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Contents contributed and discussions participated by diana morales

diana morales

Biometrics Lend a Hand to Hotel Security / Feb 2002 - 1 views

  • especially in public places like Hotels and airports
  • Since September 11, there has been heightened security awareness
  • Biometrics is a term used to describe a measurement of uniqueness of a human being such as voice, hand print or facial characteristics.
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  • Card-based access systems have been around for a long while and control access using authorized pieces of plastic, but not who is in actual possession of that card
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    This article makes me see in a way how biometrics is actually a better idea than keycard systems or just old fashioned keys. Only the person who booked the room will be able to open it because you never know who is in possession of they card key or the key. With biometrics, you can either tell the guest to tap 2 or 3 fingers or a whold hand. I think that is respecting their fingerprinting privacy, It could be dangerous in away if anyone wants to fake finger prints but that is why a system should be set up in which the guest chooses what finger they want to use. I think its a better idea. Working in a hotel I see alot of key cards being lost and its a hassle just to get them to show their ID or they might be in the room but not registered. If they loose the key and the room number is on the envelope it is easy access for whomever found the keycard. ith Keys, they are always loosing keys. The safe keys in our hotel is always getting lost. I think its better to use biometrics for unique access only
diana morales

Evolution In Travel Agent Industry | PRLog - 1 views

  • The travel industry is growing 23% faster than the world economy and will continue historical growth for the next 18 to 20 years.
  • First, the airlines decided they didn’t need travel agents anymore and they pulled the plug on agent commissions .
  • Then, the second thing happened. The advent of the internet connection changed the face of travel forever
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  • Now, there is so much information available to consumers, they’re often left floundering in the sea of travel offers. Travel agents are skilled at cutting through the hype and emotion-driven marketing of suppliers. They have learned how to match travelers with vacations they will treasure.
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    The article here explains the evolution of how we used Travel Agents back in the day and how we got to a point where we no longer needed travel agents. Back in the old days if anyone wanted to fly to another country or state, we went thru travel agents so we can get a booked flight and car services etc. Now we do everything ourselves. We find out information on our own and book and print our own tickets. Why? because of the internet. The internet will teach you anything and will give you whatever you are looking for. According to the article , people are overwhelmed in all the information provided by the internet that they cant decided where they want to go or where they want to stay at. So business is coming to travel agents. We feel so busy now and days that we give all the work to someone to do everything for us.
diana morales

http://blog.milestoneinternet.com/website-promotion/effective-email-marketing/ - 0 views

  • Effective Email Marketing
  • Effective Email Marketing
  • Book Rooms and Build Relationships
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  • Permission Email vs. Spamming
  • 4 Easy Steps To Conducting Effective Email Marketing
  • In-House vs. Outsourced
  • Using Email Marketing to Up-sell
  • Using Email Marketing to Build Relationships and Get Feedback
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    This webpage is an explanation of all the effective ways you can market thru email in the hotel industry. Obviously if the guests received an email from your company is because they provided you with their email adress, meaning that they are interested. E- Marketing is not spamming. It is very proffesional. At the end of the guests stay, you can use e marketing tools to lude the guest back in your way. You can benefit from E-Marketing by upselling. It is a very powerful tool that can bring you a lot of traffic if you have a great business plan. E- Marketing is also important because you can get guest feed back and fix problems that might occur and also help them come back as well. E-Marketing has changed the hospitality industry in a great way. People no longer need to walk in to your hotel to find out information. If you have a great website, guests can quicly make their own assumptions. If a guest is coming back to the city, E-Marketing can lure them back in.
diana morales

GDS usage on the rise as travel demand grows - 1 views

  • A study conducted by the American Society of Travel Agents in 2009 found the percentage of member travel agencies that used the GDS channel declined from 98% in 1999 to 79% in 2009.
  • However, despite the decrease in GDS usage amid the most recent global economic downturn, hotel companies and travelers still find value in the channel, according to sources interviewed for this report.
  • Sabre Travel Network, for example, saw an increase of more than 7% in its GDS bookings during the first quarter of 2012 over the same period last year, said Nancy St. Pierre, a spokeswoman for Sabre, which is one among several major GDS companies including Abacus, Amadeus, Galileo and Worldspan.
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  • The GDS is not going away any time soon because of the unique solutions it provides for hotels and travelers alike, according to Robert Cole, founder of hotel marketing firm RockCheetah.
  • The GDS also provides enhanced marketing support, St. Pierre said
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    In 2009 the GDS usage declined from 98% to 79%. ALthough there has not been a demand to use this technology, there has been a demand in the first quarter in 2012. There has been an increase because of corporate business demand. GDS is being used to transfer room inventory to global distribution partners as well as travel agents and OTA's. Hotels using the GDS technology offer a percentage to a client instead of a fixed rate. This happens as long as companies have access to the hotel's system everyday. According to Robert Cole, The GDS system is notgoing anywhere because of its unique solutitons to hotels and travelers. It makes it easier for everyone.
diana morales

Venus Williams V*Starr Interior Designs - 0 views

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    Tennis star Venus Williams had designed her own interior decorating company named V Starr Interiors. She has been in this industry 2002 and kept it a secret. She has studied fasion design in the art institute of ft lauderdale. Williams quotes "interior designs is a business of trust".
diana morales

A Mobile POS Solution Increases Poolside Food and Drink Sales at the Gaylord Hotels - Y... - 1 views

  • The hotels offered poolside service and with acres of pool area to cover, servers spent a lot of time walking between the pools, bar, and kitchen to enter and check on orders, and process payments.
  • This resulted in long wait times and had a negative impact on sales and customer satisfaction.
  • The servers use the iPod touch in combination with Daily Systems' iAPS sled, which is a unique all-in-one solution with a bar code scanner, credit card reader, smart card reader, and receipt printer.
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  • "The cutting-edge mobile POS solution is also a factor in creating the impression that the Gaylord Hotels is a technologically savvy and modern company."
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    Gaylords Hotels has added the POS system for their customers to experience. POS stands for Point Of Sale. Its a small devices that allows an employee to charge the customers credit card right then and there. No cashier, no register. The article elaborates on how the hotel has implemented this systemin their pool area. It discusses how pool attendants spend so much time walking back and forth which eventually makes the order longer. This system allows the employee to charge the credit card and print the receipt right then and there, saving a few trips. This should be implemented in most places saving time and preventing a slick employee to steal someones credit card information
diana morales

Editors Weblog - Immediacy v accuracy: the challenges of information validation - 0 views

  • Twitter is the world news wire of the twenty-first century;
  • Everyone knows exactly how useful microblogging can be when reporting on everything from major world events, such as natural disasters and social upheaval, to local happenings - but the challenge of real-time reporting is not gaining access to information, but rather verifying it.
  • It is not necessary to choose between accuracy and immediacy; the future of quality journalism, which at the current times seems so marred by unethical practice, lies in a successful combination of the two.
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    Immediacy vs Accuracy, which would you go with? The media is rushing everyday to deal with the two and make up a news report that consists of the two. Whoever has it broadcasting first is the winner. This article speaks on how twitter has changed the way we find about information now and days. Although Twitter will have a news shooting around the world in less than a minute. How accurate is the information? Stars have been killed by twitters power to spread the news of the stars death faster than the news station can get it on the tv screens. Is the information accurate? unfortunately not. This is where twitter as well as other media sites should manage what gets put out there before it gets publish. Just like what tv stations do. They verify and then they broadcast. As well as wikipedia. Someone should verify the information on each page and should not allow users to change or input information into that webpage.
diana morales

Email Etiquette: Think before you type - Hcareers - 0 views

  • About 70 percent of North Americans use the Internet and email is their top reason to go online
  • This means it’s a good idea to take the time to create a subject line that’s catchy and concise
  • Nothing is more frustrating than a group of people getting an email that’s directed at a single person
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  • For the most part, “Hi” and “Hello” are for personal emails and “Dear” and “To” are reserved for business emails.
  • A :) (smiley face) and a “LOL” (laugh out loud) might suit a personal email. But when you get down to business, it’s best to stray from abbreviations and emoticons. That means no winks or sad faces and no TTYL (talk to you later). The only abbreviations that might be acceptable are common hospitality-related acronyms, such as ARDA or NRA.
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    This article is basically the rules and regulations of how to write an email. Netiquette is important because if you make yourself seem professional, the people whom you send these emails to will reply and treat you with respect. Especially if its a business email. The article teaches you about how to write a subject line and the difference between cc and bc. It also teaches you not to use lol and thesmiley face emoticon unless the email is personal. This article also teaches you on how to relax on the punctuations. Too many exclamation marks might seem like your going crazy screaming at someone. It also teaches you about how to properly send signatures. I think everyone should read this article to perfect their emails. Especially students because now and days , there is no need to go to your teachers office. You just shoot your teacher an email and it will make your life easier.
diana morales

Teachers, college students lead a Second Life - USATODAY.com - 0 views

  • "I build environments where students can really explore the literature," says Ritter-Guth, of DeSales University in Center Valley, Pa., and Lehigh Carbon Community College in Schnecksville, Pa. "It's the novel in 3-D."
  • Bradley says only about 10 of his 200 organic chemistry students used Second Life more than once last spring. But those who did found it an effective way to study.
  • "This is a new way to interact with me and each other," he says. "I can show them molecules in three dimensions. We can walk around the molecule and discuss it."
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  • "Kids who used Second Life put more time into the class," says chemistry major Tim Bohinski
  • After the Virginia Tech shootings, he took his students to a memorial that had been built in Second Life. When they arrived, conversations became hushed, he says. "They felt like they were in a sacred place."
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    this article was interesting to me in learning more about what we discussed in class regarding to second life. I believe that not only adults in universities but kids can become more in volved and learn faster using the second life method. Alot of people already seem to have fun using this method. I found it interesting when they brought up that a teacher took his students to a sanctuary place related to the Virginia Tech shootings in Second Life. I thought that the idea to create a sanctuary place on second life for students to grieve on unfortunate circumstances was a great way to put to use second life. It makes everything more interesting in my opinion.
diana morales

New Hotel Technology Likely to Bring Sticker Shock - 0 views

  • The need for a new generation of computers, data centers and security equipment for the nation’s hotels is driving up the expense of technology in the hospitality industry, says Mitesh Shah, chief executive officer at Atlanta-based Noble Investment Group, a privately-held company that invests in and manages hotels.
  • “The average [technology] cost for a 400-room hotel has been about $50,000 a year
  • The upgrades involve both communications that make life more convenient for travelers, and the unseen hardware that makes hotels function more smoothly
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  • When it comes to creature comforts, travelers don’t want to compromise, says Shah. They want the same comforts on the road that are available at home. “If you’re an Atlanta Hawks fan, can you watch that game when you get to your hotel?”
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    This article speaks about the technology in the hotel industry and what it takes to have the hotel equipped and up to date. The hotel gives examples of what owners have invested or will need to invest. What surprised me was the fact that TIVO should be one of the amenities included into the hotel room now and days. I found it interesting when the article asked who is paying for these upgrades? is the rate changing? or is it part of the experience as the article states?
diana morales

Negative Effects of the Internet on | eHow.com - 1 views

  • Small businesses often have a hard time ranking in search engines, which are the number one source of organic consumer traffic.
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    In class we spoke about how the internet has an impact on small businesses and how small businesses are having a hard time being compared to the bigger businesses. This article talks about how they are being ranked in the search engines. When a consumer goes online to search for a product, he or she will like at what the article refers to as an established brand such as hp or dell in computers oppose to smaller brand names which although theyre known theyre being bypassed by these big brand names. The article talks about the "bid per click" bases that business advertisers use to promote on google. This makes it hard for a smaller business to compete with a bigger business because of their promotion level. It is very expensive.
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