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This article talk about the PMS system in Middle east recent years. It is an important time of year for the hospitality industry in the Middle East. The region's industry has witnessed a strong recovery of 78.6% occupancy rates over last year and the holiday season continues to hold tremendous promise of high tourist traffic and increased occupancy. With the highlight of the year- Dubai Shopping Festival 2012 fast approaching, hoteliers need to brace themselves for round-the-clock services as they run at nearly 100% occupancy. Here will be integral for them to relook at existing business procedures to ensure efficient use of resources and enhanced guest experience. Technology is a key driver of business growth for the hospitality sector across segments. While hotels leverage technology, hoteliers need to remember that mere adoption of innovation does not suffice. Effective implementation of required hardware and software proves beneficial only if the hotel ERP is adequately aligned with the hotel's business needs. In 2010, tourist arrivals to theMiddle East increased by 14%, registering a total of 56.6 million tourists. The positive outlook of the year ahead will place an impetus on the adoption and implementation of CRM tools as well. Luxury hotel chains in theMiddle Eastalready offer rewards and loyalty programs for customers, however, with the advent of social media, CRM tools have been revised to track discussions and reviews on hotel properties. One of the key challenges for large hotel chains is to stay connected with their managers on-the-go. Hand held devices like PDAs enable hoteliers to stay connected with ongoing activities at their property and an integrated PMS system sends out automated updates to improve communications.

I have a key chain full of membership cards, tiny ones. I have Wallgreen Balance rewards card, Salon Centric professional store card, PetSmart PetPerks card, Winn Dixie Grocery store card, my vehical elite member card, and my gym membership card to name a few. I think those business (retails) got me. I can't resist their benefits even though I know they try to get my money. It's nice to get a discount here and there, and it really makes shopping fun and keeps me coming back for more with coupons and stuff. I think having a customer loyalty program within POS systems is a great idea especially when enabled via mobile devices.

Fairmont Hotels has reduced their CO2 output significantly "Over the last few years, Fairmont has identified and implemented a number of key initiatives to help reduce its carbon footprint.  These have included the creation of an internal framework to track, monitor and report on key energy and carbon data, appointing regional champions to oversee audit and data controls, and the introduction of a new Engineer of the Year award to recognize and reward outstanding environmental performance. "  This is very exciting to read that a hotel is physically attempted to make a positive change in order to better the environment. Fairmont is advancing by promising to reduce carbon and add efficient boilers, and a waste management system that will convert waste into energy! 

According to this article, the IRS is considering changing the way Automatic gratuities are processed in restaurants. Often when gratuity is included, more than one issue arises. Parties tend to not leave additional tips and there is also an issue with what if a customer wants to leave less than the automatic 15 or 18 percent tip? Bennet Ackerman, owner of a Melting Pot in Indianapolis, says that "some servers tend to get a little lazy when they know they already have that automatic gratuity." If a large party is given a check of $200, some parties will tip $20. If gratuity was included, they would receive anywhere from 30-40. After tip out to the bartender, hosts and other support staff, the server is actually making about a 6% tip off of that table. I agree that with large parties, the reward sometimes does not pay off, no pun intended. More money can be made off of smaller parties, and the turn over rate is faster. Some restaurants are doing away with automatic gratuity, and instead, they are adding suggested tip amounts at the bottom of the check. This, will at the very least, give the guests dining, a reference guide. The issue at hand here is whether or not to consider the automatic gratuity as a tip for a server, or as a service charge. This will greatly affect taxes at the end of the year and budgeting for the employees. With the economy the way it is, servers and other tipped workers are seeing less tips. The issue is of great concern for restaurants and come January 1st, there may be some very unhappy employees as well as restaurant owners.

As it becomes more and more popular (and more crucial to the environment) to "go green", it is also becoming less intimidating and more rewarding for organizations in the hospitality industry.  The notion that improving an organizations operations to make them more sustainable is too costly, is quickly being disproven, and in many instances organizations actually save money in the long run.  Part I of this series by Lee Simon focuses on operational practices and outlines simple steps that can be integrated in to a restaurant or hotel's current systems.  

Going Green is quickly becoming the thing to do in the hotel industry. In fact, Hilton now requires their department heads within their hotels to be trained and certified in their green program. They have created a link on their site which measures waste put out into the environment by each specific meeting group or guest. Even more importantly, clients are beginning to ask for these statistics and reports prior to committing to sign a contract that states they will hold their meeting at that particular hotel.

E-Marketing/ digital marketing help businesses in the hospitality and tourism industry grow and succeed. This article focuses on the importance of e-marketing/digital marketing for the restaurant industry. The article mentions that over 70% of smartphone users access restaurant information on their phone, therefore promoting the restaurant online through a website, social media or e-mail marketing can help drive business. The first way digital marketing can help restaurants would be to develop the brand's story and identity. Secondly, having the restaurant be active and engaging on social media will help build customer loyalty and interaction. Another advantage to digital marketing is sharing menu items, pictures of the restaurants and showing guests having fun online develops visual content and can entice and attract customers. Another point made in the article was to keep the restaurant information such as hours, promotions and restaurant contact info up to date. Incorrect information can lead to customer frustration and loss of business and profit. Another benefit of e-marketing is the ability to offer incentives to the customers and bring them in the door. It is especially important to reward loyal customers. Another benefit listed is to review and interact with customers on platforms such as Yelp and Facebook. All in all, digital marketing is beneficial for business growth not only restaurants, but any business in the hospitality and tourism sector.

In this article, the author pointed out that nowadays the Internet has played a prominent role in the lives of most consumers, so hotels and restaurants must make the good use of the Internet to send their marketing messages. Through the e-marketing experiences, the article has introduced some best practices as well as tactics for hotels and restaurants, revealing a list of e-marketing Do's and Don'ts. In one word, the author believed that striking the right tone is essential in an e-marketing program. Be clear, straightforward, respectful and fun to score points with recipients, and offer things they value: exclusivity and meaningful rewards. In addition, use database analysis tools to make the most of the data collected: to cater to specific groups and even personalize messages.

HRIS (Human Resource Information Systems) are needed to enable beneficial HR management and payroll functions. This system allows companies to keep track of data pertaining to employees like name, address, phone number, social security number, job title, employment history and education. This article explains how in order for companies to have a strong Talent management system they must first have their HRIS in order. The HRIS should be in order because it can provide the Talent Management Systems with data that can make auto processing easier and faster. Job codes, job titles and job grades are data elements in an HRIS that can help span all Talent Management modules. In result, this can make recruiting, retaining, and rewarding employees a simpler process.

Not all ADP systems are created equal. While the system is advertised as scalable In my experience the options for smaller operations leaves much to be desired. They have become the most prevalent system and can be a valuable experience for anyone entering the job market.

This article helps us to better understand the information systems being utilized, why they are important and what difficulties they bring about. In the Hospitality Industry, customer service is put at the top of the list of must haves. With customer service comes knowing information about your customer and without Information Technology services put in place, these expectations will never be met. Having a computer based IT is crucial because it allows the employees to work more proficiently which in turn creates a better experience for the guest. Multiple hospitality leaders have been applying fully Internet based technological systems within their organizations. IHG group has implemented an easy to use system so it is simple for every position within the hotel. For a company like IHG with over 500 hotels, it was imperative they eliminated the manual system to provide better quality control. Because of this system they can get better quality products at lower costs. Although this new system is much more user friendly, the overall cost involved is still not confirmed but this system is still predicted to have positive impacts long term. For example at Marriott Hotels, they use a company website, POS Micros, Property Management System and Central reservation system just to name a few. On top of stellar service and quick/ easy information submissions, guests are looking to have the best technology at their disposal to use. Things like computers with full internet access, printers and fax machines to make sure they can still be functional while displaced. An advanced system called MARSHA is being used as a reservation system and stores the rewards system information for Marriot guests. Micros-Opera is a popular property based system provider and has become common within the hotel industry. Vendors usually use this since it gives them the ability to connect to other vendor's applications. MICROS 9700 HMS is the most popularly used point of sale system. There are some

In this article we discuss the issues that airlines are having with the GDS system. They give an example of someone attempting to purchase a ticket through an airline website, and then through a travel agency. The direct airline method was only cheaper, if the guest provided information to a direct bank account. The cost for airlines to sell is a bit less than 10%, and they are sold mostly through indirect channels, like travel agencies. The main reason this can happen, is the integrated GDS system. A GDS system is a data facility that shares inventory information for various airlines to different 3rd party channels. The issue with this, is that the total in fees for the use of the GDS system was around $7billion, which is twice the amount of net profit they are receiving. People state that the airline system cannot survive without the GDS, but is that statement really true? Airlines like Air Asia or Ryanair have really attempted to focus on selling tickets directly, and really expand on their profit. How can this be achieved? Well, airlines are making the booking process easier for guests to manage, which gives them more of a reason to book through there. Also, they are offering greater loyalty rewards for directly booking through the site. Different incentives need to be created to attract guests to book directly. Lastly, they would like to create another distribution system, to put GDS out of business. This new system will work to allow guests to handle meal and baggage fees. Concepts that the GDS cannot handle. With that said, will this new system reduce costs for airlines? I guess they will have to wait and see.

This article highlights all the benefits of email marketing and how essential it can be to your business. Email marketing not only works as a tool for customer feedback but promotion and marketing to keep guest up to date on your businesses offers. This tool also engages customers with incentives through rewards programs, in the long run gaining a loyal customer.

The sustainability is at the center of every corporate mission the past few years in the hospitality and tourism industry. This article reflect the pros in investing in sustainability and how it will impact business performances.

"One key issue for the e-business application in service operations is about the possibility of online delivery of the services customers ordered - as not all types of services (or products) can be delivered online, (...)" Regarding this article is really interesting how e-business applies to the lodging industry even though is the type of industry that is base in delivering services a good part of it is being accomplished online. From online booking, to checking out, to hotel feedback a good percentage is perform thanks to the internet now-days. It is so accessible that you do not need to seat on the computer even since is also available to the tip of your fingers through the phone apps. Also it makes easy to manage incentive programs and rewards therefore customers see a piece of the benefit no only by the commodity of booking online but also by getting rewarded for it. I think it really makes sense for the lodging industry to benefit from the e-business since it did really changed the game for the entire industry in terms of accessibility and compettiviness by putting the hotel name out there. The more advance and up to date are the ebusiness tools a hotel offer , the more chances has of revenue.

Delta Air Lines and Sabre will be working together on a multiyear deal to improve indirect distribution channels. As Jeff Lobl said, the intention is to unlock innovation and reward investment as well as enhance the customer experience. Traditionally airlines pay a flat fee to GDSs but this model will be based more on what is being sold.

Advantages will reign from the obvious such as being able to speak in real time to people across the country, therefore communicating messages faster. This helps businesses be more successful due to relaying data faster and more accurately, seeing trends in different areas sooner, to sending files at a quicker rate. Items shared on networks allow for more people to have access to information at a quicker rate along with information being shared more accurate due to being in real time. Time is money and network sharing helps save time which in turn is saving money. Along with saving money because time is being saved, the lack of software changes assists in saving money as well. If you are not having to replace software often, you are able to provide longevity of equipment to help reduce costs. On the other hand there are many disadvantages that can seem to outweigh the advantages if not looking at the entire picture. If a network breaks down, everyone working off of that network can be out of work for the time it is being fixed. Would this be worth taking the risk of calculating how many hours of work that is lost based on how efficiently the system works? Now to fix this issue this requires someone who is trained in this field at a high technical skill level to fix the network error which can cost a great deal of money to maintain.What if an employee is being distracted by the many things the internet has to offer and is using your network to look these things up? They are now being unproductive at work and putting your network at risk for malware, viruses and many other illicit practices. So once again, is the risk worth the reward.

Excellent article touching on this weeks topic of GDS.

This article was very interesting. Hotels have implemented tricks of the trade to redirect people to book directly. For example, Marriott will not extend the Marriott Rewards to guests who book through third party sites like Expedia, Priceline, etc. The only way to receive Marriott Rewards points is to book directly. Hotels have to provide incentive for booking directly just to stay competitive.

Good Afternoon, This article is very important in the last few months Marriott has developed many programs to get guest to book directly with them. Marriott does extend points to guest who book with OTA like Expedia but they only receive a portion of their points, if they wanna receive all their points they are recommended to book directly with Marriott. Marriott also invested heavily in a travel segment to compete with Airbnb, it called Marriott Home and Villas. check out the link below. https://homes-and-villas.marriott.com/

This article was written at the end of 2018 with discussion and predictions for Hospitality Technology in 2019. The majority of the new technology is centered around improving the guest experience with most of it related to the hotel industry. From self check-in kiosks like you see at the airport, to smart rooms in the hotel that sync with your phone and automatically show your netflix and other social media platforms on your tv.

This article is about Chili's success with their EMenu technology. The article was written in 2016 and includes an interview with Chili's VP of Digital Innovation and Customer Engagement. The EMenu has been a huge success for the chain and the interview touches on everything we discussed in class.

Manali Jaggi in his article "The future is here for the Hospitality Industry," highlights the importance and the benefits of Hospitality companies investing in Information Technology. He stressed that from the first point of contact; reservation to the guest's departure the role technology plays and the fact that it "expands revenue options and maintains operational efficiencies for the industry." He reported that Sukesh Jain, VP Enterprise Business, Samsung highlighted that "Technology comes in handy when we talk about personalization," which is the type of experience one aims to provide to the guest. This provides the guest with an increased customer service experience which in turn leads to customer loyalty which can only lead to financial rewards for the company. He concluded by stressing the point that the Hospitality industry must take a "proactive stance in implementing technological advances."