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I found this article very interesting. It deals with the development of a new website that incorporates all facets of event planning into one central hub. The website was coined "honey book" a conjunction between honeymoon and booking. It's creator Naama Alom, got the idea when she, herself, was planning her own wedding. She realized that there was not one place where she could store all of her event, vendor, and decor information. "Honey book" is also a medium to share your event highlights with family and friends. Naama decided that Facebook was not sufficient enough and when investors expressed interest, Naama and her husband packed up and moved from Israel to the United States. The US housed the billion-dollar target market that "honey book" was developed for.

Ever wonder what happens to the little soaps you use at the hotel you recently stayed at? Hyatt Hotels Corp. has become one of the major hotels to start recycling toiletries through the organization called Clean the World. When guests are done using their shampoos or soaps at a hotel, the housekeeping staff collects all of the used and unused products and recycles them or donates them to other countries. The organization has only been around for a few years, however other hotel chains are joining the cause to helping the environment and also humanity. It is not just in the United States that hotels are getting involved but it is expanding globally. Hotels are sending used soaps that has been re-sanitized to battered women's center and also to countries like Africa to local clinics and orphanages.

It looks like the industry is taking notice of what they can do and stepping up to the plate. It all comes down to the front line workers though, in this case housekeeping staff. Turning a room correctly is labor intensive and time consuming. Adding the step of separating the used soap and shampoo does take time. 1 minute per room per day in a 200-room hotel at 90% capacity comes out to 21 man hours per week. At $10/hr that's nearly $11,000 per year. I'm not saying it shouldn't be done. I think it's a great idea. It does many people (including the hoteliers) a lot of good. If we consider this as "goodwill" in our operating costs, it probably works out for everyone.

I have never pay attention to where the leftover of the toiletries would go, and it's nice to know that they are going to the charity. This is a great way to recycle, help reduce waste, and help support the people in struggle. Knowing such information doesn't help making the booking decision, but it sure does increase the hotel's reputation.

This article describes the importance of investing in training between front of house personnel, and the IT department. While maintaining the efficiency of both of these departments is half the battle, it is also important to make sure they understand each others roles and needs in challenging situations. Cross training for both of these departments enhances the guest experience, and helps both teams understand the other more.

Meetings are significant in that they are major events which generate dollars on a local and national scale. Those associated with tourism and hospitality, transportation and convention venues (among other industries) benefit significantly. Tax revenues increase as well. In addition to the economic impact, many jobs are created. Simply put, meetings are a lucrative income stream.

This article was very interesting and it was about how safety security is very important to the hospitality industry. This article also explained how a study shows the safety and security systems work in the hospitality industry. They also said that it is very important to update the emergency plan because you never know when something going to happen in the hotel and you always have to be ready for anything. This study just showed how an effective information system could prevent and being well prepared can definitely help prevent any emergency.

The article is a study that was conducted in regards to the security management within a hotel and how an effective security system can help in preventing accidents or emergencies from occuring. The main priority of a hotel or any establishment, besides the service provided, is having an effective emergency plan set in place to be able to respond and overcome a crisis. International hospitality being a focus over the recent years, has suffered crises, risks, and disasters causing negative impacts on tourism and the community. Hotels should "issue a check-list concerning a hotel's vulnerability to emergencies caused by natural disasters (hurricanes, earthquakes, tsunamis) or man-made crises (terrorist attacks, explosions, fires, spill, food poisoning)." Another part of the plan is to focus on the loss prevention aspect of a hotel by implementing information technology to secure or improve security. On technology mentioned was biometric to increase the hotel information system and also to help reduce cost and improve the way we recognize criminal activities. With the hospitality industry being one of the most vulnerable industries to crimes and disasters, it is important to recognize, improve and update the plans set into place to ensure accurate information. While it's impossible to say that these preventions are going to stop these problems from happening, it can help other learn about the proper steps to handling these situations. I personally think that as much as employers suggest different way, it's the job of the loss prevention team in every industry to construct a plan that address as many issues and conduct trainings that would help to prepare us for these occasions. Trainings are going to be the best way to properly analyze a problem and improve on the emergency plan set.

This article mentions 3 key signs on when you should consider upgrading to a full event management software. I found this article to be relevant as this weeks discussion post was about the pros and cons for event registration systems. The 3 signs mentioned in the article are; "1. You need more complex event marketing, 2. Your event planning process is overwhelming, 3. Your events have grown big enough to require housing and travel management." After reading the first sign, I believe that now a days event planners need to have a full event management software if they are going to do a big event. The article stated that full services have social promotion tools, email marketing, and the ability to create an event within an event. These are all such important parts of an event. You have to have someone to send out email reminders and you might have an event that is more like a huge production where you have events within and event. And there's so many events that could fit in your head before you forget something. The other sign which I found very important was the third one. If your event requires traveling or housing then you are definitely going to be overwhelmed and you are going to need the extra help, event if its to track someones flight details.

This article answers two major questions; what is the connection between event management and the hospitality field? Why exactly is event planning considered to fall under the umbrella of hospitality? The link between event planning and hospitality is that the set of skills needed to succeed in the various hospitality-related careers is similar to those required to be a successful event planner. Some of these skills include quick thinking, in-depth understanding of logistics, strong organizational streak and maintaining good relationships with people. Both require having the ability to understand and meet of the customers without exceeding the budget. Just like running a business, hosting an event is a difficult job and requires a person with the ability to handle pressure. The article concludes by stating that though people in the two fields may face different challenges, the approach of solving these challenges remains the same.

Global Distribution System (GDS) is a system operated by an organization that empowers automated exchanges between travel specialist organizations for mainly airlines, lodgings and vehicle rental organizations and travel agencies. Travel agencies generally depended on GDS for administrations, products and rates so as to provision travel related administrations to the end consumers. A GDS can connect services, rates and bookings uniting items and services over every one of the three travel segments: i.e., aircraft reservations, hotel reservations, vehicle rentals. The biggest global distribution framework is Amadeus. GDS is not the same as a PC reservations framework, which is a reservation framework utilized by the specialist organizations also known as vendors. Essential clients of GDS are travel specialists both online and office-based to reserve spot on different reservation frameworks kept running by the sellers. GDS holds no inventory; the inventory is hung on the merchant's reservation framework itself. A GDS framework will have constant connect to the merchant's database. For instance, when a travel office asks for a reservation on the administration of a specific carrier organization, the GDS framework courses the demand to the proper aircraft's PC reservations framework. This empowers a travel specialist with an association with a solitary GDS to pick and book different flights, lodgings, exercises and related administrations on every one of the merchants working in a similar course who are part of that GDS network. There's no uncertainty that global distribution frameworks will have an imperative influence in the travel landscape for a long time to come, yet their conventional job is changing and being tested by every one of the progressions occurring in the travel business. While such changes will affect the future development open doors for global distribution frameworks, there will keep on being a job for them as they advance to address the issue

The article titled "Eight Meetings Tech Trends to Watch for 2018" demonstrates how the rate of technology is increasing through different mediums and strategies. The scope is to alleviate the workload for planners, exhibitors and venues, while also trying to find ways in which a guest's experience can be improved. In terms of major technology trends for events, there is a rise in direct meeting space bookings. Annually, it is interesting to see that there are 1.8 million meetings in the United States. In order to reduce costs, there are streamlined options such as Peerspace, Spacer and EventUp. I also found it interesting how certain technologies are accommodating and adapting to guests' needs. Google Indoor Maps offers directions to users when they are in an area such as a conference or venue which still require mapping and directions. Augmented reality is another useful tool for guests to virtually attend an event or to understand the placement of the venue. Following this same idea, according to the article "Google recently announced at the most recent Google I/O developers conference its Tango Visual Positioning Service, a AR GPS for indoors. Working with Google Indoor Maps and visual data from the camera, Tango will see features in the environment to give users hyper-local directions guidance". Do you think other companies will also invest in these technologies and offer alternatives? As technology increases, I believe that collaboration, as noticed in the article with airbnb, is a tool for success in order to elevate guest experience.

This article ties into this week's topic of sustainability and green initiatives, even though it's from 2017, which was dubbed as year of sustainable tourism by the United Nation. The hospitality industry is guilty of having a large annual footprint. Today's traveler is more eco-conscious then ever and is always looking for hotels and properties who support their mindset. The hospitality industry is hopping on the green train and taking action to set precedent for their competitors. Many big cities along with celebrities are promoting the idea of sustainable and conscious living and hospitality, making it the hottest trend. The hospitality industry id one the fore front of this effort because they are one the impacted businesses due to climate change. Many local economies that depend on tourism and hospitality can crumble if they don't start taking action right now. This trend will hopefully create a domino effect and influence other industries to follow suite.

The article describes about the importance of telecommunication in the hotel industry. It also mentions the importance of choosing the right equipment, so the guest is connected to their friends and family. It also provide us an information that it is necessary to have an appropriate vendor so there is no problem once the equipment is installed in the properties. The equipment should also provide a wide range of network which would support all of its guest staying in the hotel.

Telecommunication has become the forefront in the hospitality industry, and it is a increasingly a vital priority for customers. Whether guests travel for business or pleasure, they always want to stay connected to their family and friends. In order for the hotel industry to choose the right telecom equipment that will fit the customers needs but also the hotels needs, they need to the following; effective and user-friendly telecom equipment, reliable and secure messaging software, and ample but dependable internet access. Hotel guests want the ability to feel right at home or right and their workplace when they are staying on hotel property, so having the best equipment available to a guest not only in their hotel room but also in other areas, such as library, conference room, pool area, restaurant, or even a bar. The guest wants to feel like they are handling their work business with no software or network interruptions, no matter what area in the hotel they decide to work from. With technology being such a top priority in the hospitality industry or any industry for that matter, ensuring customer satisfaction and repeated business, will anticipate a clients needs.Most importantly, before purchasing your in-room telecommunications equipment, it's best to have a good idea of your current and future telecommunication needs. Telecom equipment for the hospitality industry includes a variety of options. The most cost-effective approach is to acquire equipment with only the options you need or foresee a forthcoming need for.

Telecommunication is becoming more important in hotels in general. Choosing all the right equipment and stuff is great but if you dont have a great network to run all this equipment to allow your guess to telecommute. This will allow meeting planner to coordinate events for those not able to travel to meeting and still get the necessary information from the conference there colleagues are attending. It be very interesting to see where this will go.

The events industry is growing in the United States and around the world. Event managers need to keep up with the current and future technology trends in the industry. Mobile ticketing, cost reduction, gathering data from event attendees, and cashless events are all areas that event managers need to use in their operations. Using technology at events can help to reduce costs and improve attendance. In addition, the future in events could mean having a cashless event and also implementing virtual attendance. Event managers need to evaluate the technology that is the most cost-effective. The initial cost may be high; however, event managers need to look at the return on investment.

This article contains an interview with the CEO of the payments technology company Affirm, Max Levchin. Affirm, established in 2012, is a payment technology firm that allows for travelers to pay for trips via a monthly payment plan. The company fully pays the travel provider and then is responsible for collecting the funds from the traveler. The payment does not need to be paid in full prior to travel. Levchin says that this product is attractive to companies because airline and hotels don't have to worry about interchange, processing fees and fraud. It benefits consumers because they are able to book early when prices are lower instead of "saving up" to book closer to the date of travel, when the trip is more expensive. They have seen an increase in advance bookings with Affirm for trips over $250. He suggests that this will disrupt traditional travel industry e-commerce and make travel more accessible.

Four key elements to successfully planning an event in the hospitality industry include but aren't limited to: Client Satisfaction - The event should follow through as planned between the planner and client. Anything that goes wrong should be fixed in a timely manner where the client won't notice. A successful event leads to client loyalty most of the times so they'll book with you again. Profitability - Ensure each event doesn't result in a loss Guest Experience - What the guests experience will ultimately determine how the client's satisfaction of the event will be by the end of the night. A guest's experience will be based off of service and quality. The quality of the chairs, the plates even right down to the utensils they're eating from, the music, the drinks, and most importantly, the food. Happy guest = happy client Perceived Value - Adding a special touch to an itinerary that the client wasn't expecting makes all the difference

This article outlines several factors to focus on in order to host a successful event in the hospitality industry, including customer satisfaction, guest experience, profitability and perceived value. Among them, customer satisfaction is the primary factor that needs attention, and improving customer satisfaction will get more business opportunities. In addition, meeting customers' needs and solving customers' problems can give customers an unforgettable experience, which is also conducive to the success of the event. As an operator, you must also consider profit. Profits come from customers. If you can improve the perceived value of customers, it is a memorable experience for customers, improve customer satisfaction, and profitability comes naturally.

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Amid the outbreak of the coronavirus (COVID-19) software companies like Hubb and many more are coming up with solutions for bringing people together virtually. These softwares can help in reducing the impact on the event industry and help businesses conduct events when needed.

The article discuses how as many cities have banned large gatherings to slow down the spread of Covid-19, many couples that were set to marry in the months of March, April, and May, have now been forced to either cancel or postpone their weddings. Many couples may lose their deposits and may have to settle for weekday wedding when rescheduling, as it will prove challenging to find dates that will work for all vendors (venue, florists, caterers, entertainment, insurance), specially for summer and winter dates of 2020 as the more weddings become rescheduled. However, for planners and vendors business revenue will be greatly reduced for the coming months, putting business-owners under pressure to come up with money to pay their staff and keep their business alive until the crisis passes.

In this article, the author highlights 7 types of event technologies that event managers and planners should focus on in a tidal wave of event technology being offered today. Among the event technology mentioned advice is given along with step by instructions on how to access the various sites/ platforms and what to look for and expect.

The author aims at shedding more light on the use of technology in events, and the trends and strategies for success in this area. The author introduces the reader to modern event technology developments such as micro projection mapping, AI-powered matchmaking, emotional recognition, back end technology among others. Overall, it is a very informative piece.