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The World Economic Forum (WEF) has indicated that the Philippines is lagging behind in tourism travel due the lack of business environment and infrastructure. There were four millions visitors in 2011 to the Philippines; but based on a Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Report in 2012, by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) the Philippines is behind in tourism and one of the reasons is the information and communication infrastructure. It is behind countries like Malaysia and Indonesia ranking very low. The Tourism Secretary Ramon R. Jimenez, Jr. indicated, by text, that the figures don't match the growing tourist arrivals and they will improve their countries' competitiveness in all areas.

This is interesting since this country is very familiar with the English language, something Americans prefer when traveling, and the travel by Philippine Americans back to the Philippines is frequent for business purposes, but it seems that helping to build a better communication infrastructure is not on the top of there business agendas.

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?

This article introduce a very nice, brand new 3D application that can help many tourists when they arrive, in Baltimore. As useful as the app may be to tourists, it's pretty sad that they have all these lovely features for one city and nowhere else.We can see that from google map to this 3D map, seems like it is a trend that the companies are developing theapplication of navigating tourists. However, I'm glad that they haven't revealed this app to the App Store or Play Store yet for the public because they need to expand their horizons before they even think to release it to the market. But as long as they improve this app and release to the public, it will be great convenience for the tourists.

I highlighted the two passages I found to be most interesting in blue. I read that the system will update it's self every 24 hours but I'm wondering if that would include the forecast and traffic conditions. Does this also offer some type of naviagation device weather it be by car or foot? Baltimore, can be a rather rough city at time. I know that it will high light tourist attractions, convention centers, etc. But will it highlight street names and areas that travelers should stay away from?

In today's society, travel distribution environments and electronic reservation services are consistently moving toward global and complicated marketplace. Thus, travel marketplace needs a more and more globalized and comprehensive system for customers. And, I think GDSs well reflect this trend. The article show the example of the utilization GDS in travel industry. Travelport introduces a new travel product called Travelport Drive Me to Galileo-connected travel agents in Asia. The joint creation of Travelport and two major car rental companies, Travelport Drive Me was developed in response to the demand for chauffer-driven car transfers in Asia. This product enables travel agents to book chauffer-driven car transfers through Travelport's GDS for international airports in Asia. This new product would provide advantages not just for travel agents, but also for customers. With this product, travel agents save time and cost through the automated process. Plus, customers experience satisfied traveling by eliminating concerns about language, security, and public transportation issues in Asia.

Google Transit, which uses data from over 500 global markets' transportation systems, is partnering up with Google Hotel Finder to make tourists' stays more time efficient. Google Hotel Finder added a new filter that shows consumers the maximum travel time from any point of interest to their hotel. It has placed a 20 minute default distance from point to point. Tourists can type a specific attraction, like Buckingham Palace, and it will show you hotels within 20 minutes of it. Google also allows you to choose the transit time; the smaller the time the smaller number of hotels within the range. Moreover, Google Hotel Finder can also search for hotels in selected areas for popular city locations. Prior to this, Google had Google Calendar, which allowed business consumers to choose hotels based on travel distance to their business meetings. Overall, Google's Hotel Finder targets both the leisure and business consumers. As a consumer searching for hotels in unfamiliar areas, this feature would be really beneficial because it allows me to plan my stay more accordingly. Usually, consumers choose a hotel based on travel time from the main points of interests, whether they are attractions or business meetings. Google Hotel Finder will now share this information with consumers before they actually even choose a hotel. I have a strong inclination that this type of consumer technology will drive hotels to use travel times as advertising tools when they use Google as an advertising medium.

The hospitality industry can be extremely overwhelming if all departments are not in sink because one department depends on the other. In order to increase efficiency and service delivery various hardware and software systems have to be implemented. For example: an application for making hotel reservations which is used to check availability of rates and rooms could be NovaPlus from multi system incorporation. This program provides access for the guest and allows hotel management to modification accessibility to discounts on base rates. Another software needed in the hotel industry is the point of sale which the PlacePoint program can be used from multi system incorporation. In this program employee/guest can place orders in the menu and it is known to be structured as user friendly. One of the most important applications in the industry would be the Property management application which is where all the guest contact information, preferences, revenue management and room sales strategy are located. Overall there are a numerous of software and hardware necessary in order to run a hotel efficiently. From my own experience I have worked with 3 different PMS systems, Brilliant, Epitome and Opera, it just seems that after learning one system I find that it was better then the last one. As technology advances I have found that the more updated PMS systems like Opera , work much better and have facilitated my working environment and user friendly. Whatever the previous systems lacked in efficiency for the employee, the new system definitely gained.

The hospitality industry consists of a service industry that includes lodging restaurants event planning transportation and so on. It relies heavily on the availability of leisure time and disposable income. It all requires the aid of facility maintenance, direct operations, housekeepers, kitchen workers, etc in which they all serve the industry in different ways. So this program helps runs a hotel business for example a lot smoother for the guests and hotel management. These PMS programs although not always reliable if there were a power outage, are all well structured and efficient. Epitome for example is backed by highly effective training, may offer considerable value for money and is continued by ongoing support and assistance.

This article discusses the types of information Technology that is used in the Hospitality industry. These systems are needed, to make sure the business runs seamlessly without problem. Most of the systems rely on each other to run properly, and different departments need these systems in order to make the whole business work together efficiently. The essential Technology needed is Computer Software and hardware. Reservation Technology for booking guests. Property management application, POS Systems, and applications for Food and beverage and conference management.

Expedia hopes bloggers can serve as an important plank in its effort to re-engineer the way people shop for hotel and airplane tickets by incorporating those transactions into a marketplace driven by social networks. A senior director for travel research firm PhoCusWright, believes Expedia's plan is a viable one. Expedia's goal is to make planning the entire trip - from flights to hotel to transportation, with even restaurant selections and amusement park tickets - an integrated shopping experience. For example: your family is planning a spring break trip to Orlando. After booking flights, your hotel search would incorporate friends' views on particular properties. There's already some evidence that social networks spur sales in the travel industry. Expedia's plan could pose a threat to the largest source of online hotel reviews, TripAdvisor. Both company and bloggers say they aren't concerned that readers may be turned off by commercial relationships between the travel agent and writers.

Of course the company and the bloggers aren't concerned about what the readers think. The company wants to increase business any way that it can and the bloggers want free trips. Personally, I would be turned off by knowing that the blogger was compensated for their trip review. I recently watched a special on Aulani in Hawaii run by SamanthaBrown who works for the travel channel. I was very irrritated to hear her clearly non-objective opinions of the resort. I am far more interested in what other non-paid travellers think. I think that companies should be concerned about the perception of them paying for the reviews. I can understand the bloggers wanting to be paid for access to their followers, I just personally don't find any validity in these types of opinions. I think Expedia should keep looking for ways to tap into the social network as a business strategy, but I will trust the opinions of my actual friends over paid bloggers. I appreciate that Expedia would allow for negative reviews, but if a resort is paying Expedia for a review and Expedia is paying the blogger, then in my opinion precious objectivity is lost.

Online self-service travel sites are significantly enhanced with service by traditional travel agents, such that TA's don't consider online service a competitive concern. This is due to the increased technological adeptness of todays TA's, as well as the exponential increase in travel options, multiple means of transportation, and especially due to the overload of tourism packages and special discounts. Liesure travelers simply don't have the patience to sift through the plethora of travel options and appreciate the personalized service provided by the TA who can tailor travel plans to fit their preferences. Corporate travelers use TAs to save time and to develop complex travel arrangements to keep pace of the dynamics of business opportunities. Every travel venue has its own unique and desirable features which are better obtained through local travel professionals who are thoroughly familiar with all aspects of the destination. Conversely, it is noted that web TAs don't experience competition as the strengths of the traditional TAs is packaged tours and personalized, yet limited travel options. Web agents make their profits through the sheer numbers of hotel properties world wide.

I-pad POS system may become a future trend of the hospitality industry.

The limits of GDS's are discussed in this article, as well as the lack of initiative of the big 4 GDS's to adopt and develop newer and more updated systems because of their prevalence in travel. According to the article, the face of the GDS systems look nearly the same as they did in the 1970s, and the airlines systems are not up-to-date enough to meet consumer demands. The author points to consumer trends in the demand for personalization, package variety, and simply the desire for more packages.

Global Distribution System is an outdated technology, that cannot be consistent with the ways travel is purchased nowadays, according to International Air Transport Association (IATA). Airlines are constantly adding service or 'bunbundling' their products. The ability to buy priority boarding or seating options, meals and baggages cannot be reflected through the GDS, thus the only way to purchase them is through the airline website. This is harmful to both airlines and customers. Even though, GDS has played an important role, it is time to start developing a new product that will 'present full product or data offerings via a new interface'. IATA is being involved into creating the necessary standards before starting to work on a new platform. GDS-managed technology is slowing the process down. However, there may be some legal issues involved in exchanging the system, which has to be resolved before the launch of a new technology.

Today, going green is one of the defining movements of our time. The movement to conserve and replenish the earth's resources continues to build momentum and meeting planners and suppliers are doing their share to advance the cause. It is really a very good phenomenon that some major hotel chains are making to help planners organize eco-friendly meetings and events. This article talked about what the major hotel chains are doing to support eco-friendly meetings. 1. Toronto-based Fairmont Hotels & Resorts' Eco-Meet program. 2. Hilton International has declared that all of its 3,600 properties will be using its carbon calculator program, which the system analyzes 200 operational practices, including housekeeping, paper product usage, food waste and transportation, and determines their environmental impact in terms of energy and water use, waste production and carbon output. 3. Hyatt Hotels & Resorts' Meet and Be Green initiative, offers clients a 3 percent rebate on qualifying charges on the final pretax master bill for following the chain's 10-point green guidelines. 4. Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants became one of the first hotel chains to offer a dedicated green meetings package brandwide, attracting immediate interest from corporate clients such as Microsoft and Aveda. 5. Marriott has offered green meetings standards across its JW Marriott, Marriott, Renaissance Hotels & Resorts and Courtyard by Marriott brands. 6. Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide recently announced it would implement its new Sustainable Meeting Practices (SMPs). According to those hotel chains , by following the Eco-Meet guidelines, groups can save up to thoughts of plastic water bottles, aluminum cans, writing pads, pencils, paper cups and other else per year.

Stung by the traveling public's disapproval of its one-size-fits-all approach to passenger screening, the Transportation Security Administration last month announced that it would begin testing a new trusted-traveler program. But if you think that the next time you fly, you'll speed through the security line as though it were 1999, you're probably in for a letdown.

In this article, Christine Negroni discusses the future of airline booking and travel. Over the last ten years, there has been a shift from telephone reservations to computer reservations with the birth of the World Wide Web. With new mobile devices and smart phones, customers are now trying to find the newest, easiest way to work a plane ticket or a vacation. Companies have to strategically plan how they will market to thei customers. FOr leisure, companies will want to reach them through Facebook and Twitter. With the internet, airlines today need to focus on their image. The image is just as important as the product you sell, or the plane ticket the customer purchases. With Youtube, anyone can post whatever they'd like, so hospitality companies and airlines especially, need to be weary. Because the aviation industry is so large, the internet give customers and companies a way to interact on a deeper, more personal level.

In the wake of the recent fire that wreaked havoc on Chicago area airports this past weekend the FAA is planning to review its security measures. On Friday, an employee at a radar facility in Aurora Illinois set fire to a telecommunications room in an attempt to commit suicide. The fire caused thousands of departing and connecting flights bound for the Chicago area and around the country to be canceled and grounded. Not only were flights canceled on Friday but many continued to be canceled on Saturday and Sunday as well. Chicago's O'Hare Airport is the second busiest airport in the nation and an issue in security can disrupt not only the Chicago area but also flights around the country. It was noted that this incident was one of the most challenging situations air traffic controllers have had to work through since 9/11. Air travel is incredibly important to most Americans and a breach in security can be devastating. It is most important to keep travelers safety in mind especially when it comes to traveling by air. Although it is very important for travelers to make it to their final destination it is much more important that they get there safely and this is a topic the FAA is going to review as a result of this incident.

I think the question to be asked is "Can we do anything at all when a crazy person is in our midst?" If he was working at the center, he must have had some sort of vetting or clearance that he had to complete for employment. Did no other employees see any signs that he was suicidal (someone ALWAYS does)? What kind of measures were being employed to secure this clearly critical piece of infrastructure? How long did it take for anyone to respond? Clearly, lots of questions need to be posed. The effects of this one fore will ripple for months to come.

This article shows the relationship between tourism security and economy. Tourism security is an important factor that will affect the economy, people should pay attention to it and also the staff in tourism industry should pay attention to it, cause they can make full use of this factor to improve the economy.

Great read!! Explains how tourist need to feel safe in order to travel. The importance of safety is the most important thing tourist look for when traveling. Currently the world is in a disarray. 

I think that it is very important for hotel to go green. Many top hotels are the members of green hotels. That means go green is a trend. Go green could makes the hotel cost savings, competitive advantage, employee retention, customer loyalty, regulatory compliance, decrease risk and it's the right thing to do. When I went to New York, Key West and Boston, I found the hotels where I lived are all green hotels. They use retrofitting light bulbs instead of regular bulbs. But in China, green hotel is not popular. I think that it will be the trend in the future all over the world!

This is an amazing technology. A customer can use his cellphone to do the reservation, check-in, enter the room and pay the bill. If  this technology can be widely used in this industry. It really can bring a lot of convenience to both the hotels and the customers. It is also very safe, because only your cellphone can open your room and the cellphone is also a identification of a customer. But there are two concerns. First is the cost of this technology and the hardware. It can be too much to afford for the hotels. Second, is it really that safety. What if someone lose his mobile?

Essentially this article breaks down the evolution of a mobile concierge that is to come in the future of the hotel industry. It is noted that Starwood Hotels has been implementing a system in two of their boutique brands that will allow guests to check-in to a room using a keyless entry system through their smartphones. This type of technology would provide a seamless check-in process and open the door to eliminating a "front desk" all together. The article goes on to explain that Marriott has already implemented a system similar to this in some their properties that allows certain guests to check-in through their mobile app and collect their keys from a designated mobile check-in desk. The use technology and applications has become the "new norm" and as technology continues to evolve the hospitality industry will be on the forefront of its utilization.

Future technology is making the consumer's hotel experience more accessible and convenient. With mobile apps like Applepay, the hassle of traveling with multiple cards could reduce the risk of identify theft. Another helpful app while traveling is having a personal concierge service right on your smartphone. It is great that hotels are branching out on advancing technologies for better ways to improve their customer service. With many major competitors, having the most advance technologies in a hotel will keep them standing out against the rest.