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In this article titled "What Makes a Good Point-of-Sale System?", the author focuses on the advantages of an efficient POS system along with the key features that a POS system should have. According to Viknesh, "The appeal of POS technology lies in its interoperability - POS technology can function on desktops, laptops and tablets, as well as mobile devices such as Android phones, iPhones and iPads that function on different platforms, making it the optimal choice for small businesses, non-profits organizations and charities". For instance, on a retail level, a POS system not only manages customer transactions but it allows connectivity with cash registers, barcode scanners, receipts and credit card terminals. A POS ultimately offers a competitive advantage to larger players, and thus, it is important to identify key features that the best POS software should have, and which are effective for one's business. These include the whole hardware package, robust inventory management features, sales tracking capabilities, accurate and timely data, security features and reliable POS support. Having a complete POS system ensures quick turnaround times. For instance, if a customer is able to pay seamlessly by being given a choice on the mode of payment, such as credit card, cash, etc.., then they will feel it is effective and quick. Additionally, having a built in inventory system allows businesses to keep track of inventory levels in real time. Identifying which items are running low in order to replenish is crucial to ensuring customer satisfaction. Tracking sales and having the ability to generate reports helps further understand inventory and areas of room for improvement. A POS system should also offer accurate and timely data, especially if it has cloud computing for efficiency. In addition, considering that there is the risk of security and confidential data compromise, it is crucial to have a POS system with data encryption technology. Lastly, a business s

This article discusses the growth of the hospitality industry as the labor sector experiences a slow down. The CBRE projects that although labor issues are worse in the suburbans areas finding the right talent or retaining has become harder in all markets. In addition, the industry is facing challenges in areas like gender equity, insurance requirements, and controversial political considerations for example lower-paying jobs such as dishwashers, line cooks and wait staff have shown more talent shortage because typically those positions are filled by undocumented immigrants.

Very insightful article in regards to hospitality industry and labor section experiences a slow down.Quite a few hotel companies are experiencing this shortage of candidates and retaining employees due to several factors, pay being one of them. Marriott gave out significant raise to keep the talent they already had on staff across many different departments. "There is a talent shortage for all levels, but is more so for lower-paying jobs like dishwashers, line cooks and wait staff. Crackdowns on illegal immigrants, many of whom have filled these positions for decades, are also affecting business." There are alot of hotels experiencing shortage described above.

I admire that the article mentioned many of the labor issues area result of undocumented immigrants leaving their job positions because of the political climate against undocumented individuals in addition to low pay. The affect of it can be seen throughout the industry.

I chose this article as I am an avid user of Trip Advisor! After watching the E-Commerce lecture, I actually started researching more on facial recognition used in the hospitality industry, both in marketing and to keep guests safe. Using facial recognition for safety actually came up quite a bit; specifically as Professor Cilli mentioned on cruise ships to help track and potentially stop a predator or threatening guest. This article is on Trip Advisor's new badge system, that intends to flag hotels if reports or media comes out including sexual assault, crime, and other potential threats to travelers. The idea started from a case filed against Trip Advisor for taking down comments claiming a security guard at a Mexican resort had sexually assaulted a guest who had stayed there. Trip Adivisor claims that at the time, the comment was removed due to explicit material. Not only has Trip Advisor promised to keep comments like this published on their pages, but if taken down they will tell users what exactly flagged their system to take it down. Users will easily be able to adjust their wording and repost. While the exact wording of the badge does not specifically detail why the hotel was flagged (see wording annotated above), as a traveler it would definitely make me think twice. From a management standpoint, getting flagged like this on one of the most used travel websites could completely halt business and create financial strain for months. The badge will last for at least three months and in that time could be seen by thousands of visitors. I hope this small step for Trip Advisors forces hotels to take big step in terms of safety and security with who they are hiring and tracking who is on property.

This article is about new technologies available to hotels. Hotels are looking to become more technologically advanced because it is discovered that customers have better experiences with the newest technology. Software is available to collect data to see what customers like and don't like. Also it allows businesses to monitor employee performance, which would be easier to do than having someone always supervising employees.

Accor S.A. is a French multinational hospitality company that owns, manages and franchises hotels, resorts and vacation properties. It is the single largest hospitality company in Europe, and the sixth largest worldwide. Accor operates in 100 countries, with more than 4,800 hotels and 280,000 employees worldwide.

A brief but informative look at "cloud computing". This article serves as a beginners guide, spoon feeding novices definitions and explanations in simple language. Cloud computing is defined, and reasons for its use highlighted, with pros and cons listed. The different types of "clouds" among other things is also covered.

This article stresses the importance of providing cybersecurity training to staff in the hospitality industry.

This article examines all of the highlights that using a QR code for your hotel of business establishment.

This posts summarized 10 trends in the hospitality technology. Most of them are benefiting the guests directly, such as the wifi access and the self check-in services. However, as more and more hotel in the industry adopting these technology, the competition has been brought on, and every company is working harder to invest more technology in hotel management, development as well as operation. These 10 trends are the most basic ones which have changed the industry greatly, but there are mot to expect in the near future. 

This article features an automated data gathering system that measures patterns in employee/personnel returns, refunds, etc. that can help identify misbehavior. As discussed in our discussion board about Restaurant Fraud, this type of software could absolutely assist with monitoring and accountability for employees of any level, including management. An added bonus is customer data to increase and improve service

This article discusses the connection of Emotional Intelligence and Artificial intelligence and how it will positively impact the future guest experience. It will allow the human touch to still be present with the productivity of robot collecting data or analytics.

Cybercriminals are constantly coming up with novel schemes to kidnap their victims. A recent cyberattack on a five-star resort should act as a cautionary tale for your company. In Oregon, the Allison Inn & Spa recently became the target of a ransomware assault that revealed the personal data of its staff and visitors. The stolen data was published in easily accessible form on the public internet and includes details from 1,500 employees and more than 2,500 guests, including dates of the guests' hotel stays as well as employee birthdays, phone numbers, and Social Security numbers. The "dark web" is typically the only place where stolen private information like this is released, making it harder to find through regular online searches. The goal of the cybercriminals was to coerce the company into paying a ransom. The public disclosure of the private visitor and staff information seems to have been an "experiment" to see if it would increase pressure on the company to pay the ransom. Cybercriminals may use this new strategy frequently in the future to demand ransom from their victims. The implementation of thorough cybersecurity risk management procedures should be considered by resorts. In the event of a cybersecurity attack, determine which systems were affected by the attack and immediately isolate them. Then, prioritize those systems for restoration and recovery. After which, involve internal and external stakeholders and retain legal counsel for advice. It is crucial that you hire a third-party incident response provider and notify law enforcement. Multifactor authentication should be used by businesses to protect network access, and they should also annually train all staff in cybersecurity best practices and keep offline encrypted backups of all internal data.

The new challenges that the hospitality industry will face with security will encompass the need for the very best surveillance technology. Surveillance is a key element to security especially when so many hospitality businesses are experiencing labor shortages. In addition, a hotel will need to develop a strong communication link between all departments and have a well thought out risk management plan. If you have all of these items in place you are ensuring the safety of your guests and staff.

A self-service hotel kiosk named eZee has just recently been added by a popular hospitality management solutions provider. This kiosk will be able to do various amounts of things to process customers faster such as checking people in, checking identification, and taking payments. The plan of this solution is meant to "accelerate the growth of the industry."

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.

I myself have a Square and swear by it. I use it to sell homemade goods and trinkets and fairs, as well as sell baked goods at fundraising events. The Square app and unit are free (after registry refund) and are simple to use. Just connect it to a bank account and you are off. You can take and keep track of both cash and credit card payments. Plus inventory tracking is easy. The Square turns any iPad, iPhone, iPod or android device into a traveling POS system. Plus there is no paper involved so it's a great first step to running a Green business. Square is the POS solution for small businesses. 

Merchant Hospitality was formed to cater and develop concepts in the Hospitality Industry. They established Flanagan's Prime Steakhouse & Bar in 2007, a 200 seater Irish/ American Bar and Restaurant. This success of the establishment was immediate as our product was new to Ireland and catered for the growing market of regular dining rather than occasional. Dining out has become a social past time and our customers have become frequent visitors.

They offer the highest quality products, exceptional service and unrivalled expertise for any event or occassion.

The scheduling software is available not only for work schedule or meeting schedules, there is actually a software created specially for colleges and universities. It can assist in scheduling classes, non-academic meetings and events. Academic scheduling allows to copy the existing schedule and to modify it, without the need to create all new schedule. It is also available in mobile. In the article, there is 3 PDF documents, if anybody interested, please click on them and explore more functions and info on how the system works, with some illustrations.

New technology brings new capability. Within the retail POS hardware industry, new technology is driving change in retail hardware platforms. Cloud-based software, coupled with the emergence of powerful and feature-rich mobile devices, offers new possibilities for retailers to better serve and engage their shoppers at the Point of Purchase. Typical construction of a Point of Sale cash register is centered on a PC workstation. These cash register systems are often positioned in one or more fixed locations in the retail store. They might be served by an array of peripheral devices: a touch display, a customer pole display, a handheld scanner, a receipt printer, and a cash drawer. These peripheral devices are typically configured with serial or USB interfaces and connect to a port on the PC workstation dedicated to each device. Software developers engage each device through OPOS or native DLLs drivers created by the hardware manufacturer. In this setting, a shopper is compelled to queue up at the cash register and stage their goods for itemized sale. By contrast, software functionality and mobile device technology allow a retailer to bring the Point of Sale transaction to the shopper at their Point of Purchase. In this way, a retailer can increase shopper loyalty by providing a more convenient, more personalized, and more interactive transaction experience. A purpose-built Point of Sale solution can be developed from the ground up for the mobile transaction faster than ever. Hardware manufacturers are creating new solutions to support this trend. By selecting hardware that maximizes the benefits of a mobile transaction, a retailer can significantly improve system performance and significantly reduce the total cost of the system. However, the current PC-centric workstation architecture presents several technical challenges as a retailer chooses to deploy a mobile POS solution. Consider this example: A mobile credit transaction performed on a smart phone

The hospitality industry began to develop the mobile point-of-sale (POS) technology. Technology vendors brought POS capabilities to consumers' own devices. Hospitality Technology has scanned many of the latest releases in point-of-sale technology to help restaurants keep up-to-date on mobile solutions. For example, Tabbedout, a secure mobile payment solution, allows patrons to open, view and pay their tabs, for free, with an iPhone or Android smartphone. Another example is Micros Makes Memorable Menus. An interactive restaurant menu and marketing portal built for the Apple iPad that enables restaurants to showcase upcoming events, programs, food and beverage menus, and daily specials; as well as to facilitate tabletop ordering and payment processing.