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When Pilot Travel Centers chose to deploy the NCR RealPOS workstations in 306 travel centers nationwide, it was a definite sign that POS has become a standard tool for the travel industry. Pilot operations are the largest sellers of over the road diesel fuel. Also initiated was the utilization of this and NCR's RSM (Retail Systems Manager) which monitors and manages retail operations remotely with a help-desk interface which ensure ongoing operations in the event of the onsite workstation is operation. Pilot commented that this technology ensures their commitment to customer service, and includes such features as self-service kiosks which allow OTR and RV customers to obtain receipts without standing in lines.

Hotel lock vendor SSA ABLOY launched a four-month pilot at the Clarion Hotel Stockholm. The program can allow hotel to send hotel room key directly to guests' mobile phones before arrival.  With the mobile key, hotel guests can check-in and out using their mobile phones.  In addition of increasing guest experience, mobile phone can also increase security, it allows hotel to revoked the key and reissue. At the same time, decreasing using of physical cards can save the environment. 

No industry has a bigger stake in protecting the environment and local communities than the travel industry. Like the article states, if coral reefs are destroyed, there will be no more snorkeling. And if the communities are not able to profit from the travelers coming to the area, their displeasure will show. In order to help green travelers decide if their trip is hurting the environment or harming local communities, or actually doing some good Sustainable Travel Leadership Network has started TravelWell. This project will also encourage the governments in the destination areas to improve sustainability practices, help travel companies decide where to do business.This initiative will score destinations based on the practices of piloted destinations, letting them know what areas they need to improve in. The problem is that while most governments are willing to create a plan, they do not actually follow through with the plans they've made. With TravelWell being implemented, destinations could lose out on the growing market of green travelers and this will affect their bottom line more in the long run. Because TravelWell will also give this information to potential investors, destinations also run the risk of losing potential investors. The main purpose of this tool is to keep the conversation of sustainability alive with governments. It would continually create a standard to measure the effectiveness of sustainability efforts as well as creating new ideas.

This article describes Guestfriend app which is a Back of House software for hotel companies that can handle preventative maintenance, project management, asset management, housekeeping supervision, and response-dispatch coordination.

Software is extremely important within hospitality. As guests expect more, our industry needs systems that will provide more options. The more a system can offer us, the more we can in turn offer a guest. With the world moving into a more technological advanced place, hospitality is no exception. Drury has taken steps to provide this as they move to a new property management system (PMS) "Agilysys rGuest." The software promises a pilot that includes benefits for the hotel as well as the guests, such as enhanced efficiency and guest service.

This article goes into details about the new technology emerging in the hospitality industry and how it is that hotels are able to stay ahead of the cutting edge trends of today.

I found this article interesting as it is closely related to the discussion board topic for this week. It touches on the point that guests expect the same level of convenience that they can experience at home when they are travelling. Voice recognition devises are on the rise and this new technology is affordable enough to be a regular house-hold item. It's difficult for hotels to have a competitive edge while trying to stay one step ahead of the game. Maintaining excellent customer experiences while avoiding unnecessary touch points for the guests is the goal for many businesses. The article mentions that Hilton as a technology "test" property, where all new technology is transparently tested on staff and guests and valuable feedback in derived. I think this is an excellent idea that more hotel brands should incorporate.

As always Google always seems to highly compete with its Apple, Amazon, and Microsoft. Google Assistant will now introduce the ability for a individual to check in or book any domestic flight, check in or book a hotel room, and also to translate. According to Skift, "the translations were serviceable but included too many mistakes". Google plans to continue to integrate more hardware in the technology industry.

This article explores the a new partnership between the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) and the International Border Management & Technologies Association (IBMATA) to provide a new, faster traveling experience using biometric technology worldwide. This process would potentially eliminate wait times by eliminating frequent use of passports at multiple check points. I believe it could be epic for TSA wait times. The article failed to mention any possible flaws in the security measures for the system. We should expect to hear more after the first pilot program.

This is already happening in Singapore and China. Face recognition is all part of how I entered and left South Korea too. Even expats living there could register. Cameras are everywhere in that country and it shows it when you lose a wallet and the next day someone is knocking at your door. The USA could benefit from the "eye in the sky" as it is a better and more efficient way than threatening with the death penalty that hasn't worked ever.

the article gives examples of retail stores and how they use proximity marketing to promote their products

This article covers how Singapore is one of the leading countries in innovation when it comes to event management. It goes into discussing the new normal and how the Singapore Tourism Board's reacted to it. In addition, there is statement explaining how Singapore's largest venue is now being used as a hybrid broadcast studio. They have taken this time during the pandemic to pilot innovative schemes and use it to not only adapt to the current crisis but also think ahead to the future of events. With that said, COVID-19 has pushed for for a flow of disruptive innovators in the event management industry. This is shown in the hybrid version of events.

AI continues to evolve in fast food locations. McDonalds is piloting voice recognition systems in their drive thrus hoping to hit their 95% accuracy benchmark before deciding whether to roll this out to 14,000 McDonalds locations. The technology is improving ordering processing on average by 20 seconds per order and could reduce human labor hours by 9 hours per day.

Statistically speaking, CIOs don't become CEOs. But it's not because they don't want it. Research shows that nearly half of CIOs aspire to become chief executive, but only four percent actually get there. Much more frequently, CEOs for the world's top companies - about half in fact - come up through C-level financial or operating roles (Vanson Bourne, 2012). Chris Laping, CIO of Red Robin Gourmet Burgers (www.redrobin.com), strongly believes this is because technology executives are too often focused on engineering and IT solutions to embrace their most valuable leadership quality: the ability to manage change. Technology leaders, he believes, possess powerful project management skills that can and should be leveraged across the business for even the most non-IT initiatives, with the particular role of being agents for change. Laping's official role at Red Robin is indicative of that practice: he's the company's senior vice president of business transformation and CIO. In that role, he oversees the company's technology, learning and development, enterprise project management and operations services teams. In this exclusive interview with Hospitality Technology, Laping shares how the technology team has taken on a business transformation role at Red Robin, and describes his overall vision for IT leaders. But it's not something CIOs are handed; they have to drive it, says Laping. Driving this change, perhaps, will also help more CIOs chase down their chief-executive dreams. HT: Let's start with some definitions: "business transformation" and "change agents" are pretty heady buzzwords that get tossed around executive boardrooms. What does business transformation really mean? LAPING: If you look at a classic Wikipedia definition of business transformation, it talks about people, process and technology. So when you push change through people, you usually do that through training. If you want to change business performan

I must admit, I stand along with Alasdair Chalmers MD of DP&L Travel; I am left confused and have more questions than answers. I do not understand the goal and/or reason of the NDS standard.  The article states that it is not a system, but a standard for airlines to provide more detailed information about flights and products on the GDSs.  Benefitting customers with more search options, choices and lower fares.   It raises the controversy of agents being concerned with data availability and feeling uncomfortable with a centrally controlled information....  I think I am missing a big piece because I do not exactly understand what the concern is. I'll need to think about this and reassess....   please share your comments and clarity!   

Biometrics is becoming more popular.  49% surveyed stated they would like biometric payments.  In relation to smartphones, 20% have made payments, 45% browse in-store & shop online later, 45% check prices, 31% comment re shopping on social media, and 28% download coupons. Steps need to be taken to ensure implementation such as provide support to retailers and educate staff. 

What is the Human Resource Information System? The Human Resource Information System (HRIS) is a central automated HR information tool that manages the data of employees and applicants such as Recruitment & Selection, Training & Development, Performance Management, Disciplinary Procedures, Grievance Procedures and Leave Administration. What is the purpose of the HRIS and what will be its function? The HRIS supports the Government of Montserrat in improving data accuracy and information as it relates to its workforce and future HR planning. It creates an improved means of aligning the Government's human resources to its policy priorities and assists with our thrust towards modernization. It will provide data for informing and strengthening line management capabilities in people management. Overall, Government would have better knowledge of its HR costs, numbers and skill-set for future manpower planning, succession planning, and decision making in managing the size of its public service and be able to better ensure that the human resources are fit for purpose. The automated HRIS will enable Government of Montserrat to maintain vital organizational data in an organized manner. How will the system benefit you, the Public? There are several benefits to be derived from the HRIS System. For example, whenever you apply for a job in Government, you will be better able to know where we are in the recruitment process in a timely manner. Individuals who have worked for the Government, will take pleasure in knowing that key information during the years of employment, such as training received, promotions and performance, have been captured from their first day of work to retirement. Government of Montserrat would be better able to report to you with accurate and timely information on issues such as the skillset and health of the organization. Reporting and accountability is made easier. So where are we now with the implementation of the Human Resource Inform

this is a good article that goes over some trend changes in events, such as the Super Bowl, with regards to green initiatives. the Super Bowl committee developed a list of programs to make the event more sustainable; donating carbon credits, recycling, free bike programs, and more. I specially found it interesting that they recycled all the promotional material by collecting it and making it into other consumer products such as bags and wallets. I've always wondered why events as big as this one dont have recycling programs for the incredible amounts of wasted promotional items. When you think about it, not only does this help reduce waste but also helps generate some revenue from the products that are eventually sold. The article also shows that this trend seems to be happening at all levels from the committees, to the teams, and even the consumers! 

One of the 4 major GDS systems-Amadeus has begun offering a cloud service on the Google Compute infrastructure as a service platform to prevent overloading by internet requests. It helps to scale Amadeus service to support internet flight searches. The cloud-based system can help airlines to cope with the huge increase in search and consumer can receive 100% accurate results of the airline's availability.

This article claims that the hotels are trying to apply and adopt cloud-based hardware and software as the developing of computers and smartphones. The article uses the Delta Hotel as a example, explaining how the software apply to the management and how it be updated. In the Delta Hotel, Micro Opera 9 hotel management software is applied to many supportable devices. Also, the software contains the original product, mixing with new functions and fashion designs. Some company now is developing the software and application based on the Cloud system. Hotel Concepts-Brilliant a company providing such kind of service to hotels by collecting just only monthly subscription fee. The software-as-a-service has some advantages such as cost less, upgrade in time, no extra up-front investment and no property software or hardware to maintain. iTesso，which includes the booking engine, interface hardware and mobile applications is available as a front-end service. Call charging, POS system, accounting and keycard system are also included. The client who uses this software is able to use functions such as dashboard, check-in, check-out and housekeeping.

Now that cloud computing systems have become more widely used, hotels are also turning to this emerging technology. Cloud computing is far more convenient than traditional methods and this article states: "Delta Hotels and Resorts is piloting Micros Opera 9 hotel management software, which works with popular browsers and tablet devices, including the iPad. Through the transition, Micros will release Opera 9 modules that complement, and add value to the current Opera V5 application." "Using the software-as-a-service (SaaS) model, the iTesso Enterprise Lodging System eliminates the perpetual licensing fees that are standard with traditional, premise-based software. Instead, hoteliers pay a monthly fee per room for full use of the web-based system. The company claims that the SaaS model is more cost-efficient and offers perks like quick deployment, continuous upgrades, no up-front investment in either software or server hardware, and no property software or hardware to maintain."

A company in Denmark has piloted a solar panel system (Zenros Solar Touch Panels) they believe will save hotels 35% in energy costs (heating light and power) over the current sensor based system.The system draws power from natural and man-made light and wirelessly communicates with all electrical devices in the room allowing for efficient function. Unlike other systems, this one does not require rewiring of the hotel because it is wireless. A hotel in Qatar has purchased the system and is set to go live with the new green hotel soon.

It sounds like a good plan. I mean if it will reduce the energy costs by 35% they should definitely try the system out in a certain group of hotels around the world. Some people like to stay in hotels that are all about being green, so if these solar panels can help reduce costs and increase in rooms sold it is basically a win win for everyone. The only thing I would be unsure about is the mechanical aspect of it. It may reduce the energy costs but will the maintenance cost increase to keep the devices running.

I find myself wondering why the United States is not more proactive in green technology. A lot of the information I came across centered around other areas of the world pushing forwards with innovation. I would assume that all technology will require maintenance, but once a system has the bugs worked out of it, most modern technology runs pretty well. Maybe that is why more hotels are not using the technology. They could be waiting to see how the pioneer hotels do.