Group items matching

in title, tags, annotations or url

Hilton New York has announced the completion of a new green roof system and the installation of a Cogeneration (Combined Heat & Power) System, both designed to reduce the hotel's overall carbon footprint.

The installation of a highly-efficient, environmentally-friendly Cogeneration system also situated on the hotel's 5th floor roof setback, will provide in excess of 50 percent of the hotel's electrical power and over 40 percent of its steam consumption for heating and hot water requirements

The foliage and roots of those plants naturally absorb airborne pollutants, which in turn prevents large quantities of carbon dioxide from being released into the atmosphere. Additionally, the vegetated rooftop deflects solar radiation and reduces the thermal load, reducing the energy previously expended in cooling the property. All together, these benefits aid in the reduction of the Urban Heat Island effect - or increased temperatures in midtown Manhattan due to concentrated cityscapes and a lack of vegetation.

sandwich restaurant in Miami, is using iPad-ordering kiosks with POS capabilities

tableside self-ordering iPad kiosks

trying to reduce costs while increasing sales and not detracting from the customer experience

Hoteliers are getting a sneak peak at the concept at the Hospitality Industry Technology Exposition and Conference (HITEC), which began Monday in Baltimore.

One of the main attractions: “Guestroom 20X,” an exhibit packed with high-tech creature comforts that organizers bill as “The Hotel Guestroom of the Future.”

he lock uses a wireless technology called Near Field Communication (NFC), which allows two devices to interact with each other over a short distance – just a few inches or so. Once you check into the hotel online, a room assignment and a unique code would be sent securely to your smartphone.

Total Connectivity: Imagine technology at its best — nearly invisible and easily accessible computers, hand-held Wi-Max devices and high-resolution 3D screens — all available with the swipe of a card

By using sustainable design and renewable resources, future hotels will be greener and environmentally conscious. Devices that monitor a guest’s water and electricity usage and offer reduced pricing may be the next logical step.

For many businesses, the growing spending power of high-income consumers and the middle class in China has become a compelling growth engine. For luxury brands, China is already a huge growth market, and many Western companies have had a brand presence in China for many years, albeit often with counterfeit products and even whole counterfeit stores. But as the economy grows in China and consumer thirst for foreign brands increases, companies will be compelled to consider an online direct-to-consumer presence due in-part to the following factors:

eCommerce in China is growing very quickly. Online spending in China is poised to more than double over the next four years, growing to more than $356.1 billion by 2016*.

Driven by both new consumers online and by increased spending by consumers already online, it is expected government reforms will make it easier for both domestic and foreign companies to sell online and for consumers to transact.

February global GDS hotel bookings grew a substantial +23.5%, driving revenue up +36.8% over 2010. Both length of stay and booking lead time for this segment also expanded.

this segment displaying average monthly growth of more than +20% through July, with accompanying rate, length of stay and booking lead time increases.

Global reservations through the mostly leisure alternative distribution systems (ADS), or online channels, declined from January’s levels due to a variety of factors including regional unrest in the Middle East and North Africa. However, bookings growth still remained above February 2010 by +1.1% as the average daily rate (ADR) set a new growth record for North America at +2.9%, rising for the rest of the world to an almost +5% increase over last year.

As a "partner software provider" protel offers Design Hotels™ affiliated properties full-service hotel management solutions at attractive special rates. The cooperation with a global hotel industry network opens up business opportunities on both sides.

Toby March, Vice President Sales, Revenue Management and Distribution of Design Hotels™ also believes hotel management software by protel to be the perfect technological match for the high demands of Design Hotels™

A computer to be used for web design should have a large hard disk and Random Access Memory, high processing speed and large storage capacity to be able to process the large video files.

Two servers are needed, the hardware and software servers which are important for web hosting. The relevant software for instance Dreamweaver and Microsoft front page need to be available before any progress can be made in construction of the site.

It is important to have a good antivirus or software that prevents the website from external threats.

odesco said that the Surface interactive table is among the most surprising feature.  Guests can use it to browse the Web, play online games, or even use interactive maps to plan the next day’s adventures.  “Its applications are basically unlimited,” she said.

The 3CX Hotel Module is an add-on that turns the 3CX Phone System into a full-featured hotel PBX, and through the new integration, can now interface directly with Hotel Concepts’ IDPMS or Brilliant PMPRO. This enhancement provides hoteliers with a host of additional features relevant to property operations. Unlike other PBX providers that charge extraordinarily high premiums for these hotel-specific enhancements, the 3CX Hotel Module is extremely affordable, since it leverages low-cost VoIP technology.

Unique features of the 3CX Hotel Module now integrated with IDPMS and PMPRO include: The ability to automatically reset the guest PBX upon check-in and checkout, adding or removing the guest’s name on the voicemail system and deleting any leftover recordings; The option to block external calls to and from particular guestrooms upon request; The scheduling of automated wakeup calls; Guests’ names are displayed to receptionists when making in-house calls; Call billing automatically integrated into guest folios; The ability for housekeepers to deliver status updates and execute minibar charges through guestroom PBX phones.

As the hotel and travel market continues to trend toward integrated technology solutions that make operations more streamlined and cost-efficient, Hotel Concepts – Brilliant is an ideal partner for us to help meet that growing need,” Martin added.

No matter what telecommunications strategy a property takes, one thing is for certain, it needs to be a different one from the past.

The guest now has a variety of choices for communicating including fax over the Internet, e-mail, cell phones, calling cards and now even Internet-based phones. 

Assuming that the wireless reception quality is acceptable, it is very difficult for the hotel to compete on a cost basis.

Hotel Concepts–Brilliant, a leading global provider of technology and software solutions for the hospitality industry, has unveiled the future of enterprise lodging systems—the revolutionary iTesso solution. Ideal for hotel chains of all sizes, scalable and customizable, iTesso will be exhibited during HITEC 2012, at booth # 1222. One of the hospitality industry’s first true end-to-end cloud-based management systems, iTesso is an integrated property management system, distribution platform and central reservations system all rolled into a single intuitive solution. As a component-based hotel chain inventory and distribution management system, iTesso can be deployed as a direct connection between a hotel's CRS and the global distribution systems and alternate distribution systems, or as a distributed multi-property PMS with links to third-party CRS systems. In short, iTesso represents a brilliant new concept in technology convergence.

The interface connections are monitored and upgraded on a hotel and a centralized level. This offers hotel users unique value from the high degree of scalability and redundancy, something that is rarely economically feasible with a premise-based solution. Moreover, the Windows Azure platform is completely secure and reliable, with critical encrypted information redundantly stored at two data centers with seamless switching.

With futuristic systems like scent and iris scanners and digital facial-recognition, hotel security is being taken to the next level. #plain_module { width: 590px; height:170px; border: none; float:left; margin:0px; font-size:12px;} #plain_module img {border:none; width: 13px; height:14; border: 0px; margin:0px; } #plain_module .mini_main { margin: 0px; padding:0px; width:585px; height:220px; repeat scroll 0 0} #plain_module .mini_item_header {padding:10px 0px; margin: 0px 0px; font-size:16px; color: #555555; border-bottom:1px dotted #CCCCCC;} #plain_module .mini_item {padding:5px 0px; margin: 0px 0px;} #plain_module a { color: #49A3CA; text-decoration:none; } #plain_module a:hover { color: #F98419; text-decoration:underline;} span.gray {color:#949494;} .mini_main li{list-style-type: none;background-image: url(http://www.aolcdn.com/travel/bullet);background-repeat: no-repeat;background-position: 0 1px;padding-left: 10px;}

The new thing is contact-less Smartcards and RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) cards that need just be waved to allow room access.

But travelers worried they will constantly have to traipse back to reception every time they lose their card need not despair. Security systems in some hotels do away with cards altogether.

Hotels, conference centers and other meeting venues are increasing group business with new technology, and it isn’t just a hotel app. To invest in the property’s overall capital, hoteliers are creating cool technology tools that market venues, increase group business and enhance the guest experience. Technology is just another way hotels are winning group business and marketing a hotel or conference center. What are some of these new hot tools for leisure and business travelers?

Investment in Hotel Technology Pays Off with Increased Group Revenue Tuesday, July 10, 2012 by Sarah Vining Hotels, conference centers and other meeting venues are increasing group business with new technology, and it isn’t just a hotel app. To invest in the property’s overall capital, hoteliers are creating cool technology tools that market venues, increase group business and enhance the guest experience. Technology is just another way hotels are winning group business and marketing a hotel or conference center. What are some of these new hot tools for leisure and business travelers? Virtual concierge service on guest room TVs At Hyatt Hotels with in-room HD TVs by Roomlinx Inc., guests are able make service requests, check email/weather, use the Business Center, print documents, and receive customized messages from meeting planners. Service requests like housekeeping and in-room dining are instantly sent through the system, improving the venue’s departmental efficiency. All of these virtual functions are hoped to appeal to new markets and drive group business. More efficient billing In the article, “Insert IACC blog post title URL” we learn that in 2012, meeting and group planners are prioritizing finance as very important during in their planning process (which made the top 10 list for the first time). Hotels making large investments in revenue management systems are taking advantage of new features that automate and process data to improve efficiency and increase revenue for properties. Virtual business centers Socialization through technology and food and beverage outlets is increasing revenue for TRYP by Wyndham in the NYC Times Square South property. Google TVs and access to Google Chrome laptops near the Gastro Bar in the hotel’s lobby offers guests an opportunity to enjoy a dining experience with the comfort of complimentary technology use. On-staff IT team When planners were surveyed, reliability was listed as a top concern of IT services in the white paper “What Do Planners and Trainers Really Want in Their Meeting Service?” All IACC-certified conference centers are required to have an on-site IT team to ensure technology functions properly. Now, the need for a knowledgeable IT team that really understands technology and can cater to individuals and group business is spreading to other hotel markets.   These impressive technology tools improve the guest experience and lead to a quick return on investment, especially in F&B. As we move beyond the discussion of required hotel Wi-Fi services, there will be a focus on technology amenities that provide the same comforts of home or the office. To increase group business, hoteliers are comfortable with this investment knowing there’s a return on investment with generated buzz/venue marketing and satisfied guests. Want to learn about other ways hotels are using technology to build relationships? Check out Enhancing Your Social Networking Site with a Social Concierge! to maximize social media and connect with guests, attendees and planners!