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kelseybarton

What is Point of Sale (POS) Systems? Definition of POS with Examples - 0 views

  • A point-of-sale (POS) transaction is what takes place between a merchant and a customer when a product or service is purchased, commonly using a point of sale system to complete the transaction.
  • In its most basic definition, a POS system is a combination of POS hardware and POS software to create a POS machine for processing a transaction and payment.
  • a POS terminal is the electronic equipment performing the sales transaction and processing the credit card payments. Used in most storefront businesses, a computer terminal combined with the POS software helps to manage everyday sales transactions and operations.
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  • The hardware components bundle will typically include a POS terminal, receipt printer, credit card reader, cash drawer, barcode scanner, kitchen or bar printer (for restaurants), and possibly even an on-site computer server for older legacy systems
  • The primary reason you need a point of sale for a restaurant is to accept cash and credit card payments. In addition to receiving payments, you need to be able to track all your financial and tax data.
  • A restaurant management system is recommended if you’re a restaurateur and want to be competitive in the business. Many types of restaurants need to utilize a POS like full-service restaurants, quick-service restaurants, fast food, take-out only, cafe’s, pizza shop, etc
  • Recipe costing is just one example of features a restaurant computer system can provide. Some other features and services you’re going to need potentially are restaurant marketing, customer management, online ordering, loyalty program, server sales performance, new versus repeat customers, invoice purchasing, menu performance, employee management, and sales reporting.
  • The only negative to implementing a new restaurant management system is the training time and challenge of learning new software. But that’s only temporary,
  • The main features to look for in bar software is preauthorization (or “preauth”) of payments for tabs management, bar and liquor inventory and control, speed functions like reordering rounds, bar prep printing, fast checkout, and quality 24/7 support. For the reporting side, you’ll want to see your labor costs compared to sales, product reports, and all your sales and tax reports.Additional register features to consider for nightclub and bar point of sale software is employee management, inventory management, customer loyalty, recipes, tab management, quick reorder rounds, and quick customer checkout. Reporting is critical as well to keep track of your food and beverage taxes. Also, you’ll want to have online access to see your labor costs and sales reports
  • Retail businesses can have some particular requirements and features that other programs will not have. They can have retail shop features such as color and size matrixing, inventory tracking, employee commissions, gift registry, customer database, layaway, and purchase orders
  • If you’re not processing an enormous amount of volume and speed isn’t as critical (like in a restaurant or bar), then a mobile POS could be just the answer to save you some money
  • A cloud-based POS system is a point of sale platform that stores information on the cloud. Cloud-based systems typically don’t record much information on your terminal device. Instead, all data is stored in the cloud and synchronized across multiple terminals.
  • Nail and hair salon POS systems can sometimes crossover for other business types like barber shops, gyms, fitness clubs, beauty schools, massage parlors, pet grooming, tattoo parlors, to name a few. That is because these other business types will especially require an appointment calendar and may need retail functionality with inventory control, and not every software program has those features
  • In this POS guide, we discussed everything related to POS systems, including the meaning of POS, the definition of mPOS, what the difference is between a cash register and POS, how a point of sale system work, and the different types of systems with examples
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    (1 of 3) POSUSA had originally published an article in 2017 about the definition of Point-of-Sale (POS) and a guide to understanding POS more in depth. This article was updated in May of 2021 to represent the ongoing challenges in the hospitality industry due to COVID-19. The article begins by defining a POS transaction as "what takes place between a merchant and a customer when a product or service is purchased, commonly using a point of sale system to complete the transaction." The original idea of a POS system was that of a cash register, but what is in the system make up today is far more complex. A POS system and a POS terminal are one in the same, as the terminal is the physical piece of equipment that processes the information for the POS. The system is composed of many different components as with any piece of technology. "The hardware components bundle will typically include a POS terminal, receipt printer, credit card reader, cash drawer, barcode scanner, kitchen or bar printer (for restaurants), and possibly even an on-site computer server for older legacy systems." These systems continue to make advancements that evolve with the times and can keep up efficiently with the business they are working with.
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    (2 of 3) The article continues on to discuss the many different types of POS systems and how they can be used for different types of businesses. The restaurant POS system, for example, is the most complex POS system and is the most commonly seen system in the industry. Through the restaurant POS, a business can have a restaurant management system, which helps them run the business efficiently through features such as recipe costing, customer management, reporting, and many other features discussed. Bar, nightclub, retail, small business, salon, and spa POS systems all have very similar features, but are catered to each businesses specific operational need. Cloud-based and mobile POS systems are also discussed in the article as a way to store all POS information in the cloud. The advantages of mPOS were discussed in depth as this can be accessed through an application, making mobility much easier in our ever-advancing technological world.
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    (3 of 3) The article also provided an introduction of how POS systems work, as a basic understanding is necessary when considering purchasing a system. Through understanding how the POS system works, we see that a POS transaction is "simply any transaction that occurs within a business." POS payment is "when a customer and merchant exchange products or services completing a POS transaction aka point of sale purchase," which can sometimes be referred to as point of purchase, or POP. Finally, the article discusses how POS systems have played a role during the pandemic. While online POS systems have been used for many years to keep businesses on their feet, during the current state of the world this has become even more necessary. The article discusses how important it is to keep the payment process simple, yet secure so that the business may rely on this as a way to make income and customers can enjoy a seamless experience. This article does a very good job of explaining in-depth what a POS system is and how it is relevant to every line of business in the hospitality industry. As online sales continue to grow and as the state of the world remains uncertain, POS system popularity will only continue to rise and advance to create the best possible experience for both the businesses and consumers involved.
mtedd003

Meet the Soaring Demand for Unattended POS in the Restaurant and Retail Verticals - Dat... - 0 views

  • One of the latest trends that have made it necessary for solutions providers businesses to adapt is the booming unattended POS trend. The global interactive kiosk market saw record growth in 2018, reaching $9.22 billion and a 17.6 percent growth rate — which exceeded the growth rate in 2017.
  • Last year, McDonald’s announced a plan to install self-service kiosks in 1,000 of its stores per quarter.  Taco Bell planned kiosk installations in more than 6,000 locations, and Subway included self-service kiosks in its “Fresh Forward” initiative to transform customer experiences.
  • Furthermore, 60 percent say they’d visit restaurants more often if they had self-service kiosks.
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  • Erba Collective, a Los Angeles cannabis dispensary, installed self-service kiosks that accepted cashless payments to reduce wait times and increase customer turnover.
  • It’s the right solution for today’s consumers: Consumers value their time, and waiting in line can destroy an otherwise great customer experience.
  • It’s the right solution for today’s businesses: Merchants are facing mounting challenges ranging from rising labor costs to new competition. Self-service kiosks can help businesses do more with the same staff, minimizing the labor required for order taking or checkout.
  • o provide unattended POS solutions, you will need to speak with your vendors or find new partners that offer the types of hardware you need. It’s also vital that you work with a payments partner with expertise in managing unattended POS transactions.
  • EMV chip technology will help prevent card fraud.
  • part of their omnichannel strategies
  • If your goal is to be a total solutions provider and meet all of your customers’ needs
  • one-stop shop.”
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    Unattended POS is growing global trend which industry leaders will soon have to adapt in their business place. Quick service restaurants are quickly adapting to this change as it reduces wait time and increase in customer return rate. Other key benefits for businesses are the decrease in labor costs & minimal errors when processing guests' request. Ideally, merchants must speak with vendors to customize the self-service kiosk and to ensure they are in compliance. In the end this will expand revenue and efficiency.
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    Unattended POS machines hit a global growth of $9.22 billion in 2018 from 2017, and is still climbing. The unattended POS machine has shown to be particular popular in the quick service restaurant sector. McDonald's has announced a plan to put 1,000 self-service kiosks in their stores per quarter. Taco bell and Subway have also announced they will be adding the kiosks in their stores as an initiative to offer a heightened customer experience. The machines have come with the benefits of reduced wait time and faster customer turnover. POS growth is attributed to aligning with today's consumers' expectations. Customers value their time and rising labor costs can be eased with the machine as it expedites transactions and covers tasks not relied on by human interaction.
ldevaul

Making the Move to a Cloud-Based Restaurant POS - 0 views

  • The beauty of the cloud-based POS format is how scalable and customizable it is—it can work for single-location full service and quick service restaurants, multi-location restaurants, and restaurant groups alike.
  • Most cloud-based POS systems also update with new features as technology improves across the industry—something you’re unlikely to get with a legacy POS system.
  • Cloud solutions facilitate faster, easier, and more extensive business insights, which can help you make strategic decisions. By connecting what’s happening in the back of the house to the front, restaurant operators get a holistic picture of how the business is running
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  • Real-time data means real-time solutions to situations before they become problems. Just think of the time and money you’ll save by identifying issues before they blow out of proportion
  • Instead of printing out lengthy reports for every shift, now you can access your insights from any smart device—such as your computer, phone, or tablet—and get updated sales, inventory, customer feedback, and more, no matter where you are. 
  • Legacy systems only allow on-premise access to data, which means you have to be in your restaurant in order to access the information on your POS system.
  • If you anticipate growth or change, a cloud-based POS system is better enabled to grow with you. 
  • While buying up all of the necessary technology to get a cloud-based POS system off the ground may seem expensive, they tend to have cheaper operating costs in the long run and some, like Upserve, offer free support 24/7/365. 
  • With a cloud-based restaurant POS, you have the ability to add on a mobile POS unit that provides a number of benefits.
  • That decrease in time spent waiting for their check or credit card to return to the table also increases guest satisfaction, boosting your reputation. A mobile restaurant POS also provides contactless payments with a built-in EMV reader, minimizing the exchange between servers and guests – something that is particularly important in this moment.
  • Cloud-based POS systems update automatically and for free, just like the apps on your mobile device, while traditional POS systems require manual updates that can be labor intensive and costly. 
  • The beauty of the cloud-based POS format is how scalable and customizable it is—it can work for single-location full service and quick service restaurants, multi-location restaurants, and restaurant groups alike. 
  • Whether it’s updating your menu on the regular, launching new or improved loyalty programs, or requiring more precise inventory tracking, the more your needs will shift over time, the more sense it makes to opt for cloud-based.
  • If the internet ever goes down, the system that your legacy POS relies on will be offline and non-functional. Luckily, on a cloud-based restaurant POS system you have the option of switching to offline mode as a back-up. You’ll stay up and running until the internet is able to connect again.
  • Thanks to the cloud and its encrypted online storage, there’s no risk of hardware or software incompatibility or failure, no viruses or driver hiccups, and no risk of a hard drive accidentally deleting a weekend’s worth of sales reports. It’s all backed up, automatically. 
  • Plus, younger generations of workers—think millennials and Gen Zs—will be able to get right on board with a cloud-based POS solution with little-to-no training.
  • Customers will feel good knowing their credit card information is secure and encrypted with the most up-to-date technology. 
  • No matter what type of establishment, your cloud-based POS can track every last drop of product, allowing you to spot discrepancies in an instant and fix gaps before they become problematic.
  • Hardware costs are separate from service, and maintenance and support services often come with a hefty fee. 
  • While traditional POS systems certainly have lower start-up costs, they tend to come with plenty of hidden costs that reveal themselves over time.
  • upfront costs are kept to a minimum and monthly subscription fees are lower. 
  • Best of all, instant free upgrades mean no lost revenue from downtime or inconvenient hardware upgrades as your business grows. Instead, plans can be upgraded or downgraded at will, and most providers don’t even charge a fee for the trouble. 
  • If you have existing setups in place, many third-party vendors have upgraded apps for cloud POS systems to help you maintain your current rewards and promotions planning. 
  • Most studies are showing that those who switched are sticking with a cloud-based solution, and that legacy POS systems will only decline moving forward.
  • After over three decades with a legacy POS system that only slowed them down, they made the move to a cloud-based POS to bring their restaurants into the future.
  • “Our restaurants are chef-driven, so we have specials that change every day. We need to add buttons every day. We change pricing every day. Having to stop and reset all the terminals because it’s not instantaneous was a headache.”
  • Not only did constant resets of the system create roadblocks for the team at Homegrown Hospitality, but service was also less than stellar and cost more than what it was worth.
  • We went through a lot of pain—our system would crash all the time, credit cards wouldn’t spool, and data would be lost. Our IT department would spend numerous hours a week just trying to recover data,” Simon explained.
  • “That was pretty much the breaking point: we were at the point where we needed to upgrade, but it would have cost us several hundred thousand dollars. So we decided to source something new. The functionality and capability of Upserve won us over.”
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    This article takes you through why your restaurant may want to switch to a Cloud-Based POS. There are many positive attributes associated with making the switch, such as; data accessibility, cheaper operating costs, easier upgrades, less frequent downtimes, increased security, and adaptability. If you are a growing business, the Cloud would grow with you.
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    Cloud based POS systems can be apprehensive at first, but we are always satisfied once we are able to se the technology work to keep the business safe, effiecient and also more profitable. Cloud based POS systems are speedy and saves a lot of time which frees up staff to do other things in the establishment.
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    This article discussed the benefits of switching from a localized POS system to a cloud-based restaurant POS. The article touched on how cloud-based systems provide real-time data and how that instant data could provide a management team real-time solutions. You can save so much time and money by identifying issues before they even arrive. I found it very interesting that with cloud-based systems you have the "ability to add on a mobile POS unit that provides a number of benefits." With this option, your servers do not have to run back and forth to a POS station. They simply have the option in the palm of their hands. It also decreases the time spent waiting for a check or credit card to return to the table. This not only increases guest satisfaction, but helps with table turnover. The article also touched on how cloud-based POS systems are "better enabled to grow with you." They are super adaptable and the article mentioned that restaurants can update their menu whenever, launch new loyalty programs, and help with more precise inventory tracking. This article also touched on setup, increased security, staff accountability, and the ability to make better business decisions due to the cloud software being able to provide extensive business insights. Finally, the article touched on POS cost and how " upfront costs are kept to a minimum and monthly subscription fees are lower." It also ended with a case study about Homegrown Hospitality Group and their switch from Aloha to Upserve Cloud-based POS. It was very interesting and I'd recommend everyone read the brief two paragraphs about how the switch changed their business trajectory.
carine_elie

Traditional Marketing Vs Digital Marketing : What's the difference? - Eggfirst - 0 views

  • Pros of digital marketing: Digital Is the Only Sure way to Reach Generation Z- Born with a smartphone already clenched in their tiny hands, Gen Z is the only generation that’s never known life without the Internet. For them, the radio is an antiquity, the TV set is something that their grandparents watch ‘programs’ on. They pay little attention to printed papers and think about billboards as scenery. If you wish to develop this age demographic as customers, then you need to be online so they can find you. By 2022, they will become the largest generation of consumers. Even as youths, they are making an impact – 93% of parents say that most of their purchasing decisions are influenced by what their kids have to say. Budgets Are Easier to Redistribute with digital marketing- budgets are mostly placeholders. You can plan to spend Rs10000 on Facebook ads every month, running branding campaigns, only to figure out one week later that those campaigns are underperforming. So, seeing this, you immediately pause the campaign. Spending stops. At the same time, your content marketing team had been allocated a budget per month. There’s nothing stopping you from diverting money from those Facebook branding campaigns to where it can make a difference today. An Abundance of Data to Pinpoint Your Ideal Customer- Facebook, Google, Twitter, and other platforms and service providers earn money by knowing everything there is about their users. When running digital campaigns, you get access to this analytics data and learn a lot about your ideal customers. By looking into Facebook or Google analytic tools, you will be able to generate several buyer personas to describe each segment of your customer base. We use the concept of persona to clearly define to whom we are speaking, in order to be hyper-focused in our content creation. The goal is to understand the problem that your product or service solves by walking a mile in their shoes. The persona that you’ve written up will serve as a powerful tool for writing laser-focused copy and content that will speak directly to each customer segment that you’re targeting.Cons of digital marketing: Digital ads can be deemed as annoying- Think about the moment you’re scrolling through your Facebook homepage and all you want to do is see what your old school friends are up to these days. Then you get the dreaded sponsored ad for something related to an embarrassing ailment you googled the night before. It’s sure to make you actively dislike the very brand doing the clever targeting. Less permanent- Digital marketing efforts like Google ads, banners, promo emails or social media ads can have a fleeting, temporary character. They’re intangible and can easily be ignored. If your target audience keeps scrolling or clicks to the next page your ad will be gone from their screen.
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    The 21st century's marketing technology trend may revolve around proximity. Traditional marketing is still sometimes the best approach for businesses to reach their target audience. The advantages and disadvantages of traditional and local marketing are discussed in this article. This quick read offers much of useful information.
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    The 21st century's marketing technology trend may revolve around proximity. Traditional marketing is still sometimes the best approach for businesses to reach their target audience. The advantages and disadvantages of traditional and local marketing are discussed in this article. This quick read offers much of useful information.
anaferia

Cloud Trends That Will Shape 2022 and Beyond - 3 views

  • Cloud adoption has been on an upward trajectory for over a decade now
  • forced many employees to go digital and adapt to the work-from-home model. The workforce change heavily relies on the cloud model for continuity and growth.
  • Anything-as-a-Service (XaaS) model.
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  • wo reasons continue to be the major driving factors set to further bolster the growth of cloud adoption in 2022 onwards
  • global public cloud services are expected to grow by over 22% ($482 billion US dollars) in 2022.
  • expect better and more robust automation and AI
  • cost efficiency and accuracy of AI and ML
  • Cloud technologies are moving away from linear evolution and preparing for exponential evolution, adoption, and growth.
  • Cloud computing has been a very effective catalyst in enabling and developing AI, ML, and automation. Cloud computing can also offset the upfront project costs associated with AI and automation. It’s also helping businesses make efficient, data-driven decisions using AI and driving companies to adopt, implement, and scale automation services. That’s all helping achieve better data management, insights, security, and scale.
  • crucial driving factors in adopting AI and automation as they can deliver low latency and services-on-demand along with better data handling capabilities and processing power.
  • fraction of the price.
  • cybersecurity is growing, along with the demand for fast, efficient, and robust cloud applications through cloud-native apps
  • has numerous delivery models.
  • confined to infrastructure, platform, or software as services
  • cloud delivery models are ever-evolving.
  • Hybrid cloud infrastructure provides improved scalability and control, allowing businesses to deploy multiple delivery models
  • Businesses can then achieve increased agility and innovation, while also improving security and risk management.
  • A multi-cloud infrastructure empowers companies to uniformly distribute their workloads across multiple cloud environments.
  • enables optimized ROI, superior security, service autonomy, and low latency
  • serverless cloud computing and XaaS are also pivotal to the future IT landscape change.
  • Businesses are now more concerned about the security and safety of their digital resources.
  • Maintaining disaster recovery and data compliance is becoming more complex.
  • Secure Access Service Edge is a cybersecurity concept that creates a secure connection between applications/services and organizational entities, like users, systems, and devices. SASE is a framework that combines network security functions (like SWG and FWaaS).
  • industry experts believe SASE can assist companies in warding off cyber attacks.
  • more portability and agility
  • restore any affected data and resume normal operations after a disaster.
  • cloud-native apps have reached the next evolution stage
  • only increasing
  • Cloud disaster recovery is a cloud-based service that combines several strategies and services to back up resources, like data, applications, and configuration.
  • help companies focus on several key constraints to business development including challenges, maturity, expectations, and opportunities.
  • High speed and quick deployment.
  • Advanced data security and compliance.
  • Reduced latency
  • Disaster recovery.
  • Collaboration.
  • AI adoption has always been an optimization problem for companies worldwide. The cloud can be a solution for issues with cost, performance overhead, workload management, and data processing
  • Proper due diligence, scoping, and the right tools can also reduce these challenges.
  • Containerization is a form of virtualization.
  • added complexity and implementation challenges
  • forgo the tools individual clouds offer. Instead, implement unified cloud aggregator services to collect the data from multiple vendors
  • To mitigate these challenges, you can establish well-defined identity and access management solutions. You can also monitor the cloud environment and watch for misconfigurations.
  • It’s helping streamline the IT landscape, and will likely continue to do so well beyond 2022.
  • safe, streamlined cloud adoption.
  • ensure you’re making the most out of these cloud trends, and minimizing any negative impacts.
  • They can reduce costs, provide tailor-made solutions, and allow for cross-platform environments.
  • Hybrid cloud helps organizations further reduce costs, and helps increase agility and innovation
  • It’s an information security concept that enforces giving the lowest possible privileges/permissions level possible to minimize the threats associated.
  • A denial of service (DoS) attack is a cyberattack that shuts down a computer or a server.
  • XaaS is a modern and collective term that refers to the delivery of anything as a service.
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    This article explains some of the trends most relevant to the topic of cloud computing, as well as explains some of the benefits and disadvantages of cloud computing currently. The top four trends include artificial intelligence, cloud delivery models, security and compliance, and new cloud technologies. The article further explains each of these trends and the impact they will have on the industry. The main concern when it comes to cloud computing is the safety and security, following dependence on the internet. The new and incoming innovations within cloud computing aim to eliminate theses challenges and improve overall efficiency and adoption. Cloud computing is expected to grow over 22% this year alone and adoption rates are expected to remain increasing.
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    To summarize, the article talks about how cloud use has been increasing for over a decade, forcing many employees to embrace digital and adapt to the work-from-home concept. For continuity and expansion, the workforce transformation strongly relies on the cloud model. Given the extensive development, acceptance, and cloud deployment in corporate IT in recent years, the anticipation of stronger and more robust automation and AI has grown and should expect cloud delivery strategies to shape the cloud ecosystem in 2022 and beyond. Also, the demand for cybersecurity is rising, as is the desire for cloud-native programs that are quick, efficient, and robust.
Dongyun Oh

10 Features To Look Out For in a Hotel PMS - 0 views

  • A quick check on 10 features that you should be looking for in a web based property management system are listed below
  • 1. Web Reservation
  • . Revenue Management:
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  • Front Desk Management:
  • Back Office Work: One of the most boring yet very essential departments is the
  • back office.
  • Housekeeping:
  • Preparing Invoices and Bills:
  • Travel Agents Commission:
  • Report Making:
  • Ability to set the PMS for your hotel
  • Multi-Currency and Languages Features:
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    The PMS can do many things for the hotel, like web reservation, revenue management, front desk management, back office work, housekeeping, preparing invoices and bills, making report, multi currency and language. It involved all parts of the operation of the hotel. It is very useful. 
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    Property management systems should be chosen after a lot of deliberation and research. With many property management systems in the market, it is important that you are not cheated or you don't hastily buy something that doesn't work for you. A quick check on 10 features that you should be looking for in a web based property management system are listed below: 1. Web Reservation: One of the most important things to look for in a web based property management system is its web reservation features. Having a good hotel with great facilities is no longer enough. Letting people know about it is crucial for the success of the business. A hotel management software is the right tool for this purpose nowadays. When you are looking into a PMS, check that its web reservation system is easy to use, not time consuming and is flexible. 2. Revenue Management: Getting your finances sorted is essential so that even in the most testing times, you finances and revenue are well managed. A PMS that has a good revenue management system will see that you can control your rates efficiently and provide easy yet detailed reports of the same to any authorized person as and when required. 3. Front Desk Management: Sorting out the checking in and checking out process, facilitating the guests with whatever they need, and linking the same details with all the concerned departments are some of the things that a front desk console should be doing for you. Check that your hotel management software can efficiently take care of these. 4. Back Office Work: One of the most boring yet very essential departments is the back office. All expenses are doubled checked here; all means of revenue calculated and audited, statistics are prepared as are ledgers. A property management system should be having a console that can look into these things easily and without much human effort. 5. Housekeeping: Hotel management software can be a great help when it comes to taking care of rooms. Fro
Michelle Munne

High-tech hotels a hit with geeky guests - CNN.com - 0 views

  • the Andaz hotels, guests are greeted by a host bearing an iPad,
  • produce a room key via the iPad en route to the room.
  • keys that unlock the room door when flashed over a sensor
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  • to control audio and video and play files from their MP3 players or laptops through the room's 40 inch flatscreen TV.
  • investing in apps for the mobile market, which allow users to find nearby hotels and check their
  • which allow users to find nearby hotels and check their room rates.
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    Hotels have been lax on keeping up with the technological advances that have come about in the past few years. This article talks about how a few different hotels all over the world are starting to use these technologies to their benefit. Some hotels have hosts greeting guests with an ipad and making room keys etc.. while they have a drink at the bar. Others have given their guests capabilities to play the movies or music they've purchased on their ipad or iphone directly on the room TV as opposed to purchasing movies from the hotel. It seems like hotels are starting to grasp what their guests really want which is quick, paperless and technilogical convenience.
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    Hotels are catching up with the technological advances
Camila Calcines

Smartphone VS Tablet: Prep Your Hotel For a Mobile Future | Top Stories | | Hospitality... - 0 views

  • In 2011, mobile was responsible for $2.6 billion in travel bookings. By 2013, the number is projected to be $8 billion
  • tablet users are much more likely to purchase something (62% versus 47%) or book travel (41% versus 29%) on their devices than smartphone users.
  • Sixteen percent of mobile users will not return or wait for a website to load if it takes too long and 6% will go to a competitor’s website
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  • Understanding that the tablet and smartphone experience can be vastly different is important to the way you may want to market to your target audience.
  • the tablet market is expected to grow to more than 300 million
  • smartphone and the tablet experience are not one in the same and both are important.
  • Time and delivery is very important for mobile guests and the capability to manage reservations through mobile devices provides increased mobility to the modern day traveler,
  • The most challenging part of optimizing for both smartphones and tablets is in the execution.
  • Regular testing and monitoring of your mobile site can ensure that customers are getting the best experience.
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    In this era of technology I think the hotel industry should of accommodated their customers with an excellent mobile site experience. As read in the article, "In 2011, mobile was responsible for $2.6 billion in travel bookings," and the numbers are increasing exponentially by year. Mobile devices are becoming so popular to book travel because todays customer lives a high-paced life and is always on the go. So I think it is extremely important that travel industries understand the customer and targets them accordingly in order to form that customer loyalty. With the popularity of tablets, the smartphone is gaining harsh competition because a tablet user has a smartphone and when it comes to booking travel they would most likely use their tablet because it is more accessible and the screen is bigger and easier to read. The smartphone and tablet experience is completely different because in essence you are targeting different audiences. The tablet user wants to see bigger icons and more visibility on the bigger screen, while the smartphone user wants to have a quick information session where she/he can view everything on the go. I think the travel industry should focus on execution in order to give the tablet and smartphone user the best mobile experience. With that said, the only way to ensure that positive feedback is through "regular testing and monitoring of your mobile site…"
Ashley Mullins

Marketing and e-business for the tourism industry - 0 views

  • Stay front-and-centre with existing customers and attract new visitors through online marketing campaigns
  • good quality photographs and a professional  tone to your site are essential.
  • Build traffic through Web links with other sites
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  • Offer something free:
  • the ring can advertise its site more widely and in higher-profile media venues than a single operator could.
  • Get involved in discussion sites related to your specialty:
  • auction-style sales
  • E-mail newsletters and promotions:
  • One solution is a "destination" Web site that is informative, catchy, and fast
  • You can identify characteristics (location, age, or interests, for example) of high-value customers, guiding future marketing and advertising
    • Ashley Mullins
       
      I am glad they added this to the article. I completely agree with the three main goals of a CRM; retention, conversion, and loyalty!
  • get exactly what they want because they get it themselves.
  • Customer relationship management is about retention, conversion, and loyalty. Possession of customers' personal information is a privilege, therefore gather it selectively and use it wisely.
  • E-mail has become the circulatory system for national and international inquiries and reservations  used by most tourism operators, regardless of time zones
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    This article very much relates to what we discussed in class on Monday and what ebusiness' are doing these days to stay afloat. The internet is taking over the travel industry since everyone likes to do things on their own these days. Travel agents are trying to find ways around this growing trend. The two main tips for travel agents in this article are staying close with your existing customers while gaining new ones. This will alter the way your business will run. Once your existing customers realize you are loyal, easy to work with and focused them they will start spreading the world about the work you have done. The new customers will see the customer base you have and will more than likely choose you over t.agent 2 with only a few existing customers and no new clients in years. Once you complete a job, it is a must that you follow up. After everything is said and done, send them a quick email & maybe offer them a better package deal next time. Yes, the internet is putting a damper on the travel industry but at the same time agents are finding ways to work around this highly growing trend.
Xueling Wang

QR Codes: Best New Marketing Technology! | Restaurant Promotions | Restaurant Promotions - 0 views

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    With the widespread of smartphone,  QR standing for Quick Response becomes a more and more popular emarketing tool. There are several characteristics making these code different from other barcode: Take customers to a website for more information Play a video Deliver a special, personalized message or offer Present a sign-up form for a loyalty club The restaurant owners can make use of this QR code to communicate with their customers and keep them coming back.
Allen Lok

AP IMPACT: Recession, tech kill middle-class jobs - Yahoo! News - 0 views

  • Year after year, the software that runs computers and an array of other machines and devices becomes more sophisticated and powerful and capable of doing more efficiently tasks that humans have always done
  • I have never seen a period where computers demonstrated as many skills and abilities as they have over the past seven years.
  • Whole employment categories, from secretaries to travel agents, are starting to disappear
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  • Overall, though, technology is eliminating far more jobs than it is creating.
  • Now, that same efficiency is being unleashed in the service economy
  • Technology is eliminating jobs in office buildings, retail establishments and other businesses consumers deal with every day
  • The uncomfortable truth is technology is killing jobs with the help of ordinary consumers by enabling them to quickly do tasks that workers used to do full time, for salaries.
  • Technology is used by companies to run leaner and smarter in good times and bad
  • They realize they don't have to re-hire the humans when business improves, or at least not as many.
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    This is a multi-part series by AP News on how the fast pace of technology is wiping out millions of jobs globally. Technology use is in every economical sector and nobody is immune from job losses. It is terrify to think that our world has become so automated and reliant on technological use. While there are many pros on technology use such as being more efficient, accurate, cost savings, speed and others, it has no doubt taking a toll on the economy as a whole. In the hospitality industry, a few quick examples that come to mind include online travel reservations, IPads taking over the jobs of waiters and waitress or our favorite machine the Smart Bar. These advances are unique but we are slowly moving away from human interaction. The point is while we are taking advantage of technology to improve business operations we must keep in mind that in the hospitality field we are about proving as service to others that should be as individual as possible. It will be interesting to see if this series leads to suggestions on possible future applications of technology that would revitalize the job economy or create new possibilities.
Juan Franco

What is a Property Management System? - 0 views

  • A more sophisticated PMS will support multi-currency and multi-language features to meet the requirements of global operations. Rates and revenues should be dynamically converted from the local currency to any other currency. The appropriate language for guest correspondence should be automatically determined by the guest's profile language; and a country-specific address formats should be supported. The user interface should also change to the language of the user based on their sign on password.
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    WebPMS Pros * Typically less cost involved with computer equipment compared to server based. * Full time IT department at the hotel may not be necessary. * Remote access is easy when owner, manager or reservationist is not at the property and they need access to the property management system from a different location. * Consistent Data backup is completed at the data centre.(You need to verify this with your vendor, see the Service Level Agreement provided by your vendor for more information.) * Software enhancements and upgrades are typically done regularly and easily. * Quick deployment. Cons * Does not work optimally without a good quality high speed Internet connection. * Data access is dependent on the Internet connection being available. * Not a good choice for areas that have unreliable internet connections. PMS/Server Based *Costs to setup and maintain are typically higher than web based systems *Backup is done at the property and may not be tested for integrity or may be forgotten. *Data is physically located at the hotel; data security may not be as high. *Software enhancements and upgrade need to be applied via modem, internet or CD and are done less frequently due to the slower procedure.
ning sun

Hotel Data Security Comes of Age - 0 views

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    Hotel system contains various information and personnel privacy related to customers so that it is easy to be stolen or make use of by criminals. "Industry leaders speak openly that data security is a crucial part of running a business". But this issue is becoming more and more important and also take in to consideration in customers' mind. This article pointed out that there are three ways to decrease the threaten of data security which are preparation, response and post-mortem. The preparation is invisible but very significant effort to prevent attack. When a hotel experience a breach, system and employee can react immediately and take a right and quick step to kick the hacker out of system and protect data. And for post-mortem, both leaders and employee should learn something from this kind of event and update all plans and training.
Kamini Ramsaran

Priceline takes on HotelTonight threat at global scale with last-minute service for Boo... - 0 views

  • Buoyed perhaps by the launch of a same-day hotel booking service on its mobile app, Priceline has launched a similar service for its global hotel service Booking.com.
  • Booking.com Tonight with initially be available only for Apple devices via the iTunes appstore
  • and will use last-minute inventory from its portfolio of 200,000 properties in 165 countries.
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  • The app works by giving the user a list of all available hotels in the immediate area of the device which have same-day availability, with a two-step process if the user wishes to book from the handset.
  • Booking.com says it secured $1 billion in transactions via mobile devices in 2011
  • Validation of the marketplace for same-day bookings via mobile devices was illustrated again last November when HotelTonight secured Series B funding to the tune of $9 million in a round led by Battery Ventures.
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    Priceline has launched their online same day booking application for iPhone users.  The app will soon be available for Android users as well. Travelers are able to search for last minute inventory from 165 countries and 200,000 properties, the app shows a list of available hotels in the area of the device the user is using to search for hotels.  The quick 2 step process to booking a hotel is easy to use and user friendly, guests also get a map with directions on their display to help them find their hotel.  This technology was introduced last year and had secured $1 billion in transactions 40% of the mobile bookings were for the same day reservations. Today's travelers and consumers are looking for instant deals, bookings, and conformation, with the technology of this app and the continued improvements consumers continue to be in their favor. 
Kristine Metka

Separate sites for mobiles? - 0 views

  • Some people do believe in creating a separate site for mobile users.
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    I have recently become a part of the Iphone world and I am loving my new apps but I do hate when we are not able to search as quickly on our phones as on a computer and I love the quick apps that do such things. 
frank rodriguez

Reservation software, guest & property management software by Reservation Nexus - 0 views

  • Reservation Nexus is the most popular and most used all-in-one seamless reservation system for U.S. bed and breakfasts and inns. All-in-one systems are the future and are here to stay, replacing outdated synch or partial reservation systems. With Reservation Nexus you get all the tools you need to capture more reservations and run your inn with ease. From online bookings to guest management to built-in automated marketing, you get it all from Reservation Nexus. Come see why hundreds of bed and breakfasts and inns have switched to Reservation Nexus
  • Automated marketing done right is a recession buster. How great would it be if all your guests received a happy birthday and happy anniversary email card from you each year? Simply powerful! Schedule your email promotions and newsletters for the entire year and watch them go out. Automatically thank your guests for staying. Automatically send your guests directions and a map a few days before their arrival.
  • With Reservation Nexus , you will capture more reservations online from your website than from any other hotel software or bed and breakfast software system. You will be able to quickly record phone reservations and perform front desk duties. Personalized and professional emails automatically thank, welcome and congratulate your guests at the right time and throughout the year. You will have more time and more freedom to better take care of your guests as well as yourself!
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  • Reservation Nexus is 100% web based and can be accessed at work, at home and on vacation. There are no additional costs for having it on all your inn's computers. There is no software to install or upgrade. Reservation Nexus is a living system, with new innovations every quarter. With Reservation Nexus , you avoid having to buy a new software version every couple of years.
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    This article talks about the nexus reservations software and how it makes the lives of hotel managers much easier. Some of the things mentioned within the article are that the system is a quick and simple way to make reservations, saving the hotel manager time and money. Another great thing that this system is able to do is keep in touch with people that have already stayed at your establishment. Nexus reservations has the function of emailing previous clients and keeping in contact with them by sending birthday wishes or letting them know about upcoming events. Another important aspect of this article is that it talks about the company service that Nexus provides. Reservation Nexus is 100% web based and can be accessed at work, at home and on vacation. There are no additional costs for having it on more than one computer in your business. There is no software to install so there is no limit to its potential. It removes the headache of dealing with updates and the fear of possibly becoming obsolete. Reservation Nexus is a living system, with new innovations every quarter. With Reservation Nexus , you avoid having to buy a new software version every couple of year
Yookyung Kim

Hotel Group Sees Uptick in Occupancy with Analytical Tool | Case Studies | | Hospitalit... - 0 views

  • In order to maintain speed and accuracy across revenue strategies, leaders at Coastal Hotel Group realized that by automating the revenue management process, a significant impact could be made not only on the bottom line but in labor savings as well.
  • An automated solution for increased efficiency
  • The system’s software provides reliable, up-to-date market information quickly and easily, enabling Coastal’s corporate director of revenue management to spend less time identifying market trends for multiple properties and allowing more time for analyzing trends and capitalizing on consumer behavior.
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  • Numbers tell the story Since implementing the IDeaS RMS, Coastal Hotel Group has realized significant increases in occupancy and Average Daily Rate (ADR) across its properties. Cedarbrook Lodge, Hotel Fifty and The Resort at The Mountain all saw increased occupancy with upticks of 28, 15 and 11 percent respectively in 2011. In addition, ADR jumped 18 percent at Cedarbrook Lodge and four percent at Hotel Fifty.
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    Coastal Hotel Group implemented the IDeaS Revenue Management System (RMS) to maintain speed and accuracy across revenue strategies. The new system allows the director of revenue management more time for analyzing trends and making more strategic revenue decisions because the revenue management process is simplified and expedited, providing market information quickly and easily. Although the system doesn't replace human insight, its complex algorithms and ability to pull data multiple times a day provides Coastal Hotel Group with a clear vision of hotel data, making it easier to book the right guest at the right time for the right rate. In addition, the IDeaS RMS automatically uploads rate shopping reports from vendors and uses competitors' data to create the best available rate decisions. In today's fast-paced, interconnected business environment, the new automated revenue management system can provide a quick and intelligent reaction to various market conditions in order to capitalize on consumer behavior. That can be a strong competitive edge of the Coastal Hotel Group properties. 
Alexandra Givner

Visa Europe predicts contactless payments will become mainstream in the UK with 20 mill... - 1 views

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    This article, posted on the Visa website discusses how McDonald's UK plans to implement a new type of payment method for customers. This "cash free" payment methods allows for customers to use only debit or credit cards and pay up to 15 euros. Visa states that it is a quick and easy way for customers to purchase a coffee or lunch at a fast food establishment. As stated in the article, this form of payment helps companies save money with regards to operating costs and improves risk management because less cash is available at the restaurant. In my opinion, I believe this is a quick and convenient way for customers to get in and out of the restaurant - which is essentially what a fast food establishment caters to do. The down side of this new hardware addition to McDonald's is that it may reduce the amount of jobs in each store because the computers will be able to do the work, humans once did.
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    To me this is just a given. Of course contactless payments are going to increase. They already are especially in big cities where everyone is always on the go. I know that I barely ever have cash on me. I end up having to run to an ATM. Paying with cards is the easiest and an fastest way of paying for things.
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    I agree with both comments. I just wonder why they cap the amount to £15, which converts to $19.25. Is that to encourage individual transactions? To clarify, the only thing I can think of is they are trying to discourage people from purchasing for others. But that doesn't really make sense since the purpose of contactless payments is increasing convenience for the customer who wants to make on-the-go purchases and thus increasing profit for the business. Just something I was wondering.
Casrine Kelly

Hotel eCommerce in Dubai, UAE & Middle East: eCommerce Articles, Training, Courses and ... - 1 views

  • eMarketing is now a vital part of Hotel & Hospitality business and marketing.
  • Why is eMarketing so important for Hotels today?
  • Accelerating Internet Usage worldwide  • The Internet is the lowest cost hotel booking channel  • Most travellers research hotel stays on the internet
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    Emarketing is important to the hotel and travel industry because most transactions and booking are done online. The article gave reasons why emarketing is so important, because it is cost effective. Emarketing is considered the lowest booking channel for hotels. The article talked about the Middle East, especially Dubai that has the highest internet booking sale. Emarketing is they way to go, it is quick, convenient and can be done from anywhere with an internet connection.
Yi Pan

The Quick Guide to POS Cash Registers - 0 views

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    Highlights: 4 FAQs for Savvy buyers While mostly associated with retail ventures, cash registers have uses within many businesses. Restaurants, hotels, and other service providers have a need for a cash register, and when integrated with a POS system, have found unparalleled benefits. But if you're unsure of the equipment you need, or your security system is lacking, your POS system can be doing you more harm than good. My Descriptions: This article is a quick guide to POS, and it mentioned four questions about POS cash registers: what equipment does a POS register need, are touch screen monitors worth the cost, does integrated equipment save time and how can I keep my POS cash drawer safe. It mentioned that cash registers have been used in most restaurants, hotels, retail shops and other service providers. POS system can bring benefits to them, while POS system can do harm than good if your security system is laking. The author showed equipments which are needed for a POS register. Besides the basic equipments such as computer, monitor and printer, it also needs either a keyboard or a touch screen monitor. Most retail stores will also have a security tag desensitizer near the scanner .As more customers use debit and credit cards, a credit card reader and pin pad are essential for every point of sale location. In addition, the touch screen will help to increase efficiency and eliminate the need for employees to remember codes for the keyboard and reduce problems with keyboard and mouse cords, and it leads to a quicker check out. In this article, the author proves nowadays Handheld scanners are more popular for businesses where items are big and bulky. To keep the POS cash drawer safe, one can program a feature to let cash register to be only opened after a transaction, or it can be a complex procedure where money is only counted under the supervision of a manager or team of employees. Or managers can install a camera to monitor the process of employees to use t
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