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This is an article I found which compares POS systems use in the hospitality fields versus use in the retail sector. The writer of the article, Paul Broome, feels that the hospitality industry is not fully utilizing the sets of data that could help their business grow. He explains, "The amount of data in the world is doubling every two years..." For the retail fields, this data shows product patterns of customers, but for hospitality, this data "hold insights about customer behaviour that could transform their business and allow them to stay one step ahead of their competition." Broome provides multiple ways in which hospitality organizations can better utilize the mass sets of data available. One of these is for the organizations to use evidence and strategy rather than instinct in analyzing data. Another important strategy, according to Broome, would be to use the sets of data for future marketing purposes. "For organisations in the hospitality sector, these vast sets of data hold insights about customer behaviour that could transform their business and allow them to stay one step ahead of their competition. Times are tough - but there are huge opportunities for those that get it right."

This article shows that in order to keep up with the new demands or preparations of customers, restaurants need to keep pace with the ever changing world of technology. The NRA and Cornell study all showed that nearly 40% adults prefer online orders. But restaurant still need to consider the whole cost and revenue if they want to invest in mobile and online order. What is more, they still need to put efforts on marketing. Word of mouth really influence customers choices. In this article, it also gave us a example of online ordering by FB.

Planning and executing meetings just got more high-tech. Meeting architecture is a software program that takes planning a meeting to a whole new level. It allows for the users to have an "experience" and not just a regular meeting. It is all-encompassing in that it involves the participants and their needs, as well as the desired outcomes, when in the planning stage. For instance, it will need to know how heavy the planners would like the audience to participate and the type of format to use. It will use all of this information to "construct" an actual plan for the meeting with all of the logistics needed.

This kind of system can make the trasaction more easier. It will make the world more and more convinient in the future world. The checkout is a fully fledged pos and can be run a good system. We can have a store online and show the existing customers and product.

While this article was found on an auto website, the advantages of an automated POS is very relevant to all industries including the hospitality industry. This article showcases the pros to owning an automated POS in relation to the establishment's customers. It speaks about its efficiency in ordering and controlling stock as it is automatically connected to the suppliers. This helps control spending and monitoring operations done with inventory. The auto POS system also speeds up service time. By allowing staff members to look up information quickly, customers become satisfied with the quick service. The article goes on to explain how an automated POS helps create a more personable experience for the customer, as staff members are able to quickly pull up information. Not only are they able to personalize greetings but they can also make suggestions based on preferences from previous records of the customer. All around the POS will also create a professional face for the organization as invoices and other calculations are credible and accurate. I found this article to be interesting because the POS advantages goes across the board with all service-based industries. This type of software can definitely help boost sales with all the pros previously mentioned.

The multi-bilion dollar NCR Corporation has invested in a new and innovative barcode scanner for a mobile POS system from a company named Socket Mobile. Socket Mobile has 20 years experience in the industry and offers a variety of products that increase productivity and drive operational efficiencies. The barcode scanner will allow its users to offer a greater standard of service to customers. The barcode scanner can be wirelessly used and brought around place to place using bluetooth. A great example in the article it mentions the product could be used outside the store at say a farmers market or street fair. The product has a high level of technology and offers better features than a traditional wireless scanner.

Providing an easily accessible and reliable internet connection to their guests has become a major task for event planners in the hospitality industry. These days, free Wi-Fi is basically a requirement for all hotel guests whether or not their trip involves business or pleasure. As the title suggests, this article provides event planners with suggestions on how to negotiate a data plan that's both effective and efficient. It all starts with a site inspection visit by a technology consultant. In doing so, event planners could ask all sort of questions regarding the proper service (DSL, satellite, T1, etc) proper bandwidth limit and the necessary number of access points. Personally, I stayed a resort a few days ago in which the complimentary wi-fi wasn't reliable in the common areas of the hotel. It was a struggle trying to access the internet and the situation became frustrating since I wasn't able to complete some of my work. Like me, I am sure there were business men and college students who may have experienced the same problem. For the event planning team, this must have been a headache since the wi-fi amenity wasn't up to par as previously advertised. In conclusion, it is every important that event planners conduct the proper research on what type of data needs their establishment requires. The use of the internet is inescapable especially in today's world since guests handle all types of personal and professional business through their technology artifacts.

This article outlines the discussion about whether the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) should change their policies that were enacted in the Telecom Act of 1966.  At the COMPTEL PLUS Fall 2012 Convention and EXPO, Larissa Herda, the Chairman, CEO, and President of tw telecom urged the FCC to adapt to the new competitive technologies.  She emphasizes the importance of change going forward and discusses the Intelligent Network as an example.  She calls for the adoption of new IT Strategies for cloud services and solutions.  Above all, this article discusses the convention as a platform for the discussion of change in the tech world.

Module 3 VoIP I wasn't quite clear about what VoIP is, so I search for this article. This is article explains what VoIP is with very easy understanding words. After reading this article, I finally know what VoIP is and realize that as an international student, I use VoIP almost every day.

Restaurant Technologies, Inc. (RTI) is a new company that has established filtration Monitoring technology that immediately collects data from sensors in the fryer system and delivers it to the customer's Total Operations Management (TOM) online portal. This portal tracks how often the oil is filtered, when it is filtered, and for how long. Data is automatically compared to the restaurant's ideal filtration processes, so any deviations are tracked. Managers can opt to receive mobile/email alerts that can be used to correct filtration oversights instantly or be used for staff training on standard filtration procedures. They can view one location or many locations data on the portal.

This articles is an eye opener on how lightly we take hotel security. There are several new technologies designed to prevent security issues and we do not consider them, simply because they are too expensive and we feel a false sense of security since our country is not located in the middle east. The reality is that deep inside we all remember 911 and we see news every day of how much hate some people have againts us. Security should be taken much more seriously.

Cruises are said to be one of those forms of transportation with the highest carbon emissions. "A typical cruise ship with 3,000 passengers generates 1 million gallons of gray water; 210,000 gallons of sewade; 25,000 gallons of oily bilge water; 100 gallons of hazardous or toxic waste; 50 tons of garbage and solid waste…" This expert just proves how non-ecofriendly cruises can actually be. However, regulations set by the government have now pushed cruises into trying to be more environmentally friendly. This article singles out seven green cruises that have found ways in which they can decrease their carbon footprint on the world. One cruise that has taken on the initiative is Holland America Cruises. With tactics such as towel reuse program and the installation of low-flow showerheads this cruise line has been making a conscious effort to operate green. They even ensure the most fuel-efficient means of travelling by studying tide schedules to maximize fuel usage with shorter routes. Another interesting cruise that pushes for the green initiative includes Celebrity Cruises with its solar powered cruise line. Other tactics used by other cruises include reusing waste cooking oil on heavy machinery, ridding of all plastic water bottles, shutting off engines in the winter time and only buying fish that are sustainably harvested are just some ways these 7 cruise lines have taken a stand to become greener. This responsible effort by these cruise lines not only can work in their favor for marketing purposes with consumers but create a sustainable industry for the future of cruises. Something as crucial as waste disposal in the water can greatly affect the future of the industry if not considered by the cruises today. Could you imagine if every cruise were to just dispose of their waste into the ocean with no sort of eco-friendly thought in their mind? I found this article to be extremely interesting, especially since I have been on a cruise. I had no idea ho

This article talks about a research on customers' attitude to green products in hotel.. The research brought out questions like do customers want green products in hotel, are they willing to pay for them, and is so, who are these consumers and what are their characteristics? After some study, the research harvest some interesting results. According to the study, more than half customers hold positive attitude with green promotions and hotel should have its individual green department. But there are limits with their support. First of all,guests appear to be in favor of greening activities that do not limit or affect their comfort level in the guest room. They would like the hotel provide efficient lighting, recycling, environment friendly products and so on. But they would not prefer options like towel reuse, adjusting room temperature when nobody is in and some other options which might affect customers' comfortable stay. And the other limitation is money, most customers put the price over green efforts of hotels, they seldom picked the green hotels if they are out of their price range. So through this article, we can see green concept is getting accepted by customers gradually, but it still has a long way to go.

Wei, I am glad that you chose this article because it was interesting for me to read about the guests' part in being green. We always here about what hotels and companies can do to be green, but we hardly ever hear about what consumers can do to contribute to the green movement. The results that the article shares are, for the most part, what I would expect them to be. Like you said, people are willing to play their part in helping our planet, but only as long as it doesn't affect their comfort levels or if they have to spend more. I feel that people should be willing to sacrifice more for the sake of our planet.

This article gives a general concept about the green way with technology in the hotels. Many hotels have used green ways in their daily business, such as the hotel in Danmark introduced in this article. Using the green technology can contrlo the cost of hotels and bring long-term benefits. Hotels in the US use a technology powered system for heating which starts up when a guest enters a room, and turns down when they leave. This green technology can save much energy and control the cost efficiently. With the green technology, hotels not only can control the operation cost, but also can reduce the maintenance fee. 'Green' is no longer just a fad for the hospitality sector. It plays a significant role for the development trend of hospitality in the future.

ARTICLE SUMMARY Introduction and evolution of Internet has revolutionized the way hotel operators and business in general approach daily activities and strategic planning. Internet is to modern business what electricity was to the industrial revolution. Internet has become a very important tool in generating revenues, lowering costs, increasing productivity, and increasing online visibility and therefore hotel and tourism operators need to utilize this tool to compete and be successful. The future of eMarketing in hospitality and tourism industries is bright and will serve the industry well for many years to come.

This article talks about e-marketing and how it is going to take over the industry. It mentions that the number of people on the interent is increasing and rapidly. E-marketing need to "create interesst, excitement and buy-ins at their hotels". Now with social media, e-marketing is becoming more accessible. "The level of emphasis and extent of experimentation varies greatly by hotel group and location, but growing importance, both for generating revenues, lower costs adn online visibility, is indisputable".

Are you a hotel eMarketer looking for ways to better communicate, educate and develop the role at your property/ies? This article explores some of the issues surrounding these efforts, complemented by a dose of perspective and a generous helping of best practices, all garnished, hopefully, by your own ideas and experiences. By Jitendra Jain

This article is about the different keys available for hotels to use for their rooms. Metal keys which are like what we use everyday for our homes is an outdated form of security key in the world of technology. The key card system is a plastic card with electronic access. Hole cards seen rarely today is a plastic card with a series of holes to correspond to a specific door in the hotel. Bar code cards is exactly that a card with a bar code, like you see at the supermarket, which is placed under an electronic reader. This type of key has been fazed out due to easily being fooled. The magnetic strip key card are widely used in the hotel industry. They look like a credit card with a metallic strip on the back. It has extra protection unlike other types of keys. The newest system is the RFID key card system, which has a radio sensor chip embedded inside. It works with a programmed reader and when the key is brought in close range the door unlocks and opens. This article was about the security keys being used in hotels.

Marilyn, This is an interesting article because I never knew the progression of hotel key cards. I do not think anyone did and we just assume they started somewhere simple and got to where they are at now. Key Cards with RFID seem as though they are the best type of key but also very expensive for the hotels, especially if it is a large property. We only see the one kind of key card now in hotels and to me it seems secure but who knows what information is actually stored on that card. Great article !

This article is about the different keys available for hotels to use for their rooms. Metal keys which are like what we use everyday for our homes is an outdated form of security key in the world of technology. The key card system is a plastic card with electronic access. Hole cards seen rarely today is a plastic card with a series of holes to correspond to a specific door in the hotel. Bar code cards is exactly that a card with a bar code, like you see at the supermarket, which is placed under an electronic reader. This type of key has been fazed out due to easily being fooled. The magnetic strip key card are widely used in the hotel industry. They look like a credit card with a metallic strip on the back. It has extra protection unlike other types of keys. The newest system is the RFID key card system, which has a radio sensor chip embedded inside. It works with a programmed reader and when the key is brought in close range the door unlocks and opens. This article was about the security keys being used in hotels.

This article is about partnership between FAMA tech and PAR Springer-Miller Systems. It is explaining the advantages of partnership between two different IT companies. FAMA Technologies is an Information Technology Company based in Saudi Arabia. This company provides Software, Infrastructure and Consulting Services to the Hospitality, Leisure, Retail and Public Sectors. PAR Springer-Miller Systems, Inc. is a leading provider of hospitality management solutions in different types of hospitality enterprises worldwide. Hotels and Spas in Saudi Arabia are managing with the increase sophistication of their client base and thus need to equip themselves with the best tools. They require software and hardware that make their operations efficient which means reduce check in time and increase customer responsiveness. They are looking forward to grow service market in the region and maximize the service advantages of partnership.

In the article, "Green and Eco-Friendly Hotel Amenities" it talks about how many different hotels are doing their part and keeping the planet green. The first place that the article talks about is the Mayakoba, Riviera Maya, it uses no motorized vehicles instead the guests can use electric golf carts or electric boats to ride around on the nine miles of canal. "Each resort also has an onsite biologist to lead educational boat tours through the lagoons." At the Palmer House Hilton in Chicago they built a rooftop garden to provide fresh vegetables and herbs for the hotel's restaurant, they are also considering making space to put several beehives, this will lead to a natural approach of producing honey. One of the most interesting and easy ways to stay green was at the Calistoga Ranch in Napa Valley; they have sheep that eat the grass replacing all lawnmowers and on top on that, their manure helps fertilize the soil. It's a win, win solution! In New York they have a restaurant called Habana Outpost and you really have to work for your food, literally. At this restaurant you have ride a bike that powers the eatery blender and if they generate up to 100 watts of energy, they will earn a free meal, such an amazing and creative idea! This "is part of the hotel's larger commitment to eco-friendliness, which includes a CO2-neutral building, solar panels, and groundwater-based heating and cooling systems." At Jicaro Island lodge in Nicaragua, they used all of they wood from trees that were knocked down in Hurricane Felix and they also use a good majority of their wastewater that is recycled to irrigate the trees and plants. Before reading this article, I never knew that so many hotels were doing their part at staying green and I'm surprised by all the new and unique ways that they have come up with, it gives me hope for the future!

This article introduces the next generation PMS systems: 1. Mobility is about taking customer transaction and activity away from a counter or a tethered device. 2. PMS will be integrated with social site's information and capabilities because online/social branding and interaction will be a requirement to compete. For example, PMS will enable hotels to stay on top of ratings and respond guest comments on sites such as Facebook, Twitter, TripAdvisor, Yelp and more. 3. Integrated data- PMS systems will have to adapt to allow the guest to specify their preferences and requirements while the PMS tracks spending patterns to match guests' preferences and choices.   4. PMS providers are focusing more on creating products that can transcend to the global market place by adding mapping tools that display locations of goods, inventories, assets, and supply chain networks as well as currency and time conversion. 5. PMS providers will focus on expanding and improving their cloud-based technology by increasing security, reducing of costs of system adoption, and interoperability with all hotel departments. 6. Personalizing the PMS- There isn't one size fits all. With all of the functions that modern property management systems are expected to perform, further customization is always a desire for hotels.  

This article announces that the Regal Hotels Group, a Hong Kong based company, now has seamless connnectivity with hundreds of online travel agents from its custom-built Miro PMS and RDX, Room Distribution Exchange. According to the article, RDX allows hotel groups to build a custom PMS and connect it the world's leading booking sites through RDX. The process saves staff hundreds of hours in manual reservations processing and allows hotels to receive thousands of bookings every day. Room Distribution Exchange is a technology powered by SiteMinder. What I didn't know was that RDX is the only real time hotel room exhange platform. It appears to be very beneficial and efficient because it allows busineses to connect directly to their partners. The system also reduces the amount of time hotel staff have to spend manually making reservations, and allows customers all around the world to book reservations. In a time where consumers are becoming more demanding and internet savvy, having an effective PMS is imperative.