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This article discusses 10 robots that are helping to revolutionize the restaurant industry. These robots are really making an impact in the food and beverage industry by stepping in and filling workforce gaps due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The article mentioned that even though these robots have the ability to replace humans, it's very unlikely that will be happening anytime soon. Furthermore, a majority of these robotic systems are still quite expensive and are intended to work alongside human employees so they can "focus on more complex tasks." If you are interested in salad making robots, pizza robots, and my personal favorite the fully automated micro-cafe that creates coffee, then this will be a great read.

This article discusses 10 robots that are automating the restaurant industry. There are robots that make cocktails, pizza, burgers, coffee, ice cream, etc. Business are starting to discover the benefits of using robots to improve their productivity. Since the pandemic began, these robots have become increasingly used and all industries have started to take notice. In the future, it is likely that new generation technologies like these will replace front line workers.

With many clients desiring to stay in "green" hotels, the industry is currently looking for ways to slash waste and promote sustainable practices. Hotels are now conscious of the impact they are having on the environment, and they are looking to minimize this impact.

Hilton Americas-Houston has implemented a surveillance system with cutting edge technology from 3Vr Security to provide guests with the best in hotel security and customer service. With 3VR it would be possible to find surveillance footage in couple of seconds. Alan Moore, director of security and life safety for Hilton Americas-Houston claims "I've never seen anything that is able to do the things this technology does; it's light-years ahead of the system we previously used." This new technology will give the hotel a competitive advantage by increasing customer service. For example when it comes to lost and found if a bag was misplaced it can be found very quickly by searching based on color and item. The system recognizes faces that are not guests. Among other uses of the system are counting arriving vehicles, monitoring all accidents including vehicle accidents in the garage that can be useful information for a guest when it comes to insurance purposes.

Point of sale systems are utilized in many industries, however, it is prevalent in the hospitality industry. Point of Sale Systems is also referred to as Point of Service. A POS system encompasses various hardware and software such as touch screen display, barcode scanners, cash registers, scales, and receipt printers. Improvements in technology such as POS have made cash registers, paper tapes and journal tapes almost obsolete. During the late 80's and 90's credit card processing was implemented making it easier for customers to easily transact business with operations. Today hospitality POS systems are among the most sophisticated, powerful and user friendly networks. Many POS systems are fully integrated so managers can track inventory, sales, rental services, accounting and customer relation management. Depending on the size of the hospitality facility, management may be primarily concerned with implementing POS systems. Some o f the questions pertaining to POS that managers may have include: a) How many POS terminals do I need? b) Should I run credit cards through my POS system? c) Which style of computer is best for my facility? d) Do I need pole displays or customer displays? e) Should I have a back office computer?

Travelers prefer to stay at green hotels. Major corporations such as Marriott, Hyatt, and Hilton & Starwood are looking for ways to integrate green into their hotels while conserving water and energy. Not only is the focus on going green going to impact the environment but also will impact the bottom line which is the dollars. This article shows how the Hyatt Regency McCormick Place in Chicago, Illinois has been able to go green to benefit both the company and the environment. The amount of items they are able to recycle is amazing; it is great that the company can also focus on the disposal of foods. As we continue to focus on the environment, more and more companies will continue to find ways to help reduce cost while protecting the environment. At the Walt Disney World Resort, guest can tour facilities and are educated on how the company impacts the environment through their recycling programs worldwide.

This article talks about the Hyatt Regency McCormick Place and the different steps they have taken to Go Green. They have significantly reduced their water and electricity consumption with the "When not in use, turn off the juice" project. Along with saving water and energy, they have also begun recycling. They recycle, paper, plastic, cardboard, light bulbs and the list goes on. They are also taking the time to educate their employees as well. "To encourage participation in programs such as 'When Not in Use, Turn Off the Juice,' employee awareness days are held. Compact fluorescent light bulbs are given to employees to help them save energy at home." The hotel has a green team who meet quarterly to continue growing in their sustainability initiatives. The Hyatt Regency McCormick Place is Green Key certified and has been recognized and awarded for their Green efforts.

In this article by USA Today, David Grossman stresses the importance of recycling everything from plastic, to aluminum, even to grocery bags. In California, not only do they recycle the usual newspapers and bottles, but they also dispose of batteries, light bulbs and other hazardous materials that could do extra damage on the environment. Across the country hotels are taking basic measures to protect the environment by maximizing the recycling of towels, and bed linens, but in this article Grossman goes into great detail about the different hotels across the country that has taken extra measures to "go green". For example, The Kimpton Hotels based in San Francisco has equipped every room in in the 40 hotels nationwide with recycle bins and installed water-efficiency faucets, toilets, and efficient lighting. They also have implemented the use of non-toxic cleaners which not only benefits the environment, but also the employees because they are not constantly handling harsh chemicals and ammonia based cleaners. Like the Kimpton hotel, the orchard hotel in San Francisco has replaced these same dangerous cleaners with biodegradable cleansers made of fruit based essences. They have also added low emissions wallpaper and carpets, along with a key card control system that shuts off the electricity when guests leave. By hotels across the country doing their part, we can slowly eliminate the negative effects on the environment.

I agree with the different conservation methods because we have limited resources in the world, and we need to protect them.

I believe eco-friendly practices are necessary in today's world, especially in the hospitality industry, and the writer addresses very valid points. My question is this: is this practical for the industry as a whole? When do we come to the point that we need every hotel to be completely "green"? Over the years, being eco-friendly has become more prevalent across the board, but how do you encourage travelers to consistently be green? For that matter, how do the hotels with primarily transient stays (1-2 night stays) stay afloat in the battle to stay green? They are constantly using large amounts of resources required to clean and maintain their respective property, and constantly having new guests.

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!

This article gave me a different perspective as to how the GDS system has affected the airline industry.  According to The Economist, the airlines chronic unprofitability is due to two strategic errors of their own doing. One was to stop paying direct commission to travel agents and the other was to set the reservations systems free. Despite their best efforts airlines are now having very hard time getting travelers to bypass GDS agents and come to their websites. A majority of the profit margins in the travel business are seen by the GDS systems and airlines are left footing the bill. In hopes of resolving this problem, the airlines international association is working what is called "new distribution capability." Through use of this service it would become easier for travel agents to utilize computer systems that would deal directly with the airlines. However, ambitious IT projects have failed hundreds of different times across hundred of different industries and getting the airlines to agree to make such a dramatic change in IT would be a daunting task. Both the airlines and GDSs argue they hold the true consumer advantage.  On one hand, airlines are able to provide flyers with personally tailored service, while on the other, the GDSs allow customers to compare flights for the best value. Whether it be the airlines or the GDSs that prevail, the future of travel is now online. 

This article discusses how Shift4 POS provider and Service Tracking Systems for valet parking have come together to integrate their two systems to make it possible for guests to be charged for valet parking directly to their room folio, instead of splitting up the two charges, which is making it easier for the guests and management on a day to day basis.

This is a really good implementation for hotels. By charging the parking fee to the rooms, it is not necessary for guests to worry about whether they have cash or not. It also saves the time for passing the exit of the hotel.

The added convenience of this feature is great. It is suprising that this has not been in place longer. It seems like a no brainer since hotels have been able to direct bill a room for dinner for so long. Next they should direct bill the tip for the bag courier so you do not need to tip him at the door. Once a guest accepts help to his/her room, the "delivery" fee could be charged directly to the room. This removes the need for a service evaluation when you have just arrived at a hotel. The tip amount could be tasteful revealed to the guest so there are no suprizes.

After September 2011 alot of changes have occured in airline and airports throughout the world. TSA has purchased, trained, and introduced innovative machinery that can easily detect authorized items inside luggages. The US governement have spend alot of money also to simply protect the nation from terrorists and any form on violence especially in the hospitality and tourism industry. Alot of th airlines have changed the way they used to operate before the attacks; for instance food is no longer served on airplanes, and more fees are charged for luggages and definitely more screening in airport terminals. The introduction of air marshalls and new machinery have definitely changed the perspective of traveling nowadays, travelers have to wait longer to be screened and to even get out of the plane after the plane have landed at its destination. On a positive note, everything that have changed is for our own safety as citizen of the US and i personally believe moew things should be implemented if it can only improve the way we are being protected.

Hospitality point of sales systems are computerized systems incorporating registers, computers and peripheral equipment, usually on a computer network. Like other point of sale systems, these systems keep track of sales, labor and payroll, and can generate records used in accounting and book keeping. They may be accessed remotely by restaurant corporate offices, troubleshooters and other authorized parties. Point of sales systems have revolutionized the restaurant industry, particularly in the fast food sector. In the most recent technologies, registers are computers, sometimes with touch screens. The registers connect to a server, often referred to as a "store controller" or a "central control unit." Printers and monitors are also found on the network. Additionally, remote servers can connect to store networks and monitor sales and other store data. Newer, more sophisticated, systems are getting away from the central database "file server" type system and going to what is called a "cluster database". This eliminates any crashing or system downtime that can be associated with the back office file server. This technology allows 100% of the information to not only be stored, but also pulled from the local terminal. Thus eliminating the need to rely on a separate server for the system to operate. The efficiency of such systems has decreased service times and increased efficiency of orders. Another innovation in technology for the restaurant industry is Wireless POS. Many restaurants with high volume use wireless handheld POS to collect orders which are sent to a server. The server sends required information to the kitchen in real time.

Nowadays, the Point of Sales system is very important not only in hotels but also in any kind of business. The popular reason is that the POS is convenient, fast and promptly. The POS could be changed neatly. It will make the cashier compute for the expenses and costs more efficiently. The data used by the POS has been applied connection through the Internet. The customers could register by their private computer quickly. The POS also connect many kinds of service aspects that include restaurant, housekeeping, receiption and so on. It will make the whole system operate more integrate.

This article is based on the Boston Marathon bombing and talk about the security in hotel. In hospitality industry, it's easy to be in danger because the staffs are trained to please the potential consumers in order to not be complaint. The best way is to install more security facilities, like install cameras, corporate with police. One more advise in this article is the staff should be trained to pick up and investigate unattended bags or luggage, I think that isn't a good idea because like what I said, the hospitality staff don't like being complaint.

Google glass has provided the opportunity to explore more efficient ways to process air travelers. SITA, the air transport's IT provider, has quickly produced the first app to do so with wearable technology. The glasses are worn by the security agent and used to compare and legitimize the security documents used for travel. While the technology is not yet fast enough to be put to practical use and remains quite expensive, it is certain that price and quality will improve in the future and provide value to the air transport industry.

This article illustrates the various changes in security protocols. Due to the 2017 mass shooting in Las Vegas, hotels such as the Caesars are implementing new policies, including disregarding guests' "Do Not Disturb" signs and checking the rooms once every 24 hours. Despite the policy stating that the hotel will only check visually the bedroom and bathroom, guests have complained that hotel officials have photographed and filmed their rooms and came in when they are dressing. In addition, the most alarming news is the guests complain that the hotel officials that barge in won't provide any identification and the guests have no way to call the front desk to ensure the hotel officials are who they say they are. For men it's a concern for privacy, for women it's a concern for safety. Even more of a concern, Katie Moussouris, CEO of Luta Security, claimed that hotel officials said they will share the photos on their Snapchat. Many guests have stated they will no longer return to Las Vegas for conferences.

This article takes a look at 3 to 5 star hotels in Zimbabwe and South Africa and their environmentally friendly practices. Research shows that the hotel industry has a huge impact on the environment and the use of natural resources. The hotel industry has been negatively impacting the environment by consuming large amount of energy and water, and by producing large amounts of waste. The government has been demanding that hotels implement green practices, these are methods and products that do not negatively impact the environment. The results from the data collected from these two countries showed that none of the hotels had a written green management policy. Even though some of the hotels insisted that there is a green management policy in effect, it was not written down. It is important for policies like this to be written so there is a clear understanding of what is expected.

It seems the main motivation to implement more eco-friendly practices would be legislation/regulation but I wonder how that would be received? Outside the hotel industry,. I wonder how much focus is generally given to environmental concerns? Interesting research.

In regards to Module 2: Post a hospitality/tourism network, telecommunications, or green related article, I chose to post about a green related article and found an awesome article of "Eight Ways Hotels Are Helping To Protect The Environment." In honor of the past April 22's Earth Day, the article displayed the examples for some of the hotels in the United States that were committed to aid in preserving the environment for the hoteliers and guests alike to keep sustainability strong for the respective hospitality companies as well as travelers who are striving to travel with eco-friendly options. Located in Oahu, Hawaii, the Turtle Bay Resort is home to an on-property horse stable, tennis and golf courses, a 15 mile hiking/mountain biking trails, many health conscious classes such as fitness, wellness, and even a surf school. With its advantageous beach location, water adventures such as eco-kayaking, snorkeling, and swimming enable guests to view many of the natural resources, mammals, and endangered species that visit along the shores of the resort. With all of the above activities, it is crucial for this resort to take especially good care of the natural resources that benefit the resort by attracting guests. With that being said, the resort team members initiate beach cleanups every month for about 5 miles of the beach's shoreline. As well, back in 2009, the resort developed a Green Committee to plan and map out methods to reduce the resort's carbon footprint. Some examples of this was adding solar roof panels, convert 70% of the resort's lighting to Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs, initiated recycling for the entire resort, and changed cups utilized at the F&B outlets to environmental friendly options. Located in Leesburg, Virginia, The National Conference Center's food and beverage program partnered with local Virginia Farms to source their food from local farmers to enhance the consumer's yearning for the farm-to-table cuisine. For Earth Day, the company i

Even though the wine industry was once considered more of a "boy's club", woman are now leading the way in the growing Natural Wine Movement as a market dedicated to organic ingredients and sustainable practices continues to emerge. This is largely due to the fact that women outnumber men as the lead consumer of wine in both retail and restaurant bottle purchases, as well as several studies that suggest that woman eat/drink more nutritiously than their male counterparts. This has led to organic and biodynamic wines growing at rates between 10 percent and 20 percent per year in volume from 2013 to 2016, and organic vineyards almost tripling word wide over the last decade. Being in charge of the Beverage Ordering and Menu Creation at my restaurant, I have seen first hand the increase demand for organic and biodynamic wines. It has become so prevalent that I have begun printing menus with asterisks to highlight which of our wines fall into either of these categories. According to a Mintel Study, 60 percent of millennials and 55 percent of Gen-Xers are concerned about harmful ingredients in their food and groceries. With millennials constituting for 36 percent of wine consumers, according to a report by Beverage Dynamics, it is a essential that both the restaurant and wine industries continue to cater and adept to our consumers wants and needs. It would only make sense that Women are the ones leading this growing trend, as they constitute the majority of the market for it as well.

This article highlights the topic of Data Mining and the way in which companies use it to become informed and discover new ways to become more effective. Data Mining can be used to increase revenue, cut costs and identify growing trends. This article will feature key examples from major companies such as Oracle, Wal-Mart and the NBA, all of which use Data Mining to enhance their business performance. 

This article explains how devices like Disney's MagicBand technology might become a tracking device during your vacation.