Vantage Hospitality Group is adding its first two properties of a new construction project in South Korea. LG Electronics has signed a contract to be the exclusive provider of the complete energy efficiency system for selected locations in South Korea. LG will provide "cost-saving and technologically advanced operating systems and electronics at the hotel" for better management. LG says the energy system will cut back on utility costs and energy usage throughout the facilities and recover wasted energy to heat floors and water. The company's Smart Control System will be installed thought the property and in guest rooms for them guests to adjust on a smartphone application before they arrive to check-in. LG is excited to present their new LG Vertical system that provides total energy management and cost reductions throughout the property.

Event specialists can expect to see several technological trends in event planning this year. Social media, of course, is "embryonic" when it comes to marketing an event. Event planners can use social media to expand the life of the event by creating pre and post event meetup creating stimulating conversation about topics surrounding the event and getting potential guests excited to attend. Smartphone integration has increased over the course of the year, as well. Event planners can actually get rid of using paper but using mobile applications that help them create lists, seating and floor plans and check in guests using QR code scanners. The "Event Check-in" application allows planners to do just that and immediately sync with other linked mobile devices to update the guest list. These apps also provide the opportunity for data mining and instantly get analytics for the event. Event solution consolidation will also be bigger with cloud-based websites such as Cvent and Eved to help event planners cut down on time looking for resources.

Security is obviously very important in hospitality and technological advancements are helping to make hotel stays easier and more secure. The hotel industry is exploring options to that replaces the standard plastic keycards with new entry methods. One example is using smartcards or RFIDs, which stands for radio frequency identification. Smartcards and RFIDs work like a fast-pass at a gas station when quickly paying at the pump. The guest simply waves the card/key in front of a sensor granting entry. The guest doesn't have to worry about the card being deactivated by his or her cell phone and the hotel doesn't have to constantly spend on replacements. Another example is technology that allows us to enter our hotel rooms using our using our phones. Guests would download an app, receive a text message with an encrypted sound code and play it by the door to be granted entry. Using biometrics for entry is likely the ultimate level of technological security. Like in the movies, guests would have their physical attributes scanned including eyes, and/or thumbprint to identify a guest. Video cameras will always be a great form of security. Now that they're getting smaller and more vivid, surveillance makes the phrase "Big Brother is watching" all the more relevant by being a huge crime and incident deterrent. Technology is advancing rapidly and I can see some of these methods hitting mass markets sooner than we think.

Here BusinessWire, via The National Post, discusses the Inaugural Conference for the travel industry's leading travel advisors. The conference was hosted by ULTRA Luxury Exchange, which is led by a staff of global travel industry experts with decades of experience in the luxury travel industry and event management. Behind the ULTRA Luxury Exchange, is Questex Hospitality + Travel who developed and curated the conference. Questex Hospitality + Travel is the world's largest multinational media, event and eCommerce company which serves the global and hospitality industry. The multi-day conference brought together the "greatest minds in the luxury travel advisor community," according to Ruthanne Terrero of Questex. New travel trends were discussed through key-note speakers, presentations and moderated panels. Topics included, "Capturing and Capitalizing on the Millenial Luxury Travel", "The Art of Customer Service", and "The Rising Trend for Butler Service in Luxury Hotels." The millenial generation was the main topic for discussion with a growth in buying power in the luxury travel industry. The privileged conference attendees will have exclusive access to the formal research presented in the conference to reference for the future.