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This article describes the importance of managing sound during an event. It is much easier for a speaker to connect with their audience when they are able to comfortably and clearly speak their message. One of the mains draws for the event industry is it provides the opportunity for business leaders to network and commutate. The acoustic property of a venue space should be taken into account when planning an event but is unfortunately something that a number of managers overlook.  A space that is too loud or too echoed could significantly decrease guest's perception of an event.  Optimally performing sound systems and technicians are essential to creating a pleasurable experience for both guests and managers alike. 

Nowadays, many hotel managers realize the importance of internet and utilize it to create a personal relationship the internet. The author gives five ways to develop the e-marketing. First is assign e-marketing tasks carefully. It is very important for a manager to properly assign tasks or handle personally. A manager must focus on the operation of the company's website. Second is fish where the fish are. The website must be well managed and made changes in time to adapt to the marketplace. Third, comprehensive website reviews. The manager should have someone to review the site to make sure the website serves search and sales demands to increase the sales. Fourth is know your productivity numbers. The manager should try to make the website as a way to get the knowledge of useful data. Fifth, position your rates against the competition. The manager should make the website easier for customers to compare different companies and make decisions based on values.

Recently, hotel managers are facing many challenges. There are requirements for managers are to hold-on to e-Marketing tasks and use internet to create relationship. Here are some techniques to improve the e-marketing for hotel managers. Firstly, make sure assign proper e-marketing tasks. Which tasks to assign and which to do by personally should be considered carefully. E-marketing should be paid attentions also after they are been published. And also, managers should pay more attention to the evaluation of the e-marketing, make sure e-marketing work for themselves. Secondly, it is very useful for managers to use the internet well. Such as create relationship with other managers. In addition, the hotel web should be made to satisfy the search engines. There are some good techniques, such as to make the effectiveness and pay attention to competitions. Thirdly, Comprehensive web reviews. Managers need check out the effects of web. Stop judging web by it's appearance. Fourthly, know the productivity numbers. This provides our information about competitions, market, directions, and so on. Take care the experience. Fifth, position your rates against the competitions. It is a good way to find the right position in the market and know all latest changes.

One of the hottest negotiation issues now a dyas is to stay green in whatever field of industry you're working at. That includes the Hospitality Management as well. In the hotel business one of the very basic, at the same time very important need is providing Hot Water. With the help of new sustainable hot water technology, the hotel properties can provide hot water without any trouble even during the peak hours while saving money!  These Solar Thermal heating Systems figured out to be very cost effective and practical that quickly began to rise interest between hoteliers.  In this way , they not only save energy and help our planet to stay green but also help them to save their budgets to be spent on some other parts. 

The article, Impact of Individual Differences and Consumers' Readiness on Likelihood of Using Self Service Technologies at Hospitality Settings states that the use of self-service technology is a rising trend across the board. Major hotel chains, resorts, casinos are implementing software that can remember customers, their information, and go beyond current human levels of service performance. However, not everyone is ready for this new age of self-service technology. In their study, the authors explored influential factors related to individual differences and customer readiness on the likelihood of using self-service technologies. Findings supported technologies such as pay-at-the-pump, online travel purchase, ATMS, and other services that have been around for years were highly accepted. On the contrary, new services such as ordering food over the phone and Internet kiosks in bars were preferred by less than thirty percent of respondents. Within the hospitality industry, customers may perceive new self-service technologies as positive but may choose not to use them if they do not understand it or see no clear benefit from it.  To summarize the results, people may just not be ready for the self-service take over. Especially in the early stages, hospitality companies would need to have an employee standing by the new self-service technology to assist customers with their needs. Although a well used self-service system could generate a new revenue stream, particularly when concerning the younger generation, it is essential that managers take into mind the overall level of consumer motivation and readiness to embrace it,

This is an excellent, comprehensive article and research study that fully looks at environmental technology through interviews with hotel professionals. It has many specific examples of hotel environmental technologies. It also specifically looks at energy, water and waste in the hotel industry.

Len Gauger is the founder of Message Blocks. Since he was younger, event planning was a big part of his job. He usually managed about twenty events per year. He learned a lot from his past mistakes: the more people involved in the planning process, the more chaotic it became. He saw a market for a software that would allow organizers to coordinate all planning documents in one place online, with the capacity to collect registrations, edit conference agendas, and incorporate real-time reporting all managed via a smartphone app. This is a very good example of using technology in the event industry. Instead of waiting until the morning to get hold of event planner, it is easy to communicate with the company 24/7 online.

"Patrick Pacious of Choice describes how technology can help hoteliers be more profitable. LOS ANGELES-Steve Joyce, CEO of Choice Hotels International, knows today's hotel owners have more options when it comes to partnering with a brand or, for that matter, remaining independent." This article struck my attention as most brands do outsource their technology development. This is an innovative approach at gaining the upper hand in the industry. The idea of making a cloud-based PMS system is ingenious, yet risky at the same time. I find a lot of hotels are scared to approach the cloud world for reasons of data privacy & security, as well as, the thought of information being saved into an invisible world. I have to wonder, just how risky is it to give hotel managers that type of remote access, when no one is clear what the future holds? If that individual loses his or her job, voluntarily or involuntarily, user access privileges need to be revoked immediately, and even then, is it already too late? I have to admit, being the first brand to develop an online booking app deserves accolades. In most cases, I would have to guess (based on experience) that mobile apps account for 3-5% of hotel bookings or revenue. While that may not seem like a large number to some, what should be considered is that fact that those 3-5% are taking stress off of front desk or reservations staff. Phones can get hectic and having the ability to book a room at your fingertips while pumping gas or stopping for dinner makes a world of a difference to the clerk that is working alone on a Friday night, or a reservation agent located in a central office half-way across the country that doesn't know the area well, other than the few details loaded into GDS or listed as a point of interest log. Not only does this help the hotel staff and the guest travelling down the road, it increases guest loyalty to the brand. Th mobile apps are all brand specific (other than your third party travel agents and si

European green movement is the fastest in the world. Through some green certifications and people's awareness, green hotel market is increasing. Hence, the green hotel can not only save utility cost but also extend the market by reputation.  LEED, GSTC or blue flag are the trends for hospitality. Sustainable tourism can be the only future direction for this industry. 

Interesting that GDS services are still being developed even in the face of major competition with the internet and travel websites. FastBooking, which built their system from the ground up, offers GDS services and marketing/sales solutions for hotels. Hotels that join FastBooking are offered a streamlined system in which most of the entries are done on one screen. They are able to input one master price into the system which will allow it to compete with internet prices. They system allows the hotels to utilize images, descriptions, and different languages, as well. Travel agents will have real-time pricing information to better service their clients. Also, commission payments are handled efficiently and promptly through their partnership with WPS. One of the greatest benefits to using the system is that FastBooking offers a la carte services for their clients. One of the services is their ability to submit hotel information to main Consortia preferred rate programs. Some of the heavy-hitters in the Consortia include Carlson Wagonlit, BCD Travel, and many more. For a system to be up and coming, it sure has gained the trust of more than 7,000 hotel clients worldwide. Erica

This article discusses the importance of technology in convention space.  The Benton Convention Center which helped bring over 95,000 visitors and $69 million to the Winston-Salem area, is realizing that their outdated technology could cost them all of this economic boost.  This article clearly explains the importance of technology in the modern world of convention and meeting management.

Security is obviously very important in hospitality and technological advancements are helping to make hotel stays easier and more secure. The hotel industry is exploring options to that replaces the standard plastic keycards with new entry methods. One example is using smartcards or RFIDs, which stands for radio frequency identification. Smartcards and RFIDs work like a fast-pass at a gas station when quickly paying at the pump. The guest simply waves the card/key in front of a sensor granting entry. The guest doesn't have to worry about the card being deactivated by his or her cell phone and the hotel doesn't have to constantly spend on replacements. Another example is technology that allows us to enter our hotel rooms using our using our phones. Guests would download an app, receive a text message with an encrypted sound code and play it by the door to be granted entry. Using biometrics for entry is likely the ultimate level of technological security. Like in the movies, guests would have their physical attributes scanned including eyes, and/or thumbprint to identify a guest. Video cameras will always be a great form of security. Now that they're getting smaller and more vivid, surveillance makes the phrase "Big Brother is watching" all the more relevant by being a huge crime and incident deterrent. Technology is advancing rapidly and I can see some of these methods hitting mass markets sooner than we think.

This article talks about the new technologies applied in the hotel to keep safety. The first one is Smart cards/RFID that helps to open the door via sensor receiving. The next one is smartphone, personal belongings that help to open the door with encrypted sound code. Biometrics also can help by identifying personal physical traits. For hotels, security cameras is necessity. 

This article focuses on new hotel apps, focusing on Recharge, that let you rent upscale hotel rooms by the minute/hour. As the article states, this is not a new concept and has been offered in the pass usually at motels. This app looks to change the demographic of those looking to rent hotels for a small amount of time. The app is already active in popular cities around the world, they aim to only work with 3-5 star hotels. I downloaded the app and thought the pricing was a little concerning, but it goes back to the demographic the app is targeting. Recharge aims to appeal to travelers with long layovers, business people looking for a quiet spot in between meeting, sight seers that may need a nap, and even mothers looking for a safe place t publicly breastfeed. Their pricing is right in line with their target demographic as the cheapest price is usually around $30 per hour, and there is always a service fee; the author of the article talks about staying in a hotel for 15 minutes and paying $65 dollars. Personally the pricing is a huge setback, but business wise it makes sense. You are covering the cost of housekeeping having to go in and reset the room, and front desk reprogramming the keys/ handling check in and check out. While I think the system could create a bit of a challenge for hotels in terms of making if something is ready and clean or not, it is another opportunity to increase revenues. This app especially during the slow season for hotels, could help them fill their less desired rooms, if only for an hour. It is similar to a restaurant way of thinking "How many times can we flip this table (room) in peak hours". I may not use the app, but if I was traveling with friends and splitting the cost, I would definitely take the opportunity to pay a few bucks to nap in a 5 star resort.

This article talks about the different types of HVAC systems available for hotels. It shows which AC units would work for the room space.

The advantages of Green Technology in construction. How consumers and Companies can benefit from this option.

This article offers a telling account of how Disney developed and implemented the MyMagic+ initiative, providing important insights into how major corporations approach massive tech-related capital investments. Among the most salient takeaways: 1) how Disney recognized that the parks' pain points could be addressed through the public's growing predilection for personal, always-connected; 2) how these massive internal projects can pit different departments against each other, and how sometimes that antagonism can lead to beneficial results; and 3) how a project like MyMagic+ can have a profound positive impact on the company and still be considered by many to have not fulfilled its potential.

Consumers are significantly more eco-concious in their daily lives which translates significantly to their hotel experience. They want to ensure that they and the hotels they stay at are doing their best efforts to be green. Hotels that create green initiatives see more return from those guests. Cloud computing is also one of those initiatives.

19% of travelers said they would pay more to vacation with a green resort. Sustainable hotels are shaving 8% off expenses in their first year. Biomimicry is the future of because they will not only be energy efficient but coexist peacefully with the natural habitat.

Hotel Indigo in Dubai runs entirely on solar power. With a digital building management system, the hotel can monitor, control and track energy use to become more efficient. Biophilic Design Biophilic design in hotels can achieve a sense of serenity, mixing natural with artificial. Plus, guests will stick around longer, with a 36% higher dwell rate compared to hotel lobbies without biophilic features. Repurposed Materials At RIMBA Jimbaran Hotel in Bali, Indonesia, the lobby is built from driftwood and the remnants of old fishing boats. Sustainable Architecture The wave coursing, while not eco-friendly, accurately matches the original 1920s architecture. Biomimicry Solutions Biomimicry in hotel design can enhance the guest experience for the modern, eco-conscious traveler. A hotel could generate power using wind, absorb sunlight and collect and recycle rainwater. Cloud Computing Combined with automation, which won't bog down internal operations, a hotel can monitor performance, manage energy use, detect felt and diagnostics and much more.