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Hilton is taking a different approach, partnering with Netflix to allow guests to control their streaming straight from the Hilton Honors mobile app.

2nd Kitchen is a godsend for hotels without a kitchen on-site: guests can order room service from restaurants near your hotel, taking care of care of orders, menus, payment, fulfillment, and customer support for your property.

There are two factors outside Coronavirus that are impacting OTAs. First, hotels are getting better at capturing direct bookings. Hotel tech like direct booking platforms, metasearch ad managers, and messaging integrations help properties draw more visitors to their site and convert more direct bookings, circumventing the high OTA commissions in the process.

With WiFi 6, your property can leverage in-room technology to provide better service, driving positive guest reviews and repeat business.

The sooner you start to mine guest data for better customer insights, the better positioned your property will be against your competition.

Data can fuel smarter marketing campaigns, inform your pricing, and help you capture a higher market share than your competitors by knowing your guests on a deeper level.

The companies that win will be the ones who stop acting like tech companies – using buzzwords like AI and virtual concierge – and focus on being more innovative and agile real estate businesses than traditional market players today. Those that succeed will be tech-enabled businesses; not tech businesses.

automated, daily transfer of critical financial data and property statistics

Built by hoteliers, exclusively for hoteliers, M3 is a powerful cloud-based financial platform and services company serving the hospitality industry that drives cost savings, revenue enhancement and business insight

M3 touts a 95 percent customer retention rate without contracts.

the platform works seamlessly with other key systems and tools in the hospitality industry and offers robust accounting and financial analysis across entire portfolios with optional operations and time management features

M3's professional services team provides on-demand support for hotels of any size by offering a full range of customized accounting solutions to scale with a hotel's needs.

, RMS provides customizable, cloud-based technology for single and multi-property hotels and resorts. Fully equipped with a comprehensive suite of modules, RMS enables hospitality properties to increase revenue and streamline operations, allowing staff to spend more time attending to guests' needs.

Cloud-based hotel software has been shown to boost productivity, efficiency, and cost-effectiveness

Additionally, through the centralization of operations, hoteliers can eliminate the need for on-premise servers at each property

In fact, the hotel group, Triple C Hotels and Resorts, reported a 60% savings on software costs when they switched to Cloudbeds’ cloud-based hospitality software

For example, Cloudbeds hospitality software implements periodic auto-logoff features that require users to re-enter their password, two-factor authentication for an added level of user verification, and automatic removal of guest credit card data after 14 days

The high-level security standards followed by cloud-based hotel software is due in part to its rigid compliance with PCI requirements.

Unlike locally installed software, one of the more attractive elements of using a cloud-based hotel software system is the ability to adapt, grow, and integrate with future trends

Unlike conventional hotel software models that require hoteliers to purchase licenses and hardware, cloud-based hotel software is sold as a service that enables clients to add on as many or as few tools and features as needed.

In fact, a study by Frost and Sullivan showed that businesses can cut IT costs in half by implementing cloud-based computing solutions to customer support.

ability to host a property management system (PMS) from a remote location, allowing hoteliers to access property data from anywhere in the world with an internet connection. This feature is unique to cloud-based software and eliminates the need for hoteliers to be physically present at their property to be able to check in on daily management operations.

Eliminate the need for manual data sharing and processing

Give staff more mobility and accessibility around the property

next two to three years hoteliers are expected to invest 7-8% more on cloud technology

an spend more time attending to guests

ransitioning to a cloud-based hotel software solution can seem like a daunting task at first

Accelerate hotel check-in / out

Eliminate the need for manual data sharing and processing

customizable

In an industry that is always changing, this kind of flexibility is priceless.

across multiple properties simultaneously

faster for operations, online booking and customer service.  

frequent security updates t

Cyber attacks and tighter regulations on privacy policies have made the need to protect guest information more important than ever. This topic is a main concern for those considering switching to a cloud-based PMS system since data servers are hosted off premises.

Occupancy sensors

room automation

Utilities are 2nd highest cost of the hotel

a step back t

submetering

renewable energy

technology to reduce food waste

Digitize Building-Material Waste

Continuous performance monitoring

food waste management software

research and conservation

smart building resources and reducting emission technology

waste management

Solar Photovoltaic

Occupancy Sensors

Carbon Measurement Tools

work well and efficiently

base decisions on more than just capital costs and to realize that embracing sustainability

Smart Water Systems

better utilisation of your information technology

sensor tech

smart energy tech

social technology

low-cost high-resolution monitoring equipment

real-time reporting

(water and energy)

Building Management Systems

refrain from rushing to “get the job done regardless of the cost”

Food Waste Analysis Technology

digital thermostat

Renewable energy

Internet of Things (IoT)

Big Data Analytics

Machine Learning

data collection

food waste

“paperless” experience for guests and staff

smart green mobility

closed-loop technologies

truely green energy systems

Things like building websites, increasing event registrations, and email promotion are all made possible thanks to event technology.

While some event tools require manual data entry, others might automatically capture information for you. Some tools might perform competing tasks while other might actually work better together.

consider your business goals

Venue sourcing tools are any event technology program that allows event planners to search, browse, and filter through venue options

There are many tools for finding event venues and spaces but here are some options to consider:

EventUP allows organizers to directly message venue owners. They have a wide selection ranging from corporate event venues to private dinner party spaces.

Your event website is an important digital portal for prospects and attendees to get acquainted with your upcoming affair. Important details, registration and ticketing options, and additional marketing materials are all located here. These tools help you create this important piece of your event puzzle.

Tools for event registration offer users different ways to increase and facilitate attendee conversions. Some event registration tools specialize specifically in event registration but can integrate with other event technologies.

Event agenda tools help attendees learn about, select, customize and navigate their activities during your event.

If you want to drive people to your event, you will need a strong event promotion strategy. It also helps to have the help of event technology that was built just for this purpose.

email list segmentation and social media leveraging that turns attendees into brand ambassadors.

Getting feedback from event stakeholders is made possible with the help of live event surveys and polls.

Software integrations are what ultimately create a seamless workflow for your event planning process. There are three main types: open API integrations, native integrations, and third-party integrations.

s the competition within the event technology industry has grown, so too has the importance of providing easy to use tools for event marketers.

event ROI (51% according to the 2018 Event Marketing Benchmarks and Trends Report). This means that working towards event ROI clarity is a high priority task for many planners.

In addition to increasing labor productivity by 40%, organizers will be able to use artificial intelligence to efficiently allocate and spend their time.

Choose wisely.

Consider market trends

Sort through the noise.

The PCI Security Standards Council claims that since March, malicious virus-related reports are up 475%. The reason for the uptick is that cybercriminals are trying to take advantage of rapid changes to the payment-card data environment. In addition, 41% of small businesses have said they’ve suffered breaches costing more than $50,000 to fix.

Contactless payment is one of the big changes within the payment data environment. Several restaurant companies – from chains to independents – are offering it because it reduces customers' physical interaction with the restaurant's POS system. As part of this move, some businesses have eliminated credit-card PIN numbers.

Eliot says malicious email is usually the easiest way for cybercriminals to access your networks. The emails typically show up as urgent requests for sensitive information, often pretending to be from the Small Business Administration or the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. When the intended victim types in his or her credentials and clicks on a specific link or downloads an attachment, criminals are in.

Anyone looking for easy-to-implement security tips can try these six to start. Reduce areas where payment-card data is stored. The best way to protect against a data breach is to avoid storing any card information at all. With many small operators offering curbside pickup and accepting payment over the phone instead of through face-to-face transactions, it’s important they train employees not to write down payment card details. Instead, have them enter numbers directly into a secure terminal. Use strong passwords. Using weak and default passwords is one of the leading causes of payment data breaches among businesses. Effective passwords must be strong and updated regularly. The most recent guidance is: the longer, the better. Think of it almost as a “passphrase” rather than a password. Use it in the form of a sentence, but mix in different characters within the phrase. It’s much harder to break a long passphrase than it is a short, complex password. Weak and vendor default passwords often result in small business data breaches. Also, don’t repeat your passwords. Update your software often. Criminals look for outdated software to exploit flaws in unpatched systems. Timely installations of security patches are crucial to minimizing the risk of a breach. Whenever updates are available, use them. They will improve performance and close out some of the vulnerabilities cybercriminals are searching for. Enable two-factor authentication. It's so important for restaurateurs, especially where their POS systems or any of their sensitive databases are concerned, to have two-factor or multi-factor authentication enabled. If an instance where credentials are stolen occurs, there will be a second layer of verification the operator can rely on to potentially reduce the chances that information will be breached. Segment your networks. If you are going to store payment data, make sure your POS system has its own separate, secure network. Do not store sensitive documents on public cloud services such as Google Docs or DropBox. If you’re going to store sensitive documents, house them in an encrypted, locked down location.   Be hyper-vigilant. Criminals are going to try to take advantage of this pandemic situation as much as possible. You can protect yourself by not giving out sensitive information, especially within unsolicited emails. Don’t click on links you’re not expecting and do everything in your power to protect all sensitive information.

However, as emails and/or e-newsletters might be unsolicited, senders should either offer recipients an opt-out option or get their prior consent (opt-in). In fact, experience shows that permission-based email marketing is one of the most cost-effective and efficient marketing tools available.  

This makes search engines one of the most effective tools in driving targeted traffic to a hotel’s or destination’s website. In the hospitality sector, hoteliers have two options with regard to SEM: Search Engine Optimization (SEO) or sponsored search:

Interface design:Adjustment of the web content for screen sizeso that users can comfortably access content in an intuitive way on a smaller screen and benefit from all functionalities on a mobile device (hotel search, access to reviews, bookings, payments, etc.).

A successful e-marketing strategy should comprise a set of specific e-actions that help hoteliers reach their planned objectives. These e-actions can be grouped into the following five main sections (A to E):

E-marketing is also known as Internet marketing, web marketing, online marketing or digital marketing. It is growing at a dramatic pace in the hospitality industry and is significantly impacting the business behaviors since it drives more revenue than traditional marketing.  

Employees were given the choice of when to return to work. They were also required to get tested for COVID-19 weekly. 

When vaccines became available, Genuine Concepts held a vaccination event at Ladera Taverna y Cocina and encouraged all employees to get their shot.

Not all of these shots were given to Genuine employees, as the team extended invitations to other local restaurant and bar employees. However, a large percentage of Genuine's employees were vaccinated at the event.

"It's important because if we protect our employees, then it protects their families, our customers and their families, the vendors that go on site to our places and their families," Cramton says. 

post-COVID environment, customer expectations are changing, new labor challenges have emerged and POS now applies to both sides of the counter.

78% of customers are keen to return to the restaurant experience.48% of customers want to reduce wait times by ordering ahead on mobile.66% of customers prefer to order directly from the restaurant.73% of customers prefer cashless payment.

One of the biggest impacts of the pandemic was the 40% growth Mastercard experienced in contactless transactions

Mobile orders are 20% higher than in-restaurant purchases.

Research indicates 54% of casual dining, 48% of family dining and 50% of fine dining restaurants launched QR codes in 2021.

44% of diners prefer to use kiosks at their favorite restaurants, and 71% would rather use a self-service kiosk at QSRs than engage with staff.

70% lift in meal delivery spending.

labor shortage, a challenge that preceded the pandemic but has exacerbated it.

One of the goals of technology is to give customers more control of the guest experience

A POS today should include the following functions: omnichannel experience, integrations and extensions, frictionless checkout, contactless EMV payment and data reporting.

The order management system should include a kitchen display system, an order status board, text alerts and a QSR automation interface.

The business integration system should include the following: third party delivery, back of house, digital signage, ticketing, stored and loaded value, loyalty, payments and financial systems.

Integration of different technology providers is a challenge that many restaurants now have to face

"Technology enhances our digital guest connectivity, supports our virtual brand growth and improves our in-restaurant dining experience."

there’s a problem with this process. There are a ton of factors that contribute to sales growth or regression that simply looking at last year’s sales doesn’t give insight into. 

Things like the weather, your restaurant’s location, holidays and even local or international events can have a big effect on your sales. 

Whether it’s sunny, cloudy, rainy, snowy or warmer than usual, consumers are drawn to certain foods and drinks based on the conditions outside. Based on the food and beverages a restaurant serves, the weather will influence how many customers a restaurant serves on any given day. 

it lets you know how many sales you can expect in the future based on that historical sales and weather data. 

A study from the World Resources Institute found that for every dollar a restaurant invests into reducing their food waste, they save seven. That’s a 7x return on investment! 

By using historical sales data and weather conditions to predict how much inventory you actually need to buy to fulfill customer demand. In doing so, restaurants remove the risk of overspending on cost of goods sold (COGS).

Using AI, restaurants can accurately project their sales, inventory and staffing needs for holidays. Instead of guesstimating your sales for events like Saint Patrick’s Day, use artificial intelligence to decipher what (and how much) food and beverages you need to stock up on to fulfill demand.

Your restaurant’s location will also affect sales on holidays, and AI can help you predict foot traffic and walk-in customers based on the same historical sales and weather data. 

For example, if your restaurant or bar is near a basketball arena and your local team is in the finals, you can expect larger crowds of customers who want to watch the game. If you’re not prepared for that spike in customers, that’s effectively missed revenue. 

Rather than guess which menu items attendees prefer, pinpoint your best (and worst) sellers and adjust what you purchase from suppliers accordingly. 

AI can help restaurateurs determine what their promotion includes, which maximizes that promotion’s returns. 

With AI-powered forecasting, businesses in the hospitality industry can plan and make decisions based on previous sales data and analytics in relation to the weather, their business location and so much more. 

but nobody was required to present a negative Covid test before boarding.

the first such reported death since cruises restarted in the United States in June.

Travel of any kind is currently a very high-risk activity

And even with safety measures in place, cruises come with residual risks that can’t be ignored, like unavoidable close quarters and potential for breakthrough infections.

cruises are challenging environments from an infection-control standpoint

indoors

touch all kinds of surfaces,

you’re restricted to the boat, which can make the outbreak harder to contain and treat.

more opportunities for prolonged exposure

It’s a good start, experts say 60— but not enough.

like wearing masks and maintaining social distance

The level of community spread in the place where you live — or, in this case, where a cruise is departing from

— significantly affects your risk level.

Norwegian Cruise Line sued Florida’s top health official in July, requesting a preliminary injunction to let the company implement its vaccine mandate for all passengers and crew

The company won the case earlier this month, with U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams writing that Norwegian “demonstrated that public health will be jeopardized if it is required to suspend its vaccination requirement.”

To make cruises genuinely safe, he says, companies would need to require mandatory two-week quarantines for each passenger and crew member, negative Covid tests 24 to 48 hours before boarding and another negative Covid test immediately after boarding.

regain a sense of normalcy by spring 2022. But even then, travel and cruises will likely be high-risk activities.

no matter what happens, you’re taking a risk.

Then, look for cruises that require vaccination proof and only allow reduced capacity 60

always dining outdoors.

Are cruises safe right now? Experts say they’re ‘a recipe for Covid transmission’

they’re

If your connection isn't password protected, anyone can access the system.

And even with a password, computer-savvy network users can gain access to another user's data.

Hospitality workers don't have any special legal authority, so they can't physically restrain a customer. Instead, they should call the police if they suspect criminal activity.

Your company's confidentiality policy can educate customers about the amount of privacy they can expect.

If you promise a customer a specific amount of confidentiality and then break that agreement, you've broken your contract and can be sued.

No one can contract to engage in illegal behavior, and if someone is in immediate danger, it's your duty to take steps to protect him.

It also establishes guidelines for employees to follow, and a clear policy can even protect you against lawsuits.

The U.S. Supreme Court has established that hotel customers have a "reasonable expectation of privacy" in hotel rooms.

You can't enter or search a guest's room without her explicit consent, but guests are not entitled to any special privacy

As a business owner, you value the privacy of company secrets and procedures, which is why you expect your employees to maintain some standard of confidentiality

confidentiality in employment is implicit, regardless of whether employees have signed an agreement.

If a member of your staff violates this explicit or implicit agreement, the penalty for breach of confidentiality can be severe and long-lasting.

an employee who signs this type of agreement agrees that a violation of confidentiality is also a violation of the employment contract. The penalty for breach of confidentiality isn’t restricted to employees who have signed confidentiality agreements,

if you own a computer security company and an employee’s laptop is stolen, and that employee didn’t encrypt sensitive data on that computer per company policy, it could constitute a breach of confidentiality.

Healthcare privacy is essential, not only to protect a patient’s right to decide who has access to sensitive information but also to protect doctors and other healthcare professionals from malpractice claims.

Theft is a violation of criminal law that in some instances can be punishable by a stiff fine or imprisonment.

As a business owner, you would report the theft to law enforcement, and the state or federal government would charge your employee with the crime.

Employers will not look favorably on any prospective employees who were terminated due to a confidentiality breach, or convicted of a crime related to that type of violation.

The law required that all checked bags be screened, cockpit doors be reinforced, and more federal air marshals be put on flights.

Things that clearly could be wielded as weapons, like the box-cutters used by the 9/11 hijackers, were banned. After “shoe bomber” Richard Reid’s attempt to take down a flight from Paris to Miami in late 2001, footwear started coming off at security checkpoints.

Clear, which recently went public, plans to use PreCheck enrollment to boost membership in its own identity-verification product by bundling the two offerings

The long lines created by post-attack measures gave rise to the PreCheck and Global Entry “trusted-traveler programs” in which people who pay a fee and provide certain information about themselves pass through checkpoints without removing shoes and jackets or taking laptops out of their bag.

, PreCheck asks people about basic information like work history and where they have lived, and they give a fingerprint and agree to a criminal-records check.

Privacy advocates are particularly concerned about ideas that TSA has floated to also examine social media postings (the agency’s top official says that has been dropped), press reports about people, location data and information from data brokers including how applicants spend their money.

Each new requirement seemed to make checkpoint lines longer, forcing passengers to arrive at the airport earlier if they wanted to make their flights.

The TSA is testing the use of kiosks equipped with facial-recognition technology to check photo IDs and boarding passes rather than having an officer do it.

co

“TSA is an effective deterrent against most attacks,”

This summer, an average of nearly 2 million people per day have flowed through TSA checkpoints.

“They are there for my security. They aren’t there to hassle me,” Gathings said of TSA screeners and airport police.

Those incidents highlight a threat that TSA needs to worry about — people who work for airlines or airports and have security clearance that lets them avoid regular screening.

“All those folks that have a (security) badge, you’re right, many do have unescorted access throughout an airport, but they also go through a very rigorous vetting process before they are even hired,”

The hidden cost includes hardware server costs, additional IT staff expenses to manage the system infrastructure, maintenance fees (yes, more maintenance fees), and the expenses of other 3rd party software integrations

A cloud-based PMS has a much lower entry cost. They charge a fixed monthly subscription model, with a small initial setup fee. No server cost, maintenance fee, extra human resources cost, lower energy bills and is an extremely affordable budget for small and medium scaled hotel businesses

Although you can set up your On-premises PMS to be accessed from an off-site workstation or device, remote access can be affected by various factors. Getting real-time data can certainly be challenging, especially not at the speed that cloud-based PMS delivers

Undoubtedly, On-premises PMS is still ahead of the Cloud-based system when it comes to the number of integration capabilities, the flexibility of built-in reports that got customized, added over the years. 

a security breach can happen, losing your internal data, your brand reputation, revenue loss is unavoidable. 

It explains the widespread adoption of cloud-based systems. The only thing you have to hold responsible for is your Internet connectivity which is basic infrastructure any hotel should already have in place. In fact, the switch to cloud-based PMS is not impossible for the existing On-premises system.

Near field communication (NFC) technology is the next-generation short-range high frequency wireless communication technology that gives users the ability to exchange data between devices.

Retina scanning is even more accurate and secure

Cloud computing is becoming the norm and we will continue to see hotel groups replacing their legacy IT infrastructure with cloud solutions.

Installing and maintaining a hotel-wide wireless network may be coupled with costs, but many leading hotel groups have started to install high density Wi-Fi and started to offer in-building mobile phone coverage as guests have come to expect these services during their stay (not only for themselves, but also for their guests if they are hosting a conference or function at the hotel).

While the amount of AV and digital equipment that goes into a typical conference room is fairly minimal, staging companies are often hired for various projects in order to equip the facility as required.

Guests want to be able to do everything from checking in at a venue’s automated kiosk to ordering room service with a digital device instead of standing in queues and moving around the hotel premises to order food.

investing in a check-in/cocierge app requires a small initial investment and can lead to greater efficiency and savings as hotel staff are able to focus on customer service and property developers don’t have to create large static reception desks at each entrance and hotel location.

can transfer data at up to 424 kbits/second and the communication is enabled when two devices touch each other, which makes mobile payments (by touching the smart phone to a credit card) an instant, secure process.

this technology could also be used to track loyalty points from a guest’s use of the conference facilities or room service.

Infrared scanners are now also used to minimise disruptions relating to housekeeping (which is a common complaint from customers).

All of these experiences need to be part of an integrated, dynamic system so that the guests’ experiences are at the forefront of the marketing and operational team’s mind.

Starwood (owner of the Sheraton, Weston and “W” hotel chains) has already upgraded 30,000 room locks across 150 hotels with this system and Hilton will be implementing a similar system at 10 of their US properties this year. In 2016, they will be deploying the smart room key technology globally.

This technology will mean that guests don’t have to worry about picking up keys and front desk staff won’t have to issue new keys in the event that a guest loses their room key.

The hotel room’s television, radio and clock are taking a backseat as travellers use their own technology to keep themselves entertained.

Many companies in the hospitality industry are already using social media to their advantage as guests check-in on location-based social media apps, tweet about their experience on Twitter and share their holiday photos with friends and followers on Instagram and Facebook.

his shift has led to many hotel and leisure groups developing active social media monitoring and communication strategies in order to stay on top of what’s being said about them online

Hotels will increasingly install smart room access systems that allow guests to unlock their doors by simply swiping their phones across a keyless pad on the door.

computers no longer see Wi-Fi as a perk, but as a must-have when they check in at a hotel.

computers no longer see Wi-Fi as a perk, but as a must-have when they check in at a hotel.

An important trend that’s driving the industry is guest empowerment to manage the order process themselves in their own time without necessary staff intervention.

Mobile ordering plays a significant role in this area. So does the growing presence of kiosk technology

UberEats, Door Dash, GrubHub

here are some negative effects of these models as well, with some third-party apps taking a debilitating chunk of the profits in exchange for their services.

Allowing customization of menu items is a part of the increasing emphasis on personalization of the hospitality industry overall.

accurate reporting that allows organizations to manage menus based on the trends of what guests want and apply changes across all locations simultaneously.

it is becoming more and more important for organizations to remove the barriers for visitors to make payments according to their native preferences, particularly as cash payments continue to be rivaled by digital payments globally.

walled garden of information that was disconnected from the whole

With the increasing prominence of cloud technology, mobile applications, IoT, and a myriad of other technologies whereby data is collected and managed, that earlier model is fading out.

Creating an accessible, visible, and open environment that more easily connects to strategy is the clearer road to staying competitive.

Emerging technology and the culture developing around it continues to drive the evolving expectations of guests.

Samsung products’ scores range from 5.6 to 8.2, as reported by Le Monde. As part of the French repairability index, Samsung actually published a free repair manual for its Samsung Galaxy phone, which should help customers avoid having to pay for a repair or replaceme

Microsoft’s website shows its scores for a variety of Surface laptops, which range from 3.7 to 4.1.

According to Apple’s French website, the company gave all varieties of its iPhone 12 a 6 out of 10; its iPhone 11 models all scored either 4.5 or 4.6; and its MacBook Pro computers scored between 5.6 and 7, meaning Apple’s scores top out around a C-. 

The new French repairability index forces tech companies to be more transparent about how easy it is to repair their products. With mounting piles of e-waste polluting the Earth, rampant injustice in the cobalt mining industry, and labor law violations in overseas tech factories, forcing tech companies to make products easier to repair (and therefore create less of a demand for more new products to be made) could do a lot of good. 

For many companies, their networks are the primary point of contact for delivering products and services to their customers.

A network outage, then, whether it's caused by equipment failure, an unexpected cyberattack, or some form of human error, can be devastating for a business. Every moment of system downtime translates into very real financial losses in the form of lost revenue, diminished brand reputation, and missed opportunities.

Network redundancy is the process of adding additional instances of network devices and lines of communication to help ensure network availability and decrease the risk of failure along the critical data path.

Without any backup systems in place, all it takes is one point of failure in a network to disrupt or bring down an entire system. Redundancy in networks helps to eliminate single points of failure to ensure better network stability and uptime in the face of events that would otherwise take the network offline.

fault-tolerant redundant system provides full hardware redundancy, mirroring applications across two or more identical systems that run in tandem.

Ideal for any operations in which any amount of downtime is unacceptable

A software-based redundant system, high availability uses clusters of servers that monitor one another and have failover protocols in place.