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This article discussed the pros and cons of mobile proximity marketing and how to possibly overcome the downfalls of the type of marketing.

privacy concerns, complex management, excessive opt-ins, conversion issues

There can be many benefits and negatives to introducing new technology into your company. While it can be interesting to see new marketing methods for a company, these results can also be temporary. A company wanting to integrate these new marketing methods into their business will have to identify if their audience would react well with this new form of marketing and make their choices based on those results.

(1 of 2) "The hospitality sector has always been a popular target for cyberattacks." This is the first line of this Recorded Future article published in January. The article discusses breaches that happened for both Marriott and British Airways and how this is a regular occurrence in the industry as it is such a big target with so many possible points that can be attacked. While the statistics for the hospitality industry have improved greatly in the last decade, in 2019, they were still accounting for 10% of all breaches. Not only does a breach affect the way an organization operates, but also it also severely effects their bottom-line and takes quite a but of time for them to recover. "According to Ponemon's 2019 Cost of a Data Breach Report, the average hospitality data breach costs $1.99 million to contain, at a cost per record of $123. These high costs are due in part to the time needed to adequately respond to a breach. On average, it takes 200 days to identify a hospitality data breach and a further 75 days to contain it." The article continues by stating that hackers are typically seeking payment card data when compromising the hospitality industry.

(2 of 2) The article then discusses the many reasons why it is so difficult for hospitality-oriented companies to secure their assets versus other organizations of similar stature. Some of these reasons include the large, complex networks which are typically publicly accessible and contain many customers in the databases, the fact that customers are always onsite and so are attackers, the high turnover leading to inconsistent training and sharing of credentials, franchisers owning the responsibility of security yet not knowing much about it, and the risk associated with all of the various third parties the hotels do business with. While intelligence has come a very long, "security professionals in the industry are tasked with defending highly complex networks with many endpoints against a constant barrage of attacks and a constantly churning workforce… [AND] they have limited security resources to work with." Comprehensive security intelligence systems are now capable of protecting many aspects of the organization. Some of these updated features include responding rapidly to security incidents, blocking online brand abuse and impersonation, managing third-party risk, reducing breach containment times, and better allocating security resources. Property data security is so important to the hospitality industry. If a business does not take the proper precautions to protect their systems and their customers, then it could lead to a devastating event for the business. While security intelligence has progressed within the last decade, a business needs to make sure that they have chosen a reliable agent to partner with who will produce consistent service. If the business keeps up with their system updates and protections, they should not have to worry about their security system failing.

Hotels collect large amounts of data from guests staying at their hotel directly and through third parties. As hotels continue to invest into technology to improve their guests' experience technology can also lead to more breaches. When guests use their smartphone to customize their stay by ordering room service, planning activities or purchasing upgrades it increases the chances of a breach and allows the hotel to collect more data. Multiple systems that a hotel uses can also create potential risks. Hotels need to take control, prepare for the inevitable, respond to breaches and create a culture of security.

The Hospitality industry have been greatly impacted over the years by the advancements made in technology. Customers have everything assessable by the click of a button or utilization of an app. Various software is being created to provide for quick and easy service but in turn takes away from the personal experiences.

This article is about the new advances in technology and investing whether it has been taken too far. It analyzes the new advancements such as apps where reservations are made. These new technologies have been made to enhance experience but not replace the warm feeling that hospitality gives you. The article concludes that we haven't taken it too far, instead it has made guest experience better. Especially when it comes to checking in, and not having to wait a huge line when you just want to get to your room.

As we learned this week, technology is impacting the hospitality industry. As the article states- "improving a guest's experience depends on the ability to identify the individual guest's preferences." This reminded me of the Smart Bar video we watched this week. Technology can enhance the quality of experience. However, depending on the businness/ company- most people would be unwilling to put a an investment into tech unless they see a significant uptake from the technology. Even though technology plays a major role in the industry, it has not completely took over human interaction.

In essence this "data mining" related article explains how the FTC recently outlined new policies in an effort to close loopholes which allow websites to gather and turnover information gathered to third parties for advertising purposes.   Changes such as videos, photos, locations, etc, which cannot be pulled without parental approval are making impacts on what can be pulled and shared. Another change includes closing a loophole that gives apps/websites directed at children the ability to collect information through plug-ins, without parents permission. In conclusion, these rules are based on the Children s Online Privacy Act of 1998, which gave the FTC the authority to implement/periodically update rules pertaining to "how the law is enforced". These rules will go into effect on July 1, 2013.

Rate Tiger is a premium rate shopping and channel management solutions provider. Nowadays, the increasing website necessary directly affect the cost of e-business for the hoteliers. Thanks to the Rate Tiger, it helps hotels to identify the best producing websites, and allow hoteliers manage their inventory allotment to bring more reservation from the e-business. This article use Time Hotels as an example to prove that Rate Tiger's channel management tools really can help hotel to increase the effective of e-business.

This article talks about a group of small, independent hotel called Time hotel in France. They use the third party reseller which name is Rate Tiger's channel management tools to increase its productivity. They use this channel to have a better control of sales, price and production. Time hotel hopes to further increase their revenue from online sales. Rate Tiger allow hotels to identify the best producing websites, while also improve the relationship with channels that have a lower commission. Rate Tiger also can update all cannels in one go. This help Time Hotels earn more reservation and better to work with other website. 

The hotel is a perfect place for hackers to attack because they have easy access to retrieve thousands of guest information including credit card information, billing addresses, and much more personal information. Nicholas Percoco, senior vice president of Trustwave's SpiderLabs, mentioned that the credit card and debit card information is the most in demand by hackers because it is easiest to turn into cash quickly. There are three main steps in a typical data breach and how attackers mostly operate at each level: initial entry, data harvesting, and exfiltration. Close to half of these attacks occur via remote access applications, of which 90 percent exploit default or weak passwords. Around 42 percent of attacks occurred via third-party connections; 6 percent via SQL injection; 4 percent via exposed services; and 2 percent via remote file inclusion attacks. Interestingly, less than 1 percent began with an email Trojan. As an IT manager of the hotel, it is crucial to recognize how serious the consequences are for the hotel should the data not be protected well. 

Hey all, here is an article I found that talks about hackers taking over the hospitality industry. It mentions how hackers main objective is to gain access to debit accounts and gain access to customer cash. Also, hackers are also able to infiltrate POS systems along with other valuable technology with in the hospitality industry. Nearly half of these attacks occur via remote access applications, of which 90 percent exploit default or weak passwords, according to the report. Around 42 percent of attacks occurred via third-party connections; 6 percent, SQL injection; 4 percent, exposed services; and 2 percent, remote file inclusion attacks. Interestingly, less than 1 percent began with an email Trojan.

hackers are EVERYWHERE!

This article mainly talks about icloud basics and the cost of icloud. Icloud has lots of benefit for the customer who uses apple devices. Icloud do not replace local storage on iPhones, ipads and iPod touches. Icloud keep data in sync between any apple device and PC that you own. Every data are available across devices from Iphone to ipad. All the documents can be shared in any apple devices and people do not need e-mail or USB to store and transfer files. It brings lots of conveniences to the customers. Also, icould provide excellent backup function for customers. Another advantage of apple devices is that third party apps are able to use icloud as well. The cost of this service is not really expensive and apple will provide 5GB I cloud storage for free. Apple charges some extras money for additional storage, but it is not very expensive. Icloud will help apple not only enhance current market, but also can expand the future PC and other digital devices market. People who own multiple iOS devices will get the most out of iCloud, because it saves the hassle of manually transferring data between iPhones, iPads and so on. Therefore, more and more people will purchase apple devices in order to get the most out of icloud.

In Amazon's last quarter, net income dropped by 57 percent from a year ago. Sales for the three months before December 31 came out to $17.4 billion, lower than Wall Street expected over the traditionally busy holidy season. It is predicted that for the next quarter outlook, there could be anywhere from a gain of $100 million to a loss of $200 million. While Amazon continues to profit in sales of its best selling Kindle devices, there were a variety of factors that contirbuted to its losses. The flooding in Thailand slowed down production for many tech companies. Third-party sellers (which give a 13% commission to Amazon as oppsoed to 100% commission when Amazon sells themselves) were used more than usual. Promotions such as the Amazon Prime program which allows the customer to pay a fixed rate and get umlimited two-day shipping hurt the retailer hard over the busy holiday season with shipping costs. Other reasons were lower demand for skimwords

iTesso is a cloud-based PMS which offers interface with the property's CRS, GDS, and other third-party systems.  What caught my eye in this article is that it specifies that it is Windows compatible and offers high-level security.  Compared with WebRezPro, iTesso seems to be a better system in that it claims to be appropriate for all hotel chains regardless of size, secure, able to be updated to stay relevant, and covers all of the functionalities that a PMS should be able to handle.

It gives a discription of how nowadays'  hotels develop and use of their PMS. Some brands develop their own PMS such as Marriott and Starwood; some look more to the independent and resort market expanded their PMS. It seems that we don't need so much kinds of PMS and so many function. According to the analysis of the market and demand, it comes the conclusion that a well- designed, intuitive and well-interfaced PMS module is still the core of operational success at every property.

Mark Starkov, President & CEO at HEBS Global provides advice as to how to understand and optimize several tools hotels use for bookings. We live in a world where mobile connectivity is on the rise with no fall in sight. More and more people are spending more time and money on and through these devices, and it is something that our travel and hospitality industries are booming from. In 2014, nearly 40% of web visitors and page views were credited to non-desktop computers. In terms of hotels, these devices can also account for over 20% of bookings and 17% of sleeping room nights. Between 2013 and 2014, hotel revenue generated via tablets more than doubled and booked over 77% more room nights than non-"pure" devices. These stats alone should have all hoteliers seeing opportunity. The world of e-commerce is allowing hoteliers and other travel companies to open up many revenue streams. Between DGS, OTAs, and CRM, we are able to reach a much wider audience and bring in an exponentially larger amount of business. These tools do not work for free, as there are often commissions or subscription fees these companies are compensated for. As valuable as these third-party tools are, it is equally important to invest in your direct-booking outlet. Booking direct business keeps the most money in your pocket. Not only will you get optimum rates, you will also save on commissions, referral fees, etc. Just imagine not having to pay a third-party commission of 10% of a $100,000 dollar piece of business. That's 10 thousand saved. Sometimes, when large corporate events are booked, there can be two referral services involved, resulting in 15% commission payout. In terms of direct vs. third-party business, a hotel could not survive on only one.

CHMWarnick has become the only third-party hotel asset management company providing full owner-entity accounting capabilities as it has expanded its accounting services available to asset management clients. It's ownership accounting include several services that have proven to further elevate the firm's asset management in delivering value for hotel owners.

Beacon-based indoor location technology is driving the future of airport consumer experiences. Mobile applications use these beacons to provide up-to-the-second information to travelers regarding everything from flight data and security checkpoint line length to taxi wait times and baggage tracking. The largest commercial value of these apps and beacons lies in the platforms' ability to integrate with third-party apps and infrastructure from airline carriers and airport retailers. While this integration could potentially drive advertisement revenue for the airports, many of the locations that have begun experimenting with these technologies report that the systems investment pays for itself in increased efficiencies in internal systems, including security checkpoints and taxi queues.

This article discusses Lufthansa airlines and Ukraine International Airlines who both now impose a surcharge on GDS bookings. The GDSs Amadeus, Sabre and Travelport disagree with this strategy and say that they offer the most choice of services and think that steering clients away from using GDSs to book travel is not a smart idea. In 2015, Lufthansa and its other airlines (which also includes Austrian, Brussels, Eurowings and Swiss airlines) implemented a 16-euro fee on all GDS bookings. Ukraine International Airlines (UIA) is a much smaller airline than Lufthansa, however, some analysts believe that this decision could prompt other airlines to do so as well. About one month ago, UIA imposed a $9 surcharge on GDS bookings. Some analysts believe that the new imposed fee will drive some customers, especially the price-sensitive leisure travelers, towards other airline carriers. In addition to implementing a surcharge on GDS bookings, UIA is also adding fees to any bookings made on third-party booking sites. The airline is trying to incentivize its travelers to book directly through their website and not go through any other channel. Lufthansa has had success with their strategy. The CEO stated the fee had a net-zero impact on their business, but there was a rise increase in sales through their direct channel.

This article reviews a survey conducted by the American Hotel & Lodging Association which reveals that 23% of consumers say they have been misled by third-party traveler re-sellers. The article further explains the Federal Trade Commission's investigation of one of these companies, Reservation Counter, LLC which resulted in legal action. The article concludes that to protect consumers AHLA will support legislation known as the Stop Online Booking Scams Acts and strongly encourages travelers to book directly through the hotel or trusted travel agent. I think we are seeing the AHLA's opposition to OTA's in defense of hotel properties that want direct booking. The protection of customers is important, but it seems like an implied warning of ligitimate OTA's like www.booking.com.

This article discusses the importance of a hotel being up to date with their PMS system and all the features a PMS system could have. The article states that cloud-based PMSs accessible to hotel staff via Internet through a phone, table or laptop is essential for the future of PMS and will enable the staff to stay up to date in real time. Additionally, a PMS system that is PCI compliant is necessary to protect guest personal information and will allow the hotel to provide better guest services and satisfaction. Another feature listed was to ensure the PMS is integrated with third-party systems such as two-way OTA interfaces and credit card processing platforms. This will help eliminate human error and lessen workload so employees can concentrate on delivering the best guest experience. Also mentioned was the fact that a cloud-based PMS offers security updates that will always be compliant to the latest standards of cyber security. With staff scheduling and revenue management capabilities, PMSs are a much more integral and important part of hotels success than ever before. It is imperative for a hotel to be up to date with their PMS so they don't fall behind their competition.

This article is the resultant of a survey by Hospitality Technology as a deep dive into the minds of Restaurant Technology experts and executives. The results of the survey, commented by various executives from POS provision companies details their thoughts on the needs and direction of POS systems in the industry. The article, though lengthy, outlines current additions to existing POS systems and upgrades they are or will be implementing as a contrast to the opinions of the Technology executives. Out of this, several distinct trends emerge. POS will no longer be just cash register alternatives. They as a class of products are evolving quickly, integrating data, inventory management, third party integration (both service and distribution side) as well as an emphasis on Cloud-Based and managed implementations. All seem to concur that the future of the POS is not merely operational and operator functionality but also payment systems integrations that will make payment by the consumer friction-less and more diversified. On-line ordering is a distinct focus for all POS providers as online ordering grows exponentially for the foreseeable future. This includes critical items for brand based application ordering as well as third party aggregators. This includes the integration of omni-channel ordering including mobile, amazon-echo, Google-Echo and other AI/Voice based systems and the implications of their increasing usage. Data Security will be at the forefront of POS implementations with Restaurants having to increase their focus on vulnerabilities in their current systems and look to Cloud based systems to offer greater safeguards against hacks and data compromise. Finally, there seems a general agreement that a POS needs to be ready for the future, that is is extensible, up-gradable, and flexible to meet the rapid changes in technology in as bio metrics, payment methods (ie Bitcoin), new devices and services come to market. .

Information security is absolutely crucial within the Hospitality industry. There is so much important guest and customer information that is submitted via technology. This includes, credit card details, addresses, and phone numbers, with so much of this information being sensitive companies need to install security systems. The hospitality industry depends strongly on credit card as a form of payment which is why the POS needs to be secure. It is also extremely important that staff members are trained to gather and store guests personal information. The industry overall has become stricter in the ways that information gets gathered and processed in order to avoid cyber attacks. The last thing that companies must keep an eye on are insider threats, a lot of the time it's the employees from the company that are giving away valuable and confidential information to third parties. This is why I believe that technology has had a great impact on this industry but there needs to be strong security systems in order to avoid cyber attacks.