Google made several announcements at a developer conference that could bring drastic changes to event technology, both in the immediate future and further down the line. One of Google's latest gadgets is Google Glass. There has been much talk about both it's functionality and its detractors. However, it is highly functional for events. It allows you to scan tickets upon entry and it also allows you the ability to send a live feed of the event. This is advantageous for those who want to go to events but are not able to attend in person, for whatever reason and is ideal for Google Plus hangout integration. Google also announced that Youtube Live (live streaming on Youtube) would be available to all partners in good standing. Before, live-streaming on Youtube was only available to certain partners. So Glass now has greater potential to be used by more partners to live stream to Youtube. Lastly, Google planted sensors all around the convention center where the conference took place, and collected data (temperature, humidity, light, pressure (including nearby footfalls), motion, air quality and both RF and ambient noise) to study the crowd and how they moved around the conference. Crowd management and control is a delicate issue and this technology could give real time data into what the crowd is doing.

Pineapple Hospitality has chosen Zmail from the company ZDirect, as the platform they will use for their email marketing campaign. Because Pineapple Management is a growing company, the want to improve the way they communicate with their customers. Siting that it is important to have a platform that works both ways. Allowing the hotel to contact the customers and allowing the customers to contact the hotel. Zmail operates by using their content engine to capture guest behavior, purchase history and preferences. It then send individual transaction emails, emails that cater to the customer individually as opposed to mass emails to all customer. ZDirect offers this service with Zmail that is directly focused on communicating with the "right customers", those who are most likely to be loyal customers to the hotel and spend more money with the hotel. Because Pineapple Hospitality wishes to expand beyond their current market, Zmail is an ideal tool to use to identify potential customers. Since the company has been using Zmail, they have seen a ten percent increase in click-through rates.

With all of the challenges that have faced the hotel industry in recent years, organizations have been forced to find new tools to make sure that guests are satisfied. Technology has been a very important part of making sure that organizations are able to do this. Guest now have certain expectations from hotels concerning a hotels website. Not even expectations, but demands. A hotels website is expected to be a direct portal to the hotels. More than just an online booking tool, but also provide photos, information on the area, and accurate rates and options. Having an effective hospitality management system is also essential to customer satisfaction. When expanding hotels to different areas, having a system in place to ensure that all the hotels produce the same results, the same successful results, is mandatory to remain a viable brand. This is especially true in areas where cultue and language can be a chanllenge to expansion. Being able to digitilize the processes that are usually done on paper is also vital to hotel operations because it helps managers track inventory and plan ahead for preventitive maintenence and ordering materials. This also introduces cost savings. Where having internet access has been a requirement for more high-end hotel guests before, it has now become a requirement for all travelers. With the use of mobile phone, tablets, and laptops that all have wireless capabilities, it is increasingly imparative that hotels increase their bandwith. What was at one time bonus features, is now a requirement for hotels to remain competitive in the hospitality markets.These investments in technology are the foundation for success in this year.

Here, NCR reviews the how Mobile POS impacts customers, manager/owrners, and the staff beyond the general buzz and excitement of being able to pay for your dining via mobile device. Starting with the benefits to the customer, it is noted that there is added security for the customer because it is no longer required for the server to take the customer's card away from the table to take payment. The customer never loses sight of their card. As a result the guest is not overcharged for their tip, something that can happen often and they can be assured of the amount they are paying. Another added benefit for the guest is faster more attentive service, with expectations immediately set and met. If something is no longer available in the kitchen, it does not show up on the screen. Preventing the customer from setting an expectation for something that is not available. From a manger's perspective, Mobile POS shortens the order-to-service cycle. This shortens the wait time for potential guests and enables the establishment to serve more people more quickly. Also, having the ordering available table side, it will lead to fewer comps. So they are able to generate more money by serving more guests, and keep money because orders are taken and verified tableside. Having Mobile POS available also adds to the reputation of the establshment. It makes them seem more forward thinking and innovative. Finally, the article sites the benefits for the servers. It first helps server-to-customer relations by verifying every detail of the order right in front of the guest. The server is able to get the order right and be more attentive to the guest by having to do less walking. The server is able to have a higher level of productivity. And because they are more productive and able to provide better service, this results in increase tips and stronger attachment to both the customer and the restaurant.

iPerceptions put information together on online travel shopping. One question being what are some of the things that keep travelers from booking rooms. Price was number one on this list of things. This is not surprising because most online travel customers comparison shop to find the best deals. Next, after price, functionality and site design were among the biggest stumbling blocks to those who wanted to book online. Having a website that is easy to navigate so the customer can get the information they are looking for is critical to that traveler actually making that reservation. 8% gave up after being unable to find what they needed. And 7% had a technical issue when trying to book. That's 15% altogether. The survey also concluded that it is mostly leisure travelers who were seeking information as opposed to business travelers. Although, business travelers were more likely to complete reservations. Maybe this can be accredited to the fact that business travelers have all the information they need so they don't have to spend time searching. Or the increased frequency of travel makes them more familiar with sites and where to go and how to get information. The highest percentage of respondents said they arrived at a website by typing in the web address. This leads me to believe that in addition to having a website that is functional and easy to navigate, your web address must be memorable and easy to spell. Those who got to the site by search engine came in at a close second.

No industry has a bigger stake in protecting the environment and local communities than the travel industry. Like the article states, if coral reefs are destroyed, there will be no more snorkeling. And if the communities are not able to profit from the travelers coming to the area, their displeasure will show. In order to help green travelers decide if their trip is hurting the environment or harming local communities, or actually doing some good Sustainable Travel Leadership Network has started TravelWell. This project will also encourage the governments in the destination areas to improve sustainability practices, help travel companies decide where to do business.This initiative will score destinations based on the practices of piloted destinations, letting them know what areas they need to improve in. The problem is that while most governments are willing to create a plan, they do not actually follow through with the plans they've made. With TravelWell being implemented, destinations could lose out on the growing market of green travelers and this will affect their bottom line more in the long run. Because TravelWell will also give this information to potential investors, destinations also run the risk of losing potential investors. The main purpose of this tool is to keep the conversation of sustainability alive with governments. It would continually create a standard to measure the effectiveness of sustainability efforts as well as creating new ideas.

As mobile devices become more advanced, particularly cell phones and tablet devices, more pressure to keep up with mobile and social trends is placed on the hospitality industry. People are using their mobile devices more now than they have in the past. So much so, that "two thirds of Americans sleep with their mobile device in range, something we cannot say about desktops". A world of information is at your fingertips because of the capability of mobile devices. Information that can help us make decisions about anything. Even last-minute decisions about hotels and food. More people are using their mobile devices to book rooms and many of the people that do this, are booking a hotel for the same night. The fact most of the people who do this are under 30 means that it is very likely that this trend will increase. People are expecting the technology to be there so that they can pick a hotel and a restaurant to go to if they are unfamiliar with a city. They are expecting a hotel chain to have a mobile site or better yet an "app" that will not only allow them to book a room, but, one that will give them directions from where they are to the hotel. The same can be said for restaurants. Potential customers want to be able to look over the menu and determine if they want to come to the restaurant, all from their mobile device. Mobile guests are also using customer review sites to determine where they will lodge or dine. They are using sites like TripAdvisor which allows you to post comments about your stay. The sight even allows the guests to post pictures. "Customer reviews are also important to the hotel industry, but the jury is still out on exactly how hotels should react with people who post reviews." It is always great when a guest posts a positive review of the hotel, but imagine how one bad stay could tarnish a hotels reputation. And what if there are cleanliness issues that the guest can photograph and upload to the site? Exactly what to do in this type of e