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Texas Western began evaluating a cloud-based business intelligence system to take a load off its accounting staff by automating its property data gathering and reporting. The effort paid off – and produced some surprising results.

The company"s hotel software requirements included automatic downloading of property performance metrics from its Hilton OnQ and Marriott PMSes daily, as well as merging the data with labor numbers, Smith Travel Research output, and a variety of other information from TW"s corporate accounting system.

Texas Western selected Aptech Computer Systems, Inc. and implemented its Execuvue® hospitality Business Intelligence (BI) solution. Aptech built TW"s data warehouse and worked with Marriott and Hilton to identify, gather the data, and create the report formats TW needed for better performance management

When a guest enters the room, he or she places the room key into the slot on the KeyCard Switch which then transmits a wireless signal. When in place, guests have complete control over the lights, outlets and the HVAC unit in the room. When removed, the room is designated as unoccupied

it also can detect which in-room devices have low battery levels; which rooms have constant occupancy; which rooms have problems with network connectivity; and which are not communicating properly with the hotel PMS and other systems.

Guest rooms have sensors that automatically raise the temperature a few degrees when unoccupied; ditto the kitchen’s new dishwasher, which turns off when no trays are pushed through, and a pile of new exhaust hoods, soon to be installed on the resort’s seven to eight stoves, that will turn off if they sense no cooking smoke.

If you have metal implants in your body, it is possible that an airport metal detector will find it. Some doctors will give you a note explaining your condition. However, since there is no official card you can carry to verify the existence of your implant, if you set off the detector you will be asked to step aside for further screening.

Bathroom Light as Night Light

Guests frequently leave bathroom lights on as night lights. Assuming this happens on a regular basis, or about eight hours per day, it will cost an additional $50 per room per year to operate this light. We suggest installing a motion sensor in each bathroom.

Storerooms generally have one or two 100-watt incandescent lights that are frequently left on continuously. When these lights burn all hours, it will cost the hotel $60 to $120 per year per room in wasted energy. We suggest installing either a motion sensor, or simply placing a sign telling employees to turn off the light.

It could affect hiring if restaurants continue to be faced with additional costs and burdens to comply with government mandates and regulations,”

thanks to an IRS ruling, restaurants are being thrown into the debate — and are faced with a decision of their own: Should tipping for large parties be left solely to the customer or should the restaurant tack it on to the bill?

“When they spend $200 and leave $20, you’re losing out on about $16 or $17 when we already pay a tip out to a host, bartender and bussers. It really makes the income of a server go down.”

Hotels, conference centers and other meeting venues are increasing group business with new technology, and it isn’t just a hotel app. To invest in the property’s overall capital, hoteliers are creating cool technology tools that market venues, increase group business and enhance the guest experience. Technology is just another way hotels are winning group business and marketing a hotel or conference center. What are some of these new hot tools for leisure and business travelers?

Investment in Hotel Technology Pays Off with Increased Group Revenue Tuesday, July 10, 2012 by Sarah Vining Hotels, conference centers and other meeting venues are increasing group business with new technology, and it isn’t just a hotel app. To invest in the property’s overall capital, hoteliers are creating cool technology tools that market venues, increase group business and enhance the guest experience. Technology is just another way hotels are winning group business and marketing a hotel or conference center. What are some of these new hot tools for leisure and business travelers? Virtual concierge service on guest room TVs At Hyatt Hotels with in-room HD TVs by Roomlinx Inc., guests are able make service requests, check email/weather, use the Business Center, print documents, and receive customized messages from meeting planners. Service requests like housekeeping and in-room dining are instantly sent through the system, improving the venue’s departmental efficiency. All of these virtual functions are hoped to appeal to new markets and drive group business. More efficient billing In the article, “Insert IACC blog post title URL” we learn that in 2012, meeting and group planners are prioritizing finance as very important during in their planning process (which made the top 10 list for the first time). Hotels making large investments in revenue management systems are taking advantage of new features that automate and process data to improve efficiency and increase revenue for properties. Virtual business centers Socialization through technology and food and beverage outlets is increasing revenue for TRYP by Wyndham in the NYC Times Square South property. Google TVs and access to Google Chrome laptops near the Gastro Bar in the hotel’s lobby offers guests an opportunity to enjoy a dining experience with the comfort of complimentary technology use. On-staff IT team When planners were surveyed, reliability was listed as a top concern of IT services in the white paper “What Do Planners and Trainers Really Want in Their Meeting Service?” All IACC-certified conference centers are required to have an on-site IT team to ensure technology functions properly. Now, the need for a knowledgeable IT team that really understands technology and can cater to individuals and group business is spreading to other hotel markets.   These impressive technology tools improve the guest experience and lead to a quick return on investment, especially in F&B. As we move beyond the discussion of required hotel Wi-Fi services, there will be a focus on technology amenities that provide the same comforts of home or the office. To increase group business, hoteliers are comfortable with this investment knowing there’s a return on investment with generated buzz/venue marketing and satisfied guests. Want to learn about other ways hotels are using technology to build relationships? Check out Enhancing Your Social Networking Site with a Social Concierge! to maximize social media and connect with guests, attendees and planners!

Ancillary bookings represent a significant opportunity for hotels to add revenue while increasing guest engagement. The airline industry adopted the practice of cross-selling and up-selling trip extras more than a decade ago with impactful results.  How can hotels do the same and best complete their guests' travel experience by offering products beyond hotel rooms?

This article will share some of the findings of the new white paper, which show that the majority of business travelers surveyed are very interested in purchasing either on-site or off-site extras. The research also identifies business traveler segments and details the preferences on when, where, and what extras business travelers are interested in buying.

business travelers are receptive to offers that will make booking their trip easier.

most consumers are inclined to stay at hotels that take steps to be environmentally sustainable.

Water conservation is another area where simple changes can make big differences

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that which removes hardware off property to centrally located servers for on-demand functionality and accessibility

The goal in both cases? Get as much IT out of hotels as possible.

Figuring out how to move data to a backup facility, in what form and deciding where that facility should be means balancing cost, risk level, how fast you want to recover lost data and how much data you can afford to lose.

Your off-site method will determine your RTO – how long it takes to restore data that gets lost.

Your off-site method will also affect your RPO – the gap between your last backup and the incident that causes a loss of data.

It's a mistake to think that a waiter's job is primarily to deliver food. This is one of the primary lessons I get across in my customer service training sessions for restaurant waitstaff: that waiting tables is a multifaceted art form that includes providing guests with feelings of recognition, comfort, and anticipation, providing a bit of theater, and, sometimes, serving as couples counselor and family mediator. Getting food to the table is really the least of what’s involved.

And there lies perhaps the biggest danger when you’re considering a move toward installing tableside technology in a restaurant: losing these less obvious, but emotionally crucial, parts of the waiter role. Another danger is that the implementation will be off-brand and off-putting.  There is a 4-ish star steakhouse with locations in several U.S. cities (think: "Morton’s but regional") whose black-clad, iPad-based menu opens on Page One with cheesy Comic Sans electronic discount coupons and two-for-one offers.  Maybe this doesn’t put you off your feed, but it did me, and I doubt that I’m alone. Which means that all the effort the restaurant had put into properly costuming the waiters, gussying up the dining room, sending its sommelier on vineyard junkets, teaching the waiters how crumb down the white tablecloths (and buying all those silver table crumbers) went down the drain with that one, ridiculously off-brand, choice. Folks: Just because you can do it, doesn’t mean you should do it; before you deploy any tableside technology, make sure that every single part of the deployment fits your brand, or at least fits your brand as you want it to be perceived in the future.

Which brings me to Chili’s Grill and Bar, the ubiquitous casual dining chain. Chili’s, which pretty much defines the mainstream of chain restaurants (and is not a place that self-service couponing – free chips with your loyalty points! – will be off-brand), is quickly becoming a definitive mainstream example as well of tabletop point of sale (POS) technology and mobile self-service restaurant technology.

difference between a virtual restaurant and a ghost kitchen

both models are part of an emerging restaurant segment that primarily exists online, with no physical storefront and with a major focus on off-premise dining and delivery.

a recent report by Statista predicted that worldwide

guestroom switches, sensors and thermostats, as well as HVAC, lighting and load controls

Verve uses wireless sensors and control products to affordably generate energy-saving solutions for controlling HVAC, lighting and miscellaneous electric loads in guestrooms. ZENO wirelessly connects intelligent devices in rooms to central controls.

Unlike other players in the industry, Brink provides for its clients, a rich suite of fully integrated technology offerings from online ordering, regardless of device; to back-end analytics that are regularly updated from the cloud, with no interruption of services and at no additional cost and allowing restaurant owners and managers to stay focused on what they love, cooking.

Running a business will generate a lot of information, both related to the business and related to your employees.

, a human resource information software (HRIS) system is a wise choice because it will reduce the amount of paper generated, organize your data, streamline processes, and help your company's bottom line.

Providing benefits for ineligible employees or their dependents. Cost of training new employees. Documenting why people leave the organization because the cost of terminations is high, and if you can track why people leave, then changes can ensue. Not properly recording vacation or sick leave taken. Time and attendance creates a loss of productivity, so having a way to track it to ensure there is not abuse of the system or employees taking time they don't have will help to reduce the risk of losing productivity and, ultimately, revenue. Reduce potential legal expenses in an employee dispute. Accurate and complete records can help build your case or diffuse a situation before it even gets in the courts.

Perhaps even more impressive than its energy and water savings is the hotel’s recycling and composting accomplishments. In 2008 the hotel recycled 85 tons of materials; in 2009 that number grew to 137 tons. Last year 116 tons was recycled. In late June of last year, a food waste decomposition machine was installed in the loading dock area. The leased machine uses heat, and bacteria treated wood chips to accelerate the decomposition process. Over the remainder of 2010, 110 tons of food waste was composted. “We need to generate at least a few hundred pounds a day to make it [financially] worthwhile,” Martin says of the machine. The Hyatt Regency McCormick Place recycles the following: office paper, newspaper, glass, metal cans, plastic containers, glass, construction waste, cardboard (four to six tons per month), used bulbs, batteries and ballasts, electronics and pallets. Recycling containers are placed throughout the hotel in public areas and guestrooms include a plastic bag for guests to insert recyclables.

“Our focus is to do a lot of the little things that add up to one big green initiative.”

reduced its electricity consumption by 12.7 percent from 2009 to 2010 and its water consumption by 24.4 percent.

Going green is going Hi Tech. As hoteliers continue to embrace the necessary tools to be good environmental stewards, and of course reduce operating costs, leading hoteliers are forging new ground in how to utilize technology to significantly reduce energy consumption while also weaning themselves off fossil fuels. It’s a one-two punch that is just starting to catch on. And though these pioneers have some major challenges they’re forging the way for industry wide success.

“It is a tremendous opportunity not only because of where customers want us to be, but because there will be a cost now or later. We need to think about borrowing from the future,” said Daniel Connolly, an associate professor at the University of Denver, who noted that he expects energy costs to continue to rise so it’s best to invent in energy saving technologies presently.

At Hotel 1000 they went for a lighter shade of green approach by cutting energy costs by tying the energy management system through the PMS. That way, when a guest checks in a signal is sent to the room to start cooling or warming the guest room. However, they still have to preset the room by leaving lights and the television on (at least its Energy Star compliant, Incao said) to create the appropriate guest arrival experience. When the guest leaves sensors alert the system to allow the energy to go off to a predetermined set back level.