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Caroline Hardenbergh

TripButler is Hoping to Cut Your Roaming Data Bill | Travel & Tourism Technol... - 0 views

  • ave you travelled overseas lately and been paranoid about turning on roaming data on your mobile device for fear of coming home to a ridiculous bill?  Well TripButler, a start-up out of Austria is hoping that their portable wifi devices will give technology addicted travelers a reprieve for high roaming charges. The TripButler wifi device is a small pill shaped unit that fits in your hand or pocket and uses local mobile carrier partners to provide data at a fraction of the cost of a roaming mobile phone.  The device can support up to five devices at a time so it is perfect for a family travelling together or a small group of friends.  Imagine paying for roaming charges on 5 different iPhone or Android devices.  For a one week trip, the unit including 300 MB of data is only 36 Euros or about$50 US.  Considering that a 5MB week long International data pass from Rogers.com costs $75, the savings and value of a device like the TripButler is pretty clear.
cmogu001

Google's Green Initiative: Environmentally Conscious Technology - 1 views

  • Progress depends on radical innovation
  • the company still released information detailing the progress of its environmentally-friendly initiatives.
  • an application plug-in that would help automobiles determine where you are going,
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  • This technology, called Prediction, maximizes fuel and power consumption, which effectively reduces carbon emissions
  • Google has made its environmentally-conscious initiatives well-known
  • French authorities have used Google’s mapping services to determine agricultural regions that should face water restrictions.
  • Google would be nowhere without its data centers.
  • managing to half their data center energy use through practical thinking, using the excess energy to power office complexes, Google has effectively cut down on its environmental impact.
  • Google is now providing information to indigenous tribes on deforestation, giving them the ability to track and prevent the atrocity from taking place.
  • cutting down on the emissions of data farms or having goats roam Google’s campus to eliminate the need for fertilizer and lawn mowers, the company has always strived to cut down on greenhouse gases.
  • Google’s long-term goal of running entirely on renewable energy is growing closer and closer.
  • Google is constantly searching for ways to ensure that it never consumes excessive gas.
  • Instead of trying to purge carbon from its systems, Google invests in “off-setting” its carbon emissions by investing in green initiatives that would not have the funding to survive otherwise.
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    This article expounds how Google is contributing to the future green advancements of the world by implementing them in their every day operations. Although developing next-generation consumer electronics is an extremely lucrative sector of technology, Google has shifted their thinking away from the immediate consumer electronics field, moving towards the development of green technology. The article further mentions Google's wide-range of environmentally-friendly initiatives which includes the development of an application plug-in that would help automobiles determine where the driver is going that in turn reduces energy use, incorporates renewable energy, and offsets carbon emissions. Also, despite the large amount of Google data centers, Google has managed to cut their energy use in half through practical thinking that included purchasing a wind farm in Iowa with plans of running entirely on renewable energy in the near future. The company also made it a point to cut down on greenhouse gases by having goats roam their Google campus to eliminate the need for fertilizer and lawn movers. In conclusion, by adopting unconventional techniques for effectively lowering its environmental impact, the company has become a model example for more companies to think outside of the box and focus on implementing green technology in an efficient and innovative manner.
Yawen Zheng

19 Mobile Point-of-Sale (MPOS) Solutions Achieve MasterCard Best Practices Certificatio... - 0 views

  • Currently, the following Mobile POS solutions providers have successfully completed the registration and self-certification process for their solutions: Corduro, Ezetap, Elavon, Handpoint, Itos, iVeri, iZettle, JSC Smartfin (2Can), Miura Systems, NetSecure Payments (Kudos), Payworks, ROAM, SCCP (Swiff), Soft Space, Square and Thyron Systems.
  • Small businesses and retailers that have never accepted card payments and previously operated on a cash- and invoice-only basis are turning to mobile point-of-sale (MPOS) solutions to expand their customer base and sales. Established retailers are also adopting MPOS solutions to engage customers in-aisle and enhance the retail and payment experience. MasterCard introduced the MasterCard Mobile POS Program to provide guidance to Mobile POS solution providers and promote simple and secure transactions when consumers use their debit, credit and prepaid cards to pay merchants that use these devices.
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    Traditional Point-of-sale system has its limitations for the users. The Mobile POS system provides convenience to the users on self-service. At the same time, it reduces the labor cost and attract more customers, who has interests in new technology. In current market, the MPOS has its advantages such as convenience besides the basic function of regular POS system.
TIAN LIU

ZDirect Integration to Apple's Passbook Sends Confirmations from PMS to iPhone | Produc... - 0 views

  • ZDirect attaches Passbook files to emails or creates a link to download the “pass” from a confirmation email or SMS text message. The look and feel of the hotel's "pass" can be customized for each hotel and configured for any PMS. Once the "pass" is stored on the mobile device, a data connection is not needed to retrieve it, so roaming charges are not assessed.
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    When considering mobile technologies, many hospitality managers are not convinced of the potential benefits resulting in enhanced guest engagement, improved customer satisfaction, and increased consumer spending. The common goals of mobile technology implementation are acceleration of guest traffic, heightened interactivity, promotion and sales of goods and services, and gathering of feedback relative to the guest's experience. Mobile services include special website configurations, fluent marketing campaigns, location-based activities, digital couponing, and point-of-sale settlement. Currently, the fastest growing segment of m-commerce service is mobile payments featuring cashless and cardless payment platforms. If not already in place, hospitality management should consider business payment choices of coin and currency, credit and debit card, and mobile options.
Ligia Elizondo

Swissôtel Chicago: Renovated Meeting Space, a New Eatery, and a New Event Man... - 0 views

  • The updates were meant to make the meeting rooms more consistent with the feel of the event center,
  • The hotel is the first Chicago property to offer Nervana's Bonfire Events Management app for meeting planners and attendees
  • The tool allows users to track schedules, flights, and presentations, connects meeting participants through a social media site, and sends alerts for any schedule changes.
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    The Swissotel Chicago hotel was renovated this spring with a total investment of $10 million. The hotel decided to invest in new technology to attract more business and improve the overall performance of the hotel. "Updates to the lobby include a new earth-tone color palette and check-in pods in place of a central front desk. All front-desk agents are now equipped with laptops that allow them to roam and check guests in even when they're not stationed at the pods." This new renovated hotel offers a soundtrack of DJ beats, televisions, and multimedia plug-ins. The meeting space also provides the best in technology. "The hotel is the first Chicago property to offer Nervana's Bonfire Events Management app for meeting planners and attendees." This allow event planners to work more efficiently with schedules, flights, meetings and presentations "connects meeting participants through a social media site, and sends alerts for any schedule changes."
bnort002

What Restaurants Need To Know About Pay-At-The-Table | News | Hospitality Magazine (HT) - 1 views

  • The payment method can’t come to the POS – customers aren’t going to turn over their PIN or smartphone – so the POS has to come to the customer.
  • Higher table turns
  • Less waiting for customers, higher tips for servers
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  • Best practices for rolling out pay-at-the-table  
  • Reductions in identity theft
  • 8 Best practices for rolling out pay-at-the-table
  • Reduced chargebacks
  • Train servers not only to use the pay-at-the-table technology, but also to inform customers why it’s being implemented – chiefly, to keep their card data secure.
  • Determine whether you should use Bluetooth or Wi-F
  • Larger establishments typically opt for Wi-Fi terminals which can support their larger footprint by roaming across multiple access points and leveraging reliable, wireless LAN networks already in place
  • The terminal can simplify tipping by offering suggested tip amounts or percentages.
  • Most restaurants report that pay-at-the-table systems pay for themselves within a year, due to benefits such as increased table turns.
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    This article talks about the importance of the pay at the table technology due to cardholder data and new methods of payment such as Apple Pay where you pay via your smartphone. This article also addresses the positives of having an at the table pay system. Some of the benefits are higher table turnover and higher customer satisfaction. I like how the article mentions that the servers need to be trained to use the system but also inform the customers as to why this method of payment is being used- to keep their data secure.
anonymous

Restaurants in 2021: Technology and Hospitality Search for Balance | QSR magazine - 0 views

  • And the end result is going to benefit guests, which opens opportunity for restaurants
  • At the intersection of much of this conversation is technology. Roughly half of full-service, fast casual, and coffee and snack operators, said they devoted more resources to tech during COVID, including online or in-app ordering, mobile payment, and delivery management, according to the National Restaurant Association’s 2021 State of the Restaurant Industry Report.
  • Percentage of restaurant operators who say they devoted more resources to customer-facing technology since the beginning of the outbreak in March
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  • Despite tech’s position in convenient, contactless ordering, so key in today’s environment, the Association pointed out, customers miss personal service. Given the choice of ordering from a server or ordering from their phone or a tablet at the table, most want the server.
  • Up next is the server versus tablet dilemma. Given a choice, most consumers prefer table service when they’re dining in a restaurant, the Association said.
  • Only one in five said the option of ordering and paying through a tablet or smartphone at the table would influence their restaurant choice
  • For example, the burger brand is deploying a “server partner” in tandem with waitstaff. Now, with handheld technology in tow, servers can spend more time roaming dining rooms and less on side tasks, like ringing up orders and delivering food. The server inputs orders at the table as they come in.
  • Among guests who plan to dine-in in a restaurant or fast-food venue in the next few months, 64 percent said they’d choose to sit in a section with traditional table service. This preference was strongest with older diners, with nearly 69 percent of Baby Boomers and 67 percent of Gen Xers saying they’d go for the section with traditional service.
  • Tech was more of a draw with Gen Z—55 percent said they would choose to order and pay electronically from their table.
  • COVID, however, forced restaurants to start listening again
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.
  • A
  • “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.
amajo017

The Benefits Of A Location Marketing Solution For Resorts And Hotels | Inquivix - 1 views

  • A location-based digital marketing strategy utilizes the physical location data of potential customers to target them with online or offline messaging that is highly personalized. When it comes to the resort and hotel industry, the target audience is potential guests, those currently staying at your establishment, and even returning visitors. 
  • proximity
  • The ads a potential customer will see on their social media platforms, while visiting a website, or even on their search engine results pages can be made more relevant based on their real-time location data.
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  • This means less time wasted on search engines or social media platforms looking for things, and more time spent actually enjoying them. 
  • As more potential guests nearby start visiting your website, learning about what your resort has to offer, and becoming impressed, you will naturally be able to increase more direct bookings at your resort. 
  • Geo-targeting is a method of determining the location of a user to deliver personalized messages on their smartphone application or push notifications based on their proximity to your business.
  • Geo conquesting also creates a boundary, but instead of being around your hotel or resort, this boundary exists around your competitor or competitors.
  • Apart from using search engines like Google, smartphone applications, and sms, you can use social media to display relevant advertisements to users. If you have convinced them to follow your social media page when they connected to your Wi-Fi, you can easily target these new guests and show them what else you are offering at your venue. 
  • Beacons are devices that use Bluetooth technology and are great for understanding guest behavior as they roam around your premises.
  • For example, if your target market is travelers from South Korea, you need to know the online, social media, and smartphone usage behavior of this audience for your marketing efforts to be on point.
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    This blog post delves into the world of location-based marketing, shedding light on its mechanisms and significance within the hospitality industry. It demystifies the workings of location-based marketing, where businesses use location data to target and engage potential customers. The post explores how accurate location information enables personalized offers and advertisements, enhancing customer experiences. Furthermore, it emphasizes the importance of location-based marketing to the hospitality sector, as it empowers hotels, restaurants, and travel services to reach the right audience at the right time. By leveraging location data intelligently, the hospitality industry can create compelling marketing campaigns, foster customer loyalty, and ultimately boost revenue and customer satisfaction.
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