Many of the concerns that a hotelier might have regarding the upgrade of the physical hardware at the base of their information technology system, their cable network, to fiber optic wiring have been addressed in recent years. Fiber has been around since the 70s, and the cable is stronger and more flexible than copper alternatives. In order to determine whether or not a fiber upgrade is right for a specific property, one should first consider the technological needs of the hotel and be sure that the increased bandwidth and speed are really needed. The hotelier should also consider when the switch will be most cost effective and time efficient. This usually coincides with a hotel remodel. Finally, while the cost /foot of fiber installation has become comparable with that of copper over the years, one should educate himself regarding the terminology and mechanics of a fiber network before shopping installation quotes. A solid understanding of interoperability and terminal needs will keep the costs at a minimum while limiting the need to reinstall cable in the future.

Lee Nazari is the CEO and founder of a payment solutions company in the UK. He provides his thoughts on the tendency for British hospitality merchants to be slower at adopting modern technologies, particularly in the point-of-sale category. Nazari exalts the power of beacon-based advertising and marketing tied to these technological solutions. He illustrates a scenario in which even a micro-business can affordably increase visibility in the marketplace and, consequently, foot traffic and revenues. In particular, Mr. Nazari describes the shifting expectation of consumers to integrate convenient, highly visible technological solutions into hospitality interactions and implores British operators to move past their concerns regarding the initial investment in the technology for the sake of their long-term success. He warns that operations that fail to "fall in line with consumer expectations" will "be left behind".

Increasingly, consumers expect their travel experiences to include the latest and greatest technologies that they experience in their daily lives. This is driving increased investment from hospitality (esp. hotelier) CIO's in digital customer engagement. Top technologies include virtual/augmented reality for consumers as training of employees; voice activation in hotel rooms and common areas as well as for coaching staff; mobile apps for booking, check-ins/check-outs, IRD orders, and front-desk communications, as well as back-end management of labor, inventory, and customer relations; RFID asset tracking; interactive displays; and robotics. All of these trends culminate in Innovation Incubator hotels like M Beta at Charlotte Marriott City Center where technologies are rapidly prototyped and guest feedback is provided in real-time to help drive decisions about which technologies represent the greatest value to cutting-edge hoteliers through guest engagement.

McDonald's has consistently been "beaten to the punch" by its competitors regarding the use of technology in its restaurants, and it has shown in an overall 10.4 decrease in foot traffic from its peak. In a cross-promotional attempt to advertise its new menu offerings while connecting with a younger (i.e. Millenial) market to show off their increased technological offerings (e.g. mobile ordering, digital smart menu boards, self-service ordering kiosks, and even delivery), McDonald's set up a Big Mac vending machine in Boston's Kenmore Square that dispensed burgers in exchange for a video posted to the consumer's twitter account. This multi-facted marketing technique allowed them to deliver their tech-driven message to potentially several hundred new consumers for every burger that was dispensed. This is a highly cost-effective marketing strategy that will allow McDonald's to focus its resources on continued development of the tech solutions that the event is aimed at promoting.

Beacon-based indoor location technology is driving the future of airport consumer experiences. Mobile applications use these beacons to provide up-to-the-second information to travelers regarding everything from flight data and security checkpoint line length to taxi wait times and baggage tracking. The largest commercial value of these apps and beacons lies in the platforms' ability to integrate with third-party apps and infrastructure from airline carriers and airport retailers. While this integration could potentially drive advertisement revenue for the airports, many of the locations that have begun experimenting with these technologies report that the systems investment pays for itself in increased efficiencies in internal systems, including security checkpoints and taxi queues.

The importance of sustainable ("green") construction and practices within the hospitality industry, and particularly the hotel segment, is growing. The U.S. Green Building Council is at the heart of LEED certification which establishes standards for and designates properties that are actively pursuing a more sustainable model. Consumers are becoming more ecologically aware and have made the "green" status of a destination part of their criteria when making decisions about where to stay. Hotels like the Hyat Hotels Complex in Chicago, the ITC Windsor in India, and the Tambo del Inka Hotel in Peru are chasing "triple-bottom-line wins" by implementing smarter designs like rooftop gardens, in-house water treatment/recycling, and sustainable local lumber sources for structures and interiors.

This market report from Hospitality Ireland shares the story of CBE, a Dublin and Mayo, Ireland-based firm that is offering cutting-edge point of sale software systems to a broad variety of hospitality businesses as the Irish hospitality and tourism industries are experiencing a resurgence after several years of recession. CBE's flagship technology suite is the PAR PixelPoint POS solution which vertically integrates more than 200 information systems and solutions (e.g. kitchen order displays, online reservation systems, guest loyalty programs, online ordering, pay-at-the-table solutions, invetory/purchasing management) that would usually operate independently. The integration of all of these systems has allowed CBE to develop customized solutions for clients ranging from small pubs to restaurant chains and hotels. Their high-profile clients value the efficiency offered by the integrated systems. Because the systems responsible for monitoring and reporting in multiple areas are able to share data, the PAR PixelPoint solutions act as more than check-printers and payment-takers. They work together as an automated MIS manager. Cross-area reporting allows large, complex operations like "the Louis Fitzgerald group to make informed, proactive business decisions to drive revenues across their organization". The CBE systems are hailed as being intuitive and streamlined. Their customized service is also lauded, and they continue to innovate (e.g. cloud storage of POS data) in the interest of offering more robust, timely solutions.