"While the online marketplace is gaining ground in channel mix for hotels, especially for established hotel companies, the Global Distribution System (GDS) still contributes significantly to hotel distribution revenue-approximately 27 percent, according to TRAVELCLICK's latest eTRAK report. Also, GDS hotel promotions-appearing when agents search the air, car and hotel availability screens within their GDS-continue to have a growing influence on bookings, particularly in today's unsettled economy." The above paragraph is from the very beginning of the linked article. I believe it is a good summary of the topic that follows throughout the article. Global Distribution Systems have always been a must in the industry and have continuously provided hotels with direct revenues. One of the major and most important benefits to using GDS is that it builds reservations through influence. This influence, with the help of marketing, ads, promotions, and special packages, can differentiate your specific hotel and pull customers away from competing markets.

Websites are becoming more and more interactive as technology develops, and this is no different for the hospitality industry. Customers are now looking for easy to access information from lodging locations. They are looking for 360 degree tours of the rooms and guest suites. Lists of all amenities and easy to find customer reviews, opinions, and ratings. This article explains the rapid growth of information technology in the hospitality industry with a main focus on an operations web presence. Consumers are constantly browsing the web to compare locations and can most definitely lean towards staying at a hotel where the website features an extensive amount of photos, videos, and virtual tours.

In a time where most everything we do is pushing "paperless" ways, hotels seem to be following along. Rooms keys might soon be obsolete with new security technologies attempting to make your cell phone your key. This article explains how overseas these technologies are being tested but I am not convinced. Understanding it is very recent, I see many issues arising from this type of technology. A remote check-in from your cell may be convenient but that also eliminates the guest interaction, making it harder for the hotel to build customer relationships. Also, what if there are guests who do not own cell phones. Will the technology work on only smartphones? What carriers will allow such programs. Will it be in the form of an app? Too many questions without formal test conclusions. I can definitely see the ease and simplicity of this new technology but as of now I see many unanswered questions.

Hotels are clearly focusing on marketing as a major source of revenue in this day and age. HEBS Digital (Hospitality eBusiness Strategies) is an online blog and eMarketing refuge for those in the hospitality industry. With statistics and research to support the growing advertising claims, they give light to major opportunities in marketing on the internet.

POS systems are what keep the hotel industry operating smoothly. Technology such as this allow for employees to provide speedy and quality service as well as maintaing sales records and important data. These systems are necessary for maintaining proper documentation of guests, length of stay, rates, presences, contact information, credit card data, etc. Without a unified system, information would be much harder to store and locate when needed.

Securing the data of your guests in the hospitality industry is a major priority. Your guests are trusting that all information collected by your staff is managed and stored in a secure setting. Radiant Systems is a company revolutionizing this concept and validates its technology by meeting all requirements of both payment card and payment application data security standards. This information collected will give validation to consumers, that their information is kept under wraps for private use only. Staying current and having up to date technology is very important in our industry and without software and applications such as the data security programs by Radiant Systems customers won't hand their cherished information over so easily.

This article is a great resource for prospective employees to read through. Netiquette is becoming just as important as general etiquette. The web is more and more evident in society every single day. Hoteliers are required to practice and teach proper netiquette to their employees but a hopeful with these skills learned before training will stand out inevitably. It explains the 7 factors: control your own presence, terms and conditions, keep tabs on yourself, emailing in the office, sharing is caring, remember where you are and who you are, and finally be smart. These are all easy ways to keep track of proper netiquette in the hospitality industry.

In every business communication is key. Communication connects employees to managers, customers to sales reps and so on. Without a core communication system in place for businesses in hospitality industry, they will fail. Each business must be able to effectively put in place a process that will relay messages effortlessly from sender to receiver.

In the hospitality industry, the main focus is customer satisfaction and providing great service. Providing quality services to guests more often then not means physically taking items to patrons, escorting them somewhere et cetera. Mobility is key to providing services to guests and it is important to communicate between staff within the hotel in order to keep track of employees and their whereabouts. Dated technology, such as loud and brick sized walkie talkies, were becoming hindrances to the effort in providing exceptional service. New wireless communication technology can make communications between employees more efficient and less intrusive on guests. Minimizing the amount of background nonsense they hear will surely improve their view on service in the hotel industry.

Social media is a huge part of life now for most everyone, and clearly the hospitality and tourism industry is adapting their marketing techniques in order to benefit from these mass communication websites. One of the important facts to understand is that much of online marketing has become "viral". Viral marketing in a nutshell is a mass blast of promotions via video, articles, blogs etc. The major benefits to viral marketing are that these promotions can be forwarded, commented on, reviewed and then easily shared with others. A tag, a bookmark, a link posted to any of the major sites markets these promotions at a speed that the industry is now getting accustomed to. Social media has also allowed the marketers to realize their strengths and weaknesses by reading and watching reviews of what they have to offer. In a nutshell, social media is a major benefit to the tourism industry and with viral marketing being utilized can boost the industry and benefit tourism as a whole.