Hotel manager of Strand Hotel NYC learned of new way to market his hotel. Instead of traditional marketing, and even social media, he learned that the power of social advocacy is the way to go. With Flip.to, they are able to utilize their marketing budget to create a social buzz. Allowing guests to be part of the hotel' s marketing team. Flip.to increases the level of engagement with guests social, in order to increase brand awareness and greater revenue. With Flip.to, guests are able to share their experiences right at the point of booking with their connections. This allows the information to reach hundreds, if not thousands of people, giving them the opportunity to become future guests.

InterContinental Buckhead Atlanta and Park Hyatt Chicago have upgraded their inventory tracking by implementing new technology, the RFID. This will provide cost saving benefits and more efficient operations by automating manual tasks. With RIFD technology, InterContinental Buckhead Altanta will be able to automatically track each piece when assigned to an employee and as it goes to and from the laundry company. They will be able to know how pieces are sent out and how many return. The system will also reduce labor costs and track daily movement of linen items. All linen items are equipped with UHF_RFID laundry tags. Allowing the new technology to monitor the location of each tagged linen to cut lost-item cost and minimize handling. If any item is not returned, the laundry company is held responsible for the replacement cost. Park Hyatt Chicago has invested in the RIFD Uniform System. This allows uniforms to be automatically tracked when staff members take delivery and when they are sent to the laundry company. They also have a U-Pick-It System in place to distribute uniforms to employees and make sure they are correctly monitor. This reduces garment handling labor expenses and increase the accountability of employees.

Apple has created momentum for POS enhanced technology with it's announcement of the new Apple Pay platform. No longer will customers need to search wallets or purses for cash or credit cards to buy products, no longer will customers wait for and sign receipts. This new e-wallet tech will allow users to make fast transactions using their Apple smart phone. Major retail establishments such as McDonalds have signed on to promote and provide the necessary catalyst to make this technology mainstream. The benefits are very clear, with the increased transactional speeds promoting better customer service and also increased throughput at the retail counter. And this will also enable smaller companies enhance their profitability by utilizing such an easy purchase platform. How does this new tech work? Very simply, it users "near-field communication technology or NFC, which allows for the transfer of small amounts of data between two devices held closely to one another." Just tap your iPhone to the terminal and the transaction is complete. The concern for data security still exists, however "Industry experts will be watching as customers road-test Apple Pay." Apple Pay and similar products from Apple's competitors are the future. Businesses that embrace this technology will be in the enviable position to cater to tech-savvy customers and will see increased revenue as a result.

The internet is constantly changing, the way we communicate and they way we do business. The hospitality industry is always quick to capitalize on new technologies. However, the e-commerce growth in the hospitality industry has created an urgent need for simple changes to companies' presence online. So when every hotel is involved in e-commerce, why is it so important today? It is simple. Today, the internet is the lowest cost hotel-booking channel. As well as now, most travelers are searching and making hotel reservations online. Lastly, social media and online hotel reviews are increasing and have made an important decision factor. Now, hoteliers need to keep focus on what information customers are seeking and what they are looking for online. There are a few basic strategies that will help drive usage from the internet world. Some of those are: vave a search-friendly website, focus on usability and conversation taking a holistic approach and prioritize information, and lastly make websites compatible for mobile phones. If hoteliers can use the full potential of the internet, they will maximize their return on investment in e-commerce. The hospitality industry needs to constantly learn and look for ways to use the new developments and trends.

The green economic revolution is impacting the $90 billion U.S. hotel industry. There is an opportunity to increase revenue and market share by "going green". Habitat Suites in Austin, Texas is a leader in this area. The hotel's motto is "Environmental consciousness in action." Habitat Suites has an environment that is free of chemicals, has the largest hotel solar system, and uses their own organic fruit and vegetable garden for food in the hotel. Due to this environmental consciousness, the customers are reacting positively. Commenting on how great they slept, due to the ecologically fresh rooms. Many hotel chains are jumping on the green revolution bandwagon. At the Ritz-Carlton, Kapalua in Hawaii, they started an environment program that was originally designed to provide fun for kids. But after positive feedback from the children, this has grown from just learning about local marine life to educational nature walks. These walks go through Maui's native forests and a garden that grows native foods and has community engagement in order to preserve their island's culture and environment. The food that is grown in the native garden is used in the hotel to provide guests with a healthy dining experience. Because of this, it has increased guests' reason to eat at the hotel and is 15 percent of the hotel guests' revenue stream. This environmentally friendly program increases the possibility of repeat business and attract new travelers who search for these types of experiences. A report published by the Green Hotels Association states, "Companies with proactive environmental strategies have a 4 percent higher return on investment, 9 percent higher sales growth and 17 percent higher operating income growth than companies with poor environmental track records." Even non-hotel-industry entrepreneurs are realizing business opportunities in the green vacation industry. Patricia Griffin, president of the Green Hotel Association, started the associatio

As technology continues to grow, it's hard for hotels to keep up. But, there are six trends that could be very beneficial to hotels. The first being the Cloud/Software as a Service. If hotels begin to use a cloud based hotel management system, it would reduce cost of ownership by minimizing property hardware. As well as take the burden of maintaining the system off IT. Another trend that is growing is using mobile devices, such as tablets, to interact. Some hotels have recently decided to use Apple iPad's at the registration desk. This is an idea that needs to grow in the hospitality industry, because it increases the personalization of the check-in experience and reduces costs involving technology at the reception desk. Social media has a huge impact on the hospitality industry. There are reviews, referrals, and other types of communication about hotels on every type of social media. It is crucial that hotel management monitors and addresses every type of social media, in order to respond appropriately and take action. Being able to integrate the operating systems of all the amenities of a hotel (accommodation, event catering, the spa, etc.) is another tool that would be beneficial to the hospitality industry. This would provide better management information, faster reporting, and will allow management to view profitability. Last but not least, the last major trend the hospitality industry needs is globalization. As international travel, trade, and business grows, hotel companies will need to create different management tools in order to survive. International links are important for the hotel industry. Which means technology systems, need to be global.