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This article discusses the never ending demand and growth of technology in the hospitality and tourism industry. The article specially discusses voice technology. Similar to the Amazon Alexa and Google Dot.  Many hotels across the United States have already implemented this technology into their guest rooms. According to the article, "it provides better tracking capability." Ron Phol SVP and COO of Best Western Hotel & Resorts.  A guest can put in a request through the voice technology and software is able to track the time it takes for a guest to receive a response back. This voice technology is still in its baby stages. So an extended amount of training and care is involved when introducing it to hotels, not only for the staff but also the guest.  There is also the concern of security breaches and down time that can slow down the day to day functions of a hotel.

I found this article very interesting, as it touched upon certain pros for events to embrace event technologies, such as event registration software. As mentioned in the article, nowadays, nothing is done manually. Therefore, updating registration spreadsheets, or surveys manually just slows down any process. Additionally, if planners do not plan for a good registration tool, or process, they will definitely not have a smooth check-in process. With technology softwares, like event registration, allows for event planners to have a more efficient experience, as well as, for the attendees. Moreover, these softwares even allow for word of mouth, through social network sharing; giving a greater advantage for attendee show up. Overall, with technology softwares events can run much smoother, and also, allow for tracking of attendee satisfaction, in order to find any improvements for future events. Depending on the event, an event software can surely be a win-win for both the planners and the attendees. 

With the development and improvement of technology, point-of-sale (POS) systems nowadays are playing a vital role in the industry. In this article, the author has mentioned that POS systems let businesses track usage, monitor changes in unit dollar costs, calculate when businesses need to reorder, and analyze inventory levels on an item-by-item basis. In one word, POS systems enable businesses to keep track of their cash flow. The author also introduced some features to consider in a POS system, including: ease of use, entry of sales information, pricing, updating product information, sales tracking options, security, and taxes for businesses to choose the most appropriate system for them. Since every business is unique, it's important for every business find that system meeting their all requirements instead of just using a popular one.

This article described the benefits an iPad POS system can offer over a traditional POS system. There are some benefits that I thought were great and can prove to be useful. The remote reporting is great for owners so they can check in without having to actually be there. The system does update periodically throughout the night so when items are no longer available the system will update this will prevent a lot of confusion for both the sever and the guest. One of the best features is the offline mode that allows the system to work even when the wifi goes down, this will allow service to continue which is crucial for peak hours. The cost of iPad system can also be less because updates are automatic and there no need for additional equipment.

The article described the importance of investing in technology for hotels in details. It can help improve the operational efficiency and support business growth from many aspects. And there is no technology that suitable forever because the circumstance of the industry and the technology is always changing. So if a hotel want to survive in the fierce competition, it needs to do the right technology investment and adjustment according to the specific necessary timely.

This article speaks about the importance of investing in technology in the Hospitality industry. There are so many different types of technology that can be implemented in the industry that will help us be prepared for the load of guests. The article also explains that investing in technology while costly, is very important to the success of the hotel.

Yelp has found a new way to keep their app one of the most useful. I think that them adding wait times and other of the latest updates on their business is great. I find that the price is also justifiable and reasonable. It also helps with making sure they stay on top of the restaurant apps. It is great that the restaurants can update it so easily.

This article is eye-opening as it proves how important technology such as HRIS systems are within the Hospitality industry. This article does this by describing common human errors that occur when working with data and then immediately providing ways that these errors can be avoided or limited by the use of this technology. For instance, the article states "It can become challenging to track each employee's availability and providing updates to all of your staff as soon as possible." The next section responds to this situation with "Having an employee time tracking tool that's integrated with your payroll system ensures that all data can easily be found in one place. This eliminates the need for multiple systems, where information can be easily misplaced." The industry is ever-changing thus it is becoming increasingly more difficult to keep up with all of the duties. Moreover, human error will always exist as we are not perfect. For these reasons, businesses need to incorporate technology systems to create a more productive and effective workplace.

This article goes over the importance of HRIS in regards to the employees. It talks about how the employee must be comfortable with the process and understand it as well. They must have a good experience with it.

This article I found is related to keeping information/communication on a hotel property safe, and found it very interesting. The article talks about a mobile app, a communication app to be more precise, for hotel employees as well as operations departments. It allows them to securely communicate and transfer/update task details across the hotel property. This app is available for Android as well as iOS devices. The latest update according to the article also includes a feature that makes sure that task details and/or messages can't be misunderstood or overlooked.

The article introduces the trend of HRIS system in 2017. As information technology have considerably improved, its functions have heavily impacted on human resources management. Especially, it is said that the human resources technology market is one of the fastest growing segments in business IT and with an HRIS, companies can align HR strategy with business objectives to maintain the workforces and adapt the changes quickly. HRIS is integrated with training, payroll, HR, success planning, recruiting etc. and centralized, which encourages staff to access easily from anywhere within the company and reduce work redundancy. This article emphasizes that as one of the 2017 trends, mobile HR Apps will be spread out, so employees can expect to see the update via their smartphone. As the functions are centralized in one place, the data will be managed easily and it can increase focus on employees. Also, the cloud system can be applied in the HRIS, which means increased flexibility, faster updates, and decreased costs. As the HRIS features are getting various, a company should investigate an HRIS that fits their goals, objectives, mission, and values and choose the best options.

As we look at capital expenditures in technology vs income we see that many vehicles are implementing apps. On star was thriving at one point and available in many American made cars however due to the sudden fall off, other replacements have come up. Ford has now emerged to put in place amazon Alexa in over 700,000 of their vehicles. this will offer an Alexa skill that coincides with the vehicles smarts features and offer a much easier use of car adjustments and car controls for many ford owners.

This article talks about the important role that the internet plays when it comes to communication within the tourism and travel industry. The internet is the main means by which many tourism business communicate. Travel agencies are able to communicate with hotel and book reservations and offer feedback to their clients. Travel agencies use computer technologies to stay connected to hotels, airlines and other tourism industries which makes it easy to streamline reservations. Mobile communications help to keep customers up to date when they are on the road. Tourism business are using mobile communication more to send text message especially for flight delay or flight change.

This article discusses how technology such as the internet, Reservation systems, computer systems and mobile communication are being used in hospitality & tourism. Internet is the first system the article discusses and how important it is for a business. It is a tool many consumers use in order to make a decision so it is important to have the business website user friendly and attractive. The next technology is reservation systems and how it facilitates and reduces the cost of a business by reducing call volume. Here it talks about reservations on traveling sites like Expedia but I also thought about reservations for a dinner at a restaurant that is a technology that is being used as well. Computer systems are an important way of communicating between branches and locations. This is very important with how many businesses are being more global. Last technology this article talks about is Mobile communication and how they use it to send notices or even to advertise like when a user is on an app.

The article highlights some of the major ways technology is used in the hospitality industry and how this technology has become standard. Researching on third party booking sites, booking, receiving travel updates, digital boarding passes, and loyalty apps are some of the most common technology uses we find in the industry. What is most interesting in the advent of new camera based technology to be used in facial recognition of repeat customers. I think this poises some serious concerns with privacy violations and it would be interesting to see how customers would react to firms using this technology.

Cloud-based hotel software is able to host a property management system from a remote location which therefore allows hotel staff to access data from wherever they are in the world. It is showing positive signs of increased efficiency and overall cost-effectiveness.

A general trend is that hoteliers are considering to use cloud-based systems more. Data have proved that hoteliers will invest more in cloud technology. Cloud-based hotel software can provide its users with many benefits like cost-efficiency, increased accessibility, and user-friendly dashboards. Furthermore, it makes remote/offsite information sharing and real-time offsite management possible. With a cloud-based system, staff can spend more time on guests and improving service. For security issues, cloud-based systems upgrades often and therefore reduce the risk of being hacked. Cloud-based systems are also enough flexible to meet the future needs of users. In sum, cloud-based technologies can help the hospitality businesses to deal with the changes better.

Hotels are beginning to transition to cloud-based software because they are realizing the great impact it has caused on their business. The article mentioned, "in the next two to three years hoteliers are expected to invest 7-8% on cloud technology". This percentage exhibits how hotels are going to be ran in the future. Cloud-based software has brought positive impact to a hotel business such as "increased accessibility, greater profitability, and user-friendly dashboards". All of these benefits have caused hotels to run their business smoothly bringing back satisfied guests. This software allows check ins/out to be more quick and gives easy access to areas in the hotel for employees. Another gain received by using this software is that its cost-effective. It has been disclosed that a hotel has saved "60% on software costs". Using this software has saved a hotel a lot of money that can be used to satisfied guest more. Security on data is more secured using cloud-based software because the vendors take it seriously making it harder for hackers to retrieve information. Some hotels may halt to install new technology such as cloud-based software but with all the benefits it has given to other hotels, this is going to be the future for the hospitality industry.

The author presents the argument that optimum performance of a hotel's wi-fi network is critical to a hote and that the demands of IoT, large conferences and the need to update infrastructure require constant oversight. It is argued that outsourcing the hotel wi-fi network to a managed WiFi provider has many advantages over placing the burden and responsibility on the hotel IT team. In my opinion, the article makes a strong case for engaging a managed WiFi provider. What would have been a useful addition to the article is how hotel's should go about managing and overseeing the provider that they engage.

This article introduce a new online marketing product that not only can help the hotel reduce cost but also improve the hotel's online presence which results in an increase in direct bookings, less reliance on 3rd party intermediaries, and the best ROI. This new product can up-to-date the hotel's information that will attract more guests that put a hotel miles ahead of the competitors. It also offers an option for guests to choose the phrases that they are interesting. In addition, this product provides the freedom to make convenient updates for hoteliers. The hotel management team does not need the outside support team to manage the e-marketing system.

This article talks about lodge management system, which beyond to a software, is mainly deal with reservation system and the updates of every activity in the lodge, make sure information that guests required is accurate and fast, this article mainly tell about the function of the lodge management system and the different between the earlier lodges.

Almost everyone has a smart phone now and days. Apps are used for almost anything and this article gives evidence to how much you can do with an app. The article focuses on Las Vegas and how many hotels have different apps for every occasion. Vegas Mate caught my attention from how it has things such as "a listing of resort fees, top suites, information for travelers on getting around, conventions, gambling and more" that other Vegas apps don't have. I believe it takes great time and money for these companies to keep up with the ever changing schedules for each hotel. I'm a planner and I was really intrigued on how this certain app pulls up the latest update and weather from around the city and even "keep all those show tickets, dinner reservations and hotel bookings in order." I mean who can beat that? There's no excuse to why hotels and many other tourism spots don't have an app for all the amenities that are offered. It'll surprise guests and make them really pleased with their stay.

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. 

RateGain is a company that offers services that allow hospitality establishments to retain a "seamless" distribution with central reservations systems, global distribution systems, and property management systems. RateGain claims to enhance growth and offer support for revenue management decisions. Utilizing a central reservations system, a global distribution system, and the property management system, from a hotel standpoint, seems like you are gaining a ton of additional business and additional rooms sold. But what happens when the hotel sells out, and the inventory continues to flow in, overselling the hotel, upsetting the guests and creating an angry mob in front of the front desk, blaming the hotel for the issue instead of the lack of seamless communication between all of these systems providing this revenue? That is where a service such as RateGain comes in handy. This article focuses on the issues that have been identified regarding electronic distribution, including updating multiple system with rates and availability, manual entries, lack of synchronization between the systems, non-delivery complications with reservations and information, and lack of information provided by the source channel. Rate Gain notes these challenges and focuses on ways to improve and bridge the gaps between the services, to provide a seamless revenue gaining opportunity for an establishment. The article continues to explain how their RG Bridge implementation enhances these systems and eliminates these issues utilizing two way connectivity and allowing the hotel employee to work with channels to generate demand. It also states that they customize each connection to live up to the expectations and needs of the hotel, so that nothing will be lost or not understood. This service is a great investment for a company that continues to have these communication issues with their systems. Sometimes with the lack of communication between the global distribution system, the pr

This is an article simply introduce the basic function of the point of sales system. The author explain the reason it is useful in restaurant business,including reduce employee theft,keep track of sales.What is more, it plays an important role as a bookkeeping system since it help prepare payroll, keep track of food usage and so on. However,more attention should be paid to their drawback because it may result in information losses related to the business transaction. The restaurant manager should be aware of these potential problems and take actions to make it better serve the property.

POS system simplifies communications between the kitchen and the wait staff, tracks production procedure. It is a effective tool to organize profit and save cost. However, POS system has the common drawbacks of electronic technology that is the restaurant may lose data if it happens to crash. In addition, restaurant manager need to replace parts of POS system, update software or buy a new one.