The author of this article, Tara Thomas, summarizes the top five technologies for event planners. The first technology that she mentions is smart phones. She writes that this is the most obvious technology that event planners can't live without. Planners can do things like set alarms, look up information, communicate instantly, and use social media to promote the event. The second technology that Thomas mentions is SaaS cloud applications. Software as a service allows planners to access all details and execution aspects of an event from any web enabled device, eliminating printed or emailed reports. Thirdly, Thomas talks about virtual events. Virtual events save the planner and the attendee valuable time, money, and resources. Thomas next talks about social media and viral marketing. Using sites like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn to share event details is a great way to communicate to a very large group of people. The fifth and last technology that Thomas speaks of is Ipads and tablets. Through event management applications, planners have all of the information they could possibly need right at their fingertips. Ipads and tablets also make it possible to communicate in real time if needed.

The author of this article, Jitendra Jain, talks about how there are many things to promote in hotels beyond rooms, yet there is not many e-marketers venturing into the world of hotels beyond rooms. A wide range of food and beverage options, spa, sports, and recreation are just a few of the perks that hotels offer. He explains that in the Middle East, dining in some hotels can contribute nearly half of the hotel revenue, giving the food and beverage department a loftier position than properties elsewhere. Revenues like this from food and beverage outlets are unheard of in North America and Europe, making it imperative to promote and sell other areas of the hotel. Jain goes on to outline a few ideas to comprise a good e-marketing strategy. They consist of starting off on the right foot, reaching the right people at the right time and in the right manner, capturing new customers, creating a buzz, making things interactive, tracking correctly, refining, and repeating.

After the tragic events of September 11th, 2001, the travel business was damaged for many years. Profits became much lower in the hotel business, but were not nearly as bad as airline profits. As a result, many larger hotel chains began innovation on their websites in order to streamline promotions, advertising, reservations and bookings. In the hotel industry, there are individuals who create hotel technology platforms and there are IT professionals that make sure they work properly when needed. Some of these IT professionals, for smaller businesses, work from remote locations. At larger hotels, however, they are often times required to be onsite. Onsite IT professionals are an important part of the hotel's staff. Some hotels, however, assign IT duties to hotel management, as well as other key employees, in order to not have to invest the salary of an IT manager. The author of this article, Christine Cadena, states that it is a better idea to invest in an IT manager with specific education and training, than just assigning duties to hotel management. She also touches on how many hotel chains fail to promote education and certification in IT, resulting in hotel managers learning the IT processes by trial and error or hands on experiences. As the hotel industry continues to recover, there has been an emphasis on improving technology onsite. Many hotel managers, however, are lacking the education necessary to help with technological improvement. When hotels begin to invest more in IT education and certification, they should see an improvement in levels of service, as well as profits.

This article begins by stating that the hospitality industry is one of the hardest for entrepreneurs to enter, and that one of the most important parts of opening a new restaurant is the installation of a good P.O.S. system. A point of sale system essentially performs all of the functions of a traditional cash register, but offers many more functions, as well. The author states that a P.O.S. system will improve a restaurant in many ways. These include improved margins, increased sales, better inventory tracking, and reduced operating costs. Improving margins is very important. When employees are using a traditional register, they can ring up items for any price. When using a P.O.S. however, prices are assigned, assuring that all items are rung up for the correct price, thus improving margins. P.O.S. systems also help control inventory. When an item is rung up using a P.O.S. system, it is taken out of inventory, so we know exactly what we sold and if we need to replace it. By knowing specific inventory, it is easier to better manage capital. P.O.S. systems also help to increase sales. By doing things such as integrating credit card transactions and printing receipts, sales can be processed faster, which in turn increases sales. The last point that this article touches on is how P.O.S. systems reduce operating costs. P.O.S. systems conveniently replace many things that the restaurant owner previously had to pay someone to do. Some of these things include year end counts, payroll, sorting through receipts at the end of the night, and meeting with the accountants. P.O.S. systems also reduce re-ticketing, with communication from servers to cooks done primarily through printed tickets.

Heritage hotels and resorts, regarded for their culturally distinct hotels, made a strategic decision to leave its representation service, switch to RezView NG from Legacy CRS, and begin to use Pegasus connect for global distribution. The brand's use of the global distribution systems has yielded a 23% increase in year-to-date revenue. Heritage hotels and resorts initially left its representation service in order to renew its focus on offering its unique and independent hotels, which are tailored to the property's unique local culture. Heritage was forced to make a decision regarding how to maintain global visibility. Kathleen Cullen, who is the vice president of revenue strategies for Heritage hotels and resorts, talks about how flexibility was one of the biggest factors considered when researching the new platform. She also talks about customer service being an important factor, and how as a young company they needed to go with a business partner that would help Heritage grow their business. Pegasus' RezView NG was the first major redesign to the CRS in more than 20 years. It won several awards, and was implemented by more than 8000 properties. Cullen states that RezView NG allowed Heritage hotels to redesign their revenue management strategy, affording them the flexibility to allow their hotels to structure themselves in the best possible ways for their unique destinations. Also, Heritage chose Pegasus distribution through Pegasus connect, allowing Heritage properties to their rates, availability, and overall hotel experience to online travel agencies, corporate travel departments, and tour operators. Overall, since the implementation of these new technologies, Heritage has seen a 23% growth in revenue generated through the GDS, which further increases solid gains realized last year.

While many U.S. hotels are moving from recession style cost cutting to updating their properties, it would appear that they have become interested in a more green approach, at least in one area, laundry. The American Laundry news explains that as many hotels seek to buy new tablecloths and uniforms for their staff, they are looking for green products that can help to trim their laundering costs. One of the things that caught the interest of hoteliers is the hotel industry's first look at machine washable tuxedos for the wait staff. Cintas partnered with Boardroom Eco Apparel to produce the tuxedo, which uses recycled plastic bottles transformed into polyester fibers. Cintas has stated that this green, machine washable tuxedo can save the hotel up to $1000 per employee annually. Cintas has also garnered interest in its recycled polyester bellman's jackets, as well. Another green product that hotels can use is the recycled polyester tablecloth. These tablecloths also come from recycled bottles and are also very eco-friendly. Riegel, the company behind these, has said that just using one of their table napkins can eliminate three plastic bottles from landfills. While these tablecloths may not save the hotel money in the short run, Riegel says that the hotel can save money in the long run by pitching itself as a "green" hotel. It is important to note that hotels have been slowly switching to greener products over the years, such as energy efficient light bulbs, to recycled plastic water bottles, and even sustainable organic ingredients in restaurant kitchens.

This is an article that highlights the relationship between the hospitality industry and social media. The author, Debbie Miller, talks about how social media has enabled brands to provide personal and unique experiences to its customers, whether they are past, present, or future patrons. Miller also talks about the innovative ways that the hospitality industry is marketing itself, such as twitter, facebook, youtube, and more. Miller touches on location based loyalty, and we no longer need a stamp card, because everything can be managed to through cell phones, using applications such as foursquare. The author then goes on to talk about the fact that everyone can be a potential reviewer, and how restaurants and hotels must monitor sites such as tripadvisor and yelp. She makes a great point about how one bad experience can be posted in real time, for the world to see. The next point that Miller makes is how mobile access and video is key for hotels. She states that Hotels have a cliental that is always on the go, and that makes it important for the hotel to utilize a user friendly mobile site. Also, she talks about how hotels can use video to show potential guests all that they have to offer. Lastly, Miller moves on to talk about airlines and destinations, and how they use social media. She states that airlines have found a number of ways to use technology and social media, explaining that one airline, amidst a large words with friends debacle, used social media to clear the air. The author finishes with how destinations are using social marketing as well. She states that many destinations are now using social media sites to keep their guests informed about local events, as well as niches such as hotels, eateries, and other attractions.