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Is the tech investment worthwhile for your company? As we discussed, should you be ahead of the curve or wait and see? This article highlights some of the benefits of investing in new tech, and how that translates into the customer service. Many people have become accustomed to using some kind of tech device on a daily basis and chances are they would not mind trying something new. Most tech devices help with the easiness and accessibility, and as humans grow impatient then your tech investment is already justified. The article helps to illustrate how such investment can assist with productivity, speed, utility, clarity and many other factors.

Summary of sustainability trends in the Hotel Industry

This article discusses POS systems and the positive effect that it has on the hospitality industry. Not only do they assist the customers by enabling them through the choice of purchases, but it also makes the service a lot quicker. The advancement in POS Systems also assist servers within the industry by way of making their jobs a little smoother, instead of replacing the server and his or her role. POS systems are also sale drivers and assist the hospitality industry by way of knowing what sells the most, what a customer likes the most, and also by way of loyalty programs.

technological advances are changing the way we live our lives - and for the hospitality industry, the most dramatic developments are taking place thanks to the latest, highly sophisticated POS systems. Today's guests and customers are now accustomed to personalized service that is smoother and more efficient than ever before, thanks to better customer data and faster payment systems that eliminate the laborious processes of the past. They have contactless, pre-pay and mobile ordering.

The article describes about the importance of telecommunication in the hotel industry. It also mentions the importance of choosing the right equipment, so the guest is connected to their friends and family. It also provide us an information that it is necessary to have an appropriate vendor so there is no problem once the equipment is installed in the properties. The equipment should also provide a wide range of network which would support all of its guest staying in the hotel.

Telecommunication has become the forefront in the hospitality industry, and it is a increasingly a vital priority for customers. Whether guests travel for business or pleasure, they always want to stay connected to their family and friends. In order for the hotel industry to choose the right telecom equipment that will fit the customers needs but also the hotels needs, they need to the following; effective and user-friendly telecom equipment, reliable and secure messaging software, and ample but dependable internet access. Hotel guests want the ability to feel right at home or right and their workplace when they are staying on hotel property, so having the best equipment available to a guest not only in their hotel room but also in other areas, such as library, conference room, pool area, restaurant, or even a bar. The guest wants to feel like they are handling their work business with no software or network interruptions, no matter what area in the hotel they decide to work from. With technology being such a top priority in the hospitality industry or any industry for that matter, ensuring customer satisfaction and repeated business, will anticipate a clients needs.Most importantly, before purchasing your in-room telecommunications equipment, it's best to have a good idea of your current and future telecommunication needs. Telecom equipment for the hospitality industry includes a variety of options. The most cost-effective approach is to acquire equipment with only the options you need or foresee a forthcoming need for.

Telecommunication is becoming more important in hotels in general. Choosing all the right equipment and stuff is great but if you dont have a great network to run all this equipment to allow your guess to telecommute. This will allow meeting planner to coordinate events for those not able to travel to meeting and still get the necessary information from the conference there colleagues are attending. It be very interesting to see where this will go.

This article outlines some of the procedures that are used in the Hospitality Industry accounting departments. Beginning with document retention, GAAP is followed to comply with how long the documents need to be kept. In keeping documents, data security needs to be in place to protect sensitive information. Internal controls are also important and follow GAAP, so that stakeholders and owners are protected. The procedure is so that the proper allocation of assets are maintained. Revenue recognition is also part of accounting procedures, as revenues may be sorted in various ways as appropriate. Lastly, timeshare accounting being one of the most complicated, due to the different agreements. I found this article to be a good guide in knowing the basic procedures that are followed in hospitality accounting.

Intelity, a leading provider of in room tablet technology, outlines the cost savings involved by implementing these tablets into a room operation. Everything from menu's to bibles to hotel directories to maps can be stored on these devices. This can lead to drastically less paper waste for the hotel. These tablets can also interface with the room, allowing the guest to program their AC to shut off while they are away or to shut off based on guest inactivity. The technology is becoming so pervasive in the industry that it is now a consideration in the AAA diamond ranking systems. Nicholas Reynolds

This article is sweet and precise. It talks about the evolution of technology in hotel rooms (or hotels in general) but focusing specifically on the use of tablets. They talk about the reduce cost in hotels by adapting tablets to replace bibles, menus, brochures, etc. Personally, I am all for less use of paper and more use of technology. I'm the type of person that prefers to place an order through an app than having to call the restaurant. One very interesting fact mentioned in this article is that the hospitality industry spent over $400 million on printing directories and marketing materials for their guests in 2015. That's huge!!

This article is about Ruby Hill hotel, located in the city of Pleasanton, presenting the proposal for an events center within the hotel. From what the article states, it would have been a good idea but the council chambers declined it. They stated "We believe it is too big for the size of the site and we believe it is not compatible to surrounding uses..."

There are a variety of software "apps" that are being added to the tool-belt of smaller hotels that cannot afford or utilize major player software company such as Fidelio Opera or Maestro. These include applications for book-keeping, accounting, note taking, guest interaction, employee performance reviews, and many others! These smaller developed apps may one day surpass the integrated major software programs I mentioned before. The days of the centralized PMS system are numbered and the day of decentralized interfacing applications is soon to come. Looking over the apps listed in this article, it is not unrealistic to believe that this time is swiftly approaching.

This is Nicholas Reynolds from Hospitality Enterprise Tech Online

This article helps us to better understand the information systems being utilized, why they are important and what difficulties they bring about. In the Hospitality Industry, customer service is put at the top of the list of must haves. With customer service comes knowing information about your customer and without Information Technology services put in place, these expectations will never be met. Having a computer based IT is crucial because it allows the employees to work more proficiently which in turn creates a better experience for the guest. Multiple hospitality leaders have been applying fully Internet based technological systems within their organizations. IHG group has implemented an easy to use system so it is simple for every position within the hotel. For a company like IHG with over 500 hotels, it was imperative they eliminated the manual system to provide better quality control. Because of this system they can get better quality products at lower costs. Although this new system is much more user friendly, the overall cost involved is still not confirmed but this system is still predicted to have positive impacts long term. For example at Marriott Hotels, they use a company website, POS Micros, Property Management System and Central reservation system just to name a few. On top of stellar service and quick/ easy information submissions, guests are looking to have the best technology at their disposal to use. Things like computers with full internet access, printers and fax machines to make sure they can still be functional while displaced. An advanced system called MARSHA is being used as a reservation system and stores the rewards system information for Marriot guests. Micros-Opera is a popular property based system provider and has become common within the hotel industry. Vendors usually use this since it gives them the ability to connect to other vendor's applications. MICROS 9700 HMS is the most popularly used point of sale system. There are some

This article focuses on an effort by many luxury brands to eliminate the use of plastic single use straws to reduce their footprint and become more sustainably minded. They have moved to serve drinks without straws and instead supply biodegradable alternatives upon request. Some brands have gone even further and reduced, eliminated, and/or replaced plastic water bottles and to-go containers with their environmentally friendly alternatives. These changes have incurred costs that have either been passed on t or absorbed but have also created, in some cases such as the Cayuga's gardens bamboo straws, new business opportunities. 

This article introduces cloud technology and its implementation in the hospitality industry. The author highlights the positive impacts of using cloud-based management systems in hotels. One of the benefits is that it cuts IT costs by 50% by using cloud solutions, without needing to spend on expensive hardware and IT personnel for upgrades for example. Another plus is that the data collected from guests through the cloud is being able to provide better guest experiences. If you can understand what the guest desires through the data collected then you can give them a more customized stay. The use of the cloud also allows for each business to customize their features as they desire, to scale it up, scale it down, and add or remove features they use or not. Finally, cloud-based programs are able to better connect and integrate with other programs due to its flexibility. My opinion is that this technological advancement in the hospitality industry has been a breath of fresh air. It has made the labor inherently easier and more reliable, the information it houses seems limitless, and its affordability makes it possible for smaller scale hotels to be able to implement it as well. I think this has been one of the best advances for our industry.

Over the last decade, Tech has shifted the focus power from the brands to a more customer centric focus. This is drastically changing the way hospitality (Restaurants for this article) engage with the public. Brands must identify ideal customers and find ways to capture this information among users to create a more dynamic and engaging experience. Combination of Big & Little data is allowing for more target marketing among increasing digital/social platforms. But with this sharing of information, is the expectation of higher engagement directly with customers through online chats, reviews, etc.

The article talks about the increased innovation in PMS and hotel systems overall and how technology is necessary to meet guest expectations. The integration of all hotel systems including the PMS allows for an enhanced guest experience. Hoteliers will have a better perspective of their guests and be better able to anticipate requests and manage pricing etc. A suggested new technology in the article is artificial intelligence chat-bots that can respond and assist with customer inquiries. Additionally the use of mobile is a tool that can empower hotel guests to communicate with the property the same way they use their smartphone for so many other activities. With the proper mobile integration with the PMS a guest could order room service to any location on property, view media and make requests. A combination of highly integrated PMS and hotel software with top notch customer service will provide an exceptional experience that will exceed guest expectations.

The Article talks about new trends coming to the hospitality industry. The trends are service automation, mobile convergence, location based services allowing staff to help guests quicker, connected meeting rooms, mobile apps, and networks.

Current hospitality trends within the hospitality industry. These current trends are bringing awareness to cloud base storage, application mobility, social media marketing, and integration of amenity software. Companies are now outsourcing its IT department to minimize operating expense.

@corrie242 these six trends discussed are very important to keep efficiencies and competitive advantage, and I can confirm that at the Hotel company I work for, most of these are all in use. The social media use and monitoring has been a big shift in how we have changed the way we capture our guests' sentiment from comment cards being left or mailed to the hotel, to being able to receive immediate feedback in a very public way such as through Tripadvisor, Open Table, Facebook, Twitter, etc. We employ a digital media manager who assists in monitoring all that is said about us through these different channels so we can respond and try to stay on top of what is being commented.

This article was a very interesting read and focuses on the savings and improvements that technology can deliver by outlining six trends. The main item that peaked my interest was the trend of Cloud / Software as a Service (SaaS) or cloud computing. I have been introduced to this concept over recent discussions with a close family member. Like the article noted, the argument that was given by my relative in support of this system was that this concept is the new way to go in information technology. This option is very cost efficient and like the article mentioned it has no initial hardware costs or associated expenses like full time, in-house IT staff to maintain the system. It can also allow management of your network system to be done offsite giving hospitality operators the time to service their guests more efficiently and effectively. With technology constantly changing it is very important for hospitality operators to be aware of the emerging trends in the industry. These trends can aid in considerable growth and improvements that can be beneficial to their businesses.

This article talks about three new innovative trends in the online food delivery market that satisfy the highly connected consumer: Group Ordering, Multiple Platforms, and Remote Location Delivery.