"All of this indicates that while a hotel offering a truly connected experience is likely to be full of very happy, empowered guests, we can't quite replace the human touch completely just yet." Though technology is taking over the industry, it is important that we not lose or completely replace the humanity of the industry. While technology has enhanced the employee experience and guests do appreciate it, they also like to know that they have a human waiting for them should they have any issues. All in all, technology has improved the industry by enabling a more personalized and empowering experience and increasing the safety of the guests and employees.

As the article states, "Protecting the identity and information of a customer is paramount to the success of any business and hotels are no exceptions." Quite unfortunately, cybersecurity issues are some of the biggest obstacles that hotels are experiencing nowadays. With hacking attacks such as phishing and ransomware, hotels need to invest in increasing their cybersecurity as any breach can lead to a downfall in business loyalty and brand.

This article gives further insight into Proximity Marketing. As the article states, "Proximity marketing is all about marketing to your consumer at the right place, at the right time, with highly relevant and personalized notifications." By collecting consumer data, the consumer experience will be enhanced. This is because companies can now take a deeper dive into analyzing the buying patterns and the wants/needs of consumers. This type of marketing can work through beacons, QR codes, WiFi, NFC, and Geofencing. RFID

This article shows a different end of an RFP process - the one where the hotel is the vendor. Typically, a hotel that offers meeting spaces can integrate an RFP request into their sites allowing easy access to event planners interested in the hotel. When an event planner submits for an RFP, the hotel has a responsibility to answer in a timely, personalized manner in order to attract the planner. If a hotel has meeting space they would like to sell for business, they should definitely consider a software that allows them to answer RFP's in real time. As the article stated, "By leveraging your CRM, automation, and personalization during the RFP process you will ensure a high-quality sales pipeline and more qualified leads."

This article is helpful in understanding property management systems (PMS), while providing beneficial features that they provide. A PMS should be "well-equipped to handle the entire guest journey." These systems enable hotels to provide a faultless guest experience throughout. A PMS offers features that facilitate processes for the hotel. For instance, this system provides a smart calendar giving hotels easier visibility to their reservations and availability. This system also provides reports and analytics for the hotel, such as sales reports, manager reports, and inventory availability reports. This system facilitates the jobs of the hotels employees, in turn creating a more consistent experience for the guests.

This article discusses the functions of Global Distribution Systems, along with examples of these systems in todays industry. This article stated that GDS's "facilitate transactions between travel service providers and travel agent." This is backed up by the fact that GDS's allow travel agents to gather and store information in real time, essentially improving efficiency and customer service.

This article outlines four assets that cloud computing can present to the Hospitality Industry. Cloud computing essentially aids the industry in providing the best possible service to its guests - while also simplifying the working lives of employees which is always a big plus. Cloud computing helps cut costs, solutions are secure and remote, gives flexibility to work anywhere at anytime, and improves the guest experience. All in all, the pros outweigh the cons with the cloud computing.

This article is eye-opening as it proves how important technology such as HRIS systems are within the Hospitality industry. This article does this by describing common human errors that occur when working with data and then immediately providing ways that these errors can be avoided or limited by the use of this technology. For instance, the article states "It can become challenging to track each employee's availability and providing updates to all of your staff as soon as possible." The next section responds to this situation with "Having an employee time tracking tool that's integrated with your payroll system ensures that all data can easily be found in one place. This eliminates the need for multiple systems, where information can be easily misplaced." The industry is ever-changing thus it is becoming increasingly more difficult to keep up with all of the duties. Moreover, human error will always exist as we are not perfect. For these reasons, businesses need to incorporate technology systems to create a more productive and effective workplace.