I found this interesting interview of Tina Hoang-To by Jeanette Mulvey. Tina describes what led to the creation of Wedding Spot (the stress of her own wedding) and the growth her company is continually experiencing.  Wedding Spot allows couples to browse, price and compare wedding venues around their preferred location, eliminating the stress of having to visit a high number of different places in order to get of quote. As she described it, I realized it was very similar to what Yelp does for restaurants and bars.  I am not currently planning a wedding but I went browsing through the website and in my opinion this can prove to be an invaluable tool for brides and grooms to be as it saves them time and reduces their stress. It also has a feature that allows users to set a budget.  As more venues join Wedding Spot, I am sure it is only a matter of time before it is a necessary first step to planning a wedding and choosing a venue. 

This short article reminded me of the example given in class by Professor Cilli of the how FIU is trying to improve the way they track student attendance to certain events.  I think it's interesting that Eventbrite information will now be used in political campaigns. I believe the way information will be regularly up to date is a great way to track participants and always have the correct, relevant information on them. 

I found this article to be really interesting as it explains the use of technology in spas. There are many benefits to using such systems in the spa industry. The link between PMS and the spa booking system improves relations with clients, and increases the likelihood of clients returning to a spa where they have previously felt welcomed and valued. I must admit that I am not a big fan of the 360 view of guests' profile that this technology promotes, I feel like it is an invasion of privacy of some sort. However, I understand that some guests appreciate when their preferences are met each time they visit a spa. At the end of the day, the use of spa management systems is a great way for spas to drive up the revenue and maximize their profits.

Introducing the new dining app Reserve. It creates a seamless dining experience by storing a customer's credit card info upon reservation and immediately charging it once the meal is completed, also charging the customers' preferred tip. That way customers do not have to wait for the back and forth that occurs once they are done with their meal and servers collect payment. While the idea seems amazing, I am worried about the safety of storing people's credit card information on this app.  I also think that with the tipping already pre-included, the incentive on the wait staff's part to deliver great service is diminished. It is also a negative for the client because even if they are not satisfied with the service (or on the other hand if they feel that their server went above and beyond), they are not able to adjust the pre-arranged tip accordingly.  I do think that it is a great way for restaurants to make a nice profit through bids for "highly-sought-after reservations" because people will be more willing to spend a lot to to ensure they get a table at fancier restaurants. 

This is a great article highlighting the cons of of cloud-based PMS. In India, the infrastructure is not developed enough for hotels to rely on a cloud-based PMS. While the hotel industry is slowly adopting things such as mobile check-in, there is great hesitation to adopt the cloud-based PMS. The Internet in India is not reliable therefore it would not be efficient for hotels to send all their data to the cloud. In the event of an outage, the hotels would not be able to operate. There are also many concerns over data security; Indian hotels are worried about transferring secure information to an "unknown" place. Yet, individualized properties are looking forward to centralizing PMS and perhaps embracing cloud-based PMS in the near future. Only time will tell how long it will take the Indian hotel industry to become more technology oriented. 

I found this article of the rise of e-commerce in Kenya very interesting. We have been discussing GDS and e-commerce from an American point of view and it is great to note that African countries are also taking note of the importance of catering to customers through e-commerce.  Kenya's hospitality industry understands that more people travel nowadays than ever before, and the industry also understand that most customers prefer to book online on their own. The author of the article suggests and predicts that hospitality companies in Kenya will be capitalizing on the growth of Internet and mobile penetration in Africa. 

National Geographic designed a rigorous program to select the hotels they felt were aiming to satisfy guests while promoting the natural and cultural heritage of a region, as well as focusing on the environment.  This is a short article that briefly describes the selection process and lists the hotels that have "passed the test".  I found the three main questions posed by NatGeo to be very pertinent.  I am sure that as NatGeo launches the promotional campaign for the properties that made the list, others will want to join this select group. These other lodges and hotels will thus adjust their practices and policies, and essentially become greener and more focused on protecting and sustaining the environment. 

Hotels around the world are looking for way to cut unnecessary expenses and costs, and are increasingly turning to technology to find a solution to this problem. InvoTech Systems, Inc. has introduced RFID to the JW Marriott Hotel Santo Domingo (in the Dominican Republic) in order to keep track of linens and staff uniforms. RFID (radio-frequency identification) is a growing method in the hospitality industry to collect, store and manage data. All losses will now be accounted for and that will reduce the purchase of replacement uniforms and linens. It is a great way to increase revenue as the hotel will be able to allocate more funds to other pressing matters such as making guests' stay more enjoyable; funds that previously would have had to be disbursed to replace missing linens and uniforms. Also, thanks to handheld readers, this technology is portable and the software seems to be fairly user-friendly.