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This article talks about a group of New York City hotels that have pledged to become greener. Seventeen hotels have joined the NYC Carbon Challenge, an initiative originally created to get the city's universities to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. These hotels have pledged to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions by at least 30% in the next ten years, which can significantly reduce the amount of greenhouse gases produced by the city's buildings. This is all in an effort to reduce the city's overall greenhouse gas emissions 80% by the year 2050. The Office of Sustainability worked with the Hotel Association of New York City, a coalition of hotels in the city, to get this first group of hotels involved with this green initiative. The hotels that have already started working towards making their property greener are already on the right track to meeting their goals and these implementations will involve minor construction and little hindrance to guests. The article talks about some of the changes that these hotels are making, such as changing to LED light bulbs, installing more energy-efficient elevators, implementing sensors that turn off bathroom lights after a certain period of inactivity, and using an energy-conserving air-conditioning system. Although these changes will cost the hotels a hefty sum of front, they also know that these changes will save them money in the long run. Most of these changes will not be visible or known to guests, but people who want to stay someplace that is environmentally-conscious can educate themselves about what these hotels are doing.

This article emphasizes the importance of HVAC for hotel properties. Hotels have to work diligently on replacing the climate controls in HVAC systems and to make sure HVAC systems work properly in order to be more efficient and provide hotel guests with comfortable environment, resulting in guests' overall satisfaction. Large and modern commercial HVACs can save a large amount of money on unnecessary power costs and constant maintenance with proper controls. However, there are many hotels that cannot afford the large machinery of an HVAC, so this article introduces PTAC, Packaged terminal air conditioner, which is a type of self-contained heating and air conditioning system, for small-sized hotel properties. Generally, PTAC generates negative sound and visual impact on a room. Randy Dawes, corporate director of facilities at Select Hotels, advices hotels with PTACs to use transcendental wheel technology over fan blades, which reduces noise. This article also urges hotels to upgrade or replace their old HVACs for state of the art HVACs now. Since there are state and local rebates available for upgrading to modern HVAC technology, it is a good time to do so.

This article was very enlightening on the recent advances of POS technology in the hospitality industry and the new developments that keep evolving. The article presents areas were recent advances have helped to improve the "effectiveness of a business and relationship with their customers". As stated in the article with the use of "cloud-based systems, the latest i-trends and the growth of Near Field Communications", the hospitality industry POS technology will move very far. Three key areas were discussed; "Point of Sale on the move" which referred to using a browser on any mobile device to obtain necessary information while you are on the move or away from the business. The second area was using a POS system on a tablet or smartphone that would be able to provide more useful information than tradition POS systems in a lightweight manner with more flexibility. I can attest to the real need for this advancement because working in an establishment that has the traditional POS systems has proven when there is a problem trouble shooting can be very difficult. A process as simple as getting your technical support team to make changes in your POS system can be a nightmare, when your system does not have updated software. We experienced that issue this week, when technical support attempted to access the system and could not locate the license agreement after hours of searching for a key we found a device that was attached to the printer cable in the back of the CPU. All of the unnecessary time spent on that one event could have been eliminated if some of this new technology was in place. The last area the article referred to is "Marrying POS and NFC". This new development is hoping to eliminate the need for carrying money or credit/debit cards and enable consumers to use mobile devices to process all transactions. I believe this would be very beneficial in the hospitality industry not only from the point credit card fraud but also it eliminate

It is an impressive article that a security system could be literally so sound and impregnable. It can monitor and assure all the checkpoints; especially it can scan the contractor IDs while access to the property. As we know the hospitality industry is a meeting ground, labor-orinted and customers diversified, easy to be liable for negligence.  There is news I read in the newspaper years ago, the front desk person accidentally assigned the room key to a guest that has been given to another guest in advance. And that leads to the second guest lost his $5000 in his suitcase. The court decision was the hotel was liable and compensated for the loss of the second guests. The hotel is not only has loss in money but also in the reputation. If the hotel could have the InvoTech's system, it would check all the keys, this situation would never happened. And for the system can automatic scan contractor IDs, all I can say is amazing, it not a easy thing from my eyes. Especially for some luxury hotels, there will have some VIPs, or VVIPs, their security is the top one task for the hotel

Software in todays society are given customers the access to be more flexible while on vacation. The only concern with this type of software is the security. what is behind the customers information for these services they receive that will be automatically deposits without the hassle of theft.

The design of POS system is applied for hotels. The basic function of this software is to facilitate the user to credit money from his account to the account of the place whose services he or she is availing, The reason why it came out is that people prefer not to carry cash with them. Nowadays, more and more people are using cards more frequently than before. So in order to make sure that the business is still on, the inclusion of POS Software in the functioning of the hospitality industry is very important. All the transaction is done in front of the client itself and there are no chances of any sort of discrepancies.

Google, a well-known online search engine has a recent history of taking services that people pay money for and making it available for free to its users. One service in particular that has been recently launched is Google Flights, allowing users to select a travel plan and then go directly airlines' reservation system. The problem here is it has left online travel agency OTA's industries such as Expedia and Priceline.com out of the picture. Such OTA industries earn revenue by either taking a commission from hotel or charging a markup to consumers. This should be a great concern to this industry . Although there are some hurdles for Google-Google users search results are limited for flights as of its competitors; Google's competitors still have established customer relations and brand. Google can overcome these hurdles in a matter of time and OTA's should keep a close eye or find solutions to adapt.

Great article! I recently read that Google is taking over the travel market when searching for events using the Google search engine. Pay per click, allows companies to tie into hyperlinks when web surfers an event in the area of their business. Highlighting hotels, car rentals and restaurant conveniently located within the search engine user area.

In an effort to catch up with emerging technology and trends, it is expected more hotels will begin to "go green" this year with their linens and uniforms. I believe this is in part because hotels are being held to hirer expectations as we emerge from the recession. USA Today reports that American Laundry News surveyed several vendors about new products at the 2011 International Hotel, Motel and Restaurant Show in New York. Vendors including popular uniform maker, Cintas revealed more items like the washable tuxedo, made from recycled plastic bottles and the Eco-Cobra Jacket for front door staffers. Hospitality textile maker, Riegel is reportedly getting lots of attention from hoteliers for its recycled polyester tablecloths, also made from recycled bottles. The recycled fibers are expected to cut costs on hotel laundry bills. For example, Cintas estimates the washable tuxedos would save them nearly $1,000 each year. I had the opportunity to attend IHMRS this year, and visited the Cintas display. The recyclable material is no new idea. However, it is apparent that changes are being made to improve the durability of the products. I recall when the recycled fibers were initially used. The material seemed cheap and couldn't be ironed for risk of destroying it. Quality seems to be something hotels and restaurants are forgoing in order to "go green". To add, up front costs aren't necessarily saving companies much money. The USA Today article prompts reader responses by asking if hotel/ restaurant visitors even care whether or not a business has "green" products. I believe this is a fair question. Beyond attempts to save on long term costs, what other motivation do hotel operators have to "go green"?

I think it is important to hotel visitors, especially group & corporate, for hotels to go green. Maybe companies and organizations require their employees to book rooms at hotels that meet certain "green" standards. If I am a business owner, and promote the company as "green", then our actions and choices have to be "green" too. The uniforms made of recycled material sound very interesting! I wonder if they are comfotable and liked by employees.

While many U.S. hotels are moving from recession style cost cutting to updating their properties, it would appear that they have become interested in a more green approach, at least in one area, laundry. The American Laundry news explains that as many hotels seek to buy new tablecloths and uniforms for their staff, they are looking for green products that can help to trim their laundering costs. One of the things that caught the interest of hoteliers is the hotel industry's first look at machine washable tuxedos for the wait staff. Cintas partnered with Boardroom Eco Apparel to produce the tuxedo, which uses recycled plastic bottles transformed into polyester fibers. Cintas has stated that this green, machine washable tuxedo can save the hotel up to $1000 per employee annually. Cintas has also garnered interest in its recycled polyester bellman's jackets, as well. Another green product that hotels can use is the recycled polyester tablecloth. These tablecloths also come from recycled bottles and are also very eco-friendly. Riegel, the company behind these, has said that just using one of their table napkins can eliminate three plastic bottles from landfills. While these tablecloths may not save the hotel money in the short run, Riegel says that the hotel can save money in the long run by pitching itself as a "green" hotel. It is important to note that hotels have been slowly switching to greener products over the years, such as energy efficient light bulbs, to recycled plastic water bottles, and even sustainable organic ingredients in restaurant kitchens.

In Amazon's last quarter, net income dropped by 57 percent from a year ago. Sales for the three months before December 31 came out to $17.4 billion, lower than Wall Street expected over the traditionally busy holidy season. It is predicted that for the next quarter outlook, there could be anywhere from a gain of $100 million to a loss of $200 million. While Amazon continues to profit in sales of its best selling Kindle devices, there were a variety of factors that contirbuted to its losses. The flooding in Thailand slowed down production for many tech companies. Third-party sellers (which give a 13% commission to Amazon as oppsoed to 100% commission when Amazon sells themselves) were used more than usual. Promotions such as the Amazon Prime program which allows the customer to pay a fixed rate and get umlimited two-day shipping hurt the retailer hard over the busy holiday season with shipping costs. Other reasons were lower demand for skimwords

This article talks about how hotels can use location based marking to drive business and create customer loyalty. Hotels and restaurants can use proximity marketing and geofencing to get the messages out to customers. Proximity marketing uses Bluetooth technology and WIFI to send messages to a customers mobile phone when they are within a specific proximity to your business. Geofencing creates a virtual "fence" that once the customer is within this area they can be reached on their mobile device. Hotels can use this technology to build customer loyalty by sending special messages to guests when they enter the hotel. These personalized messages can you give a competitive advantage by making the guest feel special and welcome. They can also send messages to guests encouraging them to visit the hotel's restaurant or spa instead of going somewhere else. According to a recent study, customers are willing to give up personal information and privacy in exchange for money saving deals. It is important for hotels and restaurants to take advantage of this new technology to reach the people who are willing and want to be contacted this way.

Hi Dawn This article is great and learning about proximity marketing made me understand it way more now. I think that it could be a good feature to reach out to people that signed up for your program when they get within a certain distance to your property to get them know about current specials. I know if I was part of a loyalty program at a hotel this would make me feel special for sure having them send me a personalized message to my phone upon returning to the property. With the economy where it is at people will willingly give up their personal information to get deals that can save them money for sure. Great post!

The article described how HRIS is important and useful to a company. Usually, it can help manage kinds of HR related information; it can help with hire, training and measuring. But this article also referred that it can manage the money spent on benefit plans. Today's CEO need to know how much the HR can contribute to the shareholder.So future of HR analysis has to be linked to other key performance indicators such as revenue and profitability and investing in new HRIS software is need of the hour.

Avero, one of the top analytic tools in the industry, has partnered with BinWise, the leading beverage inventory management system. Together, they provide great value to restaurants in that they ensure the most current inventory levels and accurate sales information at all times. The streamlining of these processes saves the property time, money and space while controlling inventory and beverage costs. It is clear that, while many companies use one or the other (or both), they will now benefit even more from the partnership between these two systems that have both been proven to save money and improve efficiency.

M3 is a leading provider of accounting and analytic software, business intelligence and operations reporting. The company has been providing accounting assistance to customers for 15 years and has relied heavily on the feedback of their customers to improve their services. As a result of their customers wanting to outsource their accounting functions M3 has developed a customizable software that allows customers to choose from basic accounting functions to a complete accounting cycle depending on their business needs. By using M3PS and outsourcing accounting needs customers will be able to focus more on management functions as well as guest experience. M3PS launched operations on August 1st and since then has expanded its services to over 100 hotels as well as other businesses. M3PS is providing customers with outsourced accounting assistance from a team of CPAs and business professionals that have years of hotel accounting experience. Also, M3PS is saving customers from having to invest a large amount of time and money on IT infrastructure costs.

Where the article I posted emphasizes a total PMS solution, this company focuses primarily on back office functions. This doesn't make it wrong. On the contrary, if the firm is able to conduct all the back office functions and remain integrated with the existing PMS, it could be beneficial. That is of course, if the money being saved by exporting these functions to external CPAs outweighs the costs of keep the functions in-house.

So, for the consumers that are used to booking their vacations by themselves, I don't think this article applies to you. For the ones that are trying to save money by not going through a travel agent, I think thesis the article for you. A study conducted by AH&LA shows early signs that almost 2.5 million bookings for hotel properties made online through "fake websites" are being accounted for. This is a huge security issue. Consumers are booking their travel thinking that they are getting certain room types, ample amenities, amazing discounts, and good deals, but turns out they are just getting scammed. Other then not making the clients happy, this also hurts the reputation of the hotel property because when things don't go our way or something happens, we tend to blame the property. And in today's society, most take to the internet to voice their opinions in addition to speaking with the hotel; and bad word-of-mouth is the last thing our industry needs. Also, this can lead to loss of revenue. The survey stated that 56% of customers prefer to book directly with the hotel. It is always recommended to book directly through the property themselves, but for the new guys, how are they supposed to differentiate the difference between real and fake websites? 

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

In the business world, as well as in many other fields, accounting is used to report (account for) an organization's money and other valuable property. Accounting is utilized by all managers in business and especially by those in the hospitality industry. In fact, in almost every hospitality job, accounting is important. Accounting in the hospitality industry is utilized every time a guest purchases food, beverages, or a hotel guest room. Accounting in business occurs even before a hospitality facility ever opens. This is so because business persons estimate their costs before they decide to build their facilities and often seek loans from banks to help them. Those banks will assuredly want to know about the proposed business's estimated financial performance before they decide to lend it money. Accurate accounting is important to many other individuals in the hospitality industry. The owners of a restaurant or hotel will certainly want to monitor their business's financial condition. These owners may be one or more individuals, partnerships, or small or very large corporations, but they all care about the performance of their investments. Investors in the hospitality industry generally want to put their money in businesses that will conserve or increase their wealth. To monitor whether or not their investments are good ones, investors will always seek out and rely upon accurate financial information. When it is properly done, accounting is simply the process of providing that information.

The article titled "Deciphering ROI from tech investment can be complicated", explores how technology can be challenging within the hotel industry. It is important to note that hotels need to understand what components they need to include, and which are simply a waste of money. According to the author, "Some technology trends are elements that hotels need to survive, while some technology is simply a fad". It is important to keep an eye on consumer trends to filter out what will actually enhance guest experience. Nowadays, guests and staff need mobile needs to optimize their work processes. For some processes and technologies, the ROI may be almost immediate, but for others, they still require more time to see the investment. In terms of investing in technology, do you think room automation is always necessary? In my personal opinion, the more perks a room has, the more it may enhance the customer experience. Ultimately, it all depends on the hotel, its size and its investment opportunities.

This article discussed how to pick the best technology for your company thus maximizing your ROI. Some technologies are necessary while others are just a fad and it is important to determine what your company needs. Guests are also demanding more tech advancements from hotels, the personal touch is not as important anymore. Mobile and digital payment tech is becoming more and more important. Lastly it is important to note that technology will not always fix a problem, it is up to the company to determine what the issue is and then learn how to implement technology that will assist, not just expect it to resolve on its own.

Very interesting article that makes us question whether specific technological add-ons are must haves versus nice to haves to separate us from our neighbours. It also shows us that we cant often times quantify from an ROI perspective. It begs the question, does technology really set a hotel apart and how.

Fake news, fake marketing claims, fake influencers, fake customer service. So much of this fakery is funded through advertising, and biggest thing they sell is fake traffic.

Second, there are scrapers that take original content from one site and put it on others as well as take customer lists, contact information, and other valuable data. Third, spammer bots are used to drive Internet traffic to spammer websites. Finally, marketers are most concerned with click bots. This is a relatively new type of ad fraud and that click on performance-based and PPC ads that drive up the cost of this type of advertising.

SUMMARY: With the rise of Aritiial Intelligence and computer algorithms/programs it becomes more apparent that emarketing is under constant threat of fake traffic and analytics. Over half the internet traffic is being used by bots. Marketers must invest in tools to fight fraudulent traffic. Anti fraud and tracking platforms can be utilized to combat fradulent traffic. If there is money in fake traffic, the bad bots will constantly create problems creating fradulent traffic. Marketers have to stay vigilant and informed about new threats to their emarketing campaigns so money isn't being spent on bad bots/fradulent traffic.

Over the few years, travel agents are using booking through Global distribution systems. Hotels however are having to pay a 20% booking fee when people book through GDS. Travel agents are also now using Airbnb, and alternative booking, because they aren't seeing any commissions on them. GDS is a large computer network that represents a single point of entry to travel agents and meta search sites. GDS are heavily used in the business and corporate travel accounts. GDS corporate business typically delivers more revenue for hotels because business travelers usually eat and drink in the hotel, rather than travel outside the hotel and spend money. Travel agents use commissionable and non-commissionable booking that, where commissionable bookings must add typically 8-10% agency commission on top of the GDS fees. GDS can be a good source of incremental bookings and increase margins.

Over the few years, travel agents are using booking through Global distribution systems. Hotels however are having to pay a 20% booking fee when people book through GDS. Travel agents are also now using Airbnb, and alternative booking, because they aren't seeing any commissions on them. GDS is a large computer network that represents a single point of entry to travel agents and meta search sites. GDS are heavily used in the business and corporate travel accounts. GDS corporate business typically delivers more revenue for hotels because business travelers usually eat and drink in the hotel, rather than travel outside the hotel and spend money. Travel agents use commissionable and non-commissionable booking that, where commissionable bookings must add typically 8-10% agency commission on top of the GDS fees. GDS can be a good source of incremental bookings and increase margins.

This article discusses what benefits an HRIS will provide a firm. Some of the most important benefits include cost savings. The system allows an HR manager to manage more employees so they firm can hire less in the HR department. Additionally it provides insight into other departments if turnover is high and the system can save money in the long run in the case of legal disputes. For employees it allows them to access their information and get contact information for other employees. All these benefits improve the job performance of everyone involved.

This is an interesting article which shows the need for hotels to look at their Property Management System software and how it affects associates and their guests. The choice that is made in regards to which system is utilized has a major impact on the need for IT support, training, and issues hotels face due to loss of data from connection issues. As stated, it is important as well to ensure this system is able to help the hotel satisfy the guest's need while staying at the hotel.

It appears that the old mantra "keep it simple stupid" also applies to Property Management Systems as well. The easier a system is to use, the more likely it is that your staff and your guests will be able to take full advantage of it. Often times we can be mislead into believing that "the more complex the system, the better it must be". I disagree. A system that is easy to use, is more likely to be used by your staff and guests. If your staff requires significant training in order to utilize the system, you will waste time and money on this training. If it is too complex, the average guest may not be able to figure it out. It is extremely important to spend a significant amount of time discovering exactly what it is that you want your Property Management System to accomplish. After doing this, find the system that can achieve these goals in the most simplified manner. The time you spend in upfront research will be returned to you in reduced training, and guest satisfaction.

This article was very interesting to read because it shines a light on the fact that hotels need to focus and always improve and manage their PMS systems because it directly effects the employees and guest experience