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Physical plant or mechanical plant engineers can be found in almost every business sector and industry and are responsible for maintaining large facilities. These individuals usually monitor their facility's heating, cooling and ventilation systems. Additionally, physical plant engineers must also service and repair their facility's plumbing and lighting. According to 2010 data published by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the national annual mean salary for a stationary engineer was $52,620. These individuals earned a national mean hourly wage of $25. Physical plant engineers, stationary engineers and boiler operators have a strong background in mechanics. Individuals working in this field often receive formal apprenticeship training with the International Union of Operating Engineers or formal education through vocational or trade schools. Certain states may require licensing for positions in this field. Generally, employers prefer to hire people with at least a high school diploma or GED who have experience in the field.

"Physical plant or mechanical plant engineers can be found in almost every business sector and industry and are responsible for maintaining large facilities. These individuals usually monitor their facility's heating, cooling and ventilation systems. Additionally, physical plant engineers must also service and repair their facility's plumbing and lighting. Physical plant engineers are paid an average salary of at least $50,000 to make sure a plant's systems run safely. "

There are a lot of different kinds of event planning technology software nowadays. This article introduced the way to use online event planning software in details. Online event planning software vary in scope and features, but their primary goal is the same, that is, to consolidate all the tasks needed to plan a trade show, conference, or other event, so the process runs more smoothly. According to this article, five tips for audiences to learn in using online event planning software. They are on the parts of creating an event page, sending out Invitations, enabling online registration, getting involved, and evaluating. Firstly, most online event planning software programs allow consumers to create a page. That doesn't mean the consumer has to use their service exclusively to advertise the event. Secondly, planners usually send electronic invitations to people they want to attend. This way can save time, paper, and postage, so they would focus on planning the best possible event. Thirdly, to set up online registration and to collect data in one convenient place so that all the information the planner needed from each registrant are collected and kept. Fourthly, to get involved with other people on the site by spreading the word about other events, chatting with attendees, and sharing useful information. The last but not the least, to evaluate after using online event planning software, determine whether the experience was positive or negative.

This article talks about five ways to invest in travel and tourism. It specifically mentions the Online Travel Providers. In many industries, including traveling industry, internet continues to generate revenue to the business. Priceline in particular has been increasing profit growth in the last five years offering lower price and online bookings, last minute travel deals and bids.

Statistically speaking, CIOs don't become CEOs. But it's not because they don't want it. Research shows that nearly half of CIOs aspire to become chief executive, but only four percent actually get there. Much more frequently, CEOs for the world's top companies - about half in fact - come up through C-level financial or operating roles (Vanson Bourne, 2012). Chris Laping, CIO of Red Robin Gourmet Burgers (www.redrobin.com), strongly believes this is because technology executives are too often focused on engineering and IT solutions to embrace their most valuable leadership quality: the ability to manage change. Technology leaders, he believes, possess powerful project management skills that can and should be leveraged across the business for even the most non-IT initiatives, with the particular role of being agents for change. Laping's official role at Red Robin is indicative of that practice: he's the company's senior vice president of business transformation and CIO. In that role, he oversees the company's technology, learning and development, enterprise project management and operations services teams. In this exclusive interview with Hospitality Technology, Laping shares how the technology team has taken on a business transformation role at Red Robin, and describes his overall vision for IT leaders. But it's not something CIOs are handed; they have to drive it, says Laping. Driving this change, perhaps, will also help more CIOs chase down their chief-executive dreams. HT: Let's start with some definitions: "business transformation" and "change agents" are pretty heady buzzwords that get tossed around executive boardrooms. What does business transformation really mean? LAPING: If you look at a classic Wikipedia definition of business transformation, it talks about people, process and technology. So when you push change through people, you usually do that through training. If you want to change business performan

The many aspects of security at hotels boil down to policy and technology. The policy element includes emergency planning and the individual procedures implemented by a hotel. Technology now plays an integral role in the security mix, from badging and staffing communications to electronic keys and surveillance cameras. Hotels are attractive places for criminals to target travelers, who are inherently more vulnerable. Best bet: Always assess a hotel neighborhood and facilities with the same vigilance as at home or in other public spaces. Help your meeting attendees understand the policies and potential risks before they arrive. Security Questions for Hotels: Will trade-show exhibitors require secure storage for any display items? Are there areas near a hotel that attendees should be warned to avoid? Are hotel employees CPR certified? Is defibrillator equipment available onsite? Are there any policies and procedures organizers should be aware of in the event of an emergency?

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.

This article is interesting and in my opinion inspiring as well. According to the article "65% of Copenhagen's hotel rooms, representing nearly half the city's supply, have a globally recognized eco rating". IN the year of 2009, the United Nations climate change summit took place in this city, which started the rise of all the green hotels in Copenhagen. All of the hotels that participated in this summit had to be green certified which rose the percentage of green hotels by 30%. According to the Danish hotel, restaurant and tourism trade association there is also higher demand for green hotels by leisure and mainly business guests. Companies want to make sure that they take their employees to green certified hotels to show their support and awareness of sustainable behavior. The Crowne Plaza Copenhagen Towers hotel is truly represents a green hotel with first groundwater-based heating and cooling system and the largest solar panel coverage in northern Europe. The hotel also uses all kitchen waste and has it turned into organic fertilizer. Even smaller hotels in Denmark are turning towards being green and taking the matter seriously. "We practice this with energy-saving devices, sorting of (garbage), recycling of paper and organic foods. And we work with suppliers who share our beliefs," says owner of a small hotel Nicolas Hall. I enjoyed reading this article as it relates to the video we watched this week about who should take responsibility in waste management. I stated that the nation should take action in this matter but here we can clearly see that even companies can make a huge difference as they are the drivers of the economy and they can decide which product to choose.

This article is about Benseron, and how it premiered its new hybrid POS system at the Northeast Acquirers Association Tradeshow. The company's CEO, Onur Haytac, claims that the software is years ahead of its time. The application will allow users to cross platform between Android, iPad or Windows. The technology will allow servers to use tables table side and accept and process orders in seconds. Users will also have real-time information about their business and allow for better management. In addition, the software will be able to continue running even if the internet or network crashes. I am very excited about this innovation in POS systems. I think that anything that could be done to assist the restaurant owner in running his business more effectively should be welcome with open arms. Studies have shown that consumers are hungry for new technology in restaurants, and I think tablets are the answer. With Benseron's new POS system, manage can streamline orders and have more accurate reports on their sales.

This article discusses how banking and healthcare have been held to a historically high level of cyber security, but only recently has the hospitality industry. It highlights a cyber attack on Wyndham Hotels and their reluctant response to take corrective action. The article offers steps that a hospitality company should take to protect themselves as they launch and work to protect their guests, their information and their company.

Hospitality stock prices do drift, but only for about 20 trading days, so we view hospitality stocks as being more efficient than stocks in general. the stock of the hospitality is a big marke for the

This article talks about how accelerated competition has coincided with an increase in the quantity and quality of IT investment. A lot of companies have change the operating model that they have with the Internet and enterprise software. I learned that the link between competition and technology has become much stronger. In 2008 it was projected that the worldwide enterprise software revenue would approach $190 billion. We learn that it is not easy for most companies to deploy enterprise IT successfully. The technologies themselves are complicated to configure and test, and changing people's behavior and attitudes toward technology is even more challenging. The IT has changed dramatically for a long time and it is still growing and developing.

This article looks at hotel maintenance management from an engineering perspective, with some attention to I.T. It lays out and explains in detail requirements for successful operation and upkeep of a physical plant. For example, it discusses building maintenance, citing "roofing repair leakages, reproofing the entire building, taking care of building surfaces, pitting, & erosion of exterior surfaces," etc.

This article gives us a glance at six different technological trends being used and "revolutionizing" the hospitality industry. The six trends are cloud/software services, mobility, social media, personalized systems, integration, and globalization. The trends are all seen across the board in hospitality nowadays and are making huge changes in the industry. We have been talking about cloud computing and the pros and cons of using a cloud to store information and even with all the controversy, companies are investing and using the cloud. The use of tablets and smartphones has changed the way we interact with technology and the hospitality field is not staying behind. They are developing mobile sites and apps to help customers look at pictures and reviews about a place, check in and check out or make other arrangements. Social media is also revolutionizing hospitality by creating a reputation for businesses whether they be positive or negative. People can freely post about whether they enjoyed their stay at a certain hotel and helps build the online reputation of the company. In addition, more and more companies are looking to become more personalized experience. When I think about this part, I think mostly of the new systems rolling out at Disney World that scream personalization, guests can select their Fastpasses ahead of time, can use MagicBands to purchase things, get into their hotel, get into the park as well as to utilize the Fastpass system and every time a MagicBand is scanned at a touchpoint, the cast members know the person's name and whether they are celebrating something. With integration, customers and staff can access information from different departments all on one system and with globalization companies are trying to use systems that are global and used worldwide. 

Technological developments continue to have a great effect on all aspects of our lives, the hospitality industry not being an exception. Calum McIndoe in his article "Six Technology Trends Revolutionising the hospitality industry" outlines areas of technology that managers within the industry need to take advantage of. Cloud technology, though this concept is fairly new it can provide great financial benefits to companies as it cuts cost greatly due to the fact that it eliminates the heavy hardware requirements traditional technology offered. Mobility, the fact that portable devices can add a competitive edge to the service offered. Think traditional services being provided on the go away from a fixed station. Social; the popularity of social networking sites have changed the face of hospitality and tourism marketing completely. Properties are now forced to monitor social networking sites to learn about customer demands and to also learn about the image their company has out there and how they can improve it. According to Mr. "for any hotel to not at least monitor social medis is tantamount to willingly flying blind." Personalized systems; value for customers within this industry has to do greatly with the personal touch added to the service delivered. These merged systems allows properites to use data to ensure that guest needs are met. Integration; the joining of isolated systems used in all areas of operations on the property. The use of integrated systems allows for the pulling of data from the different departments thus ensuring proper management of services delivered and revenue management. Globalisation; It is important that hospitality companies adapt to changes and trends brought about by globalisation. Whether the current global outlook is taken into consideration when considering how a company operates can greatly impact the final product.

((NOTE: The author already highlighted the article in yellow when I found it, my personal highlighting is in PINK. Sections 5 and 6 are not highlighted in pink because I agree with the parts that the author highlighted yellow in those sections; Diigo toolbar will not let you highlight over something that has already been highlighted.)) This article mainly focuses on the technological changes in the hotel industry in pertinence with storing hotel information versus the traditional method(s) used by hotels that involved little to no technology at all. The article lists six different points or examples and states that businesses, especially small or upcoming businesses, need to follow by these six trends. The part of the article that stood out to me the most when reflecting on the lectures and power points for this week is the first trend. The first trend speaks about a "cloud" software (which I am not really familiar with so excuse me if my explanation is not 100% sound) and announces that "around 85% of the queries we see from hospitality companies and hotels include a serious look at cloud computing". The author lists a few reasons why such a high percentage of hotels are doing it this way. He basically says that you do not need special staff or special training to maintain the system; the system maintains itself so you can have more time to focus on your guests and trends in their patterns. Also, as far as the cost is concerned, "upfront investment is lower with the cloud as there are no initial hardware costs or associated expense…". Even though I am not very familiar with this service just yet, I like the idea of freeing up employee time to go and interact more with the customers; attending to the customers' needs is the most important thing in my eyes. The article goes on to list mobility, social media, personalized systems, integration, and globalization as all equally important parts to this revolution of technology pertaining to the hospitality industr

Growth in tourism activity in South-east Asia and acquisition activity represent benefits for Amadeus. Sebastian Gibergues from Amadeus IT group, communicates the resiliency and growth experienced by the company facing the challenges of an ever evolving industry. Gibergues considers GSD is still relevant due to the level of fragmentation in the market.

For every hospitality organization, the online press should be an important component of public relations, sales and marketing plans. In addtion, the business websites and its press room should be able to provide all the info needed. Therefore, the most important question to ask: does your web site work for the press and analysts that visit it? So, the top six steps to have an effective online press room are: 1. Make your press room easy to find 2. Press release index 3. PR Contacts 4. Photos, images and video 5. Background Information 6. Press Clips and Press Coverage Page

The Nation 2010 report mentioned that 41% of UK hospitality business do not have capability to trade online, but the chance of internet cannot be overlooked in the future. Website: a website can provide your customers a good place to visit ,they can see the plenty of food quality and high resolution images of your hotel Google: google is a well known tools which can help your business cannot be overlooked. If you put your hospitality address on google map ,customers will find you when they use google maps. That is an effective way to do your online marketing business. Social networking: company can use twitter ,facebook of youtube as social networking tools to maximize marketing. Youtube： when put a simple video clip about the location of your company, or you use the video show your products to customers, the method can attract a lot of potential guests . Offer vouchers online: online voucher sites are a good way to enhance your presence online and reach new customers. Broadening your reach: over 60% of UK dinner go online to research restaurants and more and more customers choose to search hotels through internet ,it is convenient for them to visit these information at home or abroad. Online orders: software form companies like supercontrol can be integrated on to our site to provide real time booking information. Some tools may not be so appropriate to some age groups but do not rule anything out. You can conduct a survey to figure out which one is your customers most often visit.

Too many companies do not realize how important it is for them to have a representable website. A company that has a webiste shows people it is more likely a legitimate company. A company with a nice website tells people its employees take whatever they do seriously, in which make it easier for potential customers to consider using its service. How many times have people nevigate away from a website only because how pathetic it looks not even caring how good the company is? All the money a company spends on advertisement and marketing can go to waste after just one click.

Changes are coming for New York City hotel workers. A proposal between the Hotel Association of New York and the New York Hotel Trades Council would equip hotel staffers with personal panic alarms. Employees like house keepers are calling for the extra safety measures for fear of being assaulted in a guest room. Concern is also circulating outside New York in places like Sacramento, California. The personal security devices were tested on students at California State University at San Marcos last year. I believe hotels will begin to implement more measures like this in large cities like New York. Similar to airports and large department stores, safety is a major concern. I believe the personal panic button is a great idea for any hospitality space that accommodates a large number of people.

I think this new proposal may draw people's attention to employees' safety issues within the hospitality industry. It is also important for hotels and restaurants to make sure that their employees work in an environment that is danger free and threats free. The panic button can provide the instant location of the staff and once if something goes wrong, the time for rescue will be shorten. It is really a beneficial proposal for the entire hospitality industry.

Pending approval, personal panic alarms would be carried by staff members in all New York City hotels. These panic buttons would be carried by the staff member during their shift so that they are easily and quickly accessible should something happen. Fox News in Sacramento, CA reported that house keepers voiced their desire for more saftey measures to be put in place. Assaults on house keepers may be more common than people think. House keepers tend more often to be women and they tend to work alone or with only one other person. Hotels host many events in which guests may be drinking which in turn creates the potential for violent or inappropriate actions. Not only is the safety of guests important to the hospitality industry but safety of employees is paramount as well. Having personal panic buttons would give house keepers and workers alike more peace of mind should they encounter any uncomfortable or unsafe situation.

The Hotel Technology Next Generation (HTNG) is a trade association charged to advance the application of hotel technology. HTNG is holding a competition to see what technology leaders think was the most innovation technology to be introduced to hotels in 2011. The judges in the competition are the people who select, buy, and deploy technologies in hotels around the world. HTNG's hotel members, which include top technologists from all of the world's top 10 hotel brand as well as from smaller groups and independent hotels. In order to apply, vendors may submit the application at : http://www.htng.org/innovation by February 24th and pay the $500 application submission fee.

This article explains the company, Ruskus Wireless, which has introduced a powerful Wi-Fi Wall switch, called ZoneFlex 7025, with elevated speeds of 802.11n, available for the United States' and European market. This product can offer hotels with the feature of multiple IP service over a single wireless at a minimal cost per room. According to Douglas Rice, Vice President and Chief Executive Officer of Hotel Technology Next Generation: "the hospitality market sees enormous benefits that an IP-based network brings in delivering a better guest experience, new services that will lead to drive customer loyalty". This type of technology will allow for hotels to integrate their Internet enabled devices to connect to a single wireless network. Eliminating the limitations of Ethernet cables will improve the areas of guest services, and conference rooms enhancing the experience for guests. Multiple hotels do not have the infrastructure to provide the feature of wireless access throughout their facility, considering the current technological revolution; it has become more of a necessity for hotels to provide this option for their guests. This type of Wi-Fi wall switch will help reduce the cost and complications associated with implementing network services. Fundamentally, Wi-Fi is a common amenity that multiple guests request in every level of travel purpose, which many hotels should implement if their benefit will outweigh the cost.