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This article is related to IT security in hotels. Around six months back a panel of IT executives from Starwood Hotels, Hilton and other lodgings operators met at the LodgeNet's Customer Technology Symposium in Chicago to discuss on how protecting customer data is becoming their top priority. This type of situation was brought to a head earlier this year when marketing services giant Epsilon experienced a massive breach to its email systems. According to a SecurityWeek report, among those impacted by the breach were several hotel operators, including Hilton, Ritz-Carlton and Marriott. According to a 2010 Wall Street Journal report, the most common security vulnerability in hotels is point-of-sale software. Often, hotels do not require employees to change the default names and passwords of these programs, making it easier for hackers to break in and steal customer information. To overcome some of these and other concerns, McBeth said hotel operators are applying the best practices detailed by the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS), which aims to address data security for businesses that handle payment cards. However, he admitted that the task of ensuring protection throughout an organization is difficult, given the number of channels where vulnerabilities could be uncovered. This being the case, it is encouraging to see some hotels are making moves to lock down their data security practices. There is clearly a great deal of work that needs to be done, but if a hotel can demonstrate it is capable of protecting customer information, it may be more likely to inspire confidence in consumers, which, in turn, could afford the hotel a competitive edge.

Its a tough task to monitor this, because at the end of the day, the responsibility is at the property level to ensure that data is secure across the board. So training employees on the importance of data security and what a breach means could go along way.

This article is about how hotels should take advantage of solar energy. Hotels are becoming more green, whether it be by switching to LED lighting, more efficient equipment, key card that deactivate power in the room or movement sensors in corridors, they are doing what they can to be more energy efficient. However they should do more by installing solar panels. Solar panels will save tons of money in the short run and the long run. Government is giving lots of benefits to the companies that are going green. Hotels that switch to solar panels can receive tax credit. There have been hotels that save an average of $7,400-$8,800 per month when they switched to solar panels. I believe it will be very beneficial for many businesses to switch to solar panels.

In southern Africa the hospitality industry is shifting to become more green with the use of solar power and they aren't only doing this for the image, but because it return on investment is very fast and hotels can power many departments with the rise of new solar technology. Not only do they install solar power panels, they use a new technology that tracks the sun movement so that the panels are shifted so they can gain the most energy possible. According to one hotelier they are able to power their laundry and restaurant at 92% fully with the solar power created. This technology has many advantages as not only will it improve the image, it has a ROI within 5 years and the panels could last 25 years when running on 80% capacity.

This article announces the use of Wind Turbines as one of Hilton Fort Lauderdale's green initiatives. Six 40-foot turbines will be installed on the roof of the hotel and are the first part of a process that will include solar panels and possible even street-level turbines. Both methods will help increase the amount of electricity provided by renewable resources. The wind turbines are projected to provide 5-10% of the hotel's electricity, and the solar panels could add another 5-10%. I think this is an excellent green initiative, and I've never heard of a hotel undertaking it before. The possibility of 10-20% of the hotel's electricity coming from wind turbines and solar panels is pretty significant. According to Andreas Ioannou, general manager, the hotel is hoping to get up to 25% of their energy from these sources. It appears that the resort has been very energy conscious since its opening, and is the first resort in Broward County to receive the Florida Green Lodging designation. They also have a Green Team, which oversees other green initiatives such as recycling all paper, using fluorescent light bulbs, and automatic water flush-o-meters in public restrooms.

Ted Turner, George McKerrow Jr, and Charlie Ayers led a panel discussing the local and national benefits of making eco-friendly changes at restaurants. While there is a strong push from customers to eat at sustainable restaurants, "the challenge is convincing them (the restaurants) that being green won't hurt profits." The easiest baby step that seems to have the most ROI is simply changing the lighting in the restaurant to energy-efficient light bulbs. At Ted's Montana Grill, this switch saved his company $80,000 in the first year. Other small changes to consider would be to move to plastic-free straws and biodegradable takeout containers. But those things cost money and may be out of reach for many restaurants. Some places are taking it a step further and incorporating sustainable materials into the restaurant design and decor. The last major suggestion from this panel is a large scale shift in fossil fuel subsidies. If those can be removed, green energy can become a more competitive field and thus offer restaurants another alternative and opportunity to become green.

In the article, "Green and Eco-Friendly Hotel Amenities" it talks about how many different hotels are doing their part and keeping the planet green. The first place that the article talks about is the Mayakoba, Riviera Maya, it uses no motorized vehicles instead the guests can use electric golf carts or electric boats to ride around on the nine miles of canal. "Each resort also has an onsite biologist to lead educational boat tours through the lagoons." At the Palmer House Hilton in Chicago they built a rooftop garden to provide fresh vegetables and herbs for the hotel's restaurant, they are also considering making space to put several beehives, this will lead to a natural approach of producing honey. One of the most interesting and easy ways to stay green was at the Calistoga Ranch in Napa Valley; they have sheep that eat the grass replacing all lawnmowers and on top on that, their manure helps fertilize the soil. It's a win, win solution! In New York they have a restaurant called Habana Outpost and you really have to work for your food, literally. At this restaurant you have ride a bike that powers the eatery blender and if they generate up to 100 watts of energy, they will earn a free meal, such an amazing and creative idea! This "is part of the hotel's larger commitment to eco-friendliness, which includes a CO2-neutral building, solar panels, and groundwater-based heating and cooling systems." At Jicaro Island lodge in Nicaragua, they used all of they wood from trees that were knocked down in Hurricane Felix and they also use a good majority of their wastewater that is recycled to irrigate the trees and plants. Before reading this article, I never knew that so many hotels were doing their part at staying green and I'm surprised by all the new and unique ways that they have come up with, it gives me hope for the future!

Here BusinessWire, via The National Post, discusses the Inaugural Conference for the travel industry's leading travel advisors. The conference was hosted by ULTRA Luxury Exchange, which is led by a staff of global travel industry experts with decades of experience in the luxury travel industry and event management. Behind the ULTRA Luxury Exchange, is Questex Hospitality + Travel who developed and curated the conference. Questex Hospitality + Travel is the world's largest multinational media, event and eCommerce company which serves the global and hospitality industry. The multi-day conference brought together the "greatest minds in the luxury travel advisor community," according to Ruthanne Terrero of Questex. New travel trends were discussed through key-note speakers, presentations and moderated panels. Topics included, "Capturing and Capitalizing on the Millenial Luxury Travel", "The Art of Customer Service", and "The Rising Trend for Butler Service in Luxury Hotels." The millenial generation was the main topic for discussion with a growth in buying power in the luxury travel industry. The privileged conference attendees will have exclusive access to the formal research presented in the conference to reference for the future.

While we all know now it's the technology era, customers would like prefer new hotel technology which would enhance their experience. When we are geeky enough to love new hotel technology, however, we have got our green side too. For example, in hospitality industry, some hotels control what gets switched on and off using the system that tells them when a guest comes and goes; some also talked about putting solar panels on hotel roofs with government subsidies. Applying new technology in hospitality industry also will have some negative side as everything has two sides. it is just a kind of balance thing. We just need to find the most suitable ones for our hotels and customers.

The article talks about how hotel are getting into more green technology. In New Orleans they had a conference for hotel own and GM that want to get greener with their hotel technology. The new green tech development is focused on reducing energy use. For example the new developed energy efficient system will remember how light are set and if the fireplace is on and will shut down 20 minutes after the guest leave and come back to the same setting. It will be a big saving for the hotel especially when the power bills comes in they will notice a different

In the United States, hotels represent more than 5 billion square feet of space, nealry 5 million guest rooms and approxiamtely $4 billion in annual energy use. As of January 2010, there were only 40 hotels that were LEED certified. The acronym LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. LEED is a voluntary, third party green building certification program that awards points to buildings depending on their sustainable practice being implemented which includes building improvements, environemntal footprint and water and energy use. LEED was developed by the U.S. Green Building Council, a nonprofit organization. Its main purpose is to provide building owners and operators with a basic framework for developing and implementing sustainable practices. The first hotel to ever be certified according to LEED criteria was the Proximity Hotel in Greensboro, NC. This hote received Platnium status for being able to recycle 87% of its construction debris, purchasing 40% of the building materials and 90% of its furniture locally. Installation of 100 solar panels, use of geothermal energy for the restaurant's refrigeration equipment and instllation of a Regenerative Drive model for its elevators made the Proximity Hotel a benchmark hotel. There are several practices that can make a hotel conserve energy and make it sustainable such as using flourescent lightbulbs, offering linen and towel reuse programs, paving parkig lots with highly reflective materials or open grid pavers, installing high-efficiency plumbing fixtures, landscaping with native plants and using local materials and goods. These will not necessarily lead to LEED certification but will definitely earn points towards obtaining that accredidation. The use of sustainable practices not only helps conserve the environment but also saves money in the long run. Through water conservation techniques, recycling and linen and towel reuse programs, the hospitality industry wins two-fold,

With the trend of green hotels and technology growing rapidly in not only our industry but all industries in general, it is important for companies to stay up to date with new innovative green technologies. This article touches upon on hotel in Seattle named Hotel 1000. The hotel has begun implementing new technologies such as memory lights that shut down when guests are out of the room and then turn on to the same levels set when the guest returns. Also being implemented is a system that can switch air on when a guest arrives to the hotel. This controls the amount of time the air is in use as well as prepares the room pre-arrival.  Finally this article discusses the imminent idea of alternative energy solutions for hotels. Many hotels hope to receive government subsidies in order to begin implementing solar panels on their roofs providing more energy while cutting current electricity costs. Installation costs are high but will be offset over time.

A company in Denmark has piloted a solar panel system (Zenros Solar Touch Panels) they believe will save hotels 35% in energy costs (heating light and power) over the current sensor based system.The system draws power from natural and man-made light and wirelessly communicates with all electrical devices in the room allowing for efficient function. Unlike other systems, this one does not require rewiring of the hotel because it is wireless. A hotel in Qatar has purchased the system and is set to go live with the new green hotel soon.

It sounds like a good plan. I mean if it will reduce the energy costs by 35% they should definitely try the system out in a certain group of hotels around the world. Some people like to stay in hotels that are all about being green, so if these solar panels can help reduce costs and increase in rooms sold it is basically a win win for everyone. The only thing I would be unsure about is the mechanical aspect of it. It may reduce the energy costs but will the maintenance cost increase to keep the devices running.

I find myself wondering why the United States is not more proactive in green technology. A lot of the information I came across centered around other areas of the world pushing forwards with innovation. I would assume that all technology will require maintenance, but once a system has the bugs worked out of it, most modern technology runs pretty well. Maybe that is why more hotels are not using the technology. They could be waiting to see how the pioneer hotels do.

Green technology will bring benefits to the hospitality industry. It will become a future trend for the hotels to go green. From my point of view, going green is another saving cost and long-term benefits. We can reduce the the harm for what we produce and keep the guest's travel experience more green. Also hospitality plays an important role in telling others about the green concept. People will remember more when they are in realx.

This article discusses the different approaches hotels are using to make their hotels green. They are trying to use technology to reduce energy consumption which will help reduce fossil fuels. At Hotel 1000 in Seattle when a guest checks in the computer system sends a signal to the room to turn on the air conditioner. This system helped the hotel save approximately 40% on their energy. The Bardessono in Napa Valley has auto controls, so when the guest enters a room the sunshades rise, lights, television, and fireplace turn on. They will also turn off when the guest leaves the room. Xanterra in Death Valley has a total of 5,040 solar panels and uses wind power. By doing this they will offset emissions of 24,000 tons of dangerous pollutants over the next 25 years.

This article talks about the DaVinci Hotel in Johannesburg South Africa. It was constructed to 'make use of solar panel power.' This makes the DaVinci a green hotel and gives them a solar powered water heating system. 'The solar powered water system, which has the capacity to warm up 30,000 liters of water, will result in a 60% reduced energy bill for the hotel..."  Saving on operating costs should be enough incentive for new hotels to be built green. Also it appeals to many guests who look to reduce their carbon footprint and however small, the percentage of the population who want to go green is growing. A hotel is a home away from home and homes how are being built green. It is in a new hotel's best interest to follow the trends that will have a major affect on how business and life is run. The article says that the 'DaVinci has set the tone for the hospitality industry' and I believe the actions should be followed. Newly constructed hotels shouldn't be the only eco-friendly hotels in business. Hotels that are currently in business have regular maintenance and upgrades to do. They can add in green items like LED lights, water saving shower heads, and implementing eco-friendly cleaning products and kitchen appliances.

This article discusses an Eco-Friendly Greek hotel. The hotel uses smart technology, as well as solar panels, and other green methods.

Engergy always be the top cost generator in hotel expense. Hundreds of new technology is developed to control the cost of energy consume and provent guests' oversmart on wasting. Zenros Smart Engergy is a new energy management system for hotels. It is predicted that the system can save at least 35% in HLP cost.

Solar Powered Energy Management for Hotels "Hotels consume massive amounts of energy and use 50% more energy than a similar sized residential building despite having only 55% occupancy rates on average. " "Energy costs are the ghighest fixed expenses for hotels fafter salaries. It is very important for hotels to save energy  The article started by mentioning the most widely used sensor system. And smart energy management solutions are quite expensive and sometimes even impossible to be retrofit old hotels.  ZENROS is a new solar powered energy management system. It is believed  to be able to save at least 35% in HLP costs. It is connected to the room controller and use Zigbee Smart Energy, a panel wireless communication system to control all the electrical devices. This combination of solar energy and wireless enables restoration in most hotels, even the ones without electrical grid nearby. 

A plan developed by the U.S Travel Association and a panel of travel and security experts aims to improve security at America's airports and reduce the burden on travelers. Among the most notable recommendations are the creation of a trusted traveler program and a requirement that travelers be allowed to check at least one bag at no additional cost to the ticket price as a means to reduce the amount of luggage going through the security checkpoint. There are recommendations about this plan: Reduce duplicative TSA screening for international arrivals.  Expand trusted traveler programs to qualified international passengers. Give TSA authority over the entire checkpoint area.  Develop a comprehensive technology procurement strategy.  Implement well-defined risk management processes. 

With the ecological environment changes, the general trend of hotel is going to green, which included hotel sewage treatment, boiler dust emission, waste heat emission, the kitchen for the discharge of atmospheric pollutants. Not only the hoteliers require themselves pursuing green but also hope their guests could see that. Most of hotels have already taken action. Such as, Marriott International stop delivering newspapers to guests' rooms, Starwood has eliminated thin shampoo bottles, instead installing dispensers in showers at its Element and Aloft hotels. We are glad to see the hoteliers dedicated to protecting the natural environment.

Venture capital firms ask themselves tough questions these days. Among them: how can they dig out of the dot-com collapse? How should they invest going forward? How should the leader of a firm strike the right note for the future? And is it a field that graduating MBAs should aspire to enter? According to experts at the conference session titled "From Bubble to Recession: The Current State of the Venture Capital Industry," none of the answers are simple, but a sense of perspective remains one highly valuable commodity. According to Walter Kuemmerle, a Harvard Business School professor who served as panel moderator, the money flow in venture capital may have been down 51 percent in 2001 compared to 2000, but the sum total was still greater than the previous eighteen or so years combined.

More businesses moving to solar energy and this is just one of the opportunities to make hotels and other accommodation type operations more environmentally friendly. Technologies best use is when a totally new development is engineered for the lowest environment impact but excellent results are achieved by refurbishing existing hotels. As consumers demand more eco-friendly vacation choices, the tourism industry is responding with energy-efficient and carbon friendly resorts and hotels. The hotel says the output from the system will help reduce New Jersey's CO2 emissions by 10,000 tons over the next 30 years, and will help lessen oil dependence by at least 749 barrels annually.

The EcoTex Advanced Laundry Oxidation System enables to use the power of Ozone (03) and Oxygen (O2) to save money and improve in commercial laundries as well as detergent and water savings. This is great for hotels, spas, cruise ships, etc. Use of chemicals and hot water will be replaced with cold-water programs that use the power of ozone for disinfection and detergent activation.