Adam Ayers, a graduate from Arizona State University, and founder of Entrepreneurs@ASU, has embarked on a new journey, with a new startup. He is on a team along with six others that are taking a new approach to event planning. Using the "majority rules" concept, the team has developed a new Facebook application called Rundavoo.

Adam Ayers has taken event planning to a new level as he is not just planning an event based on what one client would like, but he is surveying all of the event's attendees through Facebook, ensuring the events are a complete success. It operates event planning as a democracy, allowing all attendees to have a vote or say in what happens during the event. Though based on Ayers program attendees must have Facebook, this is a great concept that I think we will find growing as we enter the future. By event planning through attendee votes, I feel as if promoters and event venues could really optimize revenue and make event planning a bit simpler.

Monisa Cline, senior vice president, CWT Energy, Resources & Marine, commented, "The 2015 Energy, Resources and Marine Forecast is a key tool for our clients as they plan for next year. With traveler safety & security top of mind, we want to support our customers and their travelers every step of their journey."

Carlson Wagonlit Travel is reporting on IT security issues that are occuring, especially in the international travel segment. They report that IT safety will remain at the top of their priorities. CWT handles large company travel for the likes of many Fortune 100 companies and has access to information which could be damaging should an IT security breach happen. I believe that additional travel agencies will also prioritize and make IT safety a top concern moving into the future.

"On the one hand, the rise of e-tourism, the democratisation of travel and the tendency to book and to make up one's trip online rather than to buy a standard tourist package proposed by a tour operator, stood out with regard to the new traveller's preferences." "Businesses currently refer to social media as consumer-generated media since they are relatively inexpensive and accessible to anyone compared to industrial or traditional media. In the US, for example, social networking now accounts for 22 per cent of all time spent online (3)."

Social media has really impacted tourism as a whole. Social media has made travel accessible to all ages and generations. Sites such as Facebook and Trip Advisor has given businesses in the hospitality industry coverage and free marketing on the positive side. These sites are free and can provide wonderful free advertising for businesses. In the flip side, these sites can also be a negative to hospitality companies that receive bad coverage. These programs and many more will continue to effect the industry and both negative and positive ways and as IT continues to grow, the hospitality industry will have to continue to change with it.

In this annual report, Hospitality Technology investigates the trends and business drivers that are shaping the point of sale landscape. By querying the vendor community, HT recaps the latest innovations, reveals forward-looking plans for technology offerings in 2015, and gleans insights into what trends these suppliers impacting the POS.

This article states that the majority of POS systems that are purchased in 2015 will be upgrades to existing systems. Many systems, especially in Restaurants are going wireless. Over 59 percent of restaurants are looking to upgrade to mobile wallet which will allow them to accept more payment options. As more apps that process payment are developed, like the Starbucks swipe app, POS will have to continue to advance with society's needs and wants.

"The original Global Distribution Systems started with the airline industry. A true universal computerized booking network using a single point of access for making reservations; This was the beginning of what seems surreal in retrospect, as the technology advanced us further than our minds could envision 30 years ago." The amount of progress that has been made to the GDS System has been exponential to the hospitality and tourism industry. Back when the airlines controlled the GDS System, in short, they could control travelers and how they spent their travel funds. Now with sites like "Priceline" and "Trip Advisor" individual businesses are able to differentiate their product through pricing, experience, etc. etc. Instead of a conglomerate running the travel industry, now lots of businesses play a part.

"Being "green" is more than just complying with local municipal codes; it's about going above and beyond the call of duty to make a difference."

As Peter Greenberg reports, it's simply not enough anymore for hotels to "go green." It is a hotel's responsbility to go above and beyond to help maintain a sustainable environment and limit the polution they are putting out into the world. I found how the initiatives by the Ritz Carlton in Charlotte, NC as well as the efforts from the Palazzo In Las Vegas particularly interesting as both hotels are in markets that one might not assume to be on the cutting edge when it comes to going green and receiving high marks for LEEDS certification. The Ritz-Carlton, a brand known for luxury lodging, might be expected to offer the highest level of service when offering valet parking to their guests. A typical guest might expect to see expensive cars utilizing the valet, however the Ritz has created a bike valet which encourages eco-travel amongst their guests. Personally I find this added "green" feature impressive. I think it allows guests to see just the lengths the hotel is going to in order to go above and beyond the standard green codes. Las Vegas, a city built on the ideas of excess, would not be a location where I would think of many hotels utilizing Green practices. The city is known to run 24 hours 7 days a week non-stop. The Palazzo uses solar panels, water conservation, as well as energy conservation to operate as a Silver LEED certified hotel. This hotel is able to make an impression on it's guests as they are able to operate successfully while conserving resources that will supply Nevada residents additional resources for years to come. I think Greenberg points out perfect examples of who the hotel industry should take notice of in regards to "Going Green." If these hotels are using it to their advantage, shouldn't everyone else?

http://www.hospitalitynet.org/news/4060662.html

Six technology trends revolutionizing the hospitality industry include but are not limited to SaaS, Mobility, Social, Personalized Systems, Integration, and Globalization. McIndoe points out that in comparison to older programs, the savings and improvements that the newer technology can offer managers and companies is detrimental to their future success. All of his trends have touched the hotel industry specifically.

On of the trends that McIndoe points to as being a necessity today is Software as a Service or Saas. Saas offers savings to companies up front as there are no hardware costs and managers can all but eliminate a full time IT employee off of their payroll.

Mobility and a traveler's massive exposure to mobility is also changing the way hotels operate. For example, Hilton Worldwide is in the process of introducing e-check in to their guests. By using the e-check in system, the need of a front desk staff upon a guest's arrival is diminished tremendously. A client can choose their specific room, make special requests, and check in-all within a few seconds.

Within the hotel industry social media has been one of the largest technology trends. Every level of service can now be critiqued, reviewed, and shared with the masses. In days of old a manager might pull a performance review survey, such as a SALT score, and read about a guest's experience-good or bad-privately. Though these surveys are still in use, sites such as Trip Advisor or Hotels.com have become public reviews of a guest's stay that are shared worldwide. Sites such as these have had tremendous effect on the industry and have forced management companies to address their hotels and how each level of service can affect their bottom line.

Personalized systems have added a whole new dimension as to what a returning guest might expect during their stay. On the flip side, it also gives a hotel an opportunity to impress their clientele by serving them their favorite snack or assigning them their favorite room upon their arrival therefore creating loyalty and additional revenue in the future. All major brands of hotels these days utilize some sort of personalized system to increase their guest's loyalty.

Integration systems, such as Delphi, continue to allow hotel owners and management companies to gain optimal revenue from each of their clients. By grouping together functions such as a hotel room rental with spa services, restaurant packages, and a golf round a management company is ensuring that they make the most money they can from every guest that steps through their door.

Globalization is the final point that McIndoe touches on in his article. Though I personally wouldn't call this a new trend, hotel giants such as Marriott and Hilton have focused on globalization for years and will continue to do so throughout the future. With outlets open around the world, these corporations realize the importance of globalization; now they are just seeing it through new eyes.

With all of the technological advances that have come into play within the hospitality industry, it is important for ownership to keep on top of the latest trends to ensure their continued success.

Six technology trends revolutionizing the hospitality industry include but are not limited to SaaS, Mobility, Social, Personalized Systems, Integration, and Globalization. McIndoe points out that in comparison to older programs, the savings and improvements that the newer technology can offer managers and companies is detrimental to their future success. All of his trends have touched the hotel industry specifically.

On of the trends that McIndoe points to as being a necessity today is Software as a Service or Saas. Saas offers savings to companies up front as there are no hardware costs and managers can all but eliminate a full time IT employee off of their payroll.

Mobility and a traveler's massive exposure to mobility is also changing the way hotels operate. For example, Hilton Worldwide is in the process of introducing e-check in to their guests. By using the e-check in system, the need of a front desk staff upon a guest's arrival is diminished tremendously. A client can choose their specific room, make special requests, and check in-all within a few seconds.

Within the hotel industry social media has been one of the largest technology trends. Every level of service can now be critiqued, reviewed, and shared with the masses. In days of old a manager might pull a performance review survey, such as a SALT score, and read about a guest's experience-good or bad-privately. Though these surveys are still in use, sites such as Trip Advisor or Hotels.com have become public reviews of a guest's stay that are shared worldwide. Sites such as these have had tremendous effect on the industry and have forced management companies to address their hotels and how each level of service can affect their bottom line.

Personalized systems have added a whole new dimension as to what a returning guest might expect during their stay. On the flip side, it also gives a hotel an opportunity to impress their clientele by serving them their favorite snack or assigning them their favorite room upon their arrival therefore creating loyalty and additional revenue in the future. All major brands of hotels these days utilize some sort of personalized system to increase their guest's loyalty.

Integration systems, such as Delphi, continue to allow hotel owners and management companies to gain optimal revenue from each of their clients. By grouping together functions such as a hotel room rental with spa services, restaurant packages, and a golf round a management company is ensuring that they make the most money they can from every guest that steps through their door.

Globalization is the final point that McIndoe touches on in his article. Though I personally wouldn't call this a new trend, hotel giants such as Marriott and Hilton have focused on globalization for years and will continue to do so throughout the future. With outlets open around the world, these corporations realize the importance of globalization; now they are just seeing it through new eyes.

With all of the technological advances that have come into play within the hospitality industry, it is important for ownership to keep on top of the latest trends to ensure their continued success.