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Very interesting article here regarding the habits of hotels guests who used mobile devices during travel. It opened my mind to how dependent on this technology we are. The project was completed by Four Points by Sheraton, a brand by Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide, Inc. Over the duration of the experiment, 6,000 people were polled. What I found to be the most interesting fact in this study was that the majority of us use 3 - 4 mobile devices whenever we travel. If you think to when you were younger, you had your walkman and the hotel phone.

When we travel we just grab all of our electronics and hit the road not even thinking about how many different items we are taking with us and why. This is exactly why at airports people get so aggravated waiting at security lines; people have to take each item out of their bag to go through the x-ray machine. Now if we would just leave 2 of the 4 items at home the time it takes to get through security would be cut in half!

The article goes over the 8 habits of effective hotel investors. The CEO of Pebblebrook Hotel Trust has cultivated a high-value portfolio of distinct upscale properties in multiple markets around the country. He says they are different from other investment groups because they use their money to promote properties that have unique features instead of investing in properties that are in obvious hot markets. The article goes into Portland being an interesting market for "weird" properties that can give the buyer a unique experience for their lives. Another good habit for hotel investors is being able to see upgrade opportunities. This is great way to put money back in the business while drawing more guests.

Earlier his week I learned about Proximity Marketing and I am not certain if I like the idea.  According to this article written by Romanov, Proximity Marketing "combines the digital and physical worlds in a new way, offers many advantages to both consumers and retailers. It's an agile ad strategy that allows merchants to make changes on the fly to improve message effectiveness and reach sales targets on specific items. It provides amazing consumer insights." Sounds like a great concept; it uses mobile devices, which most people have, to send an alert once shoppers are within range advising that bargains are available.  The consumer then has the choice to accept (or not) the message, which could be a simple discount or even an interactive game.  The consumer's privacy is protected as it is at no cost to them.  This can potentially increase retailer sales, at a lower costs, and produces data on consumer buying habits.  Win-Win. The issue I have with this is the overall multitude of alerts received from various retails.  I am not concerned about privacy issues; it is more of an annoyance issue. 

I actually like this idea because I shop aimlessly. When I'm in the radius of a sale I get excited!!. It makes it easy to choose which store I will go into. It will be great if you can turn the alert on and off. On days I'm not shopping I don't want the alerts to go off. That can be distracting and annoying.

The article discusses the advantages that the electronic accounting systems could provide for the restaurants. Restaurant accounting has some difficult aspects due to the great number of suppliers that can bring the monthly number of invoices well over thousands. Suppliers also operate on a very thin margin, making the timely accounts payment management essential. Along with electronic accounts management, these systems also provide an opportunity to precisely calculate costs of every dish to make sure the widest margins are gained. Despite the traditionalist habits in the restaurant industry, electronic accounting systems become more widely spread as a convenient alternative to paper bookkeeping. The restauranteurs appreciate the pros of electronic accounting as they see that their competitors are turning to them.

Location based advertising is proven to be very effective. Brands can connect with customers in the area, offer discounts/sales, engage with them and collect data about buying habits and demographics.

Yum Brands, which runs restaurants KFC, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell and Habit Burger, is integrating technology-centric solutions across its four brands around the world, which could result in an acceleration of disruptive technologies on a large scale. This Digital Innovation Lab then adds information from thousands of Yum Brand restaurants into a cloud facility. The information includes closed-circuit tv from a restaurant's drive-thru and point-of-sale or drive-thru audio. Hundreds of startups then get access to the data to compare their technologies in the lab. They're able to use that information to create more automated services like artificial intelligence, computer vision and the Internet of Things. Yum's idea is by improving automation back of house, employees can focus more time on customer-facing tasks, resulting in more speed and accuracy.

This article introdeced that GrandStay Hotels selected ZDirect for its eMarketing. This toolwill enable each property to send eletronic guest comfirmations, pre-arrival email promotions, psot-stay satisfaction surveys. It also can help to establish twp-way communication between the hotel and guests. GrandStay will use ZDirect to manage custom databases, optimize dilivery rates, create w-questionaires, analyze ststistical reports, and use purchasing habits and shopping preferences to attract the best customers, and so on.

As GDS technology has taken place in the past 2 decades in hospitality in dustry, a branch of it, mobile technology, is also showing its great potencial. Now more and more people can not live without mobile and mobile could be very useful when people are on their vacation like planning and booking hotel or airlines. Besides "pure" mobile devices, tablets also generately damatical revenue for hotel industry. As a result, hoteliers should notice those trends in customers purchasing habits and make a new maketing plan in a SoLoMo(Social, Local, Mobile) world, considering how to best utilize SoLoMo to engage their guests and generate incremental revenues.

FBI issues warning to people traveling abroad that free Wi-Fi systems can pose a threat. Malware and other attacks on hotel wi-fi has become a bigger and bigger threat for hotel internet users.  This artical introduced 9  tips to use wi-fi safely.  1. Update Before Leaving 2. Block Pop-Ups  3. Handle Free Wi-Fi With Caution 4. Read Hotel Wi-Fi Directions 5. VPN Tunneling Secures Free Wi-Fi  6. Download Software Updates Directly From Vendors 7. Beware Wired Hotel Connections 8. Consider Using A "Burner" Laptop  9. Don't Be Afraid To Hibernate  All these tips indicate that to use internet safely, we should be alter to potential risks, be wise and have a good habit when access internet. 

With smartphones evlving and getting smarter, smaller and speedier it is allowing for advances in mobile point-of-sale technology especially in the restaurant industr. There are now numerous POS platforms that support both iPhone as well as android. Tablets and iPads are also supported so that restaurants can process payments in the field with a credit card reader. Traditionally POS have been very costly and structured; now with mobile technology the flexibility is convenient, fast and user friendly. New applications allow restaurants to store customer spending patterns without retaining their personal credit card information. the use of smartphones also opens up very exciting opportunities when it comes to business-consumer communication. Restaurants can send text messages containg discounted coupons to their establishments. The key is to not over do it as customers may become annoyed with too many text messages. This article delat mainly with the restaurant industry but did mention the evolution of technological advances with the use of smart phones. Form personal experience I have used my iphone and ipad to conduct credit card transactions utilzing squareD which provides free of charge a mobile credit card swiper that is connected to the microphone port of either the iphone or Ipad. there is not monthly contract or fee. The only charge is 2.5% per settled credit card transaction and the amount is automatically deducted from the batched amount and within 1-2 business days the funds are deposited directly into ones checking/savings account. This is convenient, fast, and easy. I have been able to secure payment right on the spot instead of either handling cash which is always a ahzard or the risk of accepting checks. the use of smartphones and tbalets have revolutionozed the way business is being conducted making it fast, easy, and convenient to both cutomer and busoness owner alike.

This article mainly talk about new technology has changed people's social habits and relationship current years. Mobile will increasingly prompt consumers to interact with their physical environment. We take the convenience of our pocket powerhouses for granted for us. However, for the most people who is in the developing world, these devices are hard to get access. Therefore, mobile technologies in 2012 will free to more people and save lives. The fast growing power and great convenience of mobile devices will give you more choices to accomplish task.

People use Smartphone more frequency, the Mobile POS system will bring more convenient for the customers. In this article, through mobile POS, the waiter can log orders on a smartphone that zip back to the kitchen at 4G speed-the technology also has service-oriented benefits for quick serves. The mobile POS will help restaurant to get some data from customers, and get the customers' spending and buying habits. And restaurant also can send the coupons to customers based on their habits and interests.In the future the mobile paying will be a lot faster than plastic card.

Green Initiative by Hilton Hotel Hotels as well as other service industries are looking for new ways to run more efficiently and looking to nature to give them some ideas. The latest in green technology is allowing hotels to push the eco-envelope and create energy efficient roof systems that also help the environment, and provide a visually beautiful space for their guests to enjoy. Hilton Hotel chain recently constructed Hilton Baltimore to break records with their proactive "green" policy, by creating garden to cover the entire roof, which Hilton looks upon as a commitment to the community and environment- a top level priority which stems from the top at the corporate level and is implemented down to the property level. This kind of innovation benefits all the major stakeholders…….it helps the environment by reducing rain water run-off, creates habitants for birds to thrive, helps to keep the hotel cool thereby reducing utility expense, it also provides a conducive atmosphere for the guest to enjoy and above all it generates good will for Hilton Hotels. This is not just happening in the U.S. Hotels around the globe are choosing to guide their business towards efficiency utilizing green roof technology. Besides recycling, and purchasing 'Green Sustainable Energy Credits' for 50% of the energy it utilizes annually, InterContinental Chicago hotel initiated "waste minimization" with a program that donates table scraps and leftover foods to local farms or composting sites. They have also introduced 'Green Weddings' and 'Green Meetings' options for event planners, bicycle rentals, organic wines and foods, and distribute seeds to employees to encourage giving back to the environment.

Because of increasing demand, China has been one of the fastest developing markets for Meru--an American wireless network provider. The company expects that its revenues in the Asia-Pacific region will double in the next two to three years. The company thinks that China's education industry could be a safe place to find profits and the rapid-growing hospitality industry in China is likely to become another gold mine. It is estimated that China's five-star hotels could exceed 1000 by 2015. However, China has a habit of adopting its own communication standards so that overseas communication network providers seem to have trouble adapting to the different industry standards. Therefore, Meru has reached a decision to cooperate with China's telecom carriers to better develop the market.

At the 2010 International Hotel, Motel and Restaurant Show (IHMRS) held in New York, Orion by VanCard cooped the green initiative for its in-room management system. This technology is very welcome as many hotels struggle with the astronomical cost of energy consumption, especially when they are experiencing low occupancy and rooms have to be maintained for longevity. How this system works is that though its wireless online locks, room temperature is controlled. This can also work for lights as well. Vacant rooms are set at a standard temperature, one a guest is checked in the front desk alerts the system and the room temp is adjusted for the arrival of the guest. Once the guest leaves the room the temperature is once again adjusted, This is a great initiative as, though many guest display social consciousness of energy conservation, they don't always have the habit and discipline to go along with this. So to have their movements tracked and adjust room temperature is great news for hoteliers. The only challenge or question I have regarding this system is if it has the capability to personalize room temperature setting. For example if my temperature preference is outside of the set zone, how can this be addressed. often times in hotels guest may asked about adjusting temp and are told that its a centralized system that cannot be adjusted. They in turn open windows and doors that is counter to this initiative. Nonetheless the cost saving that can be derived for this system is huge in terms of energy conservation and less negative impact of global warming.

This system really helps the hotels to save energy and costs. When I check-in in a hotel, the room temperature is top three things that I concern of a hotel. When I'm in the room, I like to adjust the temperature to a really low degree so that the room is cooled down really quickly.Then when I leave my room, I always forget to adjust it back. Therefore, there are a lot of energy being wasted before I come back to my room again. This system helps to control the room temperature and save energy and cut costs. There's one thing I need to mention is that this system must be maintained carefully and based on daily routine. Otherwise the repairing costs or even the replacing costs would be tremendous. The other good thing about the system also communicates with other in-room systems like the lock system which means they can be integrated and operated in the same online platform.

This is so true. This is defiantly a good system since it is difficult to control the habits of the guess. They are really not thinking about cost impact. I agree that maintenance of the system is critical.

This is a comprehensive instruction to the business travelers who always go to the hotel.Although the hotel plays a relative important role in making the hotel greener, we could not ignore that the guests can also make great contribution to help achieve the goal. But some of the suggestions is not feasible for all the guests since they have their own habits in preparing for travel package.For example, they may prefer to use the shampoo provided by the hotel instead of using their own.

According to the article, Starwood Hotels and Resorts has appointed Martha Poulter as the new Chief of Information Officer. CEO, Frits van Paasschen claims that Martha's significant experience in leading a large global IT organization will be very beneficial to the company. She will help the company stay up to pace with the quickly changing technological habits of Starwood's guests. When she steps into her new position on June 23, 2014, Martha will be responsible for leading a seasoned group of IT specialists that are well integrated in virtually every aspect of the business including all of Starwood's brands and global operations. Starwood is looking forward to what Martha has to provide for the company's future.

This weekend at the National Restaurant Association conference Coca-Cola has unveiled a Bluetooth enabled fountain drink machine. The beverage market is highly competitive and Coke thinks that Smartphone ordering could give them an advantage. The previous version of this machine which is installed in 50,000 locations used an app and QR codes for ordering. The new Freestyle 9100 relies on Bluetooth and has other capabilities that are not yet activated including a microphone for voice ordering. This machine will allow guests to customize their beverages and is expected to build more meaningful customer relationships between them and the brand. A stronger relationship could lead to more purchases. Coca-cola will also gain valuable insight on their consumers drinking habits, the original iteration of the machine reported a popular combination of sprite and cherry soda, Coke has now introduced this mix in packaged form. I think that this technology has so far proven that it brings Coke closer to their consumers and simplifying the use process by going from an app to Bluetooth will only make it more accessible to consumers.