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This article discusses the push that is happening for hotels to "go green" and "tech-friendly". Travelers have more of a preference for eco-friendly/tech friendly hotels when booking. For example, guests now prefer wifi more than complimentary breakfast. Another example that guests are searching for sustainability usage was important to them. In a survey done one in five woule stay in a boutique hotel if it used renewable energy sources. The article examines the desires for guests and their preferences for hotels and how hotels can adjust to this change. To meet these demands, hotels can address what are easy fixes such minimizing wasted heat or light. Another way hotels can hop on in this movement is by investing in systems that are eco-friendly such as waste heat-recovery systems. Investing in energy solutions will meet customer demands and help save the environment.

To briefly summarize, as mentioned in the section of the book, a physical plant of a hospitality operation compromises of the ground, exterior and interior finishes, building systems, FF&E, HVAC systems, and plumbing too. Protecting the physical plant ensures the hotel controls and minimizes energy. Maintenance cost is a big concern when overseeing the physical plant sense it is such a big portion of the hotel. Technical and managerial functions must be performed to ensure the hotel is running smoothly and all maintenance are being kept up and to check that energy is not being wasted.

This article is about technology trends in the event industry. It talks about what event planners are doing to implement more technology in their events; it gives examples such as audience using smartphones to interact during the meeting, events, conference, etc. Now event planners use technology to collect information in real time, which helps them to adjust their event at the moment, this is a very smart strategy.

This article contains information about the expected event trends this year that will possibly increase ROI. The list of expected trends all surrounded the technological advancements that are enhancing event planning. The advancements include the increased use of smartphones to conduct business. This technological increase will also reduce company costs. It is also expected to improve company value. I agree with technology improving company value. Technology is advancing majorly throughout the world. It is also making it easier for companies and consumers to interact. Smartphones, alone, are very popular in today's economy and are a great example of technological advancement. Being that people already use their smartphones to check emails, save event dates and contact other people (whether over the phone or by video), conducting business will be somewhat simple to adapt to. Increasing company technology to reduce costs is a good move. However, the companies should keep in mind that losing one cost will only open the door for another one. When dealing with technology, there are always risks (usually malfunction risks). So, companies should keep in mind that there is a possibility that expenses will incur for the technological maintenance that will be needed to keep the technology operating.

The Great Recession has been come to end point; therefore, expected corporate and event spend will begin to rise from 9 to 20 percents in next two years. The author has scooped out 5 major trends that will rapidly increase Return on Investment (ROI) for 2013 and future. 1. Smart Events will take center stage: in 2011, 205 million people attended 1.8 million events cost more than $263 billion in direct spending in the U.S alone. But only 25 percent of organizations see its effective, in 2013 organizations will choose smart event technology to help them operate more effectively 2. Automation will help event planners reduce expenses: Strategic meeting management ( SMM) technology can help event planners adapt to new methods to identify event-related functions and reduce costs. 3. Planners will achieve greater efficiency through solution consolidation: In the future, organizers will lay out their workloads by choosing consolidated solution, saving time and freeing up event planners to focus on making event better and well organized. 4. Event  organizers will engage audiences with smartphones: New all-in one apps will help organizer to provide all the information needed for attendee about the event. 5. Meeting planners will leverage technology to gather in-dept attendee information: focusing on the need of attendee is a crucial part of event planner, to be able to get requirement of attendee in real time will help organizer to adjust their plan, strategies on the fly and increase ROI. Increasing the need for events in 2013 and future requires event planner to be able to get familiarize with new event trend and technology to minimize the cost and maximize the ROI for an organization.

Unattended POS is growing global trend which industry leaders will soon have to adapt in their business place. Quick service restaurants are quickly adapting to this change as it reduces wait time and increase in customer return rate. Other key benefits for businesses are the decrease in labor costs & minimal errors when processing guests' request. Ideally, merchants must speak with vendors to customize the self-service kiosk and to ensure they are in compliance. In the end this will expand revenue and efficiency.

Unattended POS machines hit a global growth of $9.22 billion in 2018 from 2017, and is still climbing. The unattended POS machine has shown to be particular popular in the quick service restaurant sector. McDonald's has announced a plan to put 1,000 self-service kiosks in their stores per quarter. Taco bell and Subway have also announced they will be adding the kiosks in their stores as an initiative to offer a heightened customer experience. The machines have come with the benefits of reduced wait time and faster customer turnover. POS growth is attributed to aligning with today's consumers' expectations. Customers value their time and rising labor costs can be eased with the machine as it expedites transactions and covers tasks not relied on by human interaction.

Accounting trends in the hospitality industry are always evolving with technology. Hotels are looking for technology that will catch their data and analyze it all while delivering it in a more user friendly app. Apps, Automation & Analytics are the A's of hotel accounting and technology.

Accounting cannot be without data. In my opinion it is mainly about data analysis. With automation and analytics, it will be more reliable and descriptive. Apps helps mainly in its portability and time efficiency.

The article talks about three future trends called A's - apps, automation, and analytics. It makes examples of their function and works. In my opinion, the A's can use in any industry, not only in hospitality. They can help us work more efficiently and shorter working hours.

This article focuses on the ways AI and automation can help the hospitality industry get back on track by helping guests to feel safe while they travel during the COVID-19 pandemic. By using different software guests can have a contactless check-in, request digital room keys, use AI based devices to control lighting/TV and/or make housekeeping/front desk requests, and housekeeping can use electrostatic sprayers to help mitigate the chances of guests contracting or spreading COVID. It notes the losses in revenue and occupancy by several major hotelier groups, especially some Las Vegas properties, as well the high number of furloughed employees that COVID has caused while showcasing ways that hotel groups can help get back on track by easing the fears of guests. It offers data to show that through these technologies, guests are returning because the feel their safety concerns have been addressed. comment by Jwilc019 " https://diigo.com/0ica77

TVs are the largest contributors to electronic waste. Electronic waste recycling solution is urgent because the waste is toxic. LG partnered with Hilton Hotels for a recycling program to efficiently recycle their old TVs without sending them to a landfill or somewhere overseas. Through the program, recycled TVs were replaced with newer 43" Energy Star certified LG flat screen TVs.

In this article it discussed the main green technologies used for hotel chains and independent hotel owners. In a bid to reduce carbon emissions ahead of possible future legislation, many hotels are adopting strategies to comply with stringent energy guidelines. Large hotel chais are making sure they go extra miles to ensure their green credentials are noticed. Green consultants and architects are employed and eco-friendly strategy for sustainable technologies are rolled out at the entire hotel groups.  Hotel architecture transform to more new green hotel developments which more fit in  with the local landscape as well as energy reducing technology apply for the roofing and building materials. Bio fuel heating replace for diesel and recycled water being used to irrigate hotel grounds. Some hotels are using ozone instead of chlorine in the pools. Other green energy management systems has become increasingly common. Green gadgets are proving a cost effective choice and can also reduce the impact of heavy guest usage on resources.Many Chins are minimizing waste by avoiding over-paced products and asking to deliver minimal wrapping.  Further cost effective measures can be applied to guest activities. They promote local restaurants and attractions within walking distance or only a short care journey away. Bicycles are offered for guests or endorse local tour firms which save on multiple car journeys.  Eco-friendly measures and green technology as part of hotel's general philosophy are well accepted. It also helps to ensure future goodwill and increase occupancy rates. It worth adopting a green technology policy to suit a hotel budget.

Through the article, I found that more and more companies and customers concern about green technology and it has became a heated issue for hotel chains and independent hotel owners. Then why do we need green technology in hotel industry? The answers varies: the general one could be that we need a green world and we should reduce the burden of our environment; for customers, I think we should try to protect the place that provides us beautiful view and nice mood and to make it more comfortable to live in; for hoteliers, building and operating hotels means more saving on energy, more profit,and higher reputation. Even through we have different points of view, we can work on the same theme. Then the problem came in: how to build and operate a green hotel. The author of this article gave me some ideas and I am sure green technology can be everywhere. For instance, large hotel chains can employ green consultants and architect and even launch test sites where they can assess the effectiveness of their green strategy. Professional architects can customize their design to fit the local landscape. From the beginning we can have the green roofing and building materials which can benefit us a lot later. The facilities and operation system can be energy saving by focusing on every detail such as the recycled water and bio fuel heating.  Besides in room technology can be green too. Hoteliers can also try to plan some actives that are environmental friendly for their guests.  Green technology can be applied to every step of building and operating hotels.It is meaningful for hoteliers to focus on the green theme. 

Bartech and it's propriety NeoTray creating a way to have a minibar in a hotel room that allows guests to feel safe and increase revenue for the hotels.

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

eInsights has written an article discussing the trends of how the hospitality industry has become green. "Over the last decade, guests have looked beyond amenities to decide where they want to stay. Now, they compare a property's sustainable efforts to see if it matches their firmly held beliefs." It has come to the attention of the entire industry that we are leaving a huge footprint on the environment and we are taking strides to fix something that has been ongoing for quite some time. The first topic discussed was that hotels are minimizing their water usage and waste. This is often the most common first step for any hotel to work on their sustainability. Guests are often already privy to saving water in their own homes and will carry this over to their hotel stay. The second topic covered was that hotels are reducing their plastic products. This is a very popular topic within the industry as hotels have many options such as turning their plastic straws or water bottles into reusable items. Within the hospitality industry, sometimes food waste is unpreventable. Hotels have made great efforts to work with each of their departments to see where their waste originates and find the best solutions to reduce it. "Sustainability promotes a healthier environment," which often leads to hotels introducing new allergy-friendly options for their guests. Items such as allergy-friendly flooring or self-sustaining plants are just a few ways that hotels can create a healthier environment for their guests. Finally, the article discusses the importance of monitoring carbon emissions for the entire industry. "The UN recently called attention to hotel emissions, saying they account for 1% of all carbon waste." Hotels will often employ a professional to evaluate their property and make recommendations of how they can reduce their carbon footprint. After a hotel adds a new sustainability effort, it is important that they get guest feedback.

A combination of positive guest feedback and minimizing energy usage will let a hotel know that they are moving in the right direction. It is so important for every hotel to try their best to employ whatever sustainability efforts they can and reduce their impacts on the environment as a whole. The emissions from the industry were overlooked for such a long time and have gotten out of control. With some of the popular industry trends, it is getting easier for hotels to make strides in the right direction.

The Ziosk products were popular before COVID19 but have now increased in popular after the spread of the virus. It allows for social distancing by ordering through the Ziosk that sits at tables in restaurants like Olive Garden, helping to minimize contact between the guest and the server.

Network redundancy is the process of adding network devices and other instances of communication lines to help ensure network availability and reduce the risk of failures on critical data paths. One of the first steps in the network redundancy plan is to create a network strategy that reviews the existing infrastructure. A high-quality hosted data center should have an extensive backup system to ensure that it is always available. All valuable data should be backed up regularly, preferably in another location. By using multiple data centers, companies can ensure that even if certain disasters occur, they will be able to proceed with minimal losses. In addition, a well-maintained UPS system ensures that the server can be switched from power to backup generator power without losing any data or applications.

A network outage whether it is due to a cyber attack or simple human error can be devastating to a company. It makes them look very bad, damaging their reputation, and can cost the business millions of dollars. Network Redundancy can help ensure network availability and decrease the risk of failure. There are 2 forms of redundancy. Fault Tolerance where there is a mirrored backup system that takes over with no loss of service, and High Availability where the backup servers take over and restart applications that were running on the failed server.

After the pandemic hit in 2020, hotels have had to adapt to a volatile market quickly or risk major losses. This quick adaptation would not have been possible without cloud computing. Based on a Jan. 2021 survey, the vast majority of hoteliers now claim that the most important use of software is to have the ability to adapt to rapidly changing business conditions- a shift from the historical answer of efficiency and cost savings. What is clear is that without cloud computing, hotels would not be able to meet guests' evolving needs while navigating an ever- changing travel market.

This article discusses how the pandemic has strongly impacted many hospitality companies to be more "green" for the future.. From contactless key options, to minimizing food waste, to using technology to reduce unwanted waste like paper, it is helping set new green goals for the our planet and future of the industry.

This article explains some of the trends most relevant to the topic of cloud computing, as well as explains some of the benefits and disadvantages of cloud computing currently. The top four trends include artificial intelligence, cloud delivery models, security and compliance, and new cloud technologies. The article further explains each of these trends and the impact they will have on the industry. The main concern when it comes to cloud computing is the safety and security, following dependence on the internet. The new and incoming innovations within cloud computing aim to eliminate theses challenges and improve overall efficiency and adoption. Cloud computing is expected to grow over 22% this year alone and adoption rates are expected to remain increasing.

To summarize, the article talks about how cloud use has been increasing for over a decade, forcing many employees to embrace digital and adapt to the work-from-home concept. For continuity and expansion, the workforce transformation strongly relies on the cloud model. Given the extensive development, acceptance, and cloud deployment in corporate IT in recent years, the anticipation of stronger and more robust automation and AI has grown and should expect cloud delivery strategies to shape the cloud ecosystem in 2022 and beyond. Also, the demand for cybersecurity is rising, as is the desire for cloud-native programs that are quick, efficient, and robust.

This article explains how the restaurant business has adapted new technologies to overcome changes that came after COVID-19. The usage of these technologies allow the restaurants to minimize the contact points during the experience while also giving the option to the patrons to customize their experience as they want. It also talks about how technology is not a replacement for server or bartenders because the human contact is still part of the hospitality business

This article speaks about the extensive impact that artificial intelligence has on the hotel industry. The hotel industry was good before, but these new futuristic and techy advancements deliver premium guest experiences that create an everlasting effect. In return, it assists in expanding the business revenue, along with the profits, and creates a larger scale for the business. Some of the ways that big hotel brands are incorporating artificial intelligence is using chatbots. Chatbots help automates the customer support experience so customers are well directed in the right direction. Not only does it offer premium experiences, but it helps businesses to understand the customer's wants and needs to do so. It's a chain reaction. In hotel operations specifically, it helps to deliver a higher level of efficient and effective results when the demand grows higher. It also minimizes guest management time and effort. It is great for hotel operations, revenue management, next-level personalization, data analytics, and multilingual booking experience.

Hotel certified wedding planners and event and catering managers can promote social media walls to weddings, social groups, and business conventions to not only enhance the guests' hotel experience, but to also generate organic UGC (user generated content) to use in its social media marketing strategy. A relatively minimal amount of hardware is required as building a social wall can be accomplished with either an LCD projector or LED screens and a social media aggregator tool. Hotels can create new revenue streams for their F&B Department.

Backup and recovery describes the process of creating and storing copies of data that can be used to protect organizations against data loss. This is sometimes referred to as operational recovery. The purpose of the backup is to create a copy of data that can be recovered in the event of a primary data failure. Primary data failures can be the result of hardware or software failure, data corruption, or a human-caused event. Storing the copy of the data on separate medium is critical to protect against primary data loss or corruption. This additional medium can be as simple as an external drive or USB stick. The possibility of weather-related events may justify having copies of data at remote locations. For best results, backup copies are made on a consistent, regular basis to minimize the amount data lost between backups.