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While airlines and GDSs continue their verbal and legal sparring over the future of travel distribution, the GDS remains an essential tool for the agencies that use them, according to ASTA's 2012 GDS Report.

She predicts that the decline will ultimately stop, because the business model of current users is predicated on selling air, and nothing beats a GDS for booking seats on planes.

Corporate agents tend to use GDSs more than leisure agents because air is so essential to corporate travel.

Water-efficient practices can through technologies and proper systems can deliver equal or better service while saving water.

Cooling, lighting, water heating/cooking/refrigeration and ventilation account for 85% of total electric usage in hotels and motels. Reducing electricity consumption in theses equipment areas represents considerable energy and cost savings. There are many options for conserving energy: from good insulation to something as simple as changing thermostat settings can help reduce or eliminate the need for costly heating and cooling.

Solid waste in lodging include paper, food, plastic and various other components. Implementing a solid waste reduction program in a hotel can create significant cost savings and reduce land pollution.

The way travelers communicate on the road has changed dramatically over the years, and these changes become evident when analyzing the revenue earned by U.S. hotels from their guests for use of telecommunication devices and services

Not only has telecommunications become a minor revenue source, it now "costs" most hotels to provide telephone service to its guests.

he initial decline in telecommunications revenue during the period 2000 through 2009 can be easily explained by the increased use of calling cards, then cell phones

A new liquefied natural gas (LNG)-powered cruise ferry entering traffic between Finland and Sweden on January 15, 2013 will be the "most environmentally friendly large cruise vessel ever built," according to STX Europe

Customers are also able to order directly from the digital menu, reducing waiters to little more than human FAQs. These tables

Let’s look at the top five reasons why the next menu you see for your favorite restaurant could be an iPad.

Some shoppers loved them and were quick converts, while other reactions ranged from disinterest to outright hatred – much of it shared on blogs or in Facebook groups.

An internal study by Big Y found delays in its self-service lines caused by customer confusion over coupons, payments and other problems; intentional and accidental theft, including misidentifying produce and baked goods as less-expensive varieties;

Not only creating mobile friendly hotel websites, but sending marketing messages via mobile technology is becoming more and more important in hospitality. 1 billion mobile devices were shipped in 2006. The majority of these new devices provide broadband Internet access. The ability to instantly identify a user's geographic location allows marketers to provide a highly personalized marketing message and experience.

Smart controls Hotel smartphone apps have become industry standard, but hospitality industry leaders are using the ubiquitous smartphone in another manner: They’re giving hotel guests the ability to control their rooms via their smartphones. So-called smart controls have been growing in popularity, but major hotel chains are taking them on, leading smart controls toward becoming an expected hotel amenity.

Smart controls Hotel smartphone apps have become industry standard, but hospitality industry leaders are using the ubiquitous smartphone in another manner: They’re giving hotel guests the ability to control their rooms via their smartphones. So-called smart controls have been growing in popularity, but major hotel chains are taking them on, leading smart controls toward becoming an expected hotel amenity.

Beacons Providing two-way communication with nearby Bluetooth-enabled smartphones, beacons went mainstream two years ago. Retailers led the way in experimenting with the technology, primarily using beacons to track shoppers’ habits and send promotional messages to consumers. Big names in retail, including Target, Walmart, and Macy’s have employed beacon technology in their stores. Beacons have become so widespread that Business Insider's BI Intelligence projected that beacons would create $40 billion in retail sales in the United States in 2016.

In hospitality industry, it’s important to be vigilant and on the move - take a closer look at how hoteliers embrace the upcoming challenges with the latest technology

Adapting digital marketing plans and gain the advantage over your competitors

eMarketing- Marketing, sales, public relations and advertising are some of the key elements of emarketplace.

Top POS Predictions for 2017 “Windows will no longer be the number one operating system in the market, as multiple operating systems are being offered to allow greater flexibility to consumers. Data collection will be a bigger selling point for consumers, not only to track sales and inventory, but also to manage shifts and training, as well as deploy customer loyalty programs.” — Bematech “We will see increasing configuration flexibility to adapt to more fluid layouts in a hyper-channel oriented world, smaller counter footprints, more intensive future-proofing and increased value.” — Fujitsu America, Inc. “Major restaurant chains will continue to adopt online ordering and line-busting technology and POS hardware will do a better job of connecting wirelessly to each other (Internet of Things) and to mobile (smartphone and tablet) devices. It will also integrate with sensors, cameras and video monitors to provide smart advertising to customers based on environment and purchasing trends.” — Epson “A lot of the new requests for hardware are around supporting initiatives for increasing customer engagement. These come in the form of minimizing the barrier for traditional POS, installing kiosks of varying sizes and form factors, mobility solutions, and customer-facing screens on the POS for supporting both touch and non-touch versions.” — Par Technology Corp. “In the end, hardware is simply the platform for software and consumer omnichannel demands. The rise in mobile payments and the EMV mandate will prod hospitality to upgrade legacy POS systems because of the need for security compliance and to accept more payment options. Tablets, smartphones, software- (SaaS) or POS-as-a-service models, and cloud-based POS will continue to drive the need for POS hardware to adapt to new IT and consumer interaction.” — Posiflex “POS hardware will expand connectivity in keeping with the IOT revolution, so operators will be able to provide a more personalized experience to customers at checkout.” — Toshiba “There will be increased investments in WiFi, location-based services (LBS), mobile computers and data capture solutions as more consumers use their smartphones to engage in mobile ordering and loyalty programs for personalized offers. In addition, businesses will have an increased need for visibility in automating food safety processes.” — Zebra

Cloud-based hotel software allows faster, less risky more affordable solution to hotel management so that they can save time, training and, most importantly cash flow.

More and more hotels are shifting their focus to cloud computing solution due to following reasons:

Affordability

Without a property management system (PMS), your capacity to grow your small hotel will be seriously stifled. After all, managing your bookings with Excel spread sheets or reservation books may allow you to scrape by, but it definitely doesn’t allow you to scale.

Small accommodation providers have to be extremely careful with how they spend their budget, so it is important to assess the costs involved.

Your all-in-one PMS system should give you one place to find all the information you need, and it should take you much less time to complete the same tasks.

Proximity marketing exploits activities that consumers are already involved with — and enjoy — to offer retailers a new path to reach their audiences, affording a higher level of interactivity that didn’t exist before. Proximity marketing expands the scope of interactive marketing in public places — malls, food courts, cinemas, airports, etc. — to offer a more spontaneous and direct interaction. Think of it as taking location-based marketing to an even greater level of "local," and being contextually relevant in absolute terms. Proximity marketing allows retailers to leverage their strengths and create an even more memorable interaction for consumers and, by extension, motivate return visits and increase ROI.

Fans can now book comfortably within the Facebook environment with Sabre Hospitality Solutions' innovative social network technology

the hotel is rewarding Facebook users with a special fans only rate.

What sets us apart is the Sabre Hospitality Solutions' technology that allows users to book directly and safely without leaving the Facebook environment."

helps airlines perform transactions faster, in a PCI-compliant and secure environment

As airlines grow their onboard retailing programs, the need to process transactions more securely and faster requires technology such as the new XPDA-SP to support this

upgraded to provide improved processing power, communications and security.

Sceptre Hospitality Resources, the hospitality industry's foremost top line revenue enhancement service provider, announced today their "voice services will be powered by Thing5 LLC", the leading provider of telecommunications and reservation services to the hospitality industry

They have a long track record of helping hospitality clients achieve consistent sales revenue growth.

"Thing5 is a managed telecommunications technology leader built on the strategy of offering comprehensive, Communication-as-a-Service (CaaS) and BPO Solutions for the Hospitality and Travel Industries"