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alomariee98

Nobody likes self-checkout. Here's why it's everywhere - CNN - 0 views

    • alomariee98
       
      It is really good to know that customers are not the only ones that experience issues with self-check-outs at the stores. They are machines that need to be maintained every so often. I have had my own experience with self-checkout and can see both sides of the story. In my experience which just so happened to be yesterday I did self-checkout in 2 different places. In one of them a customer tried to get away with theft by hovering the scanner over the item and not really scanning anything. In the other instance I kept getting the error message that did not let me keep scanning until the system reverted back to the scanning page. I get how it can be frustrating but I also see that sometimes it is the quickest option. Now with the pandemic like it says on the article some people prefer the no contact option and rather do the things themselves. This disruptive innovation just shows if there are stores that do not have it, they may fall behind because it has already become normal whether you use it or not. It gives people the choice whether or not they want to use it. Bad thing is that it does show less employees working on the floor because of these machines depending on the store. Now its a competition everywhere to have self check-out. An example I know of is the Disney Stores at Disney Springs and inside the parks. If you have the My Disney Experience app you can do mobile check-out without having to make a line for the register. Less contact with an employee.
  • The machines are expensive to install, often break down and can lead to customers purchasing fewer items.
  • higher losses and more shoplifting
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  • 29% of transactions at food retailers were processed through self-checkout, up from 23% the year prior
  • work from paid employees to unpaid customers
  • was designed primarily to lower stores' labor expenses
  • Customers scanned their items and put them on a conveyor belt. An employee at the other end of the belt bagged the groceries. Customers then took them to a central cashier area to pay.
  • 52% of shoppers considered self checkout lanes to be "okay," while 16% said they were "frustrating." Thirty-two percent of shoppers called them "great."
  • required regular maintenance and supervision
  • self-checkout leads to more losses due to error or theft than traditional cashiers.
  • Other customers take advantage of the lax oversight at self checkout aisles and have developed techniques for stealing.
  • Stores have tried to limit losses by tightening self-checkout security features, such as adding weight sensors
  • It may simply be too late for stores to turn their back on self-checkout.
    • alomariee98
       
      It really is too late to turn their back on self-checkout. It is already part of the store and those who do not use it will get left behind. Sometimes self-checkout is faster but it can be a bit frustrating due to the error messages it may give you. After all, it is still a machine.
  • Store owners have also seen competitors installing self-checkout and determined they don't want to miss out
  • "It's an arms race. If everyone else is doing it, you look like an idiot if you don't have it,"
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    Disruptive Innovation: Self-checkout
tvill22

Future of Hospitality with Artificial Intelligence. - Artificial Intelligence + - 0 views

  • hospitality industry has been among the industry’s hit hardest by the coronavirus pandemic over the past two years
  • AI is the future of hospitality
  • The researchers foresee a 10% compound annual growth rate (CAGR) over the course of their forecast period from 2021 to 2026. 
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  • As customers prefer limited human interaction to minimize transmission of the coronavirus, AI is the best alternative.
  • Personalization  Occupancy and Room Optimization  Booking and Staff Interaction  Updates and Maintenance  Reputation Management
  • But as the concierge retired or moved on to another job, the information required to deliver this personal touch would often be lost. 
  • No matter how friendly the staff is, waiting is annoying.
  • AI-driven check-in counters that use facial recognition to greet you by name and take you through the check-in process faster. 
  • Hotels dealing with international guests no longer need to struggle with translations. Instead,
  • AI-driven software not only produces numbers but also shows trends.
  • That means, as a manager you receive an accurate prediction of when occupancy is likely to drop.
  • Chatbots are the ideal tool to deliver a personalized answer in a timely manner.
  • Combine that with AI’s language translation capability, and you will also avoid misunderstandings which t
  • hen lead to awkward situations later on
  • It may not seem obvious, but according to UCLA housekeeping staff has one of the highest injury rates not only in the hospitality industry but in the entire private sector.
  • , but AI can also analyze the tone of the conversation. As a result, it can function as a type of early warning system, letting you know when there are critical comments you need to address.
  • At the same time, when your bots find positive comments, they can reply by thanking the customer for those comments whilst at the same time referencing those in your database
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    This article addresses the future of AI in hospitality. It starts by addressing COVID 19 and how this affected AI in the hotel industry. They then go on to talk about all the benefits that AI can bring. One thing I learned form this article that i didn't know was that housekeeping has the highest rate of injury in the hospitality industry. I was shocked to learn this.
barbaraw12

Hotel technology trends: 15 innovations to watch in 2022 | Mews Blog - 0 views

  • For hoteliers, technology proves an important tool in order to streamline operations, automate processes, help with marketing, improve cybersecurity, and help reduce carbon footprint, among many other uses. 
  • Hoteliers now rely heavily on artificial intelligence to make better-informed decisions about prices and demand, and to interpret guest data in order to apply more effective marketing strategies and tailor-make packages to fit the guests’ needs.
  • AI hotel tools can also be used behind the scenes to make operations run more smoothly, by handling repetitive tasks and answering frequently asked questions so that your staff can focus on offering the highest quality service.
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  • In-room technology can range from occupancy-based sensors that can reduce energy costs through motion detectors or thermal sensors, which detect when a room is unoccupied and shut off the power.
  • They can assist customers and answer frequently asked questions 24-7, as well as drive direct bookings. Powered by AI, chatbots can take care of the most common requests and transfer guests to the appropriate department without having to have a telephone operator on staff.
  • Hotel technology can be implemented to improve the user experience throughout the whole customer journey, both online and in person.
  • mplementing the use of new technologies can not only improve the customer experience, but also save you money while giving you an edge against the competition. 
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    With technology advancing hotels are taking advantage of that and introducing new things that will make the guest experience more personal. For example, the chatbots can assist guest and answer frequently asked questions 24-7, as well as doing direct booking. Implementing the new technologies it saves money for the hotel and a better experience for their guests.
tashaemunnings

6 Applications of AI Technology in the Hospitality Industry | ApexTech - 0 views

  • Artificial Intelligence (AI) is one such powerful technology that drives constant growth and revenue.
  • With its ability to streamline processes and provide valuable insights, it’s driving the new wave of responsive, guest-centric hospitality.
  • The introduction of virtual travel assistants for search and booking allows hotel owners to increase their reach without any effort.
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  • AI is a potential equalizer that allows small hospitality providers to stay competitive with the leading brands of this sector.
  • AI is one of the technologies that energize the digital transformation of hospitality businesses and change the guest experience across the travel lifecycle.
  • ML & AI are making everything more efficient from top to bottom, bringing a new level of responsiveness and personalization.
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    AI is an incredibly important implementation that constantly aids in a company's growth. All hospitality businesses are implementing the use of artificial intelligence to help staff provide better experiences for guests and to collect market data. In hotels, these experiences range from the time of booking to check and everything in between. AI has been used to develop chatbots for guest assistance, adjust pricing based on data collected, and even a robot concierge. Overall, AI aids in efficiency and personalizing guest experience.
carine_elie

Service Robots and AI: What impact on the future of Hospitality - 0 views

  • Humans and robots working together The question might sound futuristic, yet the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) is rapidly revolutionizing the business-as-usual model of the hospitality industry. It has the potential to disrupt the customer experience as we know it, and could provide powerful tools to help humans in their decision-making processes, which will impact the industry’s entire workforce. The challenge is to ensure that companies integrate AI and frontline service robots in a fair and equitable way. For that, we need to consider several dimensions such as: The ethical considerations linked to the use of robots in a service delivery context (replacement, responsibility, trust/safety, privacy/data protection, autonomy, and human cues). The customer experience (customer-robot interaction). The optimization of robots’ usage by employees (employee-robot interaction/co-creation with a robot).
  • How AI can improve customer experience By allowing robots to perform repetitive human tasks, AI is redesigning the customer experience. But to what extent? The question remains an open one. However, robots can now provide support to employees or even replace them in some cases. Robots are increasingly being created with specific features that allow them to perform some of the essential tasks of the industry. For example, service robots can perform some of the functions of a waiter, a barista, or the housekeeping team.
  • How the Hospitality sector can take advantage of futuristic opportunities Robots have come a long way since then, and the robotization of the industry is accelerating rapidly as technology and connectivity improves. The use of AI in the field of robotics has also opened up enormous opportunities for the hospitality sector, with a growing range of uses that can improve customer experience, brand awareness and customer loyalty.
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  • Getting service robots and customers to co-exist In addition, a key question still needs to be addressed: How will customers adapt to this trend? Do they expect or want their service to be provided by robots? Or, do they still want to be welcomed by smiling humans? The question doesn’t seem to be settled yet. For some guests to accept the implementation of AI enabled service robots more easily, the robots must be able to show empathy and be able to interact, which remains a major technological challenge. At the same time, a whole new generation of travelers is growing increasingly accustomed to a humanless service experience. The future might bring a combination of both.
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    This article is enjoyable to read. It offers a distinct viewpoint on how teamwork and ai technologies are beneficial to the hotel sector. Additionally, it provides good insight into the key lessons learned regarding the development and significance of artificial intelligence in the hospitality and tourism industries.
artandmer

Hospitality unions have spent a decade fighting to protect workers, bu - 1 views

  • cheap gadgets might bring new problems
  • The hospitality industry is in the process of introducing remote panic buttons in an effort to address the widespread issue of violence and sexual assault against hotel staff
  • 20,000 hotel properties in Canada and the United States have committed to providing an estimated 1.2 million employees with Employee Safety Devices
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  • all housekeeping staff to carry a panic button device on them at all times
  • low-quality versions of the technology that pose significant privacy and security risks to the people who carry them. Weak password protections and a lack of encryption leave users vulnerable to cyberattacks, which could render the devices unusable—or, worse, be used to invade hotel employees’ privacy
  • 58% of hotel workers and 77% of casino workers have been sexually harassed by a guest. Nearly half have had guests answer the door naked or expose themselves, and nearly 15% have been cornered.
  • casino giants MGM Resorts International and Caesars Entertainment agreed to equip nearly 38,000 hotel staff with safety devices during contract negotiations
  • the CEOs of a number of major hotel chains—including Hilton, Hyatt, IHG, Marriott, and Wyndham—joined the pledge
  • Safe but insecureThe discovery of vulnerabilities in certain versions of this technology may pose a potential challenge
  • lack of encryption that compromised the device’s security
  • the software powering the tracker was hosted on a cloud-based service, which it used to communicate with a mobile application. But the cloud software didn’t require any authorization. A hacker could connect to the service and “instruct any tracker in the world to do things,” he explains.
  • Among the vulnerabilities a hacker could exploit are the ability to see the real-time location of users and to gain access to built-in microphones and cameras
  • That poses a problem for the hotel industry, Hron believes, because establishments not  bound by union or legislative requirements may buy inferior devices without vetting them properly, merely to satisfy new regulations. “Each hotel is buying these devices themselves—it’s not like some central authority is giving these devices to hotels,” he says. “My guess is [some are] going to buy a cheap device, and in this case, it’s pretty reasonable to think that there aren’t any analysts doing security checks on them.”
  • The lack of clear legislation also leaves workers vulnerable in jurisdictions that don’t explicitly ban employers using the devices to track the movements of hotel staff
  • technology isn’t capable of real-time tracking because it runs on WiFi and Bluetooth Low Energy, or BLE, and only transmits a signal when activated. Other devices that utilize GPS or WiFi connectivity, however, have the ability to transmit real-time location data on an ongoing basis
  • “The technology has to work every time, but the product only works if the right policies, procedures, and personnel are put in place that allow the system to function as a system
  • While the initial reason for the solution was to address sexual assault, there are other things that happen to housekeepers in hotel rooms as well,” says Ogle. “We’ve had team members that have had medical issues themselves, or found guests in rooms with medical conditions that were asking for assistance
  • Providing precise location data to first responders in the event of an emergency actually has the potential to save lives, but the technology will only be adopted if users believe it is being used appropriately
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    The major hotel chains are influencing legislation and also now requiring employee safety devices (ESDs) to make the workplace safer for employees (i.e. room service attendants or housekeepers) who find themselves alone in guest rooms with ill-intentioned guests. ESDs can also be appropriate for large resorts with beach personnel, activities personnel, or other positions that find themselves in enclosed, or remote areas with less security. Not every hotel has a security department that can constantly monitor cameras and ESDs. Will these devices present more strain on hotel wireless networks? That depends. Hoteliers need to consider whether these devices will be provided by or monitored through their keylock vendor, through their guest room entertainment vendor, or through a wireless provider. Could there be a benefit to an ESD interface with the PMS? I'm not finding an obvious answer. Hotels, varying in room count, are providing ESDs that range from whistles to wireless to BLE or RFID enabled. Hotel owners and management companies have the responsibility to research the most appropriate solution for their hotel without undermining the safety and privacy of their employees and their hotel networks.
dvieg001

3 technology trends that will shape how restaurants function in 2022 - 1 views

  • Between labor shortages, supply-chain disruptions, and rising inflation, it’s a wonder the industry survived the past 12 months at all
  • 7% of respondents either somewhat or strongly agreed that adopting new technology over the last two years has been critical for the survival of their business.
  • Contactless will be the set standard
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  • COVID accelerated digital adoption in hospitality.
  • More and more of the business of running a restaurant — from ordering to payment — has been put in the hands of the customer.
  • Unique loyalty programs to give guests reasons to return
  • Restaurants that have implemented a pay-at-the-table solution have the capability of integrating loyalty and reward programs directly into the checkout process.
  • A lot of the traditional touchpoints in the dining experience have been transformed thanks to the widespread adoption of QR code digital menus, self-ordering, and self-payment options accessed via smartphones.
  • Human servers will never be fully replaced by technology, nor would many diners ever want them to be. The human element is still a key part of the experience for many restaurant-goers.
  • A cold, fully contactless experience isn’t what guests are craving. They want more convenience and control, certainly, but also more connection.
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    This article explains how the restaurant business has adapted new technologies to overcome changes that came after COVID-19. The usage of these technologies allow the restaurants to minimize the contact points during the experience while also giving the option to the patrons to customize their experience as they want. It also talks about how technology is not a replacement for server or bartenders because the human contact is still part of the hospitality business
mmoutsatsos

The Rich World's Electronic Waste, Dumped in Ghana - Bloomberg - 0 views

  • the Agbogbloshie dump, a wasteland dotted with burning mounds of trash in Ghana’s capital, Accra.
  • Up to 10,000 workers wade through tons of discarded goods as part of an enormous, informal recycling process, in what has become one of the world’s largest destinations for used electronic goods.#lazy-img-360452765:before{padding-top:66.70212765957447%;}
  • Burns, back problems, and infected wounds
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  • respiratory problems, chronic nausea, and debilitating headaches
  • —brought on by the hazardous working environment and toxic air pollution.
  • smashing up old computers and televisions in search of valuable parts and burning insulated cables to recover copper.
  • The Agbogbloshie dump is a result of the world’s increasing demand for electronic equipment as consumers continually upgrade their devices and throw out the older ones.
  • The e-waste problem could expand into a global health crisis,
  • significant proportion of this electronic waste is sent, often illegally, from the West to developing countries across Africa and Asia.
  • Around 50 million tons of electronic waste, or e-waste, is being thrown away each year, according to a report published this year by the United Nations.
  • figure is projected to double by 2050.
  • only 20 percent of e-waste is thought to be recycled appropriately.
  • The rest “ends up in landfill, or is disposed of by informal workers in poor conditions,” the UN found.
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  • “E-waste is a growing global challenge that poses a serious threat to the environment and human health worldwide,”
  • In Ghana, the waste arrives via the Port of Tema, 20 miles to the east of the Agbogbloshie dump.
  • They are often labeled as secondhand consumer products, health experts said, so they are not strictly considered waste.
  • “There are skin diseases and ailments [at Agbogbloshie], but the worst problem here is respiratory illnesses, because the amount of pollution here is so high,”
  • the quality of air is terrible
  • “The workers can’t do anything about it because they have to earn a living, so it’s a trade-off. They earn money but their health suffers.”
  • These health risks are entering the food chain. The Agbogbloshie area is home to one of the largest food markets in Accra, and haggard livestock roam freely and graze on the dumpsite.
  • Agbogbloshie contained some of the most hazardous chemicals on earth.
  • One egg hatched by a free-range chicken in Agbogbloshie exceeded European Food Safety Authority limits on chlorinated dioxins, which can cause cancer and damage the immune system, 220 times over.
  • about 80,000 men, women, and children subsist from the Agbogbloshie dump, living either on-site or in the adjacent slum.
  • Ghana imports about 150,000 tons of secondhand electronics a year,
  • an international treaty that since 1989 has forbidden developed nations from carrying out unauthorized dumping of e-waste in less developed countries.
  • It is very important the issue of waste export to developing countries such as Africa and other countries in transition should be looked at critically.”
  • The German development agency GIZ is in the midst of delivering a €5 million ($5.5 million) project to build a sustainable, efficient recycling system at Agbogbloshie, as well as a health clinic and football pitch for workers.
  • But as the world’s appetite for electronics keeps growing, preventing the illegal dumping of electronic waste and the devastating impact it has on places like Agbogbloshie will prove an even greater challenge.
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    The effects of electronic waste dumping in the Agbogbloshie dump in Accra, the capital of Ghana. It also talks about the health issues workers suffer from working there, and the problem is predicted to get much worse than it already is.
chadidscha

4 Ways Cloud Computing Can Save Money | TechnologyAdvice - 0 views

  • Even though it’s a time-consuming process, the cloud can provide extensive financial benefits like budget savings and increased workplace productivity.
  • companies can save an average of 15 percent on all IT costs by migrating to the cloud.
  • Less demanding labor and maintenance Higher productivity Lower initial capital investment Top public cloud computing providers
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    Although cloud computing is not the be-all and end-all in the world of IT, it is, however, the latest technique many, personally and professionals/ companies, flock to due to its convenience, financial benefits, and the lack of required hardware.Therefore, reducing, or depleting, the costs associated with hardware finances. Additionally, it reduces the peremptory requests in regards to labor and the need to maintain and/ or preserve of any machinery.
cdamo003

Why hotels need to focus on sustainable technology | Hotel Management - 0 views

  • HG and Marriott International have eliminated plastic straws in thousands of hotels worldwide, removing an estimated 1 billion straws from the ocean and landfills.
  • Both brands also are cutting out single-use bottles in the hotel bathroom, estimating to remove more than 500 million plastic bottles every year from the environment.
  • the largest hotel brands will be rolling out room controls within their loyalty platforms that enable guests to preselect the room temperature, lighting mood, TV, music, blinds and more
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  • Using the digital device that guests already have, hotels can reduce (or eliminate) the use of paper—saving tons of water and chemicals used in paper processing—and reduce (or eliminate) wasteful plastic keycards
  • The future is keyless, paperless and has less plastic
  • sustainability is more than just a travel industry buzzword or term travelers drop to sound hip.
  • According to a recent survey of millennials, 87 percent would be more loyal to a company that helps them contribute to social and environmental causes and more than nine in 10 millennials would switch brands to one associated with a cause. 
  • More than 5 billion people are now connected to a mobile network, equivalent to roughly two-thirds of the world’s population. Mobile devices are a key enabler of sustainable economic growth and a major contributor to the delivery of the United Nations' 17 sustainable development goals. 
  • And as technology evolves to seamlessly link functionality within the hotel with guests' mobile devices, the synergistic forces of guest satisfaction, cost reduction and environmental sustainability will produce a greener planet for everyone to enjoy.
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    This article shows how important sustainability is in the hotel industry and how innovation and technology can help companies sustainability efforts. Even though technology like the smartphone has a huge footprint on the environment, they can be used to help in sustainability such as hotels using the smartphones that guests already have to perform some functions without having to use paper. Mobile phones can also be adapted to help in running of smartrooms to improve customer experience and also reduce the footprint on the environment.
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    Hotel Management is the backbone of the future in development. Technology plays a huge role in the extensions of green technology in hotels. Many properties are now implementing reward systems that can help reduce waste, mobile extensions with the reuse of key systems and smart rooms with the control of light, temperature and TV systems to help with personalization while saving energy and costs.
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    A quick read but very enlightening statistics about generational feelings and loyalty to green technologies in hotels.
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    It is becoming more common for hotels to become more sustainable and green in there business practices. Guests are finding these practices to be expected more often that none. Hotels are now becoming more efficient on there sustainability efforts by utilizing technology in order to reduce costs as well.
georgemacintyre

How Digital Transformation Can Reshape Guest Experience In The New Pandemic Era - 0 views

  • For half a decade, the travel and hospitality industry has been trying to incorporate technology to enhance the way it interacts with its customers. Perhaps, the pandemic has been the major catalyst to accelerate digital transformation initiatives in the hospitality industry
  • But what exactly is digital transformation? Digital transformation is the implementation of the latest digital technology into a company’s business operations, processes and people to improve and optimize the customer experience.
  • The modern, tech-savvy traveler is more informed, empowered and wants to feel valued. Now, there is a demand for a frictionless, intuitive, hyper-personalized experience at every touchpoint in their travel journey. And digital transformation technologies such as AI, robotics, big data, IoT, cloud, mobile and AR/VR underpin a successful personalized guest experience.
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  • The things that power this disruptive technology — smartphones, on-demand apps, social media — are powering the change in guest behaviors.
  • 1. Leverage customer data to increase subscriptions: 
  • 2. Implement an agile leadership mindset:
  • 3. Omnichannel experience:
  • Brands must observe and compare the existing guest experience with what they prefer. With insightful data in hand, decision-makers need to modernize products and offerings, deliver innovative solutions and implement agile models in their business culture and operations.
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    The hospitality industry has needed to dive all in on technology for a while now. The pandemic kickstarted the industry to really go all in. Many of todays guests really want a very personalized experience. Hospitality companies are using technology to provide guests with a very unique experience personalized exactly for them. The use of new technology from some companies is just going to have to make other companies try and keep up with them. An arms race of technology is likely to happen in the industry.
melnetra112

Why is Virtual Reality Becoming Important in the Hospitality Industry? | Circle One | V... - 0 views

  • VR has become particularly important, because of the amount of information the average customer needs before they will actually book a hotel room. Rather than reading through descriptions, which may or may not be trustworthy, it offers customers the chance to experience things for themselves.
  • virtual travel experiences, using 360 degree video technology. Through this, users can experience a virtual recreation of different aspects of travel, from the flight, to arrival, to some of the key sights
  • Virtual tours make your website appealing and highlight captivating aspects of your hotel, which helps increase traffic. With a high-quality virtual tour and straightforward booking process, more customers will be motivated to make direct bookings with your hotel. You can even add direct calls-to-action at strategic points in the tour that lead to the booking page.
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  • First impressions matter. If they’re positive, your guests will likely remember you for a long time. An engaging, interactive virtual tour helps grab your audience’s attention and create a positive first impression.
  • Virtual tours and interactive media give your guests control over their experience. Every visitor has unique needs, and can interact with the media by zooming in or panning up, down, left and right. Customers love having the freedom to choose what to view
  • this potentially allows customers to experience a virtual recreation of a room within a hotel, or take a look at one of the nearby attractions. Essentially, this allows the hotel industry to benefit from the type of ‘try before you buy’ marketing that has been commonplace within the food industry for decades.
  • those operating within hospitality management can continue to use VR to deliver information and allow customers to experience nearby attractions once they have arrived, adding to the hotel experience itself.
  • The full potential of virtual reality within the hotel industry is only recently being recognised. Nevertheless, three of the best current uses of the technology
  • The hospitality and travel industry has realized the potential of virtual reality to attract guests, increase online revenue and generate more bookings.
  • One way hotels are embracing this technology is with virtual tours. These interactive tours use virtual reality to give prospective guests an immersive, 360-degree walkthrough so they can explore the hotel before booking
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    The article discuss different usages of virtual reality in hotels, and how it has benefited hotels by increasing the number of hotel bookings and level of satisfaction.
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    In Today's Society digital is the new engineer and operational tasks in regard to how we book flights before touring, interactive experiences through the media, and memorable expressions. The hospitality and travel industry has realized the potential of Virtual Reality to attracts incoming guests and increase bookings rates.
katvillaverde

Cybersecurity: A modern hospitality challenge - 2 views

  • These examples show that cybersecurity is an essential concern for both our private and our professional lives, as it can avert potentially disastrous information leaks.
  • The hotel Wi-Fi, for example, could be used to access guest’s private devices, such as mobile phones and laptops, or personal guest information could be leaked from hotel servers and databases if their protection is lacking
  • hey are a specially weak spot for hotels, as every process, be it online bookings, drinks at the bar or treatments at the spa, requires payment by credit card.
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  • The hotel’s problems start with a loss of trust and therefore business by the guests who were affected, and go on to legal issues which could potentially lead to time and money consuming lawsuits.
  • his could include staff training and awareness, regular system checks, as well as the conducting of regular risk assessments.
  • By being ready and equipped to deal with such incidents, the impacts of cyberattacks can be managed and therefore lessened.
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    This article explains how hotels are very prone to cyber attacks since they store personal information of millions of travelers every day. They need to win over the trust of the guests.
dvieg001

The Impact of AR and VR Technology on the Tourism Market - 1 views

  • the major factors that drive the demand for AR and VR tourism are the increasing awareness of AR/VR
  • The global AR and VR market is projected to grow at a high CAGR, reaching $304.4 million by 2023.
  • AR and VR tourism has enabled the industry to enhance their services, offering stay-at-home travel experiences for people who are not yet willing to travel.
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  • R travel experiences by providing users with interactive 3D tours
  • VR is a great tool for travel agencies that want to encourage more bookings and increase their sales. For instance, Amadeus is already developing and testing its Virtual Reality Search and Booking Experience as a travel booking option.
  • Virtual reality travel
  • Virtual hotel tours
  • Immersive navigation and guided tours
  • Test drive excursions
  • AR/VR-powered museums
  • Beacons are special AR technologies that use low Bluetooth connections to communicate with users’ smartphones.
  • At present, hotels make up the majority of the businesses taking up this technology. They place beacons on physical objects and strategic locations such as hallways and lobbies. The technology enables visitors to receive real-time information on hotel activities, special offers and more. Beacons have a number of other uses too, such as allowing guests to unlock their rooms or streamlining the check-in process.
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    I chose this article because it has good examples of how AR and VR has the possibility to change the guest experience in the hospitality industry. It also talks about beacon technology that has been used by companies for marketing purposes. Using bluetooth technology and by placing small devices through out a hotel property, hotels can send signals to guests devices that generate suggestions or things to do, places to eat or even to have digital keys for their rooms
nsola015

The role of biometric recognition technologies in shaping the future of travel | Biomet... - 1 views

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    The international travel industry depends on safe and efficient border and immigration controls. Innovative technologies can help to increase efficiency and address security challenges. Some airlines, such as Emirates and AirAsia, as well as some airports around the world, are already investing in seamless biometric technologies, such as facial recognition. These kinds of biometric identification and 'no-touch' technologies deliver seamless and frictionless experiences for travellers crossing by air, land, and sea. Using biometrics to automate processes can improve traffic flows and service delivery overall, but it is not yet known how easily and quickly these new technologies will be adapted.
nunes305

Capital Expenditures in Technology - 5 views

  • Obsolescence risk is the risk that a process, product, or technology used or produced by a company for profit will become obsolete, and thus no longer competitive in the marketplace. This would reduce the profitability of the company. Obsolescence risk is most significant for technology-based companies or companies with products or services based on technological advantages.
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    Capital Expenditures in Technology
alo328

Electronic Waste Is Becoming a Global Environmental Problem | Time - 1 views

  • s a tech-hungry nation flush with cash gets ready to upgrade to the next generation of lightning-fast 5G devices, there is a surprising environmental cost to be reckoned with: a fresh mountain of obsolete gadgets. About 6 million lb
  • Workers with hammers hack at the bulkiest devices, while others remove dangerous components like lithium-ion batteries
  • That cycle of consumption has made electronics waste the world’s fastest-growing s
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  • “In our society, we always have to have the new, best product,” said Aaron Blum, the co-founder and chief operating officer of ERI, on a tour of the facility
  • 5G promises faster speeds and other benefits. But experts say it will also result in a dramatic increase in e-waste, as millions of smartphones, modems and other gadgets incompatible with 5G networks are made obsolete
  • But less than a quarter of all U.S. electronic waste is recycled, according to a United Nations estimate. The rest is incinerated or ends up in landfills
  • Environmental concerns aside, compacting flammable lithium-ion batteries with paper recycling can be dangerous; recycling centers have reported an uptick in fires
  • Even when e-waste rules exist, it’s left up to consumers to handle their old devices prop
  • ly. But recycling them can be a
  • We don’t necessarily have the measures to make sure people aren’t throwing it away,” Walters said.
  • One solution is to make electronics last as long as they once did. At ERI’s facility, Shegerian showed TIME dozens of televisions from the 1970s and 1980s that stopped working only recently
  • Our products today don’t last as long as they used to, and it’s a strategy by manufacturers to force us in
  • o shorter and shorter upgrade cycles,” said Kyle Wiens, the founder of iFixit
  • Some environmental groups say multibillion-dollar companies like Apple and Samsung should pick up the cost of recycling the devices they sell. Lawmakers in parts of Europe and Canada and in some U.S. states have passed so-called Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) laws, which require manufacturers to establish and fund systems to recycle or collect obsolete products
  • Even so, some companies are increasing their recycling efforts on their own, whether for the economic benefit or the public relations boost (mining fresh materials has financial, environmental and human costs of its own). For instance, Apple in 2018 introduced Daisy, a smartphone-recycling robot that can take apart 200 iPhones every hour, and says it diverted 48,000 metric tons of electronic waste from landfills that year
  • About 6 million lb. of discarded electronics are already processed monthly at recycling giant ERI’s Fresno plant.
  • Americans spent $71 billion on telephone and communication equipment in 2017, nearly five times what they spent in 2010 even when adjusted for inflation, according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis. (Apple alone sold 60 million iPhones domestically last year, according to Counterpoint Research.)
  • That stream is expected to turn into a torrent as the world upgrades to 5G, the next big step in wireless technology.
  • Part of the problem is regulatory. Only 19 states have laws banning electronics from the regular trash. In states without such rules, like Nevada, electronics often end up in garbage and recycling bins, said Jeremy Walters, a community-relations manager for waste collector Republic Services
  • Our products today don’t last as long as they used to, and it’s a strategy by manufacturers to force us into shorter and shorter upgrade cycles,”
  •  
    Advancement in technology every day has led to the dumping of electronic gadgets no longer wanted to the environment. Heaps of unwanted electronic waste, hazardous containing substances like lithium-ion batteries, are dumped into the ground with all their toxicology. As the world upgrades to 5G, it will end in a rapid surge in e-waste. According to John Shegerian thinks people are yet to see the magnitude of the transition to 5G, it is tremendous than changing from analog to digital (Samuels & Calif, 2019). However, it comes with many advantages; its outcome is a drastic rise in electronic waste. The ERI recycles less than a quarter of the United States' e-waste according to the estimate made by the United Nations, and the other dumped in landfills. This waste contains harmful metals such as beryllium and mercury, that have adverse environmental dangers. Among the 50 states in the United States, only 19 States have imposed a law to bun electronics from regular trash (Samuels & Calif, 2019); the rest of the states, like Nevada they are incorporated in recycling and trash bins, according to Jeremy Walters's manager for waste collection. The consumers are left to handle their e-waste even though there are e-waste rules. Multibillion companies should the responsibility and cater for the cost of recycling for the products they are manufacturing. Companies like Apple and Samsung, nonetheless the United States is repelling modifications to the prevailing laws, according to Scott Cassel Product Stewardship Institute found. However, some companies are improving through increasing their recycling efforts. For instance, Daisy, a recycling robot introduced by Apple, can collect more than 200 iPhones for recycling every hour. But this is not enough since e-waste generated annually globally is more than we can imagine, which almost 50 tons (Samuels & Calif, 2019). In a nutshell, technology can bring many benefits to society. Still, it can also harm both the environment and the p
  •  
    the article explores the dangers of elctronic waste and give suggestions on how to better monitor this issue and resolve.
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    This article explains how the rapid advancement of technology has impulsed an increase in the use of technology, however has resulted in a rise in ewaste percentage. This happens because companies have opted for creating products that do not last for long periods of time, since they want to sell future products.
dvieg001

Hotels in hackers' sights as technology replaces personal touch | Financial Times - 1 views

  • Hotels and hospitality businesses are now the third most targeted by cyber attackers of all industry sectors.
  • they have become a rich mine of data for hackers with nefarious intentions.
  • Hackers see international hotel chains, which process a huge volume of transactions, as easy pickings
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  • he increased use of technology to replace face-to-face services such as check-in and on-site payments has only raised this risk.
  • One of the most high-profile cyber incidents in recent times was the breach of Starwood’s database in 2014, before the group was bought by Marriott, the world’s largest hotel chain. That hack, which was only discovered after the deal, exposed the data of about half a billion customers, Marriott said, when it revealed the impact in 2018.
  • The company sped up planned investment into data security and improved technology, such as software that detects suspicious cyber behaviour in real time, Van der Walt adds.
  • As cloud computing services have expanded, hotels have pushed more data storage towards external holders such as Amazon Web Services or Oracle
  • Many hoteliers additionally employ third-party agencies to manage credit card details and keep different forms of data separate:
  • And with guests demanding an increasingly personalised and individually-tailored service, particularly from the well-known hotel brands, data is likely to remain a precious commodity in need of protection.
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    This article explains how and why hotels went from being in the bottom 13% to the top 3 most targeted industry for cyber attacks. It talks about how the implementation of technology to handle customer date has made the industry vulnerable and also how corporations are battling the issue by using separate third party companies to store data and handle credit card information.
mabbate

Green computing: what it is, why we need it and how to implement it - 1 views

  • n fact, the Internet risks becoming one of the most polluting sectors, but it is above all the production of electronic devices that aggravates the climate and ecological crisis, because of the toxic raw materials and the complex processes, requiring a lot of energy and a lot of water.
  • in the first three months of 2021 the Intel plant in Ocotillo had already produced 15 thousand tons of waste, of which 60% dangerous. and consumed more than 4 million liters of water and 561 thousand kilowatt-hours of electricity.
  • Algorithms that manage the switching on and off of servers according to the workload, making sure that few of them work at their maximum capacity while all the others stay off.
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  • Purchasing quality devices, that last longer.
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    This article describes the effects of technology on our environment. Everything from production to dumping the product can cause long term pollution issues if we are not careful. This article gives tips to combat this issue.
shineal

Data privacy matters in the hotel industry - Insights - 0 views

  • Data privacy matters in the hotel industryDr Michael Toedt Posted on 3 March 2022
  • Data privacy matters – period. As companies (including hotel chains) collect more and more personal data from consumers for marketing and research purposes, consumers are becoming increasingly concerned with data privacy and data protection. They want control over their data and they want to know exactly how it will be used. With legislative changes giving consumers more rights over their personal information, hoteliers need to both know the law and understand why data privacy is so important to hotel guests.
  • Good data privacy builds trust and loyalty
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  • “Commitment to data protection” drives brand loyalty for 31% of consumers, a figure that increases to 40% for “Trustworthiness”[1].This backs up the findings from a 2018 survey by Salesforce, which found that consumers are more likely to stay loyal to a company, spend more money and recommend its services if they felt they could trust the organization with their data
  • Data breaches cause serious financial and reputational losses
  • Every type of organization could suffer a data breach if adequate data protection controls and systems aren’t in place.
  • Hotels concerned about their ability to adequately protect guests’ personal data should take immediate steps to address this. A common problem is the existence of multiple guest profiles across different platforms within the hotel tech stack, such as the PMS, CRM, RMS, POS, website, etc. Where these are not fully integrated, data has to be updated manually, which carries significant risks.
  • Key legislation explained
  • There are strict rules around how data can be obtained, stored, managed, and used.
  • Achieving data privacy compliance
  • large amount of valuable data held by hotel groups makes them a prime target for hackers and cyber thieves.
  • From compliance and reputational viewpoint, these functionalities are truly invaluable to hoteliers. However, IT can only do so much. Other key considerations for hoteliers include creating robust data privacy policies, providing clear guest communications, and training staff on data privacy processes. Taking a 360-degree approach is the best way for hotels to protect themselves and their guests from data breaches and the associated risks.
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    This article by Michael Toedt on "Data privacy matters in the hotel industry" speaks on the approaches that can be taken to protect guests' data and their privacy since these practices increase guests' trust and loyalty to companies. Accordingly, it is vital for hotels to securely store guests' information. Thankfully, CDM systems make it much simpler for hotel staff to manage data-related requests from clients, such as updating personal details. They also enable one-click deletions, preventing data disputes.
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