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It's RFP Season: Are you ready? Twelve ways to be sure, by John Manderfeld - 0 views

hotelexecutive.com/...u-ready-twelve-ways-to-be-sure
shared by ramomar4 on 06 Feb 17 - No Cached
  • Effectively managing requests for proposals (RFPs) is an important process that can get fumbled by even the most capable hotel general managers and sales departments. Since this time of year is "RFP season", now is a good time to review your RFP procedures. Of course, you should be receiving and responding to RFPs throughout the year-but because many travel management organizations plan on a calendar-year schedule, you will receive most RFPs for the upcoming year during July through September.
  • Travel managers have been using RFPs for years for selecting hotels for group business and volume transient accounts. Ten years ago, they mailed or faxed long forms to be completed and returned. Now, most RFPs are sent by e-mail or posted on RFP Web-sites. RFPs for group travel are sent year-round; and the volume-transient RFPs are usually done once a year.
  • ramomar4 on 06 Feb 17
     
    Various things to consider when going through a RFP process are: * Make sure you set a timeline and deadline. * Do not rely only on your company's procurement offices alone to do the work for you. * Look for regional vendors also that might offer better and competitive. * Do research on what the competition is doing and using. * Respond to all RFP's and follow through the whole process.
  • acarter001 on 10 Feb 17
     
    It is interesting to see how digital this process has become in the time I have been in the hotel business. It is a great movement though as it allows hotels to get faster communication with groups than they had previously.
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Biometrics Provide Undeniable Time & Attendance for Beachside Resorts | Case Studies | ... - 0 views

hospitalitytechnology.edgl.com/...nce-for-Beachside-Resorts54650 biometrics hospitality resorts technology travel software
shared by Jenna Rashbaum on 24 Aug 12 - No Cached
  • Jenna Rashbaum on 24 Aug 12
     
    The La Jolla Beach and Tennis Club in California has had many problems with time cards for their employees over the past several years. They used to use swipe cards with bar-codes to tell when people were coming in and out of work but there are a lot of problems with that technology. If people misplaced their cards or knew they were going to be late so gave it to a co-worker to punch them in is not a very smart thing to have in the hotel. After a lot of problems with this system management finally went in a new direction. They decided to move to newer technology and go with Biometrics. The hotel now has a hand reader system that makes every employee get there hand measured to clock in. This technology measured length, width, thickness, and surface area of the hand to store in the system so it knows each persons hand every time they go to clock in any time there after. When going to clock in the system asks for the employee number and then is ready for your hand on the little screen for your scan. The entire process of this takes under 1 minute. This technology of the HandPunch 3000 not only allows the employees to clock in but also allows management to collect data for pay codes, tips collected, and to allow the employees to go back and view their past times in and out. This system is a very green way to go in the hotel industry because there is no paper for records of clock in times, and there are no swipe cards that need to be made for clock in times. Ever since this hotel got the HandPunch 3000 they have not had issues of other employees clocking in other people. The system of course had some glitches to it in the beginning but they were fixed immediately while the staff was there installing it. My only question to this article that is not answered is : since it is a machine that has to be plugged in, what happens if the power goes out? Can employees still clock in to work because the hotel still is functioning?
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Reasons Why Cloud Computing Remains Unpopular Past 2012 | CloudTweaks - 0 views

www.cloudtweaks.com/...ng-remains-unpopular-past-2012 cloud cloud computing technology business software Mobile
shared by Gabriela Moreno on 08 Sep 12 - No Cached
  • Cloud computing benefits cut across storage, working, communication, and so many other industries and functions. As yet, few people actually use it;
  • On top of the list is the cost of cloud cost computing. Premium and efficient cloud computing services remain costly for the regular business person and thus make uptake very slow or non-existent
  • The second reason why cloud computing remains unpopular is because of security concerns
  • ...3 more annotations...
  • Lastly, privacy is another big problem cloud computing faces
  • . In a recent outburst, Steve Wozniak—Apple’s co-founder—stated that cloud computing would not be in the cosmos in the next five years, that it would become practically impossible to keep digital secrets because one firm will be having them!
  • Overall, although some of these details are sensitive and scary, cloud computing remains a candidate as the technology to beat in the future
  • Gabriela Moreno on 08 Sep 12
     
    Through Cloud Computing, businesses have virtually no limitation to the amount of software they can manage without ever having to worry about server or storage space. However, it seems people are just not ready to make the transition. While there is valid proof of the cost effectiveness in the long run, the first issue with the adoption of any new system is its initial cost of implementation. Yet, more than anything else it is concern for information privacy and security that deters most businesses away. There are people who still have major unease with online information sharing and having private business information stored someplace other than onsite makes many companies question whether or not it's really safe. Perceived threats or not, this is the obstacle Cloud Computing must overcome before a more accepted successor takes its place. 
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PRACTICAL TRAVELER: AIRFARES; Glitches in Booking First Class Online - 0 views

select.nytimes.com/...abstract.html airline online booking glitches
shared by Ting Li on 11 Sep 12 - No Cached
  • Ting Li on 11 Sep 12
     
    In this article, the author mentions something about the online booking glitches happened sometimes. Although they are not a big deal, it affects consumers in some degree. First, the fare jump happens sometimes when consumers are booking their flights online. While they clicking the searching results, it will come out a price, the fare jumps after they click the price and they are ready to book it. For example, the price shows in the search result list is 582, when consumer clicks the price button and is ready to book it, the 'fare jump' happens at next booking procedure page. It always makes consumers a little angry but have nothing to do with it. I meet the same problems in the past when I booked the flight. Those spokesmen said that these are technical problems, those inventory systems, called global distribution systems, do not always have the freshest price information, which in some cases changes so frequently that between the time the travel agency site queries the distribution system for a requested fare and the consumer actually clicks on that fare, the prices could have changed. In my opinion, that's part of reason, staffs who in charge of the website is another big part of reason. Second, consumers also meet the problem of mix lower-class tickets into the first-class search results. That is the responsibility of e-travel agencies, because they mislabel or fail to label the fare on different occasions. It seems to be another glitches, but it will affect consumers a lot when they are booking. To sum it up, details determine success or failure. Even though these are tiny problems, in a long run, they will disappoint consumers and finally lose them.
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Integrating e-commerce into a hotel's overall business strategy - 0 views

www.hospitalitynet.org/...4052549.html integrating hotel business strategy interview
shared by Dalton Draper on 12 Sep 12 - No Cached
  • commerce should be a compliment to every part of a hotel's operations. All staff members need to be briefed on the advantages of taking a collaborative approach to e-commerce
  • needs to understand the correlation of stellar customer service on online guest reviews and the ability of a hotel to sell its products online.
  • sales departments
  • ...16 more annotations...
  • understand the advantages of using e-distribution channels to aid travel agents and offline sales and get involved in the process
  • But hotels are trying to use e-marketing more effectively as well as focusing on social media outlets to lure prospective customers to their direct channels
  • At the end of the day, the channels that provide the most conducive environments to consumers (i.e. price, ease of use, accessibility) will win the business.
  • What do you think is the most critical aspect of integrating e-commerce into a hotel's overall business strategy?
  • Maximising direct business is most critical as it is the most profitable strategy for a hotel.
  • Ratings and reviews are a trend that is becoming more and more important. I've read that nearly 50% of consumers won't choose a hotel until they read a review. Hotels and brands need to consider this.
  • Earlier this year, an e-commerce professional mentioned that customers do not like pre-made packages, they love to package themselves by cherry picking on different sites.
  • The packaging site of tomorrow could just be a travel shopping cart that lets you add different components from different sites then price it for you when you are ready and even finding the lowest price and you are ready to book.
  • Price and quality are now more transparent than ever and sites that are more transparent will enjoy more conversions
  • Online travel shopping is still in its infancy. What we need to do is facilitate what consumers really want.
  • As an industry, we are not very sophisticated regarding our need for and requirement of intermediaries. In dire times, we are very aggressive with them
  • we must understand the true cost of bookings through each channel.
  • We need to understand when we need them and when we don't so we can minimise cannibalisation.
  • We need balance. There should be a partnership. It's unfortunate that intermediaries feel they need to cannibalise. Margin and share of business needs to be fair for both entities.
  • Which according to you is going to be biggest development in the travel distribution space this year?
  • Mobile. There has been quite a bit of traction, and we have plans of our own for this space.
  • Dalton Draper on 12 Sep 12
     
    This interview talks to Gareth Gaston, senior VP of Global E-comerse in the Wyndham Hotel Group, about recent trends in E-comerse.He believes that E-comerse should be apart of every department in the hotel, Front Office, Sales, Marketing, and the departments should help the Online Travel Agencies to draw more guest. Mr. Gaston believes that hotels need to start to create a partnership with online travel agencys(OTA) and begin to create a better system for price consolidations online rather than fight them at every turn for overbooking or under-pricing.
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The hyper-competitive landscape of travel The heat is on: five online travel trends set... - 0 views

www.eturbonews.com/...line-travel-trends-set-explode
shared by Jia Zhu on 15 Sep 12 - No Cached
  • Expedia reports that 65% of hotel bookings within this last 24-hour window are via mobile, and 15% for flight bookings. Vegas is a particularly striking example of this last-minute mobile booking trend, with 32% of all bookings coming in via mobile,
  • does this mean that traditional travel companies and online travel companies should
  • rush into launching a mobile app?
  • ...8 more annotations...
  • there is a risk that firms focus too much on one particular channel at the expense of others
  • what the industry really needs to do now is focus on how the customer got to that point, how they moved through and interacted with each channel, and what role each channel played in getting the customer to book.
  • India, Brazil, and Russia are growing,
  • marketers need to identify those channels that are helping to drive more conversions, or can influence the conversion funnel.
  • Increasingly, revenue management needs to integrate with all the disciplines – sales, marketing, channel optimization, loyalty marketing, and operations.
  • China, where the number of outbound tourists rose by 70% in the first 6 months of 2012.
  • Big data, personalization, and being relevant is key in the marketing battle.
  • By 2020, about 50 million Indians are expected to travel overseas, according to estimates drawn up by Tourism Australia, which has been actively targeting this market.
  • Jia Zhu on 15 Sep 12
     
    This article gave us a five new online travel trends.Because travel is a hyper-competitive industry, the most pertinent emerging themes in onine travel are considered and experts insights and predictions are provided in the Las Vegas TDS North America event. First trend is the travel industry need be ready for a mobile-only world. Researches indicates that the mobile sales will increase extremely. Because it is expensive to develop mobile app, so traditional travel companies and online travel companies do not such into launching a mobile app in a short term. Convergence, commerce, content and how these impact customer behavior will be an ongoing theme. There is a risk of firms focus too much on one channel, Customers are using a range of different devices to plan, research, book and review their travel experiences.  Revenue management became essential for the business. It needs to integrate with sales, marketing, channel optimization, loyalty marketing , and operations. Think new markets and new customers like China, India, Brazil and Russia. Firms need to be actively targeting this market and make adjustment such as develop local website etc. Last trend is that there are lots of new development in the industry. Facebook start to monetize travel. Google and Apple are also developing their travel related products. This social travel planning tools become successful. Technology develops and standards emerge, mobile bookings may not just be for the last minute.
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StorefrontBacktalk » Blog Archive » Android Is About To Truly Kill The POS Bu... - 1 views

storefrontbacktalk.com/...ly-kill-the-pos-business-model android pos business
shared by David Glas on 17 Jan 12 - No Cached
  • That argument worked when tablets were $500 and even $400. But now that Android tablets have fallen below $100, the argument falls apart. You could have four spares in the backroom and still be ahead. It’s not even about mobile POS versus traditional; it’s purely about price.
  • David Glas on 17 Jan 12
     
    This article talks about the changes happening in the restaurant and retail industry regarding POS systems. Since the appearance of the cheap tablet business owners have been asking why do we have to spend $600 on a POS station if a simple tablet cost $100 and has the same computing power. Imagine a restaurant where you come in sit down and order your food and drinks on a tablet that is on the table, a food runner brings you your order, and whenever you are ready you can swipe your credit card on the tablet and get a receipt send to your email. This reduces payroll for the business owner, and also makes the industry a less capital intensive one. All that is left is for a company to write the programs, sell the tablets, and give the same kind of support you would get with any other system.  
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E-Commerce News: Ghost of Christmas Past Haunts Amazon - 0 views

www.ecommercetimes.com/...74325.html amazon net income holiday earnings
shared by Emily Bova on 03 Feb 12 - No Cached
  • Amazon's net income was US$177 million, or 38 cents per share, a 57 percent percent drop from a year ago.
  • Sales for the three months before Dec. 31 came out to $17.4 billion, lower than Wall Street expected over the traditionally busy holiday season.
  • Flooding in Thailand slowed down production for many tech companies this year
  • ...4 more annotations...
  • The company used more third-party vendors than usual, which helps margins but cuts down drastically in revenue.
  • The world's largest online retailer has also been using promotions such as the Amazon Prime program, where customers can pay $79 a year to receive unlimited two-day shipping. The offer draws customers to the site, but over a busy holiday season, the shipping costs hit the retailer hard.
  • lower demand than it expected for video game sales and European currency fluctuations
  • A lot of people underestimate the profit of the e-book. You don't have to pay money for delivering or printing, so you can get tremendous revenue,"
  • Emily Bova on 03 Feb 12
     
    In Amazon's last quarter, net income dropped by 57 percent from a year ago. Sales for the three months before December 31 came out to $17.4 billion, lower than Wall Street expected over the traditionally busy holidy season. It is predicted that for the next quarter outlook, there could be anywhere from a gain of $100 million to a loss of $200 million. While Amazon continues to profit in sales of its best selling Kindle devices, there were a variety of factors that contirbuted to its losses. The flooding in Thailand slowed down production for many tech companies. Third-party sellers (which give a 13% commission to Amazon as oppsoed to 100% commission when Amazon sells themselves) were used more than usual. Promotions such as the Amazon Prime program which allows the customer to pay a fixed rate and get umlimited two-day shipping hurt the retailer hard over the busy holiday season with shipping costs. Other reasons were lower demand for skimwords
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Sidbi ready to fund foreign buys of small units - 0 views

www.deccanherald.com/...i-ready-fund-foreign-buys.html
shared by Leann Taylor on 21 Jul 12 - No Cached
  • Maini said the bank would fund projects in IT services, defence, hospitality, tourism traditional healthcare, marketing, logistics under focus on the services space; sustainable development that will focus on helping MSMEs use energy saving technologies
  • Leann Taylor on 21 Jul 12
     
    Sidbi is looking to fund small to medium Enterprise companies across industries-including Hospitality-that are working on IT based projects. The funding of these projects are in hopes of promoting energy saving and cost efficient technologies that would keep start-ups competitive and in business.
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Restaurant Menu Software 'eMenu' Ready to Wave Goodbye to Traditional Paper Menus | Res... - 0 views

www.restaurantmagazine.com/bye-to-traditional-paper-menus restaurant menu software
shared by Wei Ding on 23 Feb 12 - No Cached
  • Wei Ding on 23 Feb 12
     
    Most of people believe that it is a trendwhich e-menu will replace traditional menus. E-menu has lots of advancedfeatures to provide a great dining experience such as the system is a simple,easy to use, modern digital touch screen computer or iPad with the restaurant'smenu on it. Also, with this modernized restaurant menu system, a customer'swaiting time will be minimized and waiter efficiency will increase. What'smore, e-menu is a full entertainment system which offers a wide range of games,chat and Facebook. Specially, the restaurant revenue willbe increase at least 10 % by using e-menu according to the latest studies. This digital restaurant menuwill completely replace the traditional paper menus soon based on its advancedfeatures. Restaurants using the e-menusystem have experienced an increase in customer satisfaction and loyalty,customer spending which is extremely important for a restaurant's operation ina long run.
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German ecommerce gives Diet Chef food for thought - Telegraph - 0 views

www.telegraph.co.uk/...iet-Chef-food-for-thought.html
shared by Patrick Montesano on 03 Jun 12 - No Cached
  • Patrick Montesano on 03 Jun 12
     
    UK-based Diet Chef delivers ready-made low-fat meals to some 25,000 customers. With current sales of around 30m dollars in 2011, founder Kevin Dorren is planning an aggressive expansion into Italy, France and Germany.  Issues of payment methods (Germans don't use credit cards online), where to source ingredients, shipping to and from the UK, and whether or not it's blasphemous for an Italian to eat lasagna made in Britain are proving to be quite challenging. 
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Americans not ready for Canada's anti-spam law: report | Canadian Lawyer Legal Feeds - 0 views

www.canadianlawyermag.com/...adas-anti-spam-law-report.html
shared by anonymous on 08 Jun 12 - No Cached
  • CASL
  • will contain some of the toughest anti-spam provisions in the world, banning senders from delivering unsolicited commercial electronic messages without receiving express or implied consent from the recipient.
  • It applies to all messages sent from, or received in, Canada, which means American firms marketing in Canada fall under its jurisdiction.
  • ...3 more annotations...
  • 60 per cent of American marketing executives were completely unaware of the new law.
  • Individuals who breach the law can face penalties of up to $1 million, while corporations are liable for as much as $10 million.
  • “They’re saying, ‘never mind, we’ll stick to sending post cards in the mail, and do telemarketing instead
  • anonymous on 08 Jun 12
     
    This article is about the new new anti-spam laws that will be enforced in 2013 by the Canadian government. What was pretty interesting was the fact that 60 percent of American marketing companies were unaware of the new law. Funny thing is that most of those who were aware decided that they would simply resort to other forms of spam like telemarketing and postal mail.
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Hotel technology trends that are changing how hotels do business - 1 views

www.lodgingmagazine.com/...2 pms cloud
shared by Alyssa Westmeyer on 03 Oct 13 - No Cached
  • Choice created the software in 2003 as an inexpensive solution for franchisees of its economy brands.
  • The PMS had a lot of growing pains at first, but eventually it became more and more cloud enabled and was adopted across the company.
  • “A lot of companies had outsourced their IT and now they’re bringing it back in house because they can do almost everything they need on the cloud or through software as a service.
  • ...4 more annotations...
  • Switching to the cloud from a client server platform pays off with a big drop in both the initial capital outlay and the ongoing operating costs for the property management and other systems.
  • pects of a franchisee’s business, from guest check-ins and housekeeping services to billing and finances. Over time new features have been rolled into the software platform making it more robust and useful for hotel owners—it’s currently distributed in eight countries and available in four languages. And while plenty of cloud-based PMS packages are now available from third-party vendors like Micros, Maestro, and RoomKey, Choice’s internal solution has garnered its fair share of attention. “We had been getting knocks on the door from IT vendors at other hotel companies and individual Choice franchisees that own other brands, saying they were interested in our product,” says Pacious, “So we set up a new division so we could take a look at other opportunities we could develop.” This led the company to launch SkyTouch last year, a new division that develops and markets cloud-based software solutions to hotels inside and outside the Choice system. Pages: 1 2 3 4 2013-06-18 Sean Downey !function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];if(!d.getElementById(id)){js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js";fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}}(document,"script","twitter-wjs"); (function(d, s, id) { var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0]; if (d.getElementById(id)) return; js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id; js.src = "//connect.facebook.net/en_US/all.js#xfbml=1"; fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs); }(document, 'script', 'facebook-jssdk')); (function() { var po = document.createElement('script'); po.type = 'text/javascript'; po.async = true; po.src = 'https://apis.google.com/js/plusone.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(po, s); })(); (function() { var li = document.createElement('script'); li.type = 'text/javascript'; li.async = true; li.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https:' : 'http:') + '//platform.stumbleupon.com/1/widgets.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(li, s); })(); inShare0 Related Articles attachment-3
  • his led the company to launch SkyTouch last year, a new division that develops and markets cloud-based software solutions to hotels inside and outside the Choice system. Pages: 1 2 3 4 2013-06-18 Sean Downey !function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];if(!d.getElementById(id)){js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js";fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}}(document,"script","twitter-wjs"); (function(d, s, id) { var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0]; if (d.getElementById(id)) return; js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id; js.src = "//connect.facebook.net/en_US/all.js#xfbml=1"; fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs); }(document, 'script', 'facebook-jssdk')); (function() { var po = document.createElement('script'); po.type = 'text/javascript'; po.async = true; po.src = 'https://apis.google.com/js/plusone.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(po, s); })(); (function() { var li = document.createElement('script'); li.type = 'text/javascript'; li.async = true; li.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https:' : 'http:') + '//platform.stumbleupon.com/1/widgets.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(li, s); })(); inShare0 Related Articles Hotel Market Insight: Cleveland a
  • This led the company to launch SkyTouch last year, a new division that develops and markets cloud-based software solutions to hotels inside and outside the Choice system.
  • Alyssa Westmeyer on 03 Oct 13
     
    Choice Hotels has been a industry leader in the cloud PMS movement. They identified the opportunity to create their own platform 10 years ago when cloud was barely on the radar and have now successfully distributed it to 5,500 of their properties. Unique functionality built into the system is internet redundancy via cellular data plan, company-wide campaign pop-up messages to staff, interface to Pegasus and revenue management through predictive analytics. The platform has been so successful that, in response to inquiries from other companies who wanted to use Choice's proprietary system themselves, they created an additional revenue stream by establishing a separate company that sells and creates custom cloud PMS systems. One advantage pointed out is that managers no longer need to be on property to access and make changes to their PMS. While this is hugely beneficial to the majority of the industry (who already work long hours and visit the property on their day off), there may be some who take advantage of the situation. If this becomes the case, less oversight at the property means that operations has the potential to slip. It doesn't seem that this is a concern for Choice Hotels but it should be considered.
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How Apple may have ended the retail point-of-sale data breach crisis - GeekWire - 0 views

www.geekwire.com/...-retail-pos-data-breach-crisis apple pay technology hospitality travel mobile
shared by danalbert on 18 Sep 14 - No Cached
  • The mag stripe technology in credit cards dates from the 1960s; the POS systems that process them are using technology from the 1990s (at best). By contrast, attackers are using 2010s technology. The POS infrastructure is just outgunned and it’s now its falling.
  • By including Apple Pay capabilities on all new iPhones moving forward, Apple has overnight solved one half of the bootstrapping problem.
  • In a single day, Apple may have changed how we pay for things for good, and helped us bring the retail POS data breach crisis to a close in the long term. And in so doing, they may have also saved all of us from the hassle of “chip and pin.”
  • danalbert on 18 Sep 14
     
    As iPhone 6s begin shipping to pre-order purchasers tonight, this article is very timely for retailers everywhere. Apple already has the support of the big three credit card companies (Visa, Mastercard, and American Express) covering 83% of all credit cards out there. They also have buy in from a variety of companies including: Disney, Subway, McDonalds, Walgreens and many more. 220,000 stores are already ready to accept contactless payments . The system uses a combination of hardware, software and biometrics to keep the transactions secure. No actual card data ever leaves the phone. All transactions have unique codes and store personnel never get their hands on a card. Apple may have finally broken the code to making shopping easier and more secure.
  • natalieemmanuel on 21 Sep 14
     
    Apple Pay is going to solve so many issues when it comes to security and fraud. By using biometrics it will be nearly impossible for people to use credit cards that are not theirs. Disney is already set up to start using Apple Pay and it will be so interesting to see how guests react to using this method of payment. Although we already use biometrics when guests enter the main entrance of our theme parks at Disney the idea of giving biometric information has not appealed to all of our guests. Biometrics are something many companies will be using in the future as an extra step in security and it will be essential that people adjust to this change.
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The 2014 Daytona 500 will be a Little Quieter and Greener | NJ.com - 0 views

blog.nj.com/...014_daytona_500_will_be_a.html Green initiatives enviromentally friendly
shared by lalle044 on 04 Jun 15 - No Cached
  • he actual truth is NASCAR is the leader, when it comes to the major sports in the United States, in green initiatives. They have partnered with the Department of Energy to explore new ways to promote energy efficiency and reduce NASCAR's environmental footprint. In fact, last year NASCAR Green and the DOE signed a Memorandum of Understanding, which outlined their mission to advance the adoption of clean energy technologies.
  • during the 56th running of the Daytona 500. Four hydrogen fuel cell generators will be powering broadcast cameras at the track. The fuel cells will replace diesel-powered generators as a source of power, which will reduce fuel usage, greenhouse gas emissions, noise, and vibration.
  • lalle044 on 04 Jun 15
     
    NASCAR has many green initiatives to talk about. As the 2014 Daytona 500 was ready to run NASCAR was trying out four hydrogen fuel cell generators to power cameras that take video from different staging areas during the race. These fuel cells replaced diesel-powered generators which reduced greenhouse gas emissions, noise and vibration. NASCAR has teamed up with the Department of Energy to further their use of new green solutions in racing events. They have also added EV charging stations at their corporate office locations in Daytona Beach, Florida, Charlotte, North Carolina and Concord, North Carolina. To show their support of electric automobiles. The NASCAR corporation continues to look for ways to be more environmentally friendly while improving the customer experience at their events.
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Analyst predicts rise of guest-facing restaurant technology | Technology content from N... - 4 views

nrn.com/...e-guest-facing-restaurant-tech restaurant technology
shared by kathy_douglas on 30 Aug 14 - No Cached
  • A growing number of restaurant chains are turning to guest-facing technology to address such pressures. Casual-dining chains, such as Chili’s and Applebee’s, are rolling out the use of tabletop tablets for ordering and paying in their restaurants this year, for example. And BJ’s Restaurants Inc. revealed this week that guests will soon be able to order and pay using their own smart phones and other devices.
  • O’Cull estimates that a mid-scale casual-dining chain that produces $2.5 million in sales could save 100 to 200 basis points in labor costs, or roughly 1 percent to 2 percent, by offering technology that will allow guests to order and pay.
  • “We estimate that the restaurant could eliminate 30 percent to 40 percent of its total server hours and reduce labor costs by 100-200 basis points,” he wrote. “Obviously, the number of servers employed would fall, but the take-home pay of remaining servers would increase significantly.”
  • kathy_douglas on 30 Aug 14
     
    The advances restaurants are making with technology are astounding. Because of the rise in minimum wage and health care recently, companies are forced to figure out a way to cut labor costs. With the addition of iPads and tablets, restaurants are now able to use technology to help with reducing the amount of labor needed. Some chain restaurants are providing guests with table-side tablets to order and pay for their meal, which will allow servers the opportunity to take on more tables and allow the customer to assist in the serving process. Managers will be able to evaluate their team based on speed and time it takes to turn the tables over, which could allow for either more customers served or allow managers to make the decision to reduce the amount of servers needed at their establishments. As this technology continues to become more available and user friendly, more establishments will be transitioning to computers/tablets instead of having face-to-face service.
  • natalieemmanuel on 31 Aug 14
     
    The use of tablets being used in casual dining chains is a great idea that will not only make things more convenient for the customer but will also drastically cut labor costs for restaurants. From a management perspective these tablets seem to be a great idea. Some may argue that part of the dining experience is being able to interact with ones server. However, how many times have you waited at your table hoping to pay the bill? Now guests are able to pay their bill when they are ready and the tablet even prompts the guest on how much to leave as a tip, which may help eliminate or at least cut down on the number of bad tippers. The only negative may be that since there is less interaction with guests and guests have the ability to pay the bill whenever they are ready to leave, could this increase the number of guests who walk out on the check? Nevertheless, many companies are starting to use this technology.
  • danalbert on 31 Aug 14
     
    The use of tablets can also cut down on error in the ordering process. Even if the wait staff remains, they can easily repeat everything ordered to the customer and there will be no mistakes for poor penmanship. Payment can be done at the table, also cutting down on potential identity theft using skimmers etc., under the bar or at the wait station.
25More

6 Lesser Known Uses of Beacons in Restaurants | News | Hospitality Magazine (HT) - 1 views

hospitalitytechnology.edgl.com/...of-Beacons-in-Restaurants94820 restaurants beacons
shared by pattyjoe10 on 02 Sep 14 - No Cached
  • allowing customers to order ahead
    • pattyjoe10
      pattyjoe10 on 02 Sep 14
       
      Beacons allow customers to order-ahead of time. It attracts a different clientele and allows us to gain others because of a shorter or no waiting time. Like an express line. But they have to make sure the order is left ready by the time customers arrive.
  • consumers today value personalized, contextual mobile engagement, built around their current location, interests and buying preferences.
  • 80% of consumers prefer receiving personalized, context-aware branded content through their mobile app.
  • ...12 more annotations...
  • Therefore, it is highly likely that, merging mobile marketing efforts with iBeacon technology could result in higher click-through, quicker conversion, more sales and greater loyalty.
    • pattyjoe10
      pattyjoe10 on 02 Sep 14
       
      Technology has taken a huge toll on society and business now a day. If our business is keeping itself updated with technology, could mean we are at the top of our game. 
  • Q app
  • busy a restaurant is at a particular time
  • real-time information
    • pattyjoe10
      pattyjoe10 on 02 Sep 14
       
      Beacons also allow customers to know exactly how much people are at that exact time at the restaurant or business, and thus waiting time, if any.
  • not overwhelm users with notifications
  • deep understanding of the value offered to customers and deliver it in the best way possible.
    • pattyjoe10
      pattyjoe10 on 02 Sep 14
       
      I believe this is one of the most challenging for businesses. Customers (as myself) hate when we get attacked by too much notifications.  If it were useful in anyway or if it called my attention every now and then, buy companies apparently don't pay attention to how customers may feel.  It is very important to use the access wisely and give out information customers really want. Offer what they are looking for, by personalizing.
  • delivering personalized deals and messages
    • pattyjoe10
      pattyjoe10 on 02 Sep 14
       
      Attract customers by promoting events or special offers. People like a place they can see as happy and fun. Also, who doesn't like discounts.
  • prevent boredom
  • offer customized discounts for first-time customers, encouraging them to come back often
    • pattyjoe10
      pattyjoe10 on 02 Sep 14
       
      I believe this is one of the best efforts to retain and gain customers. Reward the customer who passes by every now and then, with personalized dishes; and reward  first time customers by attracting them with discounts specifically for them.
  • deliver custom menus to valued customers based on previous orders and visit history
  • awarding crawlers
  • ollect massive amounts of untapped data
    • pattyjoe10
      pattyjoe10 on 02 Sep 14
       
      Another must. Keep track of everything to better improve employee wages and specifics of customers that are out-and-about.
  • pattyjoe10 on 02 Sep 14
     
    Technology has taken a huge toll on society and business now a day. If our business is keeping itself updated with technology, could mean we are at the top of our game. This article briefly  demonstrates how Beacons can help improve your business by providing how, when and where are customers behaving. For example, Beacons allow customers to order-ahead of time. It attracts a different clientele and allows us to gain others because of a shorter or no waiting time. Like an express line. But  it may become a challenge if the business doesn't know how to ensure a time-effective preparation before customers arrive. Beacons also allow customers to know exactly how much people are at that exact time at the restaurant or business, and thus waiting time, if any. Another advantage would be "push-customized notifications". I believe this is one of the most challenging for businesses. Customers (as myself) hate when we get attacked by too much notifications.  If it were useful in any way or if it called my attention every now and then, but companies apparently don't pay attention to how customers may feel.  It is very important to use the access wisely and give out information customers really want. Offer what they are looking for, by personalizing. It also helps to attract customers by promoting events or special offers and notifying via beacons. People like a place they can see as happy and fun. Also, who doesn't like discounts? A fifth advantage, and as I believe to be one of the best ways to retain and gain customers, is to reward the customer who passes by every now and then, with personalized dishes, and reward first time customers by attracting them with discounts specifically for them. And finally, another must consider, is that beacons help keep track of everything (all happening at a specific given time) to better improve employee wages and specifics of customers that are out-and-about.
  • pattyjoe10 on 02 Sep 14
     
    Technology has taken a huge toll on society and business now a day. If our business is keeping itself updated with technology, could mean we are at the top of our game. This article briefly demonstrates how Beacons can help improve your business by providing how, when and where are customers behaving. For example, Beacons allow customers to order-ahead of time. It attracts a different clientele and allows us to gain others because of a shorter or no waiting time. Like an express line. But it may become a challenge if the business doesn't know how to ensure a time-effective preparation before customers arrive. Beacons also allow customers to know exactly how much people are at that exact time at the restaurant or business, and thus waiting time, if any. Another advantage would be "push-customized notifications". I believe this is one of the most challenging for businesses. Customers (as myself) hate when we get attacked by too much notifications. If it were useful in any way or if it called my attention every now and then, but companies apparently don't pay attention to how customers may feel. It is very important to use the access wisely and give out information customers really want. Offer what they are looking for, by personalizing. It also helps to attract customers by promoting events or special offers and notifying via beacons. People like a place they can see as happy and fun. Also, who doesn't like discounts? A fifth advantage, and as I believe to be one of the best ways to retain and gain customers, is to reward the customer who passes by every now and then, with personalized dishes, and reward first time customers by attracting them with discounts specifically for them. And finally, another must consider, is that beacons help keep track of everything (all happening at a specific given time) to better improve employee wages and specifics of customers that are out-and-about.
  • danalbert on 04 Sep 14
     
    Creative and a bit scary application of existing technologies. Much like Facebook Messenger, when do we cross the line between convenience and forfeiture of privacy? As part of the industry, the responsibility falls to us to manage the line in favor of our guests. They will know when it has become too much, and we will know very soon after when business evaporates. Provide friendly, targeted service without being too invasive. Remembering orders and having them ready on time is fine. Sending a pop-up message every time the guest passes by in a cab may be a bit much. Consider how many Starbucks messages you could receive in any major metropolitan area. Without proper care, we could be giving a whole new meaning to the word Spam.
1More

Why Apple Pay Could Finally Get Us To Shop With Our Phones - 1 views

www.forbes.com/...get-us-to-shop-with-our-phones apple pay phones technology hospitality software travel tech Mobile
shared by danalbert on 10 Sep 14 - No Cached
  • danalbert on 10 Sep 14
     
    The geniuses over at Apple may have finally broken the code (so to speak) on secure transactions and electronic data interchange. Under their new Apple Pay program, arriving with the iPhone 6 in 10 days, users can pay for their transactions with a touch of their finger on their own phone. A unique transaction ID is created for each use, meaning the card data (secured by hardware, software AND biometrics on the phone) never leaves your hand, but the bank and the vendor conduct a highly secure transaction. Apple is launching with support for 83% of credit cards in use and a host of vendors who are ready to accept your digital transfer. Noticeably absent from the list was the world's largest retailer, Walmart. However, if Apples gambit is successful (as the majority of them are), Walmart would be crazy not to follow suit. I would gladly forego a few more things in my pockets if I can still have instant access to the same transaction power from my phone.
2More

Software Defined Networking: What benefits will it bring, and when? - TechRepublic - 0 views

www.techrepublic.com/...enefits-will-it-bring-and-when Software Benefits
shared by sophiestein1992 on 21 Jan 15 - No Cached
  • When it comes to the benefits, they will vary from implementation to implementation, but I think some common benefits will be deployment agility and network abstraction. This will present serious opportunities to design resilient infrastructures that can be ready for failure and even more ready for re-balancing
  • the benefits have to outweigh any risks or costs.
9More

Room for Innovation - Hotel Technology | By Hanna Falko and Florian Kriechbaume - Hospi... - 0 views

www.hospitalitynet.org/...4075766.html
shared by irinatroitskaya on 26 Oct 17 - No Cached
  • The world is changing rapidly, hence any type of business needs to adapt to evolving market dynamics.
  • According to a study conducted by Cornell Centre for Hospitality Research in 2014, it is estimated that the Millennial generation will represent 50% of all travelers by 2025.
  • Some brands, such as Loews Hotels, go as far as introducing an option of making a room reservation using a hash-tag on Twitter. Hilton's HHonors app, on the other hand, allows its loyalty program members to select the exact room location and configuration
  • ...5 more annotations...
  • As more online traffic to the hotels' websites is now driven through mobile devices rather than computers, hotel operators continue to innovate their reservation systems and checkin procedures
  • As such, hoteliers have introduced a mobile check-in option, which enables guests to use their mobile devices as a key, through mobile applications and Bluetooth.
  • Going far beyond just a clean and comfortable bed, guests now want the room layout to be user-friendly and accessible for multiple digital devices.
  • A number of hotel companies have already recognised the benefits IoT can bring to their hotels and are now piloting initiatives around the Internet of Things as an opportunity to improve guest service, efficiency and revenue.
  • Public perception of a hotel is largely formed through the digital channels, especially now that social media platforms are perking up in popularity.
  • irinatroitskaya on 26 Oct 17
     
    The article discusses the aspects where technology is applied in the hotels. First, it is argued that although the hotel industry is considered to be among the slow adopters of technology, still the hoteliers are monitoring the innovations that can increase their efficiency. With the millennials constituting more than a half of all travelers by 2025 the industry should be ready to accommodate their needs for effective service with the help of technology. Bookings are made not only through traditional websites or OTAs but also via Twitter or Facebook. Online check-in process on a mobile device allows the guests select the exact room they want and open the door with the keyless access without stopping at the reception. The hotel rooms design is also changing to provide high connectivity opportunities. Traditional phones are substituted by tablets enabling guests to control the room features and connect with the hotel staff if needed. Internet of Things (IoT) is also considered as a way to improve the guests' experience and hotels efficiency. Finally, every guest now may have a great impact on the hotels' reputation through the social media. I believe that the article highlights the spheres where technology is applicable in the hotel industry and emphasizes the technological issues that should not be overseen by the hotels in order to remain competitive.
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