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noreen1

Security and technology coming together for locks in 2015 | Hotel Management - 0 views

www.hotelmanagement.net/...gether-for-locks-in-2015-30124

shared by noreen1 on 18 Feb 15 - No Cached
  • Many electronic lock manufacturers strongly recommend evaluating and focusing more on security if a hotel is making the move to mobile access locks.
  • “Poor implementation can be a risk,”
  • “Whenever a new layer of technology is added, security needs to be increased as well.”
  • ...2 more annotations...
  • The security of a mobile door lock is part of a larger challenge of guest security as hoteliers have access to more guest data.
  • Mrowczynski cautions hoteliers to increase security at the back-end of the hotel—employees can be a threat to security with mobile technology as well. He also said every room lock should be bench-tested. “As long as everything is researched, tested and retested, everyone will be fine,” he said.
  • noreen1 on 18 Feb 15
     
    This article serves as a good reminder that as hotels adopt certain technologies to enhance the guest experience, it is also important to remember to test and retest these new technologies for possible security concerns. The thought of being able to open your hotel room door with your cell phone is appealing and convenient, but also comes with some security concerns that traditional key cards do not. On the other hand, some argue that RFID chips would actually make door locks more secure, and make it easier to track who enters the hotel room and when. Either way, security concerns always have to be considered when adopting new technologies.
noreen1

The "IT" Factor in Service...How Does the Information Technology Team Fit into Today's ... - 0 views

hotelexecutive.com/...t-into-todays-guest-experience

shared by noreen1 on 13 Feb 15 - No Cached
  • The IT or technology team is not always on the front line of attention when it comes to Guest Service skills.
  • Their roles and guest demand for technology services has increased and is going up and yet, guest service may not be a priority in this department
  • Ms. Nedry Guest Service / Customer Experience Mgmt The "IT” Factor in Service...How Does the Information Technology Team Fit into Today’s Guest Experience?
  • ...12 more annotations...
  • How does the Information Technology team in any hospitality environment respond to
  • echnology snafus that impact
  • ervice delivery?
  • Are IT teams oriented or trained to understand that they are providing customer service to internal customers, the employees and do they comprehend the behaviors that will add or decrease anxiety in these anxiety –producing situations?
  • They are trained to understand the intricacies and nuances of machines, software and the internet. They are probably not trained to understand the intricacies and nuances of the humans and the emotions around them. Frontline personnel are trained to anticipate, be proactive and responsive to guest needs. Technology teams are trained to anticipate, analyze and be responsive to machine and software needs. Integrating the two philosophies and approaches can lead to productive new strategies to benefit both employees and guests.
  • Now, with additional hi-tech duties and guest needs for immediate access to wireless and the ability to set up their hotel room office away from home as soon as they arrive, expectations are higher.
  • Understanding the big picture and all the sensitivities involved can be powerful to share with IT teams.
  • Providing a deeper understanding works both ways to create the most effective guest service strategies. IT teams can explain what it takes to analyze and solve problems to frontline teams. Frontline teams can explain to IT how guests react and what type of communication would be helpful to them and enhance service delivery. Developing effective working relationships between these two very different employee ‘cultures’ may seem obvious but is often neglected and that’s when misunderstandings occur.
  • Other areas impacted by the IT/frontline interface include the hotel’s website, customer loyalty tracking systems, data collection, meeting planner specs, reviews and responses to them and especially now social media.
  • Include and provide Guest Service training to all employees involved in IT or technology efforts. If any services are outsourced, make sure a representative of that company or key points of contact are integrated into the hotel’s guest service philosophy and standards
  • Design service standards for the IT team
  • Focus on internal communications between the IT teams and other parts of the hotel or business
  • noreen1 on 13 Feb 15
     
    This article describes the importance of investing in training between front of house personnel, and the IT department. While maintaining the efficiency of both of these departments is half the battle, it is also important to make sure they understand each others roles and needs in challenging situations. Cross training for both of these departments enhances the guest experience, and helps both teams understand the other more.
noreen1

The Property Management Puzzle | Top Stories | | Hospitality Magazine (HT) - 0 views

hospitalitytechnology.edgl.com/...roperty-Management-Puzzle87632

shared by noreen1 on 07 Feb 15 - No Cached
  • The company is in prototype on a social media integration project that would, among other things, let guests book a room through Facebook and then send a confirmation text to their mobile device.
  • The company is in prototype on a social media integration project that would, among other things, let guests book a room through Facebook and then send a confirmation text to their mobile device.
  • “If I look at it from a city hotel perspective, absolutely; there’d be no downfall to cloud.”
  • ...70 more annotations...
  • Over the long-term, the result is the same: a massive, impending re-architecting of how properties are managed.
  • . “If I look at it from a city hotel perspective, absolutely; there’d be no downfall to cloud.”
  • . “If I look at it from a city hotel perspective, absolutely; there’d be no downfall to cloud.”
  • “If I look at it from a city hotel perspective, absolutely; there’d be no downfall to cloud.”
  • “If I look at it from a city hotel perspective, absolutely; there’d be no downfall to cloud.”
  • “If I look at it from a city hotel perspective, absolutely; there’d be no downfall to cloud.”
  • “If I look at it from a city hotel perspective, absolutely; there’d be no downfall to cloud.”
  • “If I look at it from a city hotel perspective, absolutely; there’d be no downfall to cloud.”
  • The company is in prototype on a social media integration project that would, among other things, let guests book a room through Facebook and then send a confirmation text to their mobile device.
  • Over the long-term, the result is the same: a massive, impending re-architecting of how properties are managed.
  • “If I look at it from a city hotel perspective, absolutely; there’d be no downfall to cloud.”
  • “If I look at it from a city hotel perspective, absolutely; there’d be no downfall to cloud.”
  • “If I look at it from a city hotel perspective, absolutely; there’d be no downfall to cloud.”
  • “If I look at it from a city hotel perspective, absolutely; there’d be no downfall to cloud.”
  • “If I look at it from a city hotel perspective, absolutely; there’d be no downfall to cloud.”
  • “If I look at it from a city hotel perspective, absolutely; there’d be no downfall to cloud.”
  • Over the long-term, the result is the same: a massive, impending re-architecting of how properties are managed.
  • “If I look at it from a city hotel perspective, absolutely; there’d be no downfall to cloud.”
  • “If I look at it from a city hotel perspective, absolutely; there’d be no downfall to cloud.”
  • “If I look at it from a city hotel perspective, absolutely; there’d be no downfall to cloud.”
  • “If I look at it from a city hotel perspective, absolutely; there’d be no downfall to cloud.”
  • The company is in prototype on a social media integration project that would, among other things, let guests book a room through Facebook and then send a confirmation text to their mobile device.
  • The company is in prototype on a social media integration project that would, among other things, let guests book a room through Facebook and then send a confirmation text to their mobile device.
  • The company is in prototype on a social media integration project that would, among other things, let guests book a room through Facebook and then send a confirmation text to their mobile device.
  • What’s still not clear is the extent to which social media can and should be integrated into formal property systems, so that user-generated content can be stored, mined, analyzed and tracked.
  • What’s still not clear is the extent to which social media can and should be integrated into formal property systems, so that user-generated content can be stored, mined, analyzed and tracked.
  • “One of the promises of the cloud is that it becomes easier to integrate, so you can go more best-of-breed in your solution choice, but you still have issues with data structure and architecture.”
  • What’s still not clear is the extent to which social media can and should be integrated into formal property systems, so that user-generated content can be stored, mined, analyzed and tracked.
  • What’s still not clear is the extent to which social media can and should be integrated into formal property systems, so that user-generated content can be stored, mined, analyzed and tracked.
  • “One of the promises of the cloud is that it becomes easier to integrate, so you can go more best-of-breed in your solution choice, but you still have issues with data structure and architecture.”
  • “One of the promises of the cloud is that it becomes easier to integrate, so you can go more best-of-breed in your solution choice, but you still have issues with data structure and architecture.”
  • If I look at it from a city hotel perspective, absolutely; there’d be no downfall to cloud.”
  • cloud.”
  • “We’re an hour and a half from a major metropolitan area. There are enough providers selling the bandwidth we’d need for redundancy in a true web-based cloud environment,” says Nickelson, whose 2,000 acre property is located in North Carolina’s rural heartland. “If I look at it from a city hotel perspective, absolutely; there’d be no downfall to cloud.”
  • “We’re an hour and a half from a major metropolitan area. There are enough providers selling the bandwidth we’d need for redundancy in a true web-based cloud environment,” says Nickelson, whose 2,000 acre property is located in North Carolina’s rural heartland. “If I look at it from a city hotel perspective, absolutely; there’d be no downfall to cloud.”
  • “We’re an hour and a half from a major metropolitan area. There are enough providers selling the bandwidth we’d need for redundancy in a true web-based cloud environment,” says Nickelson, whose 2,000 acre property is located in North Carolina’s rural heartland. “If I look at it from a city hotel perspective, absolutely; there’d be no downfall to cloud.”
  • “We’re an hour and a half from a major metropolitan area. There are enough providers selling the bandwidth we’d need for redundancy in a true web-based cloud environment,” says Nickelson, whose 2,000 acre property is located in North Carolina’s rural heartland. “If I look at it from a city hotel perspective, absolutely; there’d be no downfall to cloud.”
  • “We’re an hour and a half from a major metropolitan area. There are enough providers selling the bandwidth we’d need for redundancy in a true web-based cloud environment,” says Nickelson, whose 2,000 acre property is located in North Carolina’s rural heartland. “If I look at it from a city hotel perspective, absolutely; there’d be no downfall to cloud.”
  • “We’re an hour and a half from a major metropolitan area. There are enough providers selling the bandwidth we’d need for redundancy in a true web-based cloud environment,” says Nickelson, whose 2,000 acre property is located in North Carolina’s rural heartland. “If I look at it from a city hotel perspective, absolutely; there’d be no downfall to cloud.”
  • “We’re an hour and a half from a major metropolitan area. There are enough providers selling the bandwidth we’d need for redundancy in a true web-based cloud environment,” says Nickelson, whose 2,000 acre property is located in North Carolina’s rural heartland. “If I look at it from a city hotel perspective, absolutely; there’d be no downfall to cloud.”
  • “We’re an hour and a half from a major metropolitan area. There are enough providers selling the bandwidth we’d need for redundancy in a true web-based cloud environment,” says Nickelson, whose 2,000 acre property is located in North Carolina’s rural heartland. “If I look at it from a city hotel perspective, absolutely; there’d be no downfall to cloud.”
  • “We’re an hour and a half from a major metropolitan area. There are enough providers selling the bandwidth we’d need for redundancy in a true web-based cloud environment,” says Nickelson, whose 2,000 acre property is located in North Carolina’s rural heartland. “If I look at it from a city hotel perspective, absolutely; there’d be no downfall to cloud.”
  • “We’re an hour and a half from a major metropolitan area. There are enough providers selling the bandwidth we’d need for redundancy in a true web-based cloud environment,” says Nickelson, whose 2,000 acre property is located in North Carolina’s rural heartland. “If I look at it from a city hotel perspective, absolutely; there’d be no downfall to cloud.”
  • “We’re an hour and a half from a major metropolitan area. There are enough providers selling the bandwidth we’d need for redundancy in a true web-based cloud environment,” says Nickelson, whose 2,000 acre property is located in North Carolina’s rural heartland. “If I look at it from a city hotel perspective, absolutely; there’d be no downfall to cloud.”
  • “We’re an hour and a half from a major metropolitan area. There are enough providers selling the bandwidth we’d need for redundancy in a true web-based cloud environment,” says Nickelson, whose 2,000 acre property is located in North Carolina’s rural heartland. “If I look at it from a city hotel perspective, absolutely; there’d be no downfall to cloud.”
  • The industry is also mid-stream in a massive replacement cycle, with 40% planning to upgrade their PMS by the end of next year.
  • Over the long-term, the result is the same: a massive, impending re-architecting of how properties are managed.
  • Over the long-term, the result is the same: a massive, impending re-architecting of how properties are managed.
  • Over the long-term, the result is the same: a massive, impending re-architecting of how properties are managed.
  • next year.
  • next year.
  • “We’re an hour and a half from a major metropolitan area. There are enough providers selling the bandwidth we’d need for redundancy in a true web-based cloud environment,” says Nickelson, whose 2,000 acre property is located in North Carolina’s rural heartland. “If I look at it from a city hotel perspective, absolutely; there’d be no downfall to cloud.”
  • The industry is also mid-stream in a massive replacement cycle, with 40% planning to upgrade their PMS by the end of next year.
  • The industry is also mid-stream in a massive replacement cycle, with 40% planning to upgrade their PMS by the end of next year.
  • The industry is also mid-stream in a massive replacement cycle, with 40% planning to upgrade their PMS by the end of next year.
  • Over the long-term, the result is the same: a massive, impending re-architecting of how properties are managed.
  • The industry is also mid-stream in a massive replacement cycle, with 40% planning to upgrade their PMS by the end of next year.
  • The industry is also mid-stream in a massive replacement cycle, with 40% planning to upgrade their PMS by the end of next year.
  • The industry is also mid-stream in a massive replacement cycle, with 40% planning to upgrade their PMS by the end of next year.
  • The industry is also mid-stream in a massive replacement cycle, with 40% planning to upgrade their PMS by the end of next year.
  • The industry is also mid-stream in a massive replacement cycle, with 40% planning to upgrade their PMS by the end of next year.
  • Hotel management systems are shifting from on-property to cloud-based, from tethered to mobile, from data-heavy to insight-rich.
  • A significant chunk of hotel IT budgets -- 19% -- is spent on property management systems (PMS)
  • Some are ready to embrace cloud-based solutions; others want to expand their mobile capabilities; and others are excited about the possibilities rich data can provide in personalizing the guest experience
  • I think it’s really about the ability of the PMS to grow with the changing need. What we need today isn’t what we needed just two years ago
  • Both Nickelson and Yelley are experiencing different symptoms stemming from the same challenge: better integration between systems.
  • Every vendor and most of the hoteliers HT spoke to predicted that property management systems would eventually migrate to the cloud.
  • “We’re an hour and a half from a major metropolitan area. There are enough providers selling the bandwidth we’d need for redundancy in a true web-based cloud environment,”
  • “Just because they’re in the cloud doesn’t make it easier to integrate,
  • I agree, from a PMS standpoint, that I want to know everything about a guest when they show up at the front desk. I should be able to see that you’ve stayed with me, and if you posted about our hotel in our social space, and if it was a complaint.
  • noreen1 on 07 Feb 15
     
    Hoteliers are expecting a lot more out of their PMS's such as data acquisition, integration with other systems, mobile capabilities, and social media. This article describes some of the different directions hoteliers are taking based on their specific focus and desired results. Some of the advantages and disadvantages of cloud based PMS's are discussed such as mobility, internet connection redundancy for rural vs. urban areas, and multiple system integration. The increasing role of social media is also explored and the degree to which it should be utilized by the hospitality industry. There are many possibilities including using social media posts to mine guest reviews, as well as the ability to book your hotel on Facebook and receive a confirmation via text. I apologize for the diminishing hi-lighting towards the end, my tool bar is having some issues!
noreen1

Millennials are driving the comeback of travel agents - Kansas City Business Journal - 0 views

www.bizjournals.com/...als-travel-agent-comeback.html

shared by noreen1 on 29 Jan 15 - No Cached
  • more Americans, including millennials, are opting for a more traditional route: brick-and-mortar travel agencies.
  • In 2014, 18 percent of American travelers used traditional travel agents compared to 12 percent in 2013.
  • millennials are actually using traditional travel agents at a higher rate than a lot of age groups."
  • ...4 more annotations...
  • "They want to go some place no one else has been, which means they really need a third party to help them work through the details," he said.
  • Millennials are more adventurous travelers — they want to go off the beaten path, but they're also less sophisticated and less experienced travelers.
  • In 2014, 28 percent of millennials used a traditional travel agent, compared to only 13 percent of Baby Boomers (ages 50 to 65) and 15 percent of Generation X (ages 36 to 49).
  • MMGY's research found that those who booked a leisure trip through a travel agent within the last year were more satisfied with their overall trip than those who booked through online third parties, such as Orbitz.
  • noreen1 on 29 Jan 15
     
    In contrast to the notion that the use of a travel agent is outdated, Millennials are actually more likely to use a travel agent than other demographics. This trend seems to go hand in hand with the increase in experiential marketing we see geared towards Millennials, and the fact that they often want more extreme or unique experiences. While in some ways Millennials are a spontaneous generation, they also appreciate a well planned trip that allows them to make the most of their time.
noreen1

HEY KERMIT, BEING GREEN IS GETTING EASIER (PART I) - INNOVATIVE FOODSERVICE DESIGN TEAM - 0 views

www.ifdesignteam.com/...green-is-getting-easier-part-i

green initiatives green operational practices

shared by noreen1 on 23 Jan 15 - No Cached
  • Being green is getting easier.  It is becoming more popular.  And, dare I suggest, it is even becoming profitable.
  • Environmental sensitivity will have a profound effect on the way that hospitality facilities are designed, built, and operated over the next decade.
  • In my view, there are three key components to a green initiative for any hospitality and foodservice operation. 
  • ...14 more annotations...
  • initiatives, both operational and building related, which are specific to the hospitality industry.
  • building related practices
  • operational practices and decisions
  • Demand green practices from your purveyors:
  • Reduce, re-use, and recycle:
  • The beauty of these operational initiatives is that they require little investment or modifications to existing facility for implementation
  • Purchase environmentally friendly paper products:
  • Phase out Styrofoam and other polystyrene products:
  • the average restaurant in the US produces 50,000 pounds of garbage every year.  It is estimated that 95% of that trash can be recycled or composted, but is unnecessarily thrown away instead
  • Consider “green” menu selections:
  • Evaluate the chemicals you use:
  • Reduce water usage: 
  • Use alternative chafing fuels:
  • Granted, some of the ecologically friendly products are more expensive – in the short term, anyways.  However, once you consider the “total” cost of many of the operational decisions discussed above, you will find that the green approach is often less expensive – in the long run.
  • noreen1 on 23 Jan 15
     
    As it becomes more and more popular (and more crucial to the environment) to "go green", it is also becoming less intimidating and more rewarding for organizations in the hospitality industry.  The notion that improving an organizations operations to make them more sustainable is too costly, is quickly being disproven, and in many instances organizations actually save money in the long run.  Part I of this series by Lee Simon focuses on operational practices and outlines simple steps that can be integrated in to a restaurant or hotel's current systems.  
noreen1

Tech Innovations That Are Changing The Hospitality Industry - Social Hospitality - 0 views

socialhospitality.com/...nging-the-hospitality-industry

shared by noreen1 on 15 Jan 15 - No Cached
  • The Huffington Post‘s “Future Travel: Hot Technology will Change your Hotel Stay” reports that this Seattle Hotspot boasts rooms “with heat-detecting body sensors that indicate to housekeeping staff when a room is occupied…a 21st- century ‘do not disturb’ notice.”
  • According to “Occupancy Detectors Save Money, Environment,” the biggest drain on hotel utilities is unnecessary heating and air conditioning and that the installation of energy controls throughout a property could “shed utilities costs without compromising quality.”
  • noreen1 on 15 Jan 15
     
    This article found in Social Hospitality features one of my favorite innovative technologies being utilized in the hospitality industry.  In some cutting edge properties, housekeepers now have the ability to use heat detectors to determine whether a room is occupied or not.  This is a fantastic new addition to most hotels current procedures and would cut down on numerous instances of guest annoyance.  One of the most frustrating things when staying in a hotel is being woken up early by housekeeping knocking on your door, and this technology offers a "21st century do not disturb notice" which would greatly improve the guest experience.  
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