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The latest security breach on hotel locks has paved the way for companies like OpenWays to provide mobile device solutions to allow guests to securely open locks with their cell phone. This LOCKFIX has been added to 4 million hotel rooms. The latest threat involved the use of a dry erase marker can open a hotel room. Hackers are posting "how to's" on social networking sites to share this information.

The integration of software and Hardware is what makes any type of system function. A computer system has various hardware components. The motherboard, which allows all hardware components to connect and interact with each other. The Processor, performs all calculations and actions. Ram, provides the processor with data. And finally the hard drive, which stores all the software and personal data. On the other hand, the software is what allows any device(computer or electronic device) to operate. In the case of a computer it requires an operating system to function.Windows and Linux are two forms of operating systems. Hardware can't exist without software or viceversa.

This article basically talks about how much technology has changed and what directors of softwares predict technology will be in the near future. The article informs how the Peachtree Plaza hotel like many other hotels replaced the keys to all the rooms with electronic key cards. Which increased security for the guest and cost saving. Hospitality consultants agreed that in the future mobile phones will be the way to open guest room doors and will probably occur through infrared or wirelesss access to rooms. Neil Roodyn the director of software developers informed that he predicts that in the future people will be sitting around touch sensitive table top computer in lobbies where they can searchfor places to go in the area and make their own restaurant reservations. Neil predicts this can also influence more communication and interaction between guest. My thoughts on this article is that the younger generation is far more technology oriented and feel more comfortable with working all these new gadgets, but for the baby boomers and older crowd have the want and need of having that human interaction. Technology seems a bit to advanced for them. The more technology advances the less human interaction will occur. I think that technology advancement is great for everyone, but human interaction needs to remain for those that are not very technology savy.

This is an informative article, and I also understand Mary's opinion. Over decades, technology has rapidly advanced and it seems to be quite hard to catch up with all the new technology released quickly. For example, I stayed in a hotel called Aria, one of the newly built hotels in Las Vegas, and the hotel is equipped with state-of-the-art room technology (not just room but all over the hotel). To get into a room, unlike other hotels, I just put a room key on a sensor instead of inserting a key; as well as, I just touched a button right next to the door for privacy instead of putting the "Do not Disturb" card on a door knob. This is not something really huge, however this is how hotels are technologically changing. As a person studying Hospitality Management, the change was very impressive, but at the same time, it was intimidating. Obviously, our parents generation should have harder time to use new technology and/or to get used it than I do. I totally agree that there should be a balance between technology advancement and human interation.

I agree with Mary regarding baby boomers may not be as quick to adapt to the advancement of technology, however what is noticeable in resort hotels is that more people are taking family vacation and the kids are the ones driving the technology. It will therefore just be a matter of time where the use of technology within hotels will be just like a regular lifestyle activity.

This article talks of 10 simple steps to go green in both a comercial and home cercumstances. Every business can do these steps to make a green company that can be used as a deferenciation point. I have never heard a company say that they make their own cleaning products.

The hundred year old, Dorchester Collection's Beverly Hills Hotel participates in various green initiatives within the hotel as well as around the world. The hotel purchases only green products, donates partially used toilet paper, donates soap and amenities to local and global shelters and organizations. Most importantly they participate in proper e-waste of electronics.  I think this Beverly Hill Hotel sets a great standard for all hotels. Not only does their hotel practice green initiatives but they take that extra step and their employees participate in beach clean ups. 

The article give tourists amazing stuffs while they are travel around world. Instead of keeping a key to guest room, a mobile with new technology app enalbles them to enter their rooms without any key or card and so forth. What's more through this technology, guests can get access to places of interests, shoppiing area to get directions, transportation, drink and food, anything that they need during they are out of hotels. It allows guests to use it as a electronic purse to easily consume anywhere at anytime. Now there are some hotels in USA, are now install this new technology, which indicates a new way for guests to enter the properties. And it will be more sate to carry a necessarymobile with guests rather than a little key or card, which are much easier to lose or be stolen, I believe, the new technology both benefits guests and hotels.

H.I.S., a Japanese travel agency, cut the amount of human workers at its Huis Ten Bosch amusement park, and its neighboring hotel, Henn na Hotel, significantly wherein only 1,200 workers still labor at the park while the others will be reassigned to other branches within the group. Instead of human workers, H.I.S. has replaced with with robots that handle a wide variety of tasks severely limiting the amount of employees that have to work there. Among the tasks that they accomplish, there is a program which collects garbage in the park, as well as cleaning and landscaping. H.I.S. also plans to add customer service robots, an electronic payment system (hoping to go "cashless" in the future), as well as a new wing to the hotel, that will be an energy-independent generator made from film-like solar cells and plant-based storage batteries.

This article covers the effects e-waste has on not only the people working with these hazardous materials everyday, but what long term effects it could have on the environment. The article concentrates on the region India, and how the e-waste is currently effecting it. The limitations this kind of work is having on the people associated with this form of disposing everyday. How even children are infected with led and it is now in their bloodstreams. The article goes in deeper with predictions of contamination of animals and plants in near by areas and what could become of them. The article sums up, however, that at the the end of the day it will always come back to us and the whole world could be contaminated by these toxins. That there needs to be a solution soon to this problem or what seems to be just the begging can grow even further, and faster than we could ever want.

This article gives us a few tips about how to streamline the facilities management systems, to make the processes easier to track as well as reducing cost and waste. The first tip is to implement a computerized maintenance management system for the property. This CMMS would allow you to track preventetive maintenance schedules, which would alleviate excess labor on the staff. CMMS also allows the staff and even guests to submit maintenance requests electronically. Another tip is to adopt Energy Star's Portfolio Manager, which helps to track the property's performance and use of gas emissions, energy, and water. Third tip is to connect thermostats in guests room to the PMS. This would be able to not waste unnecessarily when rooms are vacant. Lastly, streamlining the property's waste management operations by producing less waste. Switching from paper copies to digital, using refillable containers, re-using leftover materials, and donating food and beverage leftovers to shelters should be adopted. Hotels these days need to be going green, and all of the above are ways in which we could start. This is a great article with helpful tips for hoteliers who are beginning.

This short article from Harvard University discusses ways in which conservation and recycling of old products can help minimize wasteful practices of corporations' extraction of precious minerals in the production of technological hardware.

There are so many alternatives to disposing of electronics. Instead of just giving it to a company to recycle, one can donate it to other that are less fortunate then them and just have a company delete all the information on it a restore it. Also, companies like Best Buy will take old technology with their take back programs.

This company is an interactive info tech company and has decided to make a large investment in their online electronics retailers. The chinese company has also announced they will expand to dozens of countries in Asia, Europe, Latin America, and the Middle East.

A new method that might help E-waste recycling become more green and safe for the environment.

This article discusses "Hotel Computer Networks". The author keeps information brief but informative.Highlights include, explaining the point of a computer network and how such communication is made possible. "Hotel Computer Networks are used to: Facilitate communique via electronic mail, video conferencing, immediate messaging, etc." The article concludes by highlighting the various varieties of computer network's used in hotels i.e. Local Area Networks, Personal Area Networks and Campus Networks.

This article goes into detail about the economic potential of the e-waste industry. China is primed to be the remain the biggest player in the market. It is wise for all governments and companies involved to work together to find a solution that makes this industry safe and sustainable.

Grand Hyatt San Francisco has selected a package of VingCard Elsafe solutions for installation during renovation of its 659 guestrooms. The renovation features the addition of VingCard's Orion energy management system and Signature RFID locks powered by the VISIONLINE wireless online access management system.

Article discusses the recent large scale IT investment in green friendly security for the Grand Hyatt San Francisco. The hotel recently upgraded 659 of its hotel guestrooms to feature energy management software as well as RFID enable security features for guests. This represents a significant investment in green technology for the use of energy conservation which in the long run will lower energy costs for the hotel in addition to making the hotel a more secure atmosphere for the guests. Hotel staff can monitor all forms of these upgrades which all communicate and work together with each other one a room has been reserved.

This article discusses a solution to the toxic chemicals that are used in technological products and its effect on the environment due to lack of recycling and toxicity hazards. The current solution to the hazardous chemicals leaking into the environment and its human rights issues has been a management solution only. Products are made with these chemicals without, possibly for decades, knowing the true harm that coming into contact with them can cause to humans and the environment, so scientists simply try to decipher this and contain the problem. This has led to huge amounts of money trying to clean the damage already done by this tech trash. We are now learning (especially with the rejection of trash from poorer nations), that there needs to be a better solution to this problem. The article points out a plan with a few strategies, but which center more around prevention, than cleaning up after a mess. This is where "green chemistry," comes in. Technological products of all kinds can be redesigned with prevention of toxicity in mind. This has to do with not only using less toxic chemicals, but using chemicals that break down in certain ways, testing new methods to see how they break down before using them, designing safer chemicals, using renewable raw material, design for better energy efficiency, and more. The article states that it is important for the electronics industry to take responsibility and to design with green chemistry. Green chemistry is a very new science, brought about by the realization of the overwhelming issue of toxic tech trash. A smattering of universities are now developing these green chemistry programs, or in the least, requiring chemistry students to take courses on toxicity which were not requirements previously.

The hospitality industry can contribute to this movement by recycling hardware, reducing hardware usage, and purchasing technology that becomes developed that is considered to be "green." This way, the industry can produce less waste that is driving this huge international problem.

This article is very interesting and eye opening. Just the thought that "by 2023" the e-waste will be down is unrealistic. Companies will keep making more products and the e-waste will grow, unless they don't change the materials they use to create that type of technology.

Green IT is an aspect of technology that many people do even consider when thinking about sustainability. According to Computer Aid International, "The production of a computer requires 22kg of toxic chemicals, 240kg of fossil fuels and 1,500 kg of water. 80% of life-cycle energy use is accounted for before we even switch a PC on for the first time." This statistic alone should be enough for us to take action. Marriott has started taking action, however. They created an underground data center where the power consumption goes down and efficiency goes up. Cloud computing is also a massive help due to the fact that the physical software wont be on the desktop computers or laptops being operated so the power consumption will be lowered there as well.

Green IT is an aspect of technology that many people do even consider when thinking about sustainability. According to Computer Aid International, "The production of a computer requires 22kg of toxic chemicals, 240kg of fossil fuels and 1,500 kg of water. 80% of life-cycle energy use is accounted for before we even switch a PC on for the first time." This statistic alone should be enough for us to take action. Marriott has started taking action, however. They created an underground data center where the power consumption goes down and efficiency goes up. Cloud computing is also a massive help due to the fact that the physical software wont be on the desktop computers or laptops being operated so the power consumption will be lowered there as well.

This article focuses on the importance of having green IT in business. It shows example of other hotels that have already adopted green IT. Not only this but it offers tips for businesses that are looking to adopt green it. It highlights the issue of recycling computers instead of reusing it . They recommend to use the appliance until it doesn't work.

"Green computing, also called green technology, is the environmentally responsible use of computers and related resources. Such practices include the implementation of energy-efficient central processing units (CPUs), servers and peripherals as well as reduced resource consumption and proper disposal of electronic waste (e-waste). One of the earliest initiatives toward green computing in the United States was the voluntary labeling program known as Energy Star. It was conceived by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in 1992 to promote energy efficiency in hardware of all kinds. The Energy Star label became a common sight, especially in notebook computers and displays. Similar programs have been adopted in Europe and Asia."