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This article discusses how the traditional vendor RFP (Request for Proposal) model is no longer the ideal way to integrate the right technology marketing that a hotel needs. The traditional vendor RFP model is time-consuming and expensive, and with the way that technology is constantly expanding and changing, hotels need to stay up-to-date with technology more and more frequently, which can mean this process is wasting time and money on an ever-increasing scale. Furthermore, it is not always an accurate indicator of the kinds of technology a hotel might need, especially what a hotel might need in the future, and it is difficult to determine who would best be capable of knowing what the property will need or what exactly to ask for in an RFP. The article talks about three alternatives to the traditional model: the Scorecard model, the Digital Marketing Partner Interview model, and the Trusted Partner model. With the Scorecard model, hotels have a checklist of things they need and can check off each point from each potential vendor. With the Digital Marketing Partner Interview model, which is similar to the traditional vendor RFP process, except that the interview focused on finding a Digital Marketing Partner that aligns with the hotel's management philosophy, values, and culture in order to find the right partnership. With the Trusted Partner model, the hotel works with one particular company with whom they share common goals and objectives, and they work together to solve problems and adapt new technology as the hotel's technological needs are manifested over time.

Web based system to create any type of event and be able to book and organize any amenity needed for the event. Complete customization of event can be done and all legal and binging documents can be added in order to be followed and agreeded on.

New York Fiesah is an online marketplace that connect NYC event planners and all kinds of vendors in a much easier manner. The event planner signs into Fiestah"s dashboard, they input the items they need and then vendors place bids to fill in those needs. Fiestah generates revenue by taking a 10 percent cut of each transaction. Another thing Fiestah provides for both parties is that the payment is held in escrow until the vendor completesits task, meaning both sides need to get what they want first. This will make sure both parties can get what they want. Testah team has been hard at work building out the marketplace, introducing themselves to lots of NYC business, and trying to get traction. The next thins on the company's long to -do list is to create full merchant profiles with the ability to rate vendors some time in the next few months. Also Fiestah plans to bring its market place to a next city - San Francisco.

The article talks about an online company in New York that was designed by Nurul Yahya called Feistah. It's an online event planning that allow all kind of vendors in a much easier manner then what's described above. The event planner simply signs into Feistah dash board input what "item" they need for event and then vendors place bids to fill in those needs. The company generates revenue by 10 percent cut of each transaction. In the next thing on the company's long to-do list is to create full merchant profiles with the ability to rate vendors sometime in the next few months. Fiesta next expansion is to startup in San Francisco.

Vendors gathering to discuss must-have POS hardware and software system components. Story also reveals info on current configurations that are in some of the largest. Vendors in attendance include Restaurant sectors included QSR, convenience, and fine-dining. Current trends were homogeneous usage of hardware/software across same-vendor base.Operating systems used by vendors were varied but included variants of Windows, Linux, and a single-purpose-prom version. Consensus of vendors listed the following as "must-have" characteristics and efficiency of new POS placements would be evaluated on: 1) POS functionality, 2) Data Connectivity, 3) SDK availability, 4) Alternative Payment Capability under failure, 5) Ease of Use , and 6) Hardware Cost. Additional consensus from vendors was that new POS systems preference was based on efficiency of functionality, support, and overall compatibility regardless of operating system it was built on. These systems follow a more "OS Agnostic," or not care what system they are running on thereby limiting bias based on OS used. Lastly, support for unattended POS devices and cellphone access were of importance to vendors in attendance.

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.

The right property management system plays a key roles in the success of any hotel. Property management systems store guests' information which helps make for a pleasurable stay at the hotel. On the back end having the proper property management system can be key tool in making a successful stay at the hotel. The front end has software that handles the point of sale, account receivable, banquets, conferences, restaurant, housekeeping, inventory, payroll, among other apps and modules that connect to make the hotel run successful smooth. The information that is stored in these systems generate reports that the hotel can review for decision making. Much like other software, technology can be exhausting at times when it doesn't do what we want it to do. The hotel software market is full of many different option management can choose do off with. A few things a hotel should consider when choosing software should be: How many modules will your new hotel software offer? Does your new property management system have third party products merged into it? Is your hotel software compatible with third party software? Does your property management system help you enhance revenue? Considering all these questions while choosing a new property management system can help management choose the best system that will be most beneficial for the hotel. As someone who has been part of choosing a PMS it is very important to consider everything. Every vendor tells you why theirs is the best. It takes a lot of time to review everything and determine what system will work best for the company. I think where companies go wrong when getting a new system is training. The companies I've worked for often do very little training. I think lack of training for employees contributes to employees not using systems correctly and to full capacity which causes errors in reports. As a sales director, I often read reports and knew the information wasn't correct and it was due to input error. This

This article was very interesting and it gives advice to any person thinking about opening a hotel in what software you can use. A hotel software is extremely important because that has all the guest information and store there experience that they had at the hotel. You have to see what software you want to implement when changing the hotel management system or property management system you need to know who is selling it to you and what is included in the software. If you are just getting a new system, you have to make sure that everything you already have is included and more. You also have to make sure that the software you get is compatible with a third party hardware. A hotel software system can make you or break you in a hotel. You really have to know the vendor that is selling you the software and make sure that they have experience with the software. The better the software that you have in the hotel, the smoother the hotel will run.

The article talks about the importance of using a PMS or Property Management System. The use of a property management system is very important to the success of a property. The article is also able to aid those who looking to implement a property management system by helping them narrow down what they will need. The article poses questions toward the reader to see what they are looking for in a PMS.

This article notes that many hotels have been the victims of cyber attacks. For example, in July of this year, the Four Seasons, Trump Hotels, and the Loews Hotels all had customer information hacked because of security failures. Furthermore, many of these resulted from vulnerability from the vendors. To address this issue, the article suggests that hotels should incorporate the following four actions: (1) Review data security policies; (2) Require vendors to take responsibility for their mistakes; (3) Analyze cybersecurity policies; and (4) Require brands and managers to test backup systems.

With the new version of Revel Systems POS, Atlas, vendors are only charged 2 % for credit card charges while other systems charge almost 3 %, giving Atlas an advantage to their users.  Atlas replaces all back office work, with the power of the cloud and security of the iPad app, vendors can see all their information in real time.  The system manages, time scheduling, inventory, kitchen checks, allows customers to sign for their cc receipts right on the iPad.  This technology also helps reduce the cost of paper and ink for the vendors.  

This article talks about how more and more people in the hospitality industry are using a POS based-cloud instead of hardwire systems. According to some experts in some years most of the hospitality industry would have change into using the cloud. For now most of the users of the cloud are single unit restaurants as it is an easy system to adopt and cost efficient. On the other side for chain restaurants to make this change can be costly; therefore it is believed that it will take some time for them to change. Still some people believe that this can be an unreliable and unsecured system. Some of the reasons for this are: -The lack of privacy; as the data will be in the hands of somebody else. -This system relies on the internet so when a connection problem occurs a downtime would take place creating complications for the restaurant operator. According to experts and users both of these ideas can be debated. Leaving the data handling in the hand of experts can bring advantages and lower the costs. On the other hand when the internet fails if the correct backup measures are taken it has no difference with the hardware system.

This article talks about the benefits of POS in cloud, and eliminates some misunderstanding about its downtime and security concerns. The author start selling POS in cloud by pointing out the trend that it is becoming more accepted. CEO and president of the Retail Solutions Providers Association (RSPA) says it will be mainstream in the next two to five years. Though POS in cloud would be a easy set up and cost saving solution for a starting up single-unit,"Large chains are more likely to turn to cloud applications for business intelligence solutions first because there is not as much investment or change in infrastructure compared to the POS" says Dave Matthews. But since multi-unit chains have already invested lots of money in the old POS, they are going to wait for those POS pay back before they switch to POS in cloud. Then author switched to what concern people most about cloud computing, downtime and security. A cloud based POS can have as reliable backup plan as a hardwired system. Although POS in cloud does not have backup servers in the location which should be provided by vendor, it can have several connection backups, like wireless, 3G or 4G, phone line. And about the security concern, just ask yourself is you have the security system than a technology vendor.

While food trucks have become extremely popular these days, they have been around as early as the 1800's! Before the gourmet food trucks started to pop up, street vendors selling hot dogs, pretzels and lunch food for office workers have been around for decades. Now with more and more people out of work or people who want the ability to be more creative with their own food with a small budget, food trucks have become more popular.  However some cities have restrictions such as Chicago, where a food truck cannot be parked within 200 feet of a restaurant.  LA, the government limits the number of permits issued for mobile food vendors because of the street congestion it produces.  Permits are also limited because traditional restaurants don't want to compete with the low priced street vendors. 

This article discusses the negative aspects of cloud-based software.The hospitality industry found the software to be expensive and lacked the functionality that was expected from the software. What seems to be taking the place of cloud software are business software environments, which the author refers to as a eco-system of vendors. SAP Cloud platform HANA is the center of one of these eco-systems. Another eco-system that is discussed in this article is the one around salesforce.com and last but not least the Microsoft Office Environment. The author concludes his argument by saying although there is no hotel industry eco-system, cloud-based hotel software will not resurface as an eco-system.

The article discusses how the hospitality industry can now use applications on a cloud to change or modify the programs if they are not a good fit. It is technology that is still in the making, and will not be used by all but is an amazing idea if all negative components are taken care of. Such as training personal.

This article shows a different end of an RFP process - the one where the hotel is the vendor. Typically, a hotel that offers meeting spaces can integrate an RFP request into their sites allowing easy access to event planners interested in the hotel. When an event planner submits for an RFP, the hotel has a responsibility to answer in a timely, personalized manner in order to attract the planner. If a hotel has meeting space they would like to sell for business, they should definitely consider a software that allows them to answer RFP's in real time. As the article stated, "By leveraging your CRM, automation, and personalization during the RFP process you will ensure a high-quality sales pipeline and more qualified leads."

This article speaks on how cloud systems are changing the hospitality system in a BIG way. Listed below, are how it is doing so successfully: Due to Cloud-based applications being offered by a vendor, there is no expensive hardware to install which makes it a reoccurring system for smaller hotels to be able to use such an advanced system. They allow guests to maneuver through their stay stress-free and giving them the convenience of not having to go down to the front desk to ask questions or make any food orders and these cloud systems record their behavior which allows the hotels to give them suggestions on where to go, what spa treatments to get and of course, what food to order. It also allows hotels to integrate software with various vendors unlike the traditional ones being used. With this, hoteliers can now have a customized management suite to meet all of their needs.

This article summarizes the benefits of switching from a traditional software system to a cloud based system. Some of the benefits the article mentions are low costs, better guest experience, and more flexibility. The article highly suggests that in the next few years most hoteliers will be switching to a cloud based software system.

This article gives an in depth look at how cloud computing is enhancing the hospitality industry. It gives a variety of pros to cloud computing and compares cloud computing to traditional or older ways of using servers.

The author of the article breaks down event planning in 8 steps. He states that you should know why you are having this event and when. You should also know how much money you have to spend for the event then knowing where your event will be. Event planning is big undertaking so you want to make sure that you have the correct software weather it be for ticket and payments or signs or live streaming etc.You should do your research for vendors if you can bring outside ones in, if not see if the venues vendors have deals that you can utilize. You need to know why people are coming to your event and what it will take to motive those people to come and how to get them to come again.

The article covers a great deal of the technology products in all of the hotel aspects. it also focuses on the fact that hotels are investing a lot in offering technological tangible services to the clients where must shift its focus a bit and invest more in the guest engagement technology to close the gap between them and OTAs.

Hospitality is being transformed into a 100% digital technology-enabled industry; however, it is very challenging to maintain. Employees are overwhelmed by the amount of technology they need to lear to do their job efficiently

This article focuses on the fact that technology is now being used in almost every aspect of the hotel industry. This is because hoteliers are beginning to understand that guests are expecting to enjoy the same level of technology used in the comfort of their homes when they are at hotels. Therefore, hotels that are more technologically advanced are more empowered to satisfy guests' technological needs, but the information collected by the hotels' systems also enables the hotels to acquire new guests, engage current guests and retain past guests; as such, there are benefits to both the hotels and guests when the level of technology offered is updated.

Makesoneplans.com is a site that utilizes social media to connect prospective clients with vendors. This allows a person or group of people to easily become their own event planner.

This article points out that there is a big growing of mobile bookings in the hotel property management system market. Leading the way, mobile apps play a major role of making the successful business. So integration with major social media channels and customized marketing strategies will be more focused and improved. As the top two ranking in the vendor landscape report, Infor and MICROS both are doing such a great job for this. Other hotel property management vendors keep on an eye in this report as well and try to evaluate this to share the markets.

Traditional PMS functionality is still the critical core at every property. By tracking and managing all aspects of guests' data, it's both a source and collection point for the crucial activity and preference information that forms the basis of all future relationships with the guest. But with the change of technology and the manner we do business today, hotels now need a wider function set than what a traditional PMS provides. Having a PMS on the web and in the clouds is getting more popular. These new Web services make it easier for new vendors to develop fresh approaches and link them quickly and effectively into established systems, providing hoteliers with richer and more varied options. There are more advantages than disadvantages when using cloud computing. The world is changing rapidly and in other for hotels to survive, they have to keep up with those changes.

Hey all, here is an article I found that talks about the traditional PMS systems for hotels and how it once rained supreme. Now a days, traditional PMS systems are not cutting it anymore because businesses are growing and are trying to find systems that have more functionality. This article brings up a few different options that a business could adopt and put into use. Installing software applications at the property is becoming unmanageably complex. Despite very worthwhile gains in functionality, no PMS will ever cover everything a hotel needs; none offer telephone service, for example. As more guest and operating information needs to be captured and managed, many hotels and resorts need multiple other systems to complement the PMS. The first option the article bring up is Virtualization, Server virtualization is not a new technology, but its adoption by the hospitality industry is relatively recent. The basic concept is that specialized control software allows the physical resources of a single computer server-memory, disk space and computing power-to be divided as needed between several different software applications, each perceived to be running on its own dedicated server. The second option is running a cloud based system, we all know what that is so I will let you read the article. Enjoy

The author attributes a growth in 'hotel complexity' that is driving the need for a change with traditional PMS systems and the limits of their capabilities. According to the article, the current PMS system is unsustainable and will need to evolve to meet client's demands- such as cloud computing, which is highlighted as being beneficial to hotels especially with regards to flexibility, better security, speed of implementation, etc. The pros and cons of cloud computing are clearly described, the cons mainly being loss of connectivity and security breaching. Although traditional PMS are essential for most hotels, cloud computing could put them at a competitive edge.