Wearable TechnologyGoogle Glass and smart watches from tech giants such as Samsung and Apple are indicative of the future popularity of wearable technology. The possibility for incorporation into event planning are endless. Wearable tech has the potential to revamp everything from the site inspection process, to food and beverage. Menu options, travel directions, appointment updates, facial recognition software and contact information are just the beginning of the very real ways that event planners will soon be able to use wearable tech.

According to the global survey, which reached over 9,600 executives, security incidents that were detected in the past year have drastically increased. At last check, the estimated percentage was 25 percent. On that note, it was seen that those who were unaware of the volume of security incidents doubled.

One goal of the new guidelines was to recognize the increasing globalization of the hotel industry, Temling said.   “Many of the changes are reflective of what’s happening in the world in our industry,” he said. “Chains based in the (United States) have generally adopted the guidelines; that’s not the problem. But we also hope chains domiciled outside this country will accept the changes outlined in the book.”   Some of the changes are small, but symbolic, Temling said. In previous editions of the book, accounting for some employee benefits reflected terminologies used by U.S. companies.   “Up through the 10th edition, we called it FICA or social security for employees’ benefits,” Temling said. “This time around we call it social benefit contribution, which is more universally acceptable.”   Large hotel companies might have more difficulty adopting the new guidelines than will smaller ones, said Michelle Russo, founder and CEO of Hotel Asset Value Enhancement, a hotel asset management and real estate advisory company. She is a member of the financial committee that created the latest edition.   “It’s actually harder for larger operators because they often have many divisions,” she said. Examples she cited affect reporting of telecommunications, labor and segmentation data.   “We created a new (information technology) department, and in a large company that is worldwide that operates on multiple accounting platforms, the mapping process is massive,” she said, adding that some companies have decided to defer adopting the new IT department guideline until 2016.   The new guidelines created more detail in labor cost reporting, which is important for ownership but a daunting task for management, Russo said.   “Previously, the rooms department (category) had one line called ‘Labor’ and 43 lines called other things, and that included printing, stationary, stamps and other stuff,” she said. “While labor is 60% of that department, previously there was no breakdown of housekeeping labor versus front office, etc.”  

One goal of the new guidelines was to recognize the increasing globalization of the hotel industry, Temling said.   “Many of the changes are reflective of what’s happening in the world in our industry,” he said. “Chains based in the (United States) have generally adopted the guidelines; that’s not the problem. But we also hope chains domiciled outside this country will accept the changes outlined in the book.”   Some of the changes are small, but symbolic, Temling said. In previous editions of the book, accounting for some employee benefits reflected terminologies used by U.S. companies.   “Up through the 10th edition, we called it FICA or social security for employees’ benefits,” Temling said. “This time around we call it social benefit contribution, which is more universally acceptable.”   Large hotel companies might have more difficulty adopting the new guidelines than will smaller ones, said Michelle Russo, founder and CEO of Hotel Asset Value Enhancement, a hotel asset management and real estate advisory company. She is a member of the financial committee that created the latest edition.   “It’s actually harder for larger operators because they often have many divisions,” she said. Examples she cited affect reporting of telecommunications, labor and segmentation data.   “We created a new (information technology) department, and in a large company that is worldwide that operates on multiple accounting platforms, the mapping process is massive,” she said, adding that some companies have decided to defer adopting the new IT department guideline until 2016.

While technology has become a vital component of operations management at many restaurants, a new research study found that 63 percentof operators still don’t have a digital POS system in place, said Justin Guinn, Restaurant Market Researcher at Software Advice, which conducted the study by speaking with thousands of operators. He found that many operators are still using a combination of hand-written tickets and receipts, traditional cash registers and a credit card terminal.

The Global Distribution System (GDS) is a primary reservation tool for travel agents. And unless you are brand new to the travel business, you probably have used the GDS many times during each work day. But what is GDS, and why is it important to the travel industry? What do you know about GDS? GDS is a network/platform that enables travel agencies and their clients to access travel data, shop for and compare reservations options, and book travel. GDS networks like the system operated by Travelport generate billions of dollars in global travel sales. 

The importance of GDS to travel agents? Imagine a large room with large round tables. Seated around each table are airline reservation employees. As a ticketing request is called in, a reservationist reaches out toward a very large rotating Lazy Susan placed on each table. The Lazy Susan has cubby holes that house index file cards; each card represents an airline flight. The reservationist pulls a card, marks it to indicate a seat is booked; a ticket is manually written, the phone call is concluded, and the index card is returned to its cubby hole. The process for one reservation takes between 90 minutes and 3 hours. The year is 1953. The modern GDS system evolved from this early labour-intensive manual system, thanks to the collaborative team efforts of American Airlines (AA) and IBM.  The result of that collaboration? The first airline industry mainframe-based system, SABRE.

Ebusiness has completely changed the way we buy. You’ve probably experienced some advantages of ebusiness as a consumer, but if you’re thinking about starting your own online business, you might be asking, “What are the benefits of ebusiness?” Here are five advantages of having an ebusiness:

Get a Positive Out of Every Event I love events for anyone in a career progression and career transition mode but I often hear people say things like I just didn’t get that much out of the event. A thought process focusing on positive outcomes helps here. Look for association or industry events where you can learn, connect and follow up with people involved. Event planners cannot take the risk on creating an event that does not work. They do not have a choice to attend an event; they must do their best and make the most out of the event. So if you attend the event you can determine, by planning, productive outcomes. What value could you get out of an event even if you do not make a key connection for your career or career search? Look at each event as a learning experience and get at least one or more positive out of every event you attend.

VoIP technology is a term that you have probably heard thrown around lately. VoIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol) is the product of technology of today improving telephone systems across different industries. However, for the hotel industry, the conversion from the old SIP systems has been slow going due to the perceived cost of implementing a VoIP system.