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This article deals with cloud PMS and its advantages. Some of the advantages stated by the article are efficiency, low cost, and provides guest with more contactless experience. This is a new trend we are starting to see emerge into the industry especially now more than ever after the events that have occurred due to the pandemic.

Seems to me this took a lot longer for companies to start getting onboard then I would have anticipated. The cost perspective and ease of use should have attracted people right away. Not having to house or protect on site servers from damage and theft is also a critical point. Not to mention the ability to grow the system when necessary.

The article discusses traditional PMS, an on-premises software platform that can range from very basic to extremely powerful and complex. Installation, training and maintenance are expensive for such platforms, and they stifle innovation by not allowing third-party integrations, applications, and solutions. Cloud-based hotel management systems with Open API integration platforms are the future of hotel management software. They are cost-effective and offer many operational benefits. Operating expenses such as the OPERA Cloud PMS improve cash flow, are easy to install, train personnel, and automate many administrative processes. Also, it provides easy access to reporting and performance analytics, as well as contactless guest experiences and mobility.

" It is a reasonable argument that the only reason millions of workers have been able to successfully work remotely over the past year is because cloud computing has reached a level of maturity that now makes working without the cloud unthinkable. Microsoft 365 is arguably the most widely used. Cloud computing is no longer a choice, but rather the default position of any organization that wants to remain competitive. The number of ShareGate desktop users performing on-premises SharePoint upgrades decreased by 19.7 percent in 2020. On-premises operations decreased by 60.63 percent. Operations to migrate from on-premises to the cloud increased by 37.2 percent. Cloud-based operations jumped by 50.1 percent. Cloud-to-cloud migrations increased by 67.9 percent and included the transfer of 144 percent more terabytes of data in 2020 versus 2019. Microsoft also made significant investments in industry specific certifications in financial services, energy, health and manufacturing to meet the stringent requirements of these heavily regulated environments, making it an even more attractive option for enterprise clients. He pointed out that companies that need extreme low-latency transactions, have geographical proximity restrictions or highly secure data handling needs should consider traditional methods as well as the cloud While security is improving, some old and new attack vectors remain for cloud-based applications. That threat landscape will continue to grow as the market for cloud and SaaS networks and platforms expands and bad actors follow the money. The cloud service providers are asking businesses to trade off convenience for control. That will never happen. Further, there is only one cross-cloud provider standard, K8. The other area in need of standardization is security notification. Every cloud provider reports security events to customers separately, with different languages and syntax. Cloud consumption is linear but cloud security notification is exponential.

This article is specifically related to the short-term rental industry (eg: Airbnb) and not to hotels. Property owners are increasingly using technology hardware and software to create a "contactless" experience that will foster a sense of safety and security with their guests but still allow them to personalize the experience. No dramatically new technology cited but interesting to read that property owners are planning to spend more on technology than on additional cleaning measures in terms of their anti-Covid measures.

This article on "Sustainable Hospitality Technology Made Possible" gives detailed tactics on how properties can lower their energy and consumption costs, and reduce waste which ultimately leads to protecting the environment. As explained in the article, this sustainability shift did not occur overnight, but rather through a progressive process that encompasses corporate social responsibilities and consumer sentiment.

This article touches on the advantages of using biometric digital identity verification in hotels. Guests that have traveled a long way are going to be exhausted and irritated if they need to stand in a long check in line. Using digital identification can not only help speed up the check in process, but also make it more secure. Front desk workers will not have to worry about mixing up documents or mishandling the guest's sensitive information, and will also be freed up to focus on other tasks. This can also help the hotels avoid chargebacks or fraud, as they can prove the guest was there and the added encryption will help stop identity theft.

There have been many cyber-attacks in many different nations and that is for many different reasons, such as outdated, human error, and all software being in one vulnerable spot. It is important to always update your programs, use cloud computing, and to educate your personal on all cyber-attacks. It is also important for your teams to understand the "why" behind updating and cloud computing and this is to always keep an upper edge on cyber-attacks. Cyber criminals are always changing their ideas and new ways to take over networks and workday and night to find someone to slip up and it can cause the complete down fall of a company or nation.

Chief of Information Security officers (CISO) report summarizes that hospitality and retail industries will be spending more accounting for 70% more providers. The report looks at a variety of benchmarks to assess like budgets and personnel. Fraud is not as prioritized as one might think and this time the focus is on business disruption. One core of responsibility seen by at least 70% of CISOs is of continuity and disaster recovery. They are also examining a new benchmark which is staff function priorities. The evolving of the industries is why cybersecurity threats are so complex. The report provides vital information to benefit CISOs on trends. The report in question is very interesting in how it examines what people are spending on their IT security budgets and breaks down where that money is being utilized and staffing. This would be a useful tool for hospitality providers looking to increase their budget because they can analyze other providers and what is currently trending in terms of threats and how to allocate assets whether money or personnel. If the biggest threat to providers is disruption then having an emergency action plan in place would highly benefit providers under underbudgeting. This would be a great tool for any organization to plan their IT strategy with security in mind.

The article discusses the pros and cons of the GDS. It also addresses the role it plays for helping smaller businesses in standing out to a large group of potential customers. Furthermore, the GDS has gone through many changes since the 1970's, but it is still thriving and overcoming new obstacles today.

This article went into explaining how businesses in Palm Springs have experienced a large labor shortage since the pandemic. They have tried advertising, high wages, benefits, etc. however people who left the industry do not have intentions of returning, looking for different career paths. Because of this, business owners have turned to using robots in their facilities. There is a rise of the use of robots and technology in restaurants and hotels, such as delivery food.

LEED certification system is designed by USGBC a non-profit organization. LEED certification mean that a certain standard has been removed in order to build a better environment. The certificate of LEED is shwn to improve worker health and wellbeing

This arctic is about what is a global Distribution System, history of the GDS, how does a GDS work and what benefits GDS offer.

A GDS or Global distribution system can come in handy for many different purposes. Some of these companies such as Expedia and Travelocity are know ones in the United States. It is important to weight pros and cons when deciding who to book with when choosing a hotel or an airlines especially since there are so many options. Depending on how you book especially when bundling with a GDS you could get a great deal.

This article evaluates the past and current roles of GDS in the travel and tourism industry. It is clear that the GDS has adapted and changed with the times and now is able to do even more than at its initial conception. However, as the article pointed out the all the functions of the GDS it is clear that OTA's ad websites are also able to provide a lot of these same functions. We discussed this week whether the GDS system is still currently a relevant system and most agreed that it is. However, as we look to the future it will be interesting to see what evolutions the GDS has yet to go through and how it will attempt to remain relevant in the ever changing tourism market.

Opt-In Requirements When learning about location based marketing, I immediately thought about the opt-in requirements that many shoppers would not agree to. Because our phones are sued for everything, allowing such access can pose concern for privacy threats.

The article highlights major points of the next one hundred years for disruptors and innovators in the hospitality industry during a keynote webinar among female leaders at Cornell Nolan School of Business. According to one of the keynote speakers, Professor Kim, there is a difference between innovator and disruptor. Innovators create "new products, processes, or business models to create value for customers or employees," while disruptors "significantly change how the industry works". We are all aware of the major disruptor to the hotel industry which is Airbnb; however, according to the article, there are other disruptors such as CitizenM, a modular hotel company and Sonder, a short-term rental company. However, these disruptors should not be seen as competition because most start-ups actually fail. Hotels should rather make space for the disruptors and focus on enhancing on their companies' strengths. It is recommended that hotels formalize specialized teams that can create new products to build on the hotel's strengths. Personally, I believe that it is possible for smaller hotels to work in partnership with local Airbnbs. To do this, they can offer a specialized program with reputable Airbnb owners to offer their place as a recommendation with the same hotel perks if the hotel is fully booked. In this way, the hotel can take a percentage of profits rather than losing all profits to another hotel. Nonetheless, the implementation of cell phones is a driving force for innovation and disruption in the hospitality industry creating more convenience for guests. Furthermore, the COVID-19 pandemic is still driving innovation such as contactless technology, work from home arrangements, Virtual reality and Metaverse. In conclusion, the panelists commented that future disruptions are unpredictable, and companies must look at both smaller and larger companies for changes.

This contribution between major event planning companies can really make a difference in the way vendors are found and managed. The new platform will address event planner's concerns and bring new innovative ideas to the sector.

Six technologies that can be used for your exhibits, events, trade shows, conferences; we want to make a better experience with our clients and having the event be more interactive is the way to go. Who wants to go to a boring event where you only walk from booth to booth? Interaction is what a lot a in search of and this article helps give you pointers on how to do just that.

This blog post delves into the world of location-based marketing, shedding light on its mechanisms and significance within the hospitality industry. It demystifies the workings of location-based marketing, where businesses use location data to target and engage potential customers. The post explores how accurate location information enables personalized offers and advertisements, enhancing customer experiences. Furthermore, it emphasizes the importance of location-based marketing to the hospitality sector, as it empowers hotels, restaurants, and travel services to reach the right audience at the right time. By leveraging location data intelligently, the hospitality industry can create compelling marketing campaigns, foster customer loyalty, and ultimately boost revenue and customer satisfaction.

This article is about Proximity Marketing and the many different specific ways it may be applied. These applications include: QR Codes, WiFi, NFC, RFID, Geofencing, and BLE Beacons. In all of these cases, it is vital to proximity marketing that there be an end-user mobile device (such as an iPhone or Android) as well as location-based technologies. We are all fairly familiar with QR codes as those have become widely used during the pandemic. What we may not have considered though, is how logging into a WiFi gives a lot of information about you to the business, as well as a future means of communicating with you (assuming you made an account and/or gave them important information such as an email address). Geofencing is also really cool because it allows companies to set up a virtual boundary that collects data from mobile devices that pass through that boundary. This allows a business to truly know what kinds of consumers go in and out of whatever establishment the geofence outlines.