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Summer is wedding season. Celebrities aren't the only one spending a ton of money willing to spend on their honeymoons. Billionaires have honeymoons almost as extravagant as their wedding itself. With all that money, but tends to be complicated. Ovation Vacations have become experts at planning honeymoons for billionaires. This company is known for planning leisure travel consulting for 'ultra-high net worth' people. This team consists of 30 employees which plan nearly 200 honeymoons per year, averaging about $50,000 each trip. This results in $1 million in revenue per month. The CEO is considered to be the Olivia Pope of the travel industry. An interesting request of travelers who book with Ovation is that they like specific cuts of meat during traveling. It's very common to have meat sent from the U.S. to where ever they are vacationing. This is very interesting to me because you would expect one of the main attractions of traveling is to try new cuisines. Seems a little over the top. It gets a little more extreme -- one guest even requested an al dente pasta cooked for a certain amount of minutes. A celebrity requested dragon fruit for their "pink smoothie". This gets tricky when other countries have rules when it comes to importation. JLo wanted Ovation to pick our green M&Ms for her. In addition, another guest wanted a crate of Fiji water bottles delivered nightly. It gets even better, one guest paid $40,000 for her 5-night stay in order to have her sink filled 7 inches in order to not bend over to wash their face. Another husband spent $80,000 to have a yacht carpeted so his wife can wear her stilettos instead of being barefoot. Sometimes inevitable things happen such as natural disasters. Not a problem for Ovation. They spend $50,000 for one couple to still enjoy the beach, which had been destroyed due to weather. What they did was hire a truck to move sand from one part of the island to the other for them to enjoy a private beach. Something simple, yet

The organizer, Billy McFarland, 26, was also sentenced for running a sham ticket-selling business - but that fraud was run-of-the-mill compared with the Fyre Festival, which had been promoted by A-list social media influencers but imploded just as publicly on Instagram and Twitter. Mr. McFarland had promised an event with luxury accommodations and performances by bands like Blink-182. But the festival never took place, leaving attendees wandering unfinished sites on the island of Great Exuma in the Bahamas.

In a sentencing memorandum, prosecutors had asked for a prison term of at least 11 years. They called Mr. McFarland "the consummate con artist," adding: "He betrayed and deceived his investors, customers, and employees while he was living the high life at his luxury apartment, traveling to exclusive locales, staying at luxury hotels, being chauffeured in his Maserati, and entertaining himself and his friends at restaurants, bars, and casinos."

Summary: Billy McFarland utilized all of the tools available to hype up an event that had no validity or credibility by solely relying on social media influence to promote a lie.

This article talks about how more than 200 new hotels spread across the country that nearly 50 brands are expected to be operational in the coming years. The article explains how investors are pinning their hopes on an economic revival to justify their investment commitments in the hotel sector. The article justifies how significant the mid-segment and upscale brands which are set to witness the maximum traction. Similarly, U.S based Starwood Hotels and Resorts has 35 hotels under development in addition to 38 operational properties spread across six brands. I believe the company intends to take the count to 100 hotels by the end of next year.

The article briefly talks about the MyMagic+ wrist bands that Disney introduced a while back! I decided to use this since I had used this example in our discussion board. The articles explains that with Disneys BILLION dollar technology investments income rose 22% to 1.4 billion. The article identifies that Disney's risks in technology is a huge reason why their business continues to grow (and probably wont decline anytime soon- but thats just my opinion). Another huge investment, which might not seem like a lot is the projections newly introduced in the new fireworks show. By introducing projections inside the park, it allows the nightly entertainment to keep up with new characters and keep the show extremely relevant, for example, Anna and Elsa were just added from the Disney movie, "Frozen". By investing in technology like this Disney will always stay relevant and ahead of the game.

The recent cyberattack at Marriott International Inc. has many hoteliers wondering what are the legal and business risks associated with security attacks? The recent breach at Marriott further proves the point that businesses should prepare now or be willing to pay for it later. In November 2018, the Bethesda, MD-based hotel company revealed there had been unauthorized access to the Starwood guest reservation database, which contained guest information relating to reservations at Starwood properties on or before Sept. 10, 2018. Businesses face a multitude of risk when looking at the potential consequences resulting from a cyberattack or breach. As we've seen recently with the Marriott breach, there can be significant impact to brand equity in the marketplace. This impact can be far reaching for publicly traded businesses, resulting in material impacts to businesses and business valuation, and long-term impact to user adoption. In addition to the downside risk from the market, businesses must also mount expensive defenses against litigation that increasingly takes the form of class actions. Reputation is important in every trade but is especially important in the hospitality industry. This, coupled with the fact that consumers are becoming more sensitive to privacy and security related issues, means that businesses in the hospitality industry must manage against these types of risk and allocate appropriate levels of funding toward information security. What should hoteliers learn from the Marriott breach? Pay attention. Marriott was aware that there was a potential issue shortly after it acquired Starwood, but did not, apparently, investigate in detail. Marriott may not have created the problem, but it bought the problem and didn't treat it with the seriousness that was necessary.

As we begin to discuss cyber security this week, I found this article on increasing number of cyberattacks very eye opening. It was no surprise that due to an increase in technology usage, new risks would present themselves to organizations. However, the number of compromised records has sky rocketed to say the least, increasing by over 164 percent from 2016 to 2017. The article goes on to say, "cyber security is no longer a reactive measure, but a requirement for companies, and consumers." CFOs now even consider cyber attacks to be the number one external risk factor for businesses. Overall, its certain organizations today should budget for effective cyber security, in order to prevent any potentially harmful cyber attacks in the future. 

This article succinctly suggests 6 ways how a hotel can make their e-commerce efforts more rewarding; by reducing friction for users on the hotel's website, by having fewer clicks from discovery to purchase, using speed as their friend with a faster hotel website, and faster hotel booking process, getting to the point by providing the option for users to book right away, not confusing the user by taking them away to a different URL that has different branding to the rest of their hotel's site, triple testing their hotel's website functions or options to determine if they generate additional revenue if not, remove it and test again.

A security researcher, Mr. Noam Rotem has found a security vulnerability in the widely used Amadeus airline software. Mr. Rotem booked a flight with El Al and the company sent him a link to retrieve his Passenger Name Record (PNR). Rotem inputted a random booking reference number into this link, which is sent to all customers upon booking, and he was able to access other passenger's information. This raises concerns among attackers changing seat flights, meal specifications, or claiming flyer miles. The security researcher also viewed email addresses, phone numbers, and was even able to cancel flights. Additionally, this data can easily be accessed because reference numbers and last names are printed on baggage tags, making this available for many to see in an airport. The Global Distribution System does not have any form of authentication factor or password to keep this information safe. The GDS has not been updated to ensure security in many years. The company claims that the PNR process must be in accordance with the whole industry, and it needs to collaborate with everyone in order to form a new procedure.

This is a great article that provides tips on how to use green practices within the IT realm. It starts by giving statistics on how much energy can be consumed by equipment, and also how much electronic waste can be done when not reusing or recycling such equipment. There is tips on how to increase efficiency with your technology and also providing tips on how to properly purchase needed equipment. Another set of tips covers reducing the running costs of office equipment and reducing e-waste by the 'reduce, reuse, and recycle'. Lastly, developments for green technology and equipment are provided for us. My opinion is that this article is very informative and should be read by all hoteliers to look into and apply the tips given. Showing the statistics paints a great picture for the reasons why we should be going green with technology.

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.

The topic of the article is about the use of Chatbot within the industry and how it could be valuable to e business. Chatbot is a messenger tool that allows for customers to communicate with someone to provide a more personalized and better customer experience when booking online. The article mentions that Chatbot is used on a variety of hotels, airlines and even booking agents to provide a different way of booking trips and experiences. It focuses on providing images, prices and descriptions to enhance the "online shopping experience." (Knight, 2018) The way Chatbot seems to operate through different partners by providing the guest with requests, transportation, last minute reservations and up to date information regarding hotels, airlines, etc. Knight takes into account the potential that Chatbot has in the future to help the hospitality industry grow earnings while positive service. Although, Chatbot seems like the newest way to appeal to those guests that are within the technology wave, i feel like apps like these are already implemented. It is convenient to have the information coming from one source, but hotels brands like Marriott have the mobile app and GXI where you can communicate with someone in assist with creating reservations, add requests and also create a profile that gives the hotel an idea of what someone expects at the hotel. The same goes for those airline apps such as American and Delta, providing similar services. What i do take into consideration is that bots like these where it be a direct bot or Chatbot are being used more and more daily to enhance the experience a customer receives which helps to increase sales for the industry.

RealView is a Chicago-based mobile software company that assists hotels with emergencies by equipping first responders with hotel's up-to-date floor plans and other relevant information. "We provide a preplan program where we make everything a responder would need available to them ahead of time," Stephen Nardi, CEO of RealView, said. "With planning, both employees and responders won't be operating on trial and error but reality." All of this information is streamlined to portable tablets or security stations and can be updated remotely and shared digitally. This software is important not only because of the safety of hotel patrons and visitors, but also to protect a hotel from a liability standpoint. "The front-end policies you have will protect you in the moment and in the end," Justin Parafinczuk, a partner for the defense law firm Koch, Parafinczuk, Wolf and Susen said. ""Any break in the chain is a liability. It's a minefield." In my opinion, this type of software not only makes sense but should be required in all hotels. When dealing with emergencies that involve life and death, seconds matter. It is software like RealView that can be the difference in saving peoples live's. RealView offers the ability to streamline real time information and make it easily sharable. I believe that not having this type of software should be considered a legal liability to hotels and they should be held accountable if they do not have this type of software implemented.

A new study done by IBM has discovered that nearly sixty percent of organizations are embracing the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), having their sights set on improving privacy, security, and data management. This is a relief to see as this particular subject in the hospitality industry has frequently come up as a major talking point with the developing technologies in the industry; the fact that industry leaders are viewing the GDPR in this manner rather than a compliance issue/restriction is refreshing. Seventy percent of survey responders are disposing data ahead of the deadline for compliance in an attempt to reduce their exposure. IBM did a separate poll that found only twenty percent of US consumers completely trusted organizations to maintain the privacy of their data. Due to this, businesses are using the recent GDPR compliance as a statement to consumers that they're looking to build trust and reliability with customers and drive innovation. However, even with the opportunities at hand, only thirty six percent of responders believed they will be fully compliant by the deadline. To minimize the amount of data an organization is managing, companies are taking measures such as reducing the number of people who have access to personal data or simply cutting down on the amount of data stored. Additionally, studies have found that the primary challenges organizations are facing with the GDPR include finding all the of the personal data stored in their business, ensuring the accuracy of said data, and making sure this data is in compliance in how it is shared or used. Another challenge to the new compliance is that companies are to report data breaches to regulators within 72 hours of the breach, yet IBM has found that only thirty one percent of companies have taken a look at the measures they have in place for incident response to account for this new rule in compliance.

This article gives information on the new trend of hospitality: sustainability. Being sustainable does not only save an organization financially by reducing the cost of water and energy but also can be used as a marketing tool to gain new guests via social responsibility. Sustainability has become the future of the industry.

With the majority of bookings done through the internet, hotels need to find the best ways to make their websites attractive and engaging for a guest. Here are the ten e-commerce ideas that a hotel should strongly focus on. Number one, high quality images. A guest wants to see your property, and see the amenities that are offered. Provide a clear image of these items to them, so that they are aware of what makes the location great. Two, focus on the location's credibility. and build a reputation of trust for your location. Guests do not like to be fooled, so you must prove that you have integrity to gain business. Three, simplify the booking process. For many people it might not be an issue to navigate through the internet and book a room, but for some people it is. Make sure that the process of booking a room at your sight is very easy, and is comfortable for any guest. Four, integrate customer service channels. If your guests have questions before booking, then try to answer them as fast as possible. This works with the second step of improving credibility. Five, not only should you make the booking process simple, but the navigation process as well. Your layout should be clear, and guests should easily be able to figure out where it is that specific information is found. Six, have only one call to action per page. A call to action is a phrase that when clicked on, creates a certain thing to happen. Like clicking on a button that says "Reserve now", and then being led to a reservation page. It is important to only put one on a page, because several can seem cluttered and confusing. Seven, make the site friendly to cellular devices. Many of the reservations are done last minute, and on a cellular device. Make sure this is easy for your guests to do. Eight, the importance of PCI. There are many threats out there to our finances, and as a place of business it is up to you to secure the financial information of the guests, to avoid any fraud or theft. Nine, optimize o

In today's society it is extremely important for the hotel industry to make use of the e-commerce technology. This article focuses on the ten best e-commerce practices. Best practice number one is to use high resolution photos that are a true representation of your hotel. These photos should be frequently changed and of good quality. Secondly, show your guests that they can trust you and your website, by building credibility. E-commerce is designed to make the process better, thus, thirdly, ensure that it is easy to book a room through your website. The fourth best practice is to ensure that you are clear about ways that your customer can reach out to you for information. show that you are accessible. Next, the author mentioned the importance of making your website user friendly and easy to navigate. Additionally, have one call to action button so that customers are not confused as to where to make their selection or booking. Consumers are now using cellphones more to book hotel accommodations, thus, another best practice is to ensure that your website is mobile friendly. Internet security is a concern for consumers. Best practice number eight is to ensure that your website is secure for financial transactions. The ninth best practice is ensure that you make use of email marketing. Your website should have the ability to collect emails from each user. The final best practiced listed in the article is to use marketing techniques like persuasion elements that go the extra mile to convince guests to book their hotel. The ten best practices outlined were listed for hotel operates to analyze their website and identify ways to improve if necessary.

My company works specifically in the short term rental space, and I wanted to comment on number 9 and offer some insight and results from properly managing your email list. First and foremost, having an email list increases return customers to your platform or rental site by over 300%. Most companies in this space have spent countless hours creating and defining specific messages to potential guests, which begin from the first time they visit the site, all the way until they checkout. Each time these touch points, through email or other communications, increase the likelihood of the guest to use the rental company, condo association, or hotel year in and year out. A new method of communication that is being used industry wide is through text messaging. I believe that this form of e-commerce will enable faster delivery of information to customers and allow managers to personalize experiences at the hotel or property. This follows along the lines of remote locks and other services that are technology based rather than requiring personnel to execute, greatly reducing overhead costs.

The internet has allowed the Hospitality Industry to significantly grow, by bring their products , which is now easily accessible for customers.

Since the invention of the internet, companies are moving towards the trending online sales of their products and hospitality businesses are not the exception. While some companies migrated to the online method of business, other companies were born in this new world and they have a lot to teach us. Both of these companies are adapting to the new game changers that the industry is experiencing. From virtual reality, to give the guests a taste of what their vacation will be, to contracting new "gamers or influencers" to be able to have more relevance on a certain business niche.

A human resource information system comes with three major applications - talent acquisition, talent management, and talent optimization - all this with the effective backing of data.

The event management space is more becoming more competitive. Now hotels and event planners are seeing these as an additional source of revenue. This article focuses on tips how events and conferences can use strategies to automate certain practices to capture a wider target audience all while spending less time and money.

This article is a perfect example of a cloud based PMS company also offering an onsite solution for locations that might not have a reliable internet connection. This article does have testimonials from clients that use both solutions. Maestro the PMS company has a image data base so it lets them recognize returning guest to the proprieties there systems are in. to personalize the service the guest receives. One client says the cloud PMS make it easier for managing multiple properties from one central office. Maestro is a unique company by offering solutions that can meet any proprieties needs with cloud or on-premise solutions.