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This article explained the benefits of AR, VR, and AI in the hospitality and tourism industry in order to enhance guest experiences and create smoother work operations. The implementation of this technology seems to be happening more due to the pandemic and hospitality companies are learning the best ways to use them to match the new needs of guests.

This article talks about the different ways that proximity marketing enhances customer loyalty programs to increase customer trust and loyalty. Proximity marketing is a marketing technique involving the localized wireless distribution of promotional content in specific geographical proximity. One of the ways that it can benefit customer loyalty programs is through laser-focused targeting. This kind of marketing is precise because it allows you to target potential customers close to the area, which will enable it to be a more personalized communication. Another reason is that it helps improve customer experience through the use of QR code coupons for customers, resulting in improved customer engagement and experience. Another reason, this one is used by Marriott International, is utilizing beacons. The beacons transmit in-hotel discounts and offer to loyalty program members through the hotel app. The key to proximity marketing is that customers need to remain engaged, in the area, and new marketing techniques like those described above can absolutely help.

This blog post delves into the world of location-based marketing, shedding light on its mechanisms and significance within the hospitality industry. It demystifies the workings of location-based marketing, where businesses use location data to target and engage potential customers. The post explores how accurate location information enables personalized offers and advertisements, enhancing customer experiences. Furthermore, it emphasizes the importance of location-based marketing to the hospitality sector, as it empowers hotels, restaurants, and travel services to reach the right audience at the right time. By leveraging location data intelligently, the hospitality industry can create compelling marketing campaigns, foster customer loyalty, and ultimately boost revenue and customer satisfaction.

It's clear that part of POS system innovation is technology innovation-iPad & iPhone scanning; self-check in and out function, etc. However, the author clarified what customers want and look forward are not only technology but service. Even though the service doesn't seem to be provided by staffs, the new technology meets needs of new generation of customers, who are independent and looking for more personal service. So the purpose of a successful POS system is to make restaurant management more efficient, prevent theft and create great experience for customers. 

In this era of technology I think the hotel industry should of accommodated their customers with an excellent mobile site experience. As read in the article, "In 2011, mobile was responsible for $2.6 billion in travel bookings," and the numbers are increasing exponentially by year. Mobile devices are becoming so popular to book travel because todays customer lives a high-paced life and is always on the go. So I think it is extremely important that travel industries understand the customer and targets them accordingly in order to form that customer loyalty. With the popularity of tablets, the smartphone is gaining harsh competition because a tablet user has a smartphone and when it comes to booking travel they would most likely use their tablet because it is more accessible and the screen is bigger and easier to read. The smartphone and tablet experience is completely different because in essence you are targeting different audiences. The tablet user wants to see bigger icons and more visibility on the bigger screen, while the smartphone user wants to have a quick information session where she/he can view everything on the go. I think the travel industry should focus on execution in order to give the tablet and smartphone user the best mobile experience. With that said, the only way to ensure that positive feedback is through "regular testing and monitoring of your mobile site…"

As mobile devices become more advanced, particularly cell phones and tablet devices, more pressure to keep up with mobile and social trends is placed on the hospitality industry. People are using their mobile devices more now than they have in the past. So much so, that "two thirds of Americans sleep with their mobile device in range, something we cannot say about desktops". A world of information is at your fingertips because of the capability of mobile devices. Information that can help us make decisions about anything. Even last-minute decisions about hotels and food. More people are using their mobile devices to book rooms and many of the people that do this, are booking a hotel for the same night. The fact most of the people who do this are under 30 means that it is very likely that this trend will increase. People are expecting the technology to be there so that they can pick a hotel and a restaurant to go to if they are unfamiliar with a city. They are expecting a hotel chain to have a mobile site or better yet an "app" that will not only allow them to book a room, but, one that will give them directions from where they are to the hotel. The same can be said for restaurants. Potential customers want to be able to look over the menu and determine if they want to come to the restaurant, all from their mobile device. Mobile guests are also using customer review sites to determine where they will lodge or dine. They are using sites like TripAdvisor which allows you to post comments about your stay. The sight even allows the guests to post pictures. "Customer reviews are also important to the hotel industry, but the jury is still out on exactly how hotels should react with people who post reviews." It is always great when a guest posts a positive review of the hotel, but imagine how one bad stay could tarnish a hotels reputation. And what if there are cleanliness issues that the guest can photograph and upload to the site? Exactly what to do in this type of e

Marketing and E-business for tourism industry A good marketing plan is important to the success of businesses. There are several guidelines and ways to use electronic medium to stay competitive. A business has to always take care of the existing customers and their needs without forgetting to attract new customers. Tourists are using internet to shop for new destinations so an online presence is very important for consumers so they will be able to find out information about the business. There are several guidelines to consider: * Promptness people expect to get a response within a reasonable time. * Quality means that your website should be able to compete with other websites on the internet and this means that it should have good quality photographs and professional tone to the websites. * Consistency means a good consumer service and a professional image. There are many ways to promote services online: email newsletters and promotion, building traffic by working with other websites, offer deals, get involved in discussion sites about the industry you are in. During an off season bookings, simplicity of booking should be a priority. Tourism operators should join travel and tourism "mall" to offer their products and host their site and use these low cost services. Companies can also promote their products online by offering auction style sales that helps consumers have some kind of control over the prices of the different services in tourism. One of the perks of online shopping for travel services is the price transparency and the fact that costumers have choices of different prices in front of them. Company should Increase a web marketing pull by offering different services and also advertising with other companies. Promote and minimize the costs of the services by adding "do-it-yourself" features. A list such as: A FAQ, maps of location of other area attractions and local guides for rental outlets. To improve the way you market your products and

POS is quite widely used in the field, at least in some restaurant chains. But this article points it out that although many restaurants are using POS, they still underestimate how useful this system can be. So this article introduces five features that POS can have if managers integrate these into POS. All of these features introduced in this article can be summarized into one word, that is tracking！POS can help to keep a track customer information and their preference to build a customer loyalty; POS can track inventory without counting every item in storage; POS can track employee's working hours and give managers alarm; POS can even track the menu information to help managers to make judgements if the menu item are profitable.  It is an investment to have a POS and it is also a waste of using only part of POS features. 

This article gives us a glance at six different technological trends being used and "revolutionizing" the hospitality industry. The six trends are cloud/software services, mobility, social media, personalized systems, integration, and globalization. The trends are all seen across the board in hospitality nowadays and are making huge changes in the industry. We have been talking about cloud computing and the pros and cons of using a cloud to store information and even with all the controversy, companies are investing and using the cloud. The use of tablets and smartphones has changed the way we interact with technology and the hospitality field is not staying behind. They are developing mobile sites and apps to help customers look at pictures and reviews about a place, check in and check out or make other arrangements. Social media is also revolutionizing hospitality by creating a reputation for businesses whether they be positive or negative. People can freely post about whether they enjoyed their stay at a certain hotel and helps build the online reputation of the company. In addition, more and more companies are looking to become more personalized experience. When I think about this part, I think mostly of the new systems rolling out at Disney World that scream personalization, guests can select their Fastpasses ahead of time, can use MagicBands to purchase things, get into their hotel, get into the park as well as to utilize the Fastpass system and every time a MagicBand is scanned at a touchpoint, the cast members know the person's name and whether they are celebrating something. With integration, customers and staff can access information from different departments all on one system and with globalization companies are trying to use systems that are global and used worldwide. 

Technological developments continue to have a great effect on all aspects of our lives, the hospitality industry not being an exception. Calum McIndoe in his article "Six Technology Trends Revolutionising the hospitality industry" outlines areas of technology that managers within the industry need to take advantage of. Cloud technology, though this concept is fairly new it can provide great financial benefits to companies as it cuts cost greatly due to the fact that it eliminates the heavy hardware requirements traditional technology offered. Mobility, the fact that portable devices can add a competitive edge to the service offered. Think traditional services being provided on the go away from a fixed station. Social; the popularity of social networking sites have changed the face of hospitality and tourism marketing completely. Properties are now forced to monitor social networking sites to learn about customer demands and to also learn about the image their company has out there and how they can improve it. According to Mr. "for any hotel to not at least monitor social medis is tantamount to willingly flying blind." Personalized systems; value for customers within this industry has to do greatly with the personal touch added to the service delivered. These merged systems allows properites to use data to ensure that guest needs are met. Integration; the joining of isolated systems used in all areas of operations on the property. The use of integrated systems allows for the pulling of data from the different departments thus ensuring proper management of services delivered and revenue management. Globalisation; It is important that hospitality companies adapt to changes and trends brought about by globalisation. Whether the current global outlook is taken into consideration when considering how a company operates can greatly impact the final product.

((NOTE: The author already highlighted the article in yellow when I found it, my personal highlighting is in PINK. Sections 5 and 6 are not highlighted in pink because I agree with the parts that the author highlighted yellow in those sections; Diigo toolbar will not let you highlight over something that has already been highlighted.)) This article mainly focuses on the technological changes in the hotel industry in pertinence with storing hotel information versus the traditional method(s) used by hotels that involved little to no technology at all. The article lists six different points or examples and states that businesses, especially small or upcoming businesses, need to follow by these six trends. The part of the article that stood out to me the most when reflecting on the lectures and power points for this week is the first trend. The first trend speaks about a "cloud" software (which I am not really familiar with so excuse me if my explanation is not 100% sound) and announces that "around 85% of the queries we see from hospitality companies and hotels include a serious look at cloud computing". The author lists a few reasons why such a high percentage of hotels are doing it this way. He basically says that you do not need special staff or special training to maintain the system; the system maintains itself so you can have more time to focus on your guests and trends in their patterns. Also, as far as the cost is concerned, "upfront investment is lower with the cloud as there are no initial hardware costs or associated expense…". Even though I am not very familiar with this service just yet, I like the idea of freeing up employee time to go and interact more with the customers; attending to the customers' needs is the most important thing in my eyes. The article goes on to list mobility, social media, personalized systems, integration, and globalization as all equally important parts to this revolution of technology pertaining to the hospitality industr

This article talks about the future trend of the hospitality security, which is technology is opening new doors to hotel safety.  The author introduces some different technologies such as Contact-less Smartcards and RFID that hotels like New York's Plaza Hotel are currently using. Finger print or cellphone wipe technology is also used instead of card, which should be more safe. Some hotels even use video-capture systems to make sure the security is perfect. After introducing these technologies, the author also talks about the privacy issues. Because some customers are not willing to be on cameras. However, though some of them are concerning about this issue, an expert predicts that new security measures will eventually become such a part of everyone's everyday lives that he or she will become the norm. All in all, this article gives us the trend that more and more technologies will be used for hotel security in the future.

this article talks about new technology that is being implemented throughout out US and the world. Old key cards are now going to be replaced with even older standard keys or the radio frequency identification card that can be waived in front of the door to gain access. Also, there is a technology that will sent an encrypted sound text to guest;s cell phone, which when played back will open the door.  It talks about technology that tracks all employees, guests and their luggage.  There are several concerned that travelers have about their privacy, but article stated that it all depends on the type of the traveler.  Also, the face recognition technology used in Houston's largest hotel remembers guests names and when they return, guests are greeted by name.  Article concludes that even with all this technology, the best security is provided through interdependence of travelers and employees.  

Technology in the hotel travel and tourism industry will be changing drastically in the near future, from the swipe of a cell phone, print of a finger, facial recognition, iris scanners, security is going to be taken to the next level. the plastic key cards will soon no longer exist. Radio frequency I'd cards are the new thing, where guest will use this for preferences for everything, from charging things to your room, preference of floor type to pillow choice, chick in and out etc. systems that track the other qualities of a person instead of using a key or card are in development as well. There are research going on how to open the door and. Lose wi just the persons walk and movements. Some people think these new security technologies are awesome, while some think they are not, people dont want to be watched 24/7while on vacation they just want to enjoy there stay. But in today's society all travelers are becoming interdependent on each other for safety and security.

This article is an introduction about the CRM software in Hospitality Industry. CRM software is a helpful tool to improve the interaction with hotels' customers, clients, and sales prospects. I will give a brief about how CRM software bring the benefits to hotels and the how it secures the imformation of the hotels' customers. customers relationship management software helps hotels increase sales by enabling them to understand the relationships with their customers, other businesses, and some potential customers. It meets almost requirements of hotels, such as sales goals, satisfying customer nees and demands, managing customer loyalty programs well, and making central reservations. It is definitely automatic system that offers a lot of functionalities, not only for the customers services, but also for the management of the inventory systems and maintenance orders. How it works? It can record customers' behavior and gusto, analyze them and give the strategic methods of incorporating businesses. And how to secure CRM information exchanges? It is based on a highly scalable permissions tree. You just can protect resources when you open up the information resources based on organizational need. And what is more, audit trail of every item in the system also can protect the information resources in this system. Now, CRM system is improving all the time. The system will offer a more scalable solution which is suitable for the businesses. And it is getting more flexible as the businesses needs to be.

The article, Impact of Individual Differences and Consumers' Readiness on Likelihood of Using Self Service Technologies at Hospitality Settings states that the use of self-service technology is a rising trend across the board. Major hotel chains, resorts, casinos are implementing software that can remember customers, their information, and go beyond current human levels of service performance. However, not everyone is ready for this new age of self-service technology. In their study, the authors explored influential factors related to individual differences and customer readiness on the likelihood of using self-service technologies. Findings supported technologies such as pay-at-the-pump, online travel purchase, ATMS, and other services that have been around for years were highly accepted. On the contrary, new services such as ordering food over the phone and Internet kiosks in bars were preferred by less than thirty percent of respondents. Within the hospitality industry, customers may perceive new self-service technologies as positive but may choose not to use them if they do not understand it or see no clear benefit from it.  To summarize the results, people may just not be ready for the self-service take over. Especially in the early stages, hospitality companies would need to have an employee standing by the new self-service technology to assist customers with their needs. Although a well used self-service system could generate a new revenue stream, particularly when concerning the younger generation, it is essential that managers take into mind the overall level of consumer motivation and readiness to embrace it,

This article deals with the seven main reasons on why a company should switch to a point of sales system. There are a few different systems for example Microsoft Dynamics Retail Management System. There are seven signs that your business can boom if you consider using pos. POS allows you to always know your inventory going out and in stock. Marking down merchandise is always correct and accurate. Promotions can be tracked more successfully, especially if you have more than one location. You can always have some sort of control, even when the boss is away. The business can also get m multiple tools with pos, such as payroll time clock and customer preference databases. Last, businesses can place their human employees where they really need to be, helping customers.

Trump Hotel Collection has just purchased Doral Golf Resort and Spa. To enhance the appeal and functionality of the well-known hotel, Trump Hotel Collection has teamed up with MICROS to gain outstanding benefits from their operating system and pos system. Benefits are having all customer data in one place while allowing customers to make purchases at ease.

This article is a series of several blog contributions for successful emarketing on Hotels magazine's website. "Will the Hospitality Industry Tango with Tingo" discusses the introduction of Tingo.com, a new Online Travel Agent (OTA) website affiliated with Expedia.com that guarantees its' customers to refund the difference if the price booked for the room drops after booking. This sounds great right? While of great value to customers, especially those who are money conscious, the article explains that Tingo.com is another industry basher that ultimately makes hotels appear to be ripping their customers off. This type of marketing tool should be two fold- both industry and advertiser friendly and an OTA website such as Tingo.com will potentially strain its relationship with business in the hospitality industry sooner than later. Tripadvisor is pointed out as an example of a major hospitality industry resource that has damaged its reputation with hotels and is continuing to do so. An analysis of Tingo.com is presented including the evaluation of several factors Tingo.com does not consider under its business model. The article deems both Tripadvisor and Tingo.com as "confused and misguided." In conclusion, this article presents valid points that I have never considered prior to reading about the challenges and perception some hospitality industry leaders have. From the customer perspective, both Tripadvisor and Tingo are highly favored for obvious reasons but not consistently for hotels and restaurants.

The growing trend of using mobile payment technology could lead to many opportunities for businesses and consumers alike. The hospitality industry is looking towards mobile payments as a way to make transactions more efficient and profitable for both the business and their customers. Hotels such as the Gaylord Hotel are now using mobile payment methods poolside. By using an iPod Touch, the hotel staff is able to collect payment and even print a receipt from their mobile POS system. This option to use the mobile payment system is a great convenience for their guests as they don't even have to leave their poolside cabana. Not only are hotels starting to use this technology to collect payments but major retailers have also begun to use this technology as well. Retailers such as Target and Walmart have teamed with Merchant Customer Exchange to develop an app that allows their customers to pay for their goods by using their smartphone at the store's register. With this growing technology also comes some concern of security. Businesses are being urged to consider the importance of fraud protection as they begin to use mobile payment. If businesses choose to use a mobile payment app or POS they must follow the proper procedures to ensure the security of their software. The benefits of this growing technology could be great for both businesses and their customers.

A large volume of customer data is handled on a daily basis, including card details, names and addresses. With the number of security breaches worldwide each year, it is no surprise that more and more people are aware of their data being given to anyone, and knowing it is sufficiently protected. All companies are legally required to meet certain expectations of data protection regulations, and as an IT provider, it is our responsibility to ensure that all IT infrastructure provided to your clients contributes to data protection. As the potential IT and Cyber attack, the customers are truly sensitive with their personal information privacy, especially when they stay in hotel, with all of their ID and financial information. The hotel should be more sensitive with our customer private information than they do, give our customer a relatively guarantee scenario in IT security in order to set them down without worries while they stay in the hotel or select the hotel when they booked. The more security in IT you give to them in both realistic life and promise, the more consumer will be glad to choose your hotel with an significant customer loyalty.