Earlier this year, hotel search platform Trivago, was seeking out a cloud-based HR solution capable of providing one single source of “truth” for employee data, while empowering HR leaders and managers with better insights to make faster and more accurate decisions. The company also needed a platform that its 1,300 employees globally could access at any time and from anywhere in the world. Using Workday’s Human Capital Management, the deployment saw Trivago transform day-to-day HR processes, such as compensation, absence management, time tracking, recruiting, expenses and performance and development. “We needed an HR solution that provided the technological platform for a single, always-up-to-date database – a solution that was flexible and especially scalable as we grow,” says Sian Williams, Business Operations and Strategy – Talent Solutions at Trivago.

“A one-size-fits-all approach is no longer feasible in HR as different companies have differing needs. Therefore, we provide a basic platform which is flexible for customisation,” he says.

“AI will enable more productivity as menial functions such as delegation of tasks will all be done by the system.”

E-marketing solutions firm iCubesWire floats early-stage investment fund

Gurgaon-based iCubesWire Technologies Pvt. Ltd, which offers digital marketing solutions to companies, has launched a $3-million (Rs 19.2 crore) fund to support early-stage tech startups.

iCubesWire is primarily looking to invest in artificial intelligence- and progressive automation-driven companies. It plans to deploy the fund across four to six startups by the end of 2017-18, with an average ticket size of $500,000-$700,000.

Four event technology companies have teamed up to create EventTechHub, a collaborative initiative featuring fully integrated digital solutions designed to make event planning more efficient, increase attendee engagement and grow event revenue opportunities.

“Event and meeting planners constantly point out to us how hard it is to find vendors (and) even after they have selected the ones they like, it is hard to manage them,”

They need multiple accounts, export and import files, pay them separately and hope they are compatible with each other. EventTechHub addresses this need and allows event planners to source and manage vendors easily. This makes things easy for everyone involved in the process.”

Johnson pointed to Savannah’s steady economic and employment growth, particularly in the hospitality/tourism, manufacturing, shipping and logistics, and business service sectors.

“Hotels and restaurants must protect their visiting customers’ data and maintain PCI-DSS compliance,” Johnson said. “You don’t want visitors to come and have their ID stolen.”

Threats to business data are constant, Johnson said. “Criminals are sophisticated,” Johnson said. “There is no way a company without dedicated resources can keep up.”

As part of Airbnb's vision to empower communities through home sharing and to promote people-to-people tourism that benefits local families and their communities, the online marketplace has announced a $1m investment over the next three years to promote community-led tourism projects in Africa.

Airbnb hosts in Africa have welcomed 1.2 million guests to the continent in the past year, while earning a combined $139m in host-income.

Promoting sustainable and inclusive tourism through technologyAirbnb’s vision is to use technology to help spread the benefits of tourism, previously kept in the hands of a few, to the many. In May 2018, Airbnb will host the Africa Travel Summit and bring together 80 thought leaders from across the continent, in Cape Town, to share best practices, exchange ideas and to co-create a vision for how technology can best be used for inclusive and sustainable tourism growth.

Considering that the global hotel industry was worth $494 bln last year, this will for sure grab the attention of crypto investors given the sheer size of the market and the number of transactions involved. On top of that, the nature of renting accommodation is tailor-made for a Blockchain solution, and as a result, several promising Blockchain projects are capitalizing on this.

The way that the Lockchain team plans to deploy the possibilities of Blockchain technology is through a ledger that lists all available accommodation, as well as pricing and transactions, accessed from a marketplace which property owners list their rooms on and customers can browse.

This includes instant currency conversion in order to make sure that users are not dissuaded by booking exclusively in a new cryptocurrency. Also, to insulate the ecosystem against price fluctuations, a hedging model as (used in the financial industry) will use Buy and Sell calls to balance the transaction (which is then liquidated when the hotel withdraws its money).

HP claims it is working with leading retail and hospitality customers and partners to reimagine how technology can transform the in-store experience for customers. The outcome is the HP ElitePOS – another point solution to the myriad of point solutions cropping up to serve the digitally transforming retail sector.“The new HP ElitePOS solution is built for versatility with a sleek and stunning design that can adapt to multiple retail and hospitality environments, while still offering the security, performance and long-term durability that our customers expect from HP,” said Ng.

SmartHOTEL, a gold partner level member of Oracle PartnerNetwork (OPN), today announced it has achieved Oracle Validated Integration of the SmartCONNECT for PMS with Oracle Hospitality OPERA 5.5. The SmartCONNECT for PMS enables a two-way integration between Oracle Hospitality OPERA Room Reservation System and third-party Property Management Systems, so hotel chains with non-Oracle systems can benefit from the Oracle Hospitality OPERA Room Reservation System.

The point here is not to diminish the value and positive contribution that solar can make towards reducing our dependence on fossil fuels to help achieve a global energy transition towards a low carbon energy future. The hype needs to be tempered by a realistic assessment of the emerging energy demand at the global level and the effective capability of meeting growth in energy demand on a very large scale. You don't want to get conscripted to the view that one energy option—solar—is the sole answer, and it also happens to be an option that does not deliver large volumes of energy from the installed base. Why is this relevant? The urgency for implementing effective low-carbon energy solutions is all but fully acknowledged and recognized by all the countries of the world (except the current U.S. administration).

With the growing trend towards social media marketing, it is now reflected as an item in some marketing budgets. These individuals in hospitality should always keep in mind the benefits of social media. With the advancement of technology, social media is and will be very much part of our daily lives. Online marketing can take place in several social media platforms, and that should be taken into consideration for the marketing strategy of a hotel. Each hotel is different and must be treated accordingly, so a blend of social media tools such as Twitter, Facebook , YouTube and Corporate Blogs should be used if necessary. Social Media Networks Contribution According to Burson-Marsteller Fortune Global 100 Social Media Study 2010, majority of global companies adopt a minimum of one source related to social media platform. To a certain extent, 79% of the top 100 companies in the Fortune Global 500 index are found to be applying at least one social media platforms (as shown in Figure 1): Twitter, Facebook, YouTube or Corporate Blogs (Burson-Marsteller, 2010).

The StayNTouch platform is delivered using two solutions on a single cloud platform. The Rover PMS Overlay mobilizes existing front desk and housekeeping operations. Zest is a guest-centric, mobile website experience, enabling check-in and check-out, preference collection, and upsell opportunities. ARIA, a AAA Five Diamond Award winner, was the first to roll out StayNTouch's cloud-based mobility platform, offering guests a variety of check-in and check-out options via their smartphone. Guest impact was immediate, with check-in lines and wait times significantly reduced. Following ARIA, the platform was launched at Bellagio, Vdara, MGM Grand, The Signature at MGM Grand, Mandalay Bay, Delano Las Vegas, The Mirage, Monte Carlo, Luxor and Excalibur in Las Vegas. In addition, MGM Grand Detroit, MGM National Harbor in Maryland, Beau Rivage in Biloxi, Mississippi and Gold Strike in Tunica in Mississippi now offer mobile check-in.

"We are entering the golden age of hotel software where hoteliers have an opportunity to differentiate their offerings by assembling and integrating unique sets of applications," said Jos Schaap, CEO and Founder of mobile technology and PMS company, StayNTouch. "We are proud to partner with SnapShot, who is a foundational leader in this endeavor."

Today, with more than 3000 hotels on its platform, Berlin-based SnapShot has five commercial centers across the United States, Europe and Asia Pacific. In May 2017, SnapShot launched the SnapShot Marketplace, a fully-integrated ecosystem where hotels have access to applications designed specifically for the hospitality industry. Among these is SnapShot's flagship app, SnapShot Analytics, which provides an overview of PMS and performance data, Google Analytics, social media, OTA reviews and more on a single dashboard.