The article is highlighting the digital marketing trends in the Hospitality Industry today. Since technology has such a strong presence, in the world we live in, e marketing such as social media, video and social marketing are becoming more important in building brand loyalty. The 6 trends mentioned in the article, are stating how these types of marketing skills have the ability to reach a broader audience and also helps to provide real-time data on how the company is performing. The use of this marketing strategy is creating higher profits and increasing the standards within the hospitality industry. Hoteliers have a bigger focus on legal issues, safety and security, diversity and demographics and the value that such technology brings or adds to the business. A great example used within the article is the use of social media, i think this is the most effective and cost effective tactic. It doesn't take much to have the marketing department create a social media platform(s) and try to advertise via e-flyer, e-menus and even videos that help to increase sales. The use of e-marketing allows a company to reach a bigger audience then just locally. There are plenty of shops that start off small but gain massive success with advertising online. Best example would be Salty Donuts, main source of advertising being social media.

The focus of the article is to highlight how the event industry is becoming more popular among the hospitality industry in Nigeria. It mentions the Events Market Nigeria (EMN) group aims to provide a places that allows for growth and development within the event industry with the newcomers and experienced event planners. The event that was hosted by the EMN, provides free gathering that offer different speakers to offer advice and their experience to those attendees willing to listen. Throughout the article, it states that the country of Nigeria has a population of "almost $200 million people and a reputation for an ostentatious culture", which makes it a perfect place to invest in the event industry. Especially due to the fact that the industry is a source of a more favorable return on investment even though other sources in Nigeria are considered more attractive. What makes the event industry profitable, is the ability to venture with other businesses such as venues, catering, event planning and more. But with all the good, the article does point out the issues such as liability and the lack of rules that are set for the industry. I think that it's an important topic to consider because hotels are implementing a source of revenue with renting out meeting spaces and catering services to outside companies. With more and more events being planned, I think it's a great business to venture in. The ability to have an events department within a hotel or even a restaurant gives the establishment to produce more revenue within other departments. Such as a hotel, the planning of a meeting not only brings in the revenue of the space being rented but also to Food and Beverage with the catering aspect and the front desk with the rooms being occupied by the clients and attendees.

The article is a study that was conducted in regards to the security management within a hotel and how an effective security system can help in preventing accidents or emergencies from occuring. The main priority of a hotel or any establishment, besides the service provided, is having an effective emergency plan set in place to be able to respond and overcome a crisis. International hospitality being a focus over the recent years, has suffered crises, risks, and disasters causing negative impacts on tourism and the community. Hotels should "issue a check-list concerning a hotel's vulnerability to emergencies caused by natural disasters (hurricanes, earthquakes, tsunamis) or man-made crises (terrorist attacks, explosions, fires, spill, food poisoning)." Another part of the plan is to focus on the loss prevention aspect of a hotel by implementing information technology to secure or improve security. On technology mentioned was biometric to increase the hotel information system and also to help reduce cost and improve the way we recognize criminal activities. With the hospitality industry being one of the most vulnerable industries to crimes and disasters, it is important to recognize, improve and update the plans set into place to ensure accurate information. While it's impossible to say that these preventions are going to stop these problems from happening, it can help other learn about the proper steps to handling these situations. I personally think that as much as employers suggest different way, it's the job of the loss prevention team in every industry to construct a plan that address as many issues and conduct trainings that would help to prepare us for these occasions. Trainings are going to be the best way to properly analyze a problem and improve on the emergency plan set.

The article talking maining about the issues that companies have in investing into technology without having a set plan. Mr. Estis-Green, among others, stated that they see an industry that is very innovative but lacking direction in its approach to investing in the correct technology. The main issue is seems to follow throughout the article is that these companies are following trends instead of figuring out if said technology would mix well with the brand vision. A first, the implementation of technology within a business was used more as a tactic but it has become more popular that is has changed the way the guest experiences service at a hotel, from POS systems to a front desk check in. It's driving the way hotels run their business. I think that the biggest issue with investing in technology is controlling the way its used within a hotel. With technology becoming bigger and being implemented within larger hotel brands, it is changing the service experience which affects the loyalty of a guests. Taking that into consideration, I think that it causes internal competition within the vision that a hotel original sets out to provide and what other hoteliers are doing to gain that loyalty. As mentioned in the article, i think that the best way to have a vision and trend coincide is to find a way to personalize it to its convenience and effectiveness.

The main focus of the article is the use of Aptech PVNG Enterprise Accounting within La Corsha Hospitality Group. La Corsha has been implemented the web-based system over 10 properties, providing a flexibility between hotel and restaurant operations. The multi-company system is meant to facilitate the way companies report and access data while also managing finances. The main feature is that it is very detailed in the way is analyzes the finances and allows for it to increase productivity within the workplace. Also giving a brief description about how Aptech computer systems is the "only provider to fully integrated enterprise accounting, business intelligence and planning ecosystem to the hospitality industry." Besides the ability to help productivity, what I consider important is that the software helps define who and who doesn't have access to certain functions. When it come to finances, security is important and having that function allows management to control and limit the staff that is allowed access. Not only does it prevent theft but in my opinion it helps to hold the staff accountable for the expenses that are being reported.

The article discusses how POS systems have changed the way establishments do business and also the way to look for the perfect server to host your POS system. This system is used mainly within hospitality industries such as restaurants, retail and even medical office, but what is important to realize is that with the use of POS systems a server is still needed to maintain and operate them. It requires a lot of research and analysis to select the correct server such as looking for servers that are not attached to a particular software and creating standardization to remove the amount of risks that a server encounters. There is a section that does mention that these systems are not prone to security concerns since POS systems are behind in security technology but virtualization is a way to provide better level of security. The main taken from the article, is that although POS systems are become more trendy it requires a lot of planning to incorporate these systems within an establishment. Besides security the main issue is finding the correct server to host this device. I agree with the fact that server should be able to "customizable and configure" to that of the consumer. The main use of the devices is to enhance the experience and create something unique. If every establishment had the same system it would be generic and non-authentic to the establishment.

The article talks about the integration of a new system called Rainmaker and RoomkeyPMS. The trend of using the "cloud" is ongoing, as RoomkeyPMS is software that is "cloud-powered" which helps to facilitate the way the front office handles their operations. Rainmaker integration with the PMS, on the other hand, is to help the back of the house. It is meant to increase hotel bookings and "streamline operations and revenue optimization processes". Highlights the first boutique hotel in Charleston, The Spectator Hotel, are the first to adapt this new collaboration to improve the way data is being accessed. Based on the article, the hotel is using these cloud based systems to be able to offer more innovative service to their consumers especially when it comes to how revenue is being handled. I think that having to cloud systems working together can be kind of difficult especially when they serve two different purposes. But with that being said, both softwares seem to work for the best individually. Having the ability to try this out on a smaller boutique hotel would be for the best because it allows hoteliers to conduct analysis for the systems on a smaller scale.

The article explores the concept of "Green IT" to help reduce the amount of energy and e-waste and make it more sustainable. The five principles mentioned in the article are to: Rightsize, consolidate, virtualize, measure and manage e waste, all used to be able to operate a better IT system that works efficiently to reduce energy consumption. Also providing a visual representation of an IT infrastructure to break down how it works and providing ways to reduce power and purchase of each structure. Some ways mentioned where to create a new data centres, installing new printers and purchasing energy-efficient equipment to reduce consumption and also cost of energy. The idea is to become more aware of how to start change and be able to control and monitor the IT used to make it more sustainable and minimize "ecological impacts." Based on the article and the quick evolution of technology, i don't think we can stop the use of IT systems but there are ways to reduce and monitor the amount of IT systems. One point that was not mentioned was "cloud computing" which seems to be an effective strategy set in place to reduce the amount of IT systems used within business. Not only does it reduces the hardware costs but also saves energy from having several systems to locate information.

The article goes over the different ways that an Indian company is creating an e commerce platform to transform the way business is done. It goes over the benefits, challenges and impacts that are faced when trying to launch the platform, which is becoming more widely used. With technology providing a bigger platform for the industry, the e marketplace aims to help improve the way suppliers do business, by making it easier to manage sales. The article pointed out that companies who have started to implement the e-commerce have seen 51% increase in revenue, which is remarkable. With all that being mentioned the article does briefly mention how the use of this business aims to provide ways to bring suppliers and buyers to improve the way business is conducted. How the supply chain is handled seems to be the biggest priority of the platform. With e ecommerce being such a major market, the ability to capture the online market is important. I think that the article does not touches upon several points that need be focused on, such as website design and security. Having an operational website that is easy to read and directs the consumer to what they are exactly looking for is one an aspects that affects the way a company does business. I these cases, the quality is as important as the quantity of information that is being given. I went ahead and took a tour of the site and seems easy to use, which is important. The site is generating revenue sales, but with more sales creating more information being stored. Having the ability to adapt to higher volumes of personal information creates a security issue, that would need to be addressed if not handled correctly.

The topic of the article is about the use of Chatbot within the industry and how it could be valuable to e business. Chatbot is a messenger tool that allows for customers to communicate with someone to provide a more personalized and better customer experience when booking online. The article mentions that Chatbot is used on a variety of hotels, airlines and even booking agents to provide a different way of booking trips and experiences. It focuses on providing images, prices and descriptions to enhance the "online shopping experience." (Knight, 2018) The way Chatbot seems to operate through different partners by providing the guest with requests, transportation, last minute reservations and up to date information regarding hotels, airlines, etc. Knight takes into account the potential that Chatbot has in the future to help the hospitality industry grow earnings while positive service. Although, Chatbot seems like the newest way to appeal to those guests that are within the technology wave, i feel like apps like these are already implemented. It is convenient to have the information coming from one source, but hotels brands like Marriott have the mobile app and GXI where you can communicate with someone in assist with creating reservations, add requests and also create a profile that gives the hotel an idea of what someone expects at the hotel. The same goes for those airline apps such as American and Delta, providing similar services. What i do take into consideration is that bots like these where it be a direct bot or Chatbot are being used more and more daily to enhance the experience a customer receives which helps to increase sales for the industry.

Accounting within a hotel is very important because it helps to generate reports to determine the cash flow within a hotel. The article that I choose summarizes the changes that have occured that have affected the way accounting is done within a hotel. It touches briefly of how old school vs new school accounting is done. The way accounting was done a few years back was by being done manually with spreadsheets and needed more time to create invoices. As far as the new way accounting is done, there are accounting softwares that allow us to track real time numbers within seconds to determine budgets, statements and other reports. The idea of using the software is to create a more accurate and faster routine to have data represented correctly. It also mentions the integration of PMS and the hotel accounting management software to work together to make it easier for hotels to use. After reading the article, the idea of having these softwares put into place to make it "easier", also comes with the fear of having this technology backfire. With so many benefits being mentioned throughout the article, we would also have to analyze the negatives being hacking, malfunctions and other issues within having technology. Within a hotel, accountants have a lot of individual and group accounts that requires personal information and also deadlines. The use of accounting systems would help to facilitate the amount of data that is being processed and also ensure that its accurate to prevent any mistakes.