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GDSs continue to lose market share so they need to step up their game to pick it back up again. With airlines and hotels constantly trying to get bookings direct they are losing out. They need to try and get their networks in sync. Companies like Sabre are trying to improve their platform to make it more user friendly and better content. The GDSs are trying to get on board as many accommodations as possible to increase the customers choosing their networks to use to book. The more bookings they get the more attractive they look to providers.

Sabre Travel Network, a large GDS company is responding to loss in lodging distribution. Sabre is accomplishing this by competing with rival GDS platforms who have made deals with booking.com. The deals have afforded rival companies such as Amadeus 30% more in accommodation traffic. Amadeus increased their market visibility by expanding their customer base for those looking for beach, resort, and leisure content. Sabre is looking to stretch their lodging distribution by normalizing data with usability studies which is help agents make faster booking decisions. The belief is that the decision will eventually expand Sabre as the default GDS platform.

According to the article, the Red Lion Hotel on the River - Jantzen Beach has implemented the GroupMAX online reservation system in order to streamline and simplify event planning for meeting professionals. Planners that choose Red Lion Hotel on the River for their event will be equipped with a powerful set of tools that include various templates and themes, libraries, bundles and customized event websites. The booking process for each event also includes a dedicated social network, which helps drive attendance and extend the event lifecycle, allowing attendees to connect before, during and after the event. An event-centric social networking option dramatically boosts the perceived value of the event. While guests enjoy the convenience of online booking and networking, meeting planners can track the progress of their events via their own set of online dashboards that provide automated email alerts and other tools helping to mitigate the difficulties of managing room blocks and bookings.

The Red Lion Hotel has implemented the GroupMAX online reservation system to streamline and simplify the event planning. For hosting the events and also using the related facilities, Red Lion has became the convention destination. Now GroupMAX may combine the housing management, communications, booking processes and logistics together and working with the hotel. Red Lion has a lot of powerful tools to guarantee the event. Also, the mobile version of booking website can be accessed from other mobile devices. Booking process for each event is more like a social network. The event will present the value. Meeting planners will track the progress of the events through the dashboards that provide automated email alerts. Those things all make sure the events going smoothly.

Now hotels have the perfect solution for managing meeting room sales and catering operations - IQbanquet, available from Deerfield Beach, Fla.-based IQware. Designed specifically for the hospitality industry, IQbanquet provides your sales and management team a suite of powerful tools to efficiently handle every aspect of your operation, saving you significant time and headaches while increasing your profitability and service levels. Nevistas Publishing (http://s.tt/1tOFU) This website reports an article about intelligent event planning. It is basically a system designed for the hotel industry to streamline processes and eliminate manual process. The great advantage of the system the ability to track previous guests and preferences from one event to the other. It also helps with contracts and documents that need to be signed and saves time as well. This type of system will assist in keeping track of emails sent and it is very intuitive as well expediting training ultimately increasing guest satisfaction.

Newly integrated directly into the IQware PMS, IQbanquet a new solution for properly managing sales, delivers a wide range of features designed and proven to streamline event management, from sales tracking to resource planning. "IQbanquet also serves as a contact management system - all interactions, including phone calls, office visits or emails with the client are tracked. While many systems are integrated with Outlook, much of the client contact information can be lost or misplaced when staff changes." This new system has potential to really go in today's technologically advanced world. IQbanquet really is a system that will increase a positive consumer response rate. 

The La Jolla Beach and Tennis Club in California has had many problems with time cards for their employees over the past several years. They used to use swipe cards with bar-codes to tell when people were coming in and out of work but there are a lot of problems with that technology. If people misplaced their cards or knew they were going to be late so gave it to a co-worker to punch them in is not a very smart thing to have in the hotel. After a lot of problems with this system management finally went in a new direction. They decided to move to newer technology and go with Biometrics. The hotel now has a hand reader system that makes every employee get there hand measured to clock in. This technology measured length, width, thickness, and surface area of the hand to store in the system so it knows each persons hand every time they go to clock in any time there after. When going to clock in the system asks for the employee number and then is ready for your hand on the little screen for your scan. The entire process of this takes under 1 minute. This technology of the HandPunch 3000 not only allows the employees to clock in but also allows management to collect data for pay codes, tips collected, and to allow the employees to go back and view their past times in and out. This system is a very green way to go in the hotel industry because there is no paper for records of clock in times, and there are no swipe cards that need to be made for clock in times. Ever since this hotel got the HandPunch 3000 they have not had issues of other employees clocking in other people. The system of course had some glitches to it in the beginning but they were fixed immediately while the staff was there installing it. My only question to this article that is not answered is : since it is a machine that has to be plugged in, what happens if the power goes out? Can employees still clock in to work because the hotel still is functioning?

Ecotourism is usually perceived as a form of alternative tourism distinguished in three ways from other forms of tourism. It emphasizes relatively undisturbed natural environments, it serves as a focus of attraction. Interaction with nature is motivated by a desire to appreciate or learn about the attraction. Most guests at ecotourism resorts aren't hard-core environmentalists, several people at Jungle Bay emphasized that they weren't "greenies," but they were impressed by the nature: the density of the rainforest and the views of Dominica's coastline, with its few swimmable beaches, ferocious surf and massive cliffs.

This article discusses the "Green Hotel" award that is presented every two years to Asean resorts. The purpose of this award is to bring awareness to hotels about the importance of being eco-friendly and preserving our environment. Thousands of hotels compete for this award based on criteria including water efficiency, air quality management, collaboration with local organizations and external communities. I personally love that collaborating with external communities is a criteria for this award because I find that to be very important. Well-known resorts should help smaller organizations and team up with them to show they care about those around them. Once of the recipients, Daluyon Beach and Mountain Resort, focused on protecting and sustaining the rich ecosystem surrounding their resort by constructing their resort using eco-ethical materials and placing priority in sustaining its environment-friendly atmosphere. The hope is for these awards to be an incentive to improve the tourism industry and to provide awareness to the hospitality industry regarding global warming and other important natural effects hotels are having on our environment. While it promotes healthy competition in the tourism industry, it also improves the quality of the hotels in Asean countries which in turn will lead to more tourism and financials for the country.

The article I read was called, "What is a Hotel Management System?" In the article it states that in the early 90s Gartner came up with the term ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) that automates a large number of business functions such as finance, accounting, and human resource. "A hotel is a hive of numerous operations such as front office, booking and reservation, banquet, finance, HR, inventory, material management, quality management, security, energy management, housekeeping." All of these activities need to be taken care of at hotels and doing so can sometimes be a lot of work. This led to the introduction of property management systems, an automated software which can optimize hotel operations and keep a tight control on costs. It important for hotels to understand the needs of their guests, if they want them to come back to their hotel, they need to know what they like and dislike. Using the PMS it allows them to make a profile of each guest and they write in if they want a beach view room or if they want a mini bar in their room. There is a difference when it comes to PMS and ERP. "A property management system usually consists of front office software and other best of breed solutions." The ERP, is usually a comprehensive solution from a single vendor. I really enjoyed reading this article and it helped me get a better grasp on how hotels use property management systems.

I completely agree that technology is making deep inroads into the hospitality industry, and hotels across the world are looking to use technology to make operation smooth and efficient. Any operating system that can help optimize the hotel experience is going prosper in their business.

I didn't really care for the passage that talked about PMS vs ERP, I though they could have been more specific... they just said ERP is better, could someone provide an example? Also, they mentioned how when a hotel becomes more complex problems arise in the PMS, how? All the hotel would have to do is come up with another PMS system that would provide them with greater resources, etc whats the problem??

NASCAR has many green initiatives to talk about. As the 2014 Daytona 500 was ready to run NASCAR was trying out four hydrogen fuel cell generators to power cameras that take video from different staging areas during the race. These fuel cells replaced diesel-powered generators which reduced greenhouse gas emissions, noise and vibration. NASCAR has teamed up with the Department of Energy to further their use of new green solutions in racing events. They have also added EV charging stations at their corporate office locations in Daytona Beach, Florida, Charlotte, North Carolina and Concord, North Carolina. To show their support of electric automobiles. The NASCAR corporation continues to look for ways to be more environmentally friendly while improving the customer experience at their events.

The "Going Green" trend has been a true blessing since it's marketability took birth several years ago. Many industries are taking advantage of this technological and ecological trend. There has never been a better time than now to turn our business ethics into the direction of a better world. Basic utility expenses at any hotel or business can sometimes make or break their existence. Technology today has given us the tools to give back to both our beautiful Earth and our bottom dollar. Luxury brands and all the like are implementing new green policies and technologies that will cut costs and even beautiful their environments. By the end of 2015 The Intercontinental Hotels Group plans on equipping over 4,000 of their hotels with a system that monitors and assists in energy use and conservation. They have a goal of reducing their overall water use by 12% in California in part due to the severe ongoing drought. The Loews in Santa Monica Beach is investing $96,000 in a laundry-water recycling system. It will recycle nearly 70% of water use and pay for itself in less than 2 years. Apart from it's ability to cut-costs and truly give back to the environment, "going green" is highly marketable. One of the Intercontinental's General Managers was quoted saying "It's not a huge savings. I think it's about sending the right message." I have personally seen many RFPs from large corporate companies that request green-initiatives from hotels. Improving sustainability is important to the customer and the establishment. Around 60% of travelers consider green initiatives when selecting a destination and activity. Of those 60%, over half said they would even pay more to stay at an establishment that respected and helped improve the environment. In a world where we are fortunate enough to live in excess should we choose to, it's a shame it took this long for a global movement to "go green". Sustainability alone has built such a giant indu

Once again technology proved to complement our industry's practice. Monarch Beach Resort story is a great example of the benefits we can derive from investing in technology. In this particular case the RunGo app not only was greatly appreciated by the consumers because they were able actually to enjoy the view while receiving step by step directions. It also reduced printing expenses for the resort and at the same time made it easy for the employees to direct them around the property. There is still a lot more to discover regarding the benefits from investing in technology, but definately after reading articles like this, we can be certain that we are moving in this direction.

With the demand for sustainability initiatives by consumers, hotel are having to make major changes in order to oblige. Sustainability has become a major concern for many consumers and businesses have taken notice. As a result, major hotel chains across country have begun to put in order plans to make changes to their daily operations. As noted in the article by L.A. Times, changes have been made to features such as water usage, machinery operations and even landscaping design . These changes and updates are in the hopes to attract a wider consumer market which now includes Eco-friendly travelers.

The LA Times article, "More hotels are going green, and not just to save water or money" highlights how an "earth-friendly image" is important to many corporate travel managers. Research suggests that having an environmentally friendly hotel not only aids in decreasing operational cost and avoiding city or county fines but may also be a way to differentiate a firm's brand and compete more effectively in the market. With travelers specifically seeking out eco-friendly choices and demonstrating a willingness to pay extra to accommodate a hotels ability to provide these services; going green could be a strategic solution implemented in a manner that allows for increasing market share while reducing operational cost.

Good Afternoon, It good to see hotels are being proactive about being environmentally friendly. It also great they mentioned that corporate travelers are looking for Eco-friendly hotels. I know a lot of companies require corporate travelers to seek out hotels that meet certain green levels and along with there corporate rates. Hotels are demonstrating that they are willing to invest in green technology not only for money but because it the right thing to.

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

Restaurant fraud is a vile act in which customer unknowingly are taken advantage of by restaurant staff members. The article referenced Miami, a primary tourist area in South Florida, have seen where customers complain of being charged double the amount of the quoted rate for food. In other instances, customers are solicited by specials buts again charged more than the initial rate. To protect the destination and rid the area of tacky and or false advertising information, city officials have implemented strict laws. So far, compliance have been enforced and violators charges accordingly.

Light Human Hotel Miami Beach is the first of eight properties to open.These hotels are engineered to go above and beyond being LEED certified. They will offer electric vehicle chagrining stations, farm to table restaurants, bicycles that generated additional electricity. The creators stated "hotels are designed for people and that's the reason why they are sustainable places with well-being as a key factor not only for guests, but for the staff and for the local community in the neighborhood also." Centering the human factor at the core of the business allows it exploits technology. They utilize bioclimatic processes in the orientation of the buildings and will adjust all hotels based upon surroundings. A hotel brand like this could utilize air conditioning cut offs, and flow meters in order to reduce waste. The opportunities are endless for a brand like this because guests have higher expectations than ever from hotels on environmental efficiency. Implementing smart technologies combined with the utilization of surrounding would create extremely efficient businesses.

Three more hotel companies have selected Aptech's PVNG Enterprise Back Office System. PVNG is a browser-based accounting solution, which is simple, easy to navigate, and specifically streamlined for hospitality. One hotelier cites the ability of PVNG to downsize the accounting staff, which enables him to move more staff to guest services--the most fundamental part of any hospitality operation. The creator of PVNG, Aptech Computer Systems, is an IBM Premier Business Partner that purveys programs exclusively for use in hospitality. Aptech systems can be deployed either on site or via the cloud, offering tremendous flexibility for a company's portfolio.

This article describes the role of the Environmental Officers that disney had on board their cruise ships as well as their waste management system. To date, the environmental programs of Disney Cruise Line have: * eliminated more than 6,400 tons of metals, glass, plastic and paper from traditional waste streams through recycling. * removed more than 31,000 pounds of trash and debris from beaches and waterways.

Sustainability has been a primary focus for many hotel companies around the world. There are many initiatives that are being created other than your everyday recycling. Fairmont Mayakoba has implemented a tour in which guest can assist in the transplant of coral to help their growth. Hosteling International USA has also become the first of it's kind to develop a system that monitors shower to last at most seven minutes in it effort to conserve water. These are just some of the many ideas that are taking into effect to further progress sustainability within hotel operations.

As guests are getting more environmentally friendly, being sustainable is an important aspect of hotel operations. Before they book a hotel, a lot of guests will look for or read about the hotel's social responsibility program. Hence, going green would bring in more revenue by attracting more guests.

This article explains several ways that hotels and resorts are helping in the fight for sustainability. Some resorts have completely eliminated the use of air conditioning and other ways to get energy for running electricity. For example, the Jade Mountain resort in St. Lucia has designed all their rooms to be open-air rooms which allows for breezes to come through the rooms and ultimately cool down the rooms. This, in turn, eliminates the need for air-conditioning all together. Some hotels are even offering classes on how to live a more sustainable and eco-friendly lifestyle. Hotels and resorts have worked towards saving coral reefs, energy and water conservation, preserving food and re-purposing waste, and creating eco-minded communities.

An article about an Eco Friendly luxury hotel. Its nice to see a company that focuses on green initiatives in their entire property, not just in the lobby, or in the public areas. The property in Miami Beach is amazing.

The major hotel chains are influencing legislation and also now requiring employee safety devices (ESDs) to make the workplace safer for employees (i.e. room service attendants or housekeepers) who find themselves alone in guest rooms with ill-intentioned guests. ESDs can also be appropriate for large resorts with beach personnel, activities personnel, or other positions that find themselves in enclosed, or remote areas with less security. Not every hotel has a security department that can constantly monitor cameras and ESDs. Will these devices present more strain on hotel wireless networks? That depends. Hoteliers need to consider whether these devices will be provided by or monitored through their keylock vendor, through their guest room entertainment vendor, or through a wireless provider. Could there be a benefit to an ESD interface with the PMS? I'm not finding an obvious answer. Hotels, varying in room count, are providing ESDs that range from whistles to wireless to BLE or RFID enabled. Hotel owners and management companies have the responsibility to research the most appropriate solution for their hotel without undermining the safety and privacy of their employees and their hotel networks.

South Florida can relax and breathe easy because this summer's outlook is encouraging, because our fellow Floridians are likely to 'come on down' for their vacations this year. The favorable indicators are a combination of an improved economy and low(er) gas prices. The good news doesn't stop there either as international tourism has been noted on the increase as well! One 162-room hotel in Delray Beach anticipates up to 60% Floridians this summer, as well as South Americans enjoying the benefits of their growing economies. "Advance bookings … are up by 50 %" for US tourists and an additional 20% for foreign visitors at a Ft Lauderdale resort, which reports over 90% occupancy booked for July. The owner comments that advance bookings over 15% is considered good, so the 2012 outlook is definitely a boon for the South Florida tourism industry. He plans to increase rates as well, for an added extra shot in the arm to the local economy. With local family members working hospitality jobs, I been hearing for years how they might as well take off of work during the summer due to the low number of tourists, and that those who do visit are very stingy on their purchases and gratuities; all a reflection of the US and worldwide economies' downhill spiral since 9-11. Florida has been taking ongoing hits to its tourism dollars since then exacerbated by the 2009 recession and the BP oil spill in 2010. Only last year did the annual summer slump tentatively raise its sleepy head and squint towards a light at the end of the tunnel. South Florida hotels had an increased in occupancy from 50 - 63%, and were able to charge up to 6% increase in rates, according to Smith Travel Research. With this winters long awaited tourism bonanza this year, the 'Snowbird' season is happily back again in full force, so that industry professionals can go back to business as usual now that summer is also expected to be lucrative. Happy Summer!

Enjoy: Here Comes The Sun - The Beatles http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fmRMLILaW3o&feature=colike