This article by Brian Woodrick, Director of Product Management for an event management software company, talks of 3 ways technology can add to an event manager's job. 1.Help an event go smoother 2. Encourage communication at an event 3. Technology is expected Woodrick specifically mentions social media and mobile devices which can enhance networking for an event planner. Today everyone wants their information faster and convenient. Utilizing the technology outlets that are already being used to reach customers and have them interact with each other would definitely help make an event planner's job easier. Event Planning comes with trends and a technology forward customer base is the trend right now. Taking event planning into technology be it social media or a event management system would take away a lot of the day to day traveling just to network and get contracts signed for an event.

This article talks about IT software that can reduce costs and energy consumption if the technology is implemented. HVAC, heating, ventilation and air conditioning, is a hotel's 'biggest power consumption culprit,' especially with guests who are not mindful of their consumption because they are not in their own homes and in essence do not have to pay. HVAC and lighting control system can be utilized without active involvement from a guest. So his or her stay wouldnt be hindered by having to keep track of their energy use. Guests do not want to be bothered with the day to day running's of a business.  This system would be greatly beneficial for a hotel to implement because it is keeping up with the latest trend, it doesn't disrupt a guest's comfort and it reduces expenditure

This article basically emphasizes the importance of having an accounting system. All the questions that needs to be asked for the success of one's business can be answered with the implementation of an accounting system. For instance, "Are vendor prices up, down or sideways? Where do you make your most profit?" Im not saying that an accounting system will resolve all issues but it will make managing one's business easier and seamless.

This article talks about how a POS system is designed to help a business reduce cost and increase profit. As the article states a POS system would 'Enhance Efficiency and Reduce Overheads and help Optimize Inventory." Instead of relying on employees to keep track of what inventory is in stock and what isnt, the POS system would do this automatically and also show which products sell more than others. "Some will perform better than others and you can see this at any time, allowing you to maintain better control over your inventory to maximize sales."

This article talks about the capabilities of a PMS in the coming generation since being implemented thirty years ago. Tina Stehle that PMS will no longer be about seamless communication and integrated services. PMS will be used to 'capture all guest events, information, systems will be able to predict patterns such as spending and preferences as well as evolve the property's loyalty programs and VIP management.' Advancements in Hospitality today are exhibiting these qualities already. For instance, The Intelligent Room, which keeps track of a guest's uses and preferences. Once every business in the hospitality industry gets linked into this all inclusive, ease of access PMS, there will truly be a seamless integration that makes a guest's travel and accommodations easy and incredibly comfortable. However, Stehle says that 'the web will continue to be a major influence' on the changes made to the way PMS works and what it is able to do. The emergence of Cloud-Based PMS proves her point. The issue here is that what if the internet crashes? This question should be addressed now, rather than business relishing the cut in costs, the advancements with the web brings. 

This article talks about the DaVinci Hotel in Johannesburg South Africa. It was constructed to 'make use of solar panel power.' This makes the DaVinci a green hotel and gives them a solar powered water heating system. 'The solar powered water system, which has the capacity to warm up 30,000 liters of water, will result in a 60% reduced energy bill for the hotel..."  Saving on operating costs should be enough incentive for new hotels to be built green. Also it appeals to many guests who look to reduce their carbon footprint and however small, the percentage of the population who want to go green is growing. A hotel is a home away from home and homes how are being built green. It is in a new hotel's best interest to follow the trends that will have a major affect on how business and life is run. The article says that the 'DaVinci has set the tone for the hospitality industry' and I believe the actions should be followed. Newly constructed hotels shouldn't be the only eco-friendly hotels in business. Hotels that are currently in business have regular maintenance and upgrades to do. They can add in green items like LED lights, water saving shower heads, and implementing eco-friendly cleaning products and kitchen appliances.

This article talks about why hotel E-commerce is essential today and how to go about having E-commerce work for your business/hotel. The article says, "The internet has consolidated itself as a very powerful platform that has changed he way we communicate, and the way we do business." This is the reason why businesses need to utilize the internet. According to the article these are the reasons that hotel e-commerce is important today: the internet is being used worldwide, the internet is the lowest cost hotel-booking medium, the internet is used, by travelers, to research hotels and their reservations, the internet is the home of social media and hotel reviews and the internet is preferred 17:1 over television and 6:1 over newspapers and magazines for travel information. It would be at a hotel's detriment if they do not utilize the internet and e-commerce. It isn't enough to use e-commerce for business but there must be an upkeep. It is extremely beneficial to research or monitor how customers and potential consumers are seeking information and what attracts them to a site. According to the article, e-commerce strategies that would 'help get the best from the internet world' are: 1. Search-friendly website design 2. Improving Conversion and Usability 3. Paid Search 4. Real time Search 5. Mobile Device Market 6. Social Media 7. Testing

This article speaks about combining all aspects of travel and hospitality that guests utilize. For instance, hotel, car rental and flight. This is a really good idea because it makes it easier for the guest to pay for and make travel arrangements.  It also allows for collaboration between the industries which would, as the article says, change the travel and hospitality industry. Creating the system in the cloud makes it easily accessible to all those who would be collaborating. There would be no need to host the server because that would be an extra expense. For this idea to be implemented, serious considerations and development have to be looked at for an internet back up. Should companies accept the Agilaire Passenger Service Solution cloud network, then their success and functionality depends on the constant functioning of the internet.

                  This article talks about the importance of call accounting in hotels. Call Accounting is a hotel's ability to track and analyze the phone calls made from its grounds.                   Call Accounting is a software that is still a necessity even though it no longer makes as much money as it used to. Warner says, "Now that cell phones are everywhere and long distance rates have significantly decreased, call accounting does not allow properties to bring in nearly as much revenue as before. For many hotels/motels, call accounting has been forced to take a back seat in their organization."       Call Accounting shouldn't be eliminated simply because the ROI is less. Tracking where a 911 call originated and providing quality customer service is more important than money. If you provide proper customer service, the money will come.          In another article on Ezine articles, Warner said, "Without a call accounting system, hotel managers do not have the information needed to quickly resolve guest concerns and may be confronted with headaches and disgruntled customers. However, by using a call accounting system, managers can have the added security and peace of mind that they have the information needed to help their guests and to understand, manage, improve, and control telephone activities."