can avoid the pitfalls of traditional lead-scoring biases that hurt RFP management.

In 2020, brands will invest in events as a marketing channel. In fact, in a recent event marketing survey, 52% of respondents said that event marketing drove more business value than other marketing channels. (Only 8% said it drove less business.)

Planners should create ample private meeting spaces and “collision spaces.” Some events do this by providing fewer chairs than attendees. With fewer empty seats, they’re encouraging movement and interaction.

Large, minimalist spaces with easily accessible bars are the perfect recipe for a networking event. Venues like this can use the networking angle to promote event space to corporate clients.

These attendees blend the worlds of business and leisure. It’s given rise to a new, multi-generational segment that drives destination decisions. (See: our Hotel Market Segmentation Guide for more on this.)

Attendees want more control over the event agenda. In fact, 96% of the Social Tables audience believe events are expected to be more personalized than ever.

While you don’t need to offer 11 choices for every hour, you can empower attendees to mold the event to meet their individual needs.

For proposals, try showcasing multiple event-specific variations. This adds value for the planner by helping them better meet their event objectives, while adding value for the hotel or venue as an upselling technique.

According to Billboard, there over 800 annual music festivals in the U.S. alone, and they attract 32 million attendees in total. 14 million of those attendees are (surprise, surprise) millennials.

At smaller levels, adding performances to the agenda can go a long way in engaging attendees. However, for larger events, creating a festival-like atmosphere requires access to a variety of spaces that are exclusive to one group.

A bigger focus on wellness could revolutionize F&B — replacing beef with the proverbial Brussels sprout.

16. Sustainability will be center stage at events.

Sustainability initiatives are your chance to make a positive impact while painting your brand in an equally positive light.

Demand will continue to outpace supply

Industry Performance TrendsAttendee Experience TrendsMeeting Destination TrendsEvent Technology TrendsMeeting Design Trends

Meetings are growing and evolving rapidly, and each is an experiment in applying new methods to find a perfect formula.

be dynamic, you have to be flexible, and–above all–you have to be in tune with attendee desires.

Meetings are growing and evolving rapidly, and each is an experiment in applying new methods to find a perfect formula.

predicts 5-10% growth in demand. At the same time, the development pipeline is slowing.

It’s also the spontaneous conversations that come with serendipitous networking.

nticipate higher rates, and book event space as early as possible.

At the same time, face-to-face time takes a hit — making it a more treasured commodity in our modern world.

redict it’ll grow about 2.41% in North America. CWT expects an even higher hike of 3.7%.

Planners should create ample private meeting spaces and “collision spaces.” Some events do this by providing fewer chairs than attendees. With fewer empty seats, they’re encouraging movement and interaction.

everage lobbies, rooftops, and other communal areas for networking events.

For events — especially large-scale events — sustainable initiatives are now the expectation.

Fast, reliable WiFi will soon become the norm, opening up new engagement opportunities and nontraditional venues for events.

“I think many hoteliers will be unhappy with the significant investments they are making now into cabling that will become obsolete just as soon as 5G launches.”

Apps present an opportunity for personalization and engagement at each stage of the event lifecycle.

Hotels and venues are developing sophisticated apps that enhance the in-venue experience. Whether it’s Wembley Stadium’s virtual tour guide or Marriott’s sophisticated in-app chatbot functionality, branded apps are adding value in multiple ways:

Why? Well, take the speed of your current 4G LTE smartphone internet and multiply it by 1,000. (Think: putting the Millenium Falcon into hyperdrive.)

Because today, 86% of consumers expect companies to act on social and environmental issues — and they’re more than ready to vote with their dollars.

0% of event planners reported that their jobs require more experience creation than just 2-5 years ago

Content:

Destination

Technology:

90% of respondents stated that event security should still be a top priority for the industry.

That could mean avoiding coastal destinations during hurricane season or avoiding certain areas of the city to ensure safety outside of event hours.

. Event diagramming software can help in this regard by allowing venues and planners to collaborate on a single source of truth

Security is a significant value add and a key selling point in initial communications.

you’re providing any personnel, such as security, custodians, and administrators.

Have evacuation plan

reate a step-by-step safety checklist for execution during on-site setup, and another safety checklist for the day of the event.

Less is more when it comes to the material.

It’s a movement that stands in direct opposition to the gaudy ballrooms of old

ess furniture, fewer seats, smaller portions, less irrelevant decor… you get the picture. A

c, open floor plans that make minimalism a possibility.

lassic combinations of whites and greys

ewer seats means more mingling.

lutter-free to promote a clean, open feel that keeps the focus on content.

Hotels, however, may find themselves scrambling to reinvent their event spaces. It could be time to rethink these spaces — along with lobbies and other communal spaces that set the aesthetic tone for the hotel at large

Larger chains should look to boutique hotels, which create visual identities that are often more closely aligned with the appeal that nontraditional venues offer.

Yes! Together, augmented reality, robotics, and virtual reality can be the ‘Three Amigos.’ VR and AR can offer an immersive medium to operate robots

With the help of low-latency networks, people can utilize robots remotely using intuitive AR and VR controls

Robot training

Virtual reality and augmented reality can be utilized to train robots for different tasks

With the help of dual neural networks, robots can learn new tasks by observing and breaking down several actions

he first network, known as the visual network, captures an image using the robot’s camera to understand the current state of an object. The other network, imitation network, tries to understand a demonstration and analyze how an action is being performed.

Motion sensors in AR and VR gaming can be deployed to train robots. Developers can use a pressure-sensitive trigger on a joystick to teach robots how to control grasping and articulation speed for picking up objects

Object recognition

Using this approach, robots can learn how to group similar objects together, differentiate between various objects, and identify new items that look similar to those it has already seen

Generally, AI-powered robots are exposed to a wide range of data.

By using VR, a trainer only requires a 3D VR model of several objects. With this approach, trainers and developers can minimize costs and effort required for collecting data and real-world objects. Using 3D models, robots can also be trained to recognize biological structures in the human body in detail.

Operations

Virtual reality can be used to develop teleoperating robots that can function with the help of multiple sensor displays.

obots replicate a user’s hand movements by using hand controllers

In a direct model, a user will be directly coupled to a robots current state

With a cyber-physical model, a user is separated from the robot.

Using controllers, users can guide hand grippers to move, pick up, and retrieve objects.

How AR, VR, and robotics can work together Augmented reality, robotics, and virtual reality can team up to develop innovative applications for various organizations.

The days of hiding behind a 50-foot granite front desk and having this barrier between you and your customer—I think that’s evolving and changing pretty quickly,”

Second is the move to a low carbon future. The WHL Group is committed in all its businesses to minimising our environmental footprint and supporting local communities. In designing the airport transfers business we noted the increasing number of “green” transfer and taxi companies appearing around the world and had the idea to try and bring as many of these into one big global family as we could

Green Path Transfers are simply in this case focussing our training, distribution efforts etc. around the transfers element of their business, giving them access to the technology to plug them into global markets.

First, ground transportation in much of the developing world is still very fragmented and immature.

Green Path Transfers offers transfers from airports, ship ports, bus stations, train stations and border crossings, as well as inter-city and inter-country transfers.

Strengths: Unique, appealing twist on an existing product Strength of the global network, reaching destinations others can’t Ability to leverage other WHL Group assets. A network of operators with strong shared values and a shared mission (building a greener future

Weaknesses: Limited exposure. Difficulty recruiting partners in some destinations offering low-emission vehicles being. They are essentially non-existent, especially in developing countries.

Opportunities: To become a recognized brand name within the travel industry and the travelling public for providing eco-friendly ground transportation To become a global partner to worldwide corporations with a focus on environmental sustainabilit

Threats: Larger organisations moving into the space Low/zero emission vehicles becoming so prevalent that this is no longer a unique selling point

accommodation and activities are estimated to make up 25 percent of all the CO12 emitted by the tourism industry, or roughly 1 percent of the world’s total, according to the Untwo.

The building has no air conditioning, but relies on a heat pump and triple pane windows to keep the rooms cool, or as is more often needed in southern Holland, warm.

Motion detectors, daylight sensors and key card readers ensure that electricity for lights and appliances is only on when needed.

Besides the proper certification, these niche hotels also rely on the eco-conscious travelers to find them. BookDifferent.com, a hotel search engine that donates part of its commission to charity has started listing environmentally friendly hotels.

3. Sustainability

4. Security

Systems that track the other qualities that make each human unique are in development as well.

here are some systems being explored that can allegedly sniff someone, and also systems that can recognize the pattern of blood veins on a human being which are apparently unique to the individual,

new thing is contact-less Smartcards and RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) cards that need just be waved to allow room access.

Kimpton's 190-room Nine Zero Hotel in Boston was the first hotel to install a biometric iris scanner back in 2004

we navigate hotels is set to change in the blink of an eye. Or the swipe of a cellphone. Or the print of a finger. With futuristic systems like scent and iris scanners and digital facial-recognition, hotel security is being taken to the next level. #plain_module { width: 590px; height:170px; border: none; float:left; margin:0px; font-size:12px;} #plain_module img {border:none; width: 13px; height:14; border: 0px; margin:0px; } #plain_module .mini_main { margin: 0px; padding:0px; width:585px; height:220px; repeat scroll 0 0} #plain_module .mini_item_header {padding:10px 0px; margin: 0px 0px; font-size:16px; color: #555555; border-bottom:1px dotted #CCCCCC;} #plain_module .mini_item {padding:5px 0px; margin: 0px 0px;} #plain_module a { color: #49A3CA; text-decoration:none; } #plain_module a:hover { color: #F98419; text-decoration:underline;} span.gray {color:#949494;} .mini_main li{list-style-type: none;background-image: url(http://www.aolcdn.com/travel/bullet);background-repeat: no-repeat;background-position: 0 1px;padding-left: 10px;}

Emailing without permission can taint their impression of your brand. They can slam you and your brand in social media channels even if you meet legal minimum standards.

They have purchased the loyalty of travel agents to their own distribution systems, providing incentive for them to ignore technology-driven, efficient solutions and making it virtually impossible for agents to use alternative distribution sources.

-- Sabre and Travelport -- continues to insist that airlines use the outdated GDS distribution paradigm and pay exorbitant fees to do so, which drives up the cost of travel for a

Online and traditional travel agencies account for some 60% of airline ticket sales, meaning that the GDSs control the distribution of a significant share of airline services and product

heir plan is to have the DOT force airlines to give them, free of charge, the ability to sell optional services such as checked bags, seat upgrades or club access. Their argument? They need to sell these services so consumers are not surprised by additional costs when they travel.

The GDS industry is lobbying the Department of Transportation (DOT) to protect its market dominance.

That is more than three times the cost of booking a ticket through an airline website or through promising new distribution technologies that can connect agents directly to airline reservations systems or indirectly through a GDS.

all consumers -- like to have choices.

evolutionary efforts are being opposed by a GDS duopoly

GDS technology has not yet evolved to enable the kind of customer-focused and customized shopping that other industries have embraced.

Airlines support consumer choice and full transparency,

The next move was to take advantage of the heat that was vented into space from the air-conditioning system, Barker said. He installed a 5,000-gallon storage tank and, with a heat exchanger, produced hot water.