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Visa Europe predicts contactless payments will become mainstream in the UK with 20 mill... - 1 views

www.visaeurope.com/...macdonalds_contactless.aspx McDonald's Contactless payment hardware
shared by Alexandra Givner on 17 Jan 12 - No Cached
  • Alexandra Givner on 17 Jan 12
     
    This article, posted on the Visa website discusses how McDonald's UK plans to implement a new type of payment method for customers. This "cash free" payment methods allows for customers to use only debit or credit cards and pay up to 15 euros. Visa states that it is a quick and easy way for customers to purchase a coffee or lunch at a fast food establishment. As stated in the article, this form of payment helps companies save money with regards to operating costs and improves risk management because less cash is available at the restaurant. In my opinion, I believe this is a quick and convenient way for customers to get in and out of the restaurant - which is essentially what a fast food establishment caters to do. The down side of this new hardware addition to McDonald's is that it may reduce the amount of jobs in each store because the computers will be able to do the work, humans once did.
  • gaby bestulich on 18 Jan 12
     
    To me this is just a given. Of course contactless payments are going to increase. They already are especially in big cities where everyone is always on the go. I know that I barely ever have cash on me. I end up having to run to an ATM. Paying with cards is the easiest and an fastest way of paying for things.
  • Melissa Krajewski on 19 Jan 12
     
    I agree with both comments. I just wonder why they cap the amount to £15, which converts to $19.25. Is that to encourage individual transactions? To clarify, the only thing I can think of is they are trying to discourage people from purchasing for others. But that doesn't really make sense since the purpose of contactless payments is increasing convenience for the customer who wants to make on-the-go purchases and thus increasing profit for the business. Just something I was wondering.
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Hotel Telecommunications Strategies - 6 views

www.hotel-online.com/...Mar03_Telecommunications.html
shared by Chris Cardoso on 28 Jan 12 - No Cached
  • 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.
  • ...18 more annotations...
  • Given the hotel’s advantage in quality over the guest’s portable devices, the proper packaging of services will lure even the most avid self-contained guest back to using the hotel’s telecom services.
  • Hotels are unable to compete on price with devices that the guest has brought with him.  What the hotel can do is offer a better experience at a reasonable price to entice guests to use the hotel’s telecom infrastructure.
  • Attracting the Guests to Use the Hotel’s Telecommunication Services
  • 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.   All these alternatives offer a less expensive means of communicating than using the traditional hotel guestroom phone and other services such as fax.
  • 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.   All these alternatives offer a less expensive means of communicating than using the traditional hotel guestroom phone and other services such as fax
  • No matter what telecommunications strategy a property takes, one thing is for certain, it needs to be a different one from the past.
  • Attracting the Guests to Use the Hotel’s Telecommunication Services   Hotels are unable to compete on price with devices that the guest has brought with him.   What the hotel can do is offer a better experience at a reasonable price to entice guests to use the hotel’s telecom infrastructure. No matter what cell phone the guest may carry or what service provider is used, no wireless connection is as good as a land-line connection
  • Guests had little choice back then but to use the guestroom phone and grumble about the cost.
  • Assuming that the wireless reception quality is acceptable, it is very difficult for the hotel to compete on a cost basis .
  • Assuming that the wireless reception quality is acceptable, it is very difficult for the hotel to compete on a cost basis
  • Another concern among hoteliers is what can be termed the self-contained guest
  • Another concern among hoteliers is what can be termed the self-contained guest
  • Theoretically, the self-contained guest needs no hotel telecommunications services .  
  • Theoretically, the self-contained guest needs no hotel telecommunications services
  • Guests had little choice back then but to use the guestroom phone and grumble about the cost.
  • Hotels are unable to compete on price with devices that the guest has brought with him.   What the hotel can do is offer a better experience at a reasonable price to entice guests to use the hotel’s telecom infrastructure. No matter what cell phone the guest may carry or what service provider is used, no wireless connection is as good as a land-line connection
  • The early 1980s marked the beginning of an era of profitable hotel telephone departments.  The advent of call accounting systems (thanks to deregulation) enabled hoteliers to easily mark up calls to a profitable (some say too profitable) level.  Guests had little choice back then but to use the guestroom phone and grumble about the cost. This era has come to an end.  With few exceptions, most hotels have seen between a 15 percent and 25 percent drop in telephone revenues over the last five years.  The main reason for this decrease is guest choice.  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.   All these alternatives offer a less expensive means of communicating than using the traditional hotel guestroom phone and other services such as fax . A fax machine in the guestroom was considered a premium amenity for many years.  With the Internet explosion, however, the machines have seen less use.
  • weiwei lu on 28 Jan 12
     
    No matter what telecommunications strategy a property takes, one thing is for certain, it needs to be a different one from the past. The early 1980s marked the beginning of an era of profitable hotel telephone departments. The advent of call accounting systems (thanks to deregulation) enabled hoteliers to easily mark up calls to a profitable (some say too profitable) level.
  • ...6 more comments...
  • Qianlin Wang on 04 Sep 12
     
    Nowadays, people have many choices for communicating including fax over the Internet, e-mail, cell phones, calling cards and now even Internet-based phones. Hotel guests are restricted by the largest telecommunications service providers from making long distance collect and credit card calls to countries other than their home country. The guest is not able to complete his desired call from the guest room telephone. In addition to frustrated guests, this generates absolutely zero revenue to hotels. What the hotel can do is offer a better experience at a reasonable price to entice guests to use the hotel's telecom infrastructure. The hotel can use some systems to reach this goal, such as the BBG Communications. It can increase revenue for every international operator assisted call. It assumes all responsibility for billing and collection of all calls. It has over 500 multilingual, live operators servicing customers. The most important thing is there is no cost and risk to the hotel, because the BBG assumes all associated cost and responsibility.
  • Shuqiong Huang on 05 Sep 12
     
    This article is talked about hotel telecommunications in the 21st Century. No matter what telecommunications strategy a property takes, one thing is for certain, it needs to be a different one from the past. The early 1980s marked the beginning of an area of profitable hotel telephone department. Few years later, this area has come to an end. The main reason for this decrease is guest choice. Later on, guests have a variety of choices for communicating including fax over the Internet, e-mail, cell-phones, calling cards and even Internet-based phones. All these alternatives offer a less expensive means of communicating than using the traditional hotel guestroom phone. With the time passed by, hotel telecommunications update and improve better and better. Nowadays, High-speed Internet access is fast becoming an expected amenity. This the revolution for hotel telecommunications in the 21st Century.
  • rebecca Bonet on 08 Sep 12
     
    This article that is written by Geoff Grisworld. Talks about how telecommications has changing in the 21st century. One of them being hotel. Hotel takes a big advantage in telecommication because there is always a change in the communication system. That is why hotel have to upgrade their system often. This is why hotelier organizes packaging deal when it comes to communication system from using the phone to HSIA. This is a few system that is always need to be change constantly, so the hotel can offer a better experience at a reasonable price while they are enjoying their stay.
  • Paige Hanna on 09 Sep 12
     
    This article speaks about the growth and development of telecommunication within the hospitality industry in the 21st century. "No matter what telecommunications strategy a property takes, one thing is for certain, it needs to be a different one from the past," the article states. Since the 80s hotels utilized their telephone department to offer a service for a profit. Because there was little to no competition with communication, this was profitable as guest pretty much had no choice but to use the phone service provided at a set cost by the hotel. Today, however, we see a shift in technology now where everyone has communication at their disposal via smart phones, Internet and other communication tools. With this happening, "it is very difficult for the hotel to compete on a cost basis." (Griswold) It also explains how high-speed Internet access (HSIA) is almost seen as an amenity anticipated by the guest and has worked in the hotels' favor. The article goes on to describe the "self-contained guest" that carries a smart phone, small printer, notebook computer and technology of their own which allows them to virtually have no use in the hotel telecommunications services. So what does this article suggest for concerns as such? Hotels are to attract guests to use their telecommunication services. By offering packaged deals at affordable prices, Griswold believes hotels will be able to be the ideal option for telecommunications services. After viewing this article, I realize how hospitality industry workers think about those they serve all the time and should always display it. Even though the hotel is trying to make money by charging for Internet and phone services, they wish to market the service as the best option for the guest. The Internet connection would be faster provided by the hotel over a smart phone is one feature they wish to advertise. This type of mentality is smart yet should be withheld throughout the industry and always show that the
  • Ling Xiang on 24 Jan 13
     
    The early 1980s marked the beginning of an era of profitable hotel telephone departments, because guests had little choice back then but to use the guestroom phone and grumble about the cost. Nowadays, guest has a variety of choices for communicating including fax over the Internet, e-mail, cell phones, calling cards and now even Internet-based phones. All these alternatives offer a less expensive means of communicating than using the traditional hotel guestroom phone and other services such as fax. And high-speed Internet access (HSIA) is fast becoming an expected amenity in 21st century. Today hotels are unable to compete on price with devices that the guest has brought with him. What the hotel can do is offer a better experience at a reasonable price to entice guests to use the hotel's telecom infrastructure.
  • Karin Goodine on 26 Jan 13
     
    This article explains how much are creating incentives for hotel guest in an effort to get them to use the technology that the hotel provides.
  • Yawen Zheng on 26 Jan 13
     
    In modern society hotel need more attrahent thing increase revenue. The traditional way may lose competitiveness, like telephone services. Because almost everybody using personal cell phone and more and more people prefer to use internet to communicate such as email and skype. In my opinion if hotel build some telecommunications use internet such as physical skype phone and provide cheap service that may be attract more people to use that.
  • Chris Cardoso on 15 Sep 13
     
    With the emergence of "self-contained guest," hotel telecommunications departments must change its offerings because old strategies no longer apply. A self-contained guest is one that does not need the traditional amenities hotels would offer for telecommunications, such as fax machines and printers. Guests now look for a fast, free internet connection as an amenity. Some may not even need wifi, because they have a faster mobile service that they use. Even hotel telephones, guests no longer want to use the land line and pay hotel fees to make a call. Cell phones have eliminated that need (even for international calls). So hotels must not stay the same, and must change their strategies for producing revenue from their telecommunications department.
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Computer Networking Information - 0 views

www.buzzle.com/...er-networking-information.html
shared by Jingjing Zhu on 28 Jan 12 - No Cached
  • Jingjing Zhu on 28 Jan 12
     
    This article was divided into five parts to introduce the computer networks. The first part is why do we need computer networks. I guess there are a lot of reasons ,but the most important one is to share information from others,everyone can visit information which is provided by other users,also they can simply access the same server machine. The second part is types of computer networks. It can divided by three different types 1.LAN when a certain number of computers within an organization are connected with the use of data transfer cables, it is called Local Area Network. 2.WLAN the goal of LAN and WLAN is same ,that is connect computers with networks.But cables are not used for forming the network. 3.WAN it can connect computers all over the world. The third part is computer network connections 1.Bus network .It is the easiest setup technology which is also easier to make mistakes 2 Star network. It is also a common setup technology 3.Mesh network. This is one of the primitive ways of forming a computer network The fifth part is information transformation . Using this technology, the data is broken into small pieces called packets of data. Every packet of data, has a head and in some cases a tail. The head contains various information, like the destination address, the checking bits. The final part is the definition of protocol. The computer protocol is a set of rules ,information travel from one to another. These set of rules will define, when to send a packet of data, when an acknowledgment signal should be given.The most common protocol, that we must have heard and which is used over in the largest network
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More foreign brands use China's Taobao for e-commerce | IT News - 1 views

www.itnews.com/...s-use-chinas-taobao-e-commerce B2C e-commerce e-business online-sale
shared by chunxia gao on 27 Jan 12 - No Cached
  • We are launching on Taobao to expand our reach to Chinese consumers given Taobao is the most trafficked e-commerce site in China,"
  • "(Taobao) allows us to reach millions of consumers in a very direct way, many of whom we could have difficulty reaching through brick-and-mortar storefronts,
  • Taobao, which started as a consumer-to-consumer platform, rose to the top of the China's online retail market after beating out e-commerce rivals like eBay in the country.
  • chunxia gao on 27 Jan 12
     
    This article showed more foreign brands like Adidas and Gap are expanding their reach into China's market by tapping the user base of the country's largest online retailer Taobao.com for e-commerce. A majority of domestic and well-known international brands have set up their own online stores on Taobao Mall for brand expanding and sales. Presence on Taobao Mall is complementary to their own e-commerce site, which is doing well, along with their stores. Through Taobao, international brands can reach millions of customers in a very direct way and Chinese customers are increasingly turning to the internet to do their shopping. But there are challenges with opportunities. They have to fight with counterfeit goods. Counterfeit goods are low price in Chinese e-commerce market. Taobao also launched actions to penalize selling counterfeit goods. In a word, e-commerce in China is not mature, it has a long way to be improved.
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RFID Pays Way, Opens Doors At Resort - - - Informationweek - 0 views

www.informationweek.com/...183701989 Hotel tech travel
shared by Te Gu on 27 Jan 12 - No Cached
  • Te Gu on 27 Jan 12
     
    Radio frequency identification (RFID) is an advanced technology. It is the use of a wireless non-contact radio system to transfer data from a tag attached to an object, for the purposes of automatic identification and tracking. Tags do not need battery and they used radio waves to read them. The tag has electronically stored information, so it can use far distance. Unlike a bar code, the tag is not as same as bar code. Line of sight of the reader is not necessary. Radio frequency identification is used in different area. A lot of entertainment use tags as tickets. Some theme parks used tags for gaming, eating and lodging. I think in the future the hospitality industry really needs this technology. More and more new program join in hotel such as rock climbing, spa, casino and so on. These different programs need convenient tickets for guests. Because of this technology used in hotel, the ID card will not just for opening the door. It will include many functions. And the guests do not need any other card or cash in hotel.
  • Gyujin Chae on 28 Jan 12
     
    This is an informative article on Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology. I found an article talks about RFID in cruise ship last week and got impressed with the advancement of technology in hospitality industry. Hopefully, we will see many hospitality properties equipped with RFID soon. This technology just reminds me of Korean style sauna called "Jjimjil bang" and many of the saunas in Korea are equipped with RFID. A wristband with a sensor inside is given to people when they chenk in and people just need to wear the wristband to pay in the sauna.
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Reducing Costs in the Hospitality Industry Using HVAC and Lighting Controls - 0 views

ezinearticles.com/?Reducing-Costs-in-the-Hospitality-Industry-Using-HVAC-and-Lighting-Controls&id=6981109
shared by Avril Emmanuel on 21 Jul 12 - No Cached
  • Maintaining quality accommodations and services while reducing costs is the Holy Grail for many in the hospitality industry.
  • state-of-the-art HVAC and lighting controls have allowed many hotels to reduce costs by promoting energy efficiency without sacrificing quality.
  • Heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and electronic appliances are some of the biggest power consumption culprits.
  • ...3 more annotations...
  • Guests are often the primary cause for the power expenditure.
  • Given these, hotels should look into intelligent HVAC and lighting controls that are not just easy to use, but that can also conserve electricity even without a guest's active involvement.
  • HVAC and lighting controls can also work through a keycard system.
  • Avril Emmanuel on 21 Jul 12
     
    This article talks about IT software that can reduce costs and energy consumption if the technology is implemented. HVAC, heating, ventilation and air conditioning, is a hotel's 'biggest power consumption culprit,' especially with guests who are not mindful of their consumption because they are not in their own homes and in essence do not have to pay. HVAC and lighting control system can be utilized without active involvement from a guest. So his or her stay wouldnt be hindered by having to keep track of their energy use. Guests do not want to be bothered with the day to day running's of a business.  This system would be greatly beneficial for a hotel to implement because it is keeping up with the latest trend, it doesn't disrupt a guest's comfort and it reduces expenditure
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Investing in Technology for Competitive Advantage / Arthur Andersen / Fall 1996 - 1 views

www.hotel-online.com/...Investing_in_Technology.html
shared by Sherine Mattison on 22 Jul 12 - No Cached
  • Today's hospitality industry technology represents a legacy reflecting the computer industry's capabilities during the last two decades and the willingness of hotel executives to embrace its products
  • critics have been increasingly harsh with their comments on the computer systems and software applications used by the hospitality industry. Typically custom-designed for proprietary application, these systems have not always been successfully integrated
  • The question for many hotel organizations remains how to achieve the ultimate open system that can be shared at all levels, whether it is the central reservation system, individual property management system or any other operational area
  • ...3 more annotations...
  • Timing is everything in technology investments
  • Network computing has enormous implications for marketing to customers on a global basis, as well as hotel operations. Consider the potential for the industry to connect with vendors worldwide for electronic purchasing, potentially achieving economies of scale and leveraging not yet possible. World purchasing functions will allow companies to customize their own catalogs. Virtual channels of distribution using computer networking capabilities will also allow hotel companies to market products and services - some traditional to our industry, others not - to customers whether they are in the hotel, at work, or at home. This will require a migration from today's central reservation systems to tomorrow's customer information systems using network-centric solutions. Development of customer profiles and guest recognition will make it possible for hotel organizations to interact in entirely new ways with customers, regardless of their physical location. Clearly, the large hotel companies will need to be the first to address questions raised by global networking capabilities and what this will mean in terms of technology investment. But for many hospitality companies presently struggling with the high cost of technology and the confusing state of our industry's technology affairs, this will not be an easy task. And the decisions will ultimately become further complicated by the opportunity to outsource certain functions into subscription-based networks. It is unlikely that the hospitality industry will be forced to bear the entire burden for networking infrastructure. Strategic alliances with major technology companies will be the catalysts in building this capability as they become strategic providers of networking capabilities to hospitality and other industries. And as network-centric computing comes of age and a company's proprietary information is stored in cyberspace, security will become an ever-more important issue requiring solutions. Whether it is an e-mail gateway through an internal network or customer access via the Internet, network fire walls and encryption systems will be required to mitigate the concern many will have with system security.
  • Network computing has enormous implications for marketing to customers on a global basis, as well as hotel operations. Consider the potential for the industry to connect with vendors worldwide for electronic purchasing, potentially achieving economies of scale and leveraging not yet possible. World purchasing functions will allow companies to customize their own catalogs. Virtual channels of distribution using computer networking capabilities will also allow hotel companies to market products and services - some traditional to our industry, others not - to customers whether they are in the hotel, at work, or at home. This will require a migration from today's central reservation systems to tomorrow's customer information systems using network-centric solutions. Development of customer profiles and guest recognition will make it possible for hotel organizations to interact in entirely new ways with customers, regardless of their physical location. Clearly, the large hotel companies will need to be the first to address questions raised by global networking capabilities and what this will mean in terms of technology investment. But for many hospitality companies presently struggling with the high cost of technology and the confusing state of our industry's technology affairs, this will not be an easy task. And the decisions will ultimately become further complicated by the opportunity to outsource certain functions into subscription-based networks. It is unlikely that the hospitality industry will be forced to bear the entire burden for networking infrastructure. Strategic alliances with major technology companies will be the catalysts in building this capability as they become strategic providers of networking capabilities to hospitality and other industries. And as network-centric computing comes of age and a company's proprietary information is stored in cyberspace, security will become an ever-more important issue requiring solutions. Whether it is an e-mail gateway through an internal network or customer access via the Internet, network fire walls and encryption systems will be required to mitigate the concern many will have with system security. In the final analysis, networking solutions will drive down the cost of technology investment "on-property" where hotel real estate and business interests merge. The solutions that hotel organizations will be able to choose from in terms of networking should also be less expensive than the current profile of technology spending. And we can expect that change to occur sooner rather than later, given the present rate of investment in Internet-based technologies.
  • sultan alharbi on 22 Jul 12
     
    "Investing in Technology for Competitive Advantage - The Challenge Facing the Hospitality Industry" sheds light on how the necessity of the investment in technology is in the hospitality industry. Not investing in technology affects even the customer services. It is mentioned that there are at least 85 property management systems available offered to owners and managers of hotels by technology providers which tend to meet the real needs of those. Further, open system that could be widely used is needed to acquire by hotel organizations. The more creative hospitality organizations are, the more successful would be in future. It is also indicated the technology cycles. Simply, technology would be increasingly required in future because of that the investment in technology would give a lot of opportunities to different parts in this industry.
  • Rixon campbell on 17 Sep 12
     
    Investing in the hospitality industry as it relates to information technology is one of the ways the industry will stay current and be able to compete in this fast pace environment. More and more guest are demanding exceptional, cutting edge customer service. As this investment occurs there needs to be integration of hardware and software for the future. These choices are not easy and is perhaps one of the greatest challenges that the industry faces. Timing and knowledge is critical to investing in technology because innovation is moving so fast, therefore knowing what new development to purchase and the ability to integrate existing systems into new one is important. In conclusion, it is paramount for investors to be mindful of the market place and to get as much inputs into the decision that is made for maximum results.
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Big Night Entertainment launches Tabbedout mobile payment solution | Hotel Management - 0 views

www.hotelmanagement.net/-mobile-payment-solution-12886
shared by Carolina Alfonso on 23 Feb 12 - No Cached
  • Boston-based Big Night Entertainment Group launched Tabbedout, a secure mobile payment solution that is seamlessly integrated with its MICROS POS system,
  • Available for free on both iPhone and Android smartphones, the Tabbedout application integrates seamlessly with each venues’ MICROS point-of-sale system
  • allows users to store credit card information directly on their phone, encrypted and under passphrase protection, instead of on host servers
  • Carolina Alfonso on 23 Feb 12
     
    This article is about an application developed by Big Night Entertainment Group called Tabbedout. This application is a secure mobile application that allows customer to view their account and pay it through their smart phone as the application is integrated with the Micros POS system. The application will be used in four of the company's venues. The application is a secure payment method as well as a marketing tool. The payment information of the customer is saved in the phone and not on a host server. This application gives customers a whole new customer service experience. Customers can close off their tab by simply paying from their smart phone, without having to wait for their server to come back with the bill, only to come back again after the customer has given away their credit card. Also, the server doesn't need to worry as their system has the customer credit card information to close the tab off in the event a customer walked out without paying.
  • Gyujin Chae on 23 Feb 12
     
    This application is incredible. As technology advances, it makes our lives easier and simpler. Customers who pay through this application should feel more secure because identity theft is less likely to occur. As you said, the application gives customers new experience, and the advantages can result in enhancing customer satisfaction.
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POS Systems for Hotels and Inns - 0 views

ezinearticles.com/?POS-Systems-for-Hotels-and-Inns&id=5626461 pos hotels
shared by TIANJIAN ZHANG on 24 Feb 12 - No Cached
  • A Point of Sale system is effective in hotels because it is a way in which hotel and inn owners would be able to record all transients while at the same time record all the services rendered per room.
    • TIANJIAN ZHANG
      TIANJIAN ZHANG on 06 Oct 12
       
      POS System is convenient and easy for management to control. Actually, POS System connects almost every corner of a hotel. In my opinion, POS is simply the location where the sale is conducted, money changes hands and a receipt is given, which can also occur on a smart phone, tablet, laptop, or mobile POS device when the right hardware and POS software is combined with the mobile device. And actually, nowadays, modern POS systems have stations created for the customer to check themselves out by scanning and bagging their own items, then paying with a debit or credit card. It is much faster.
  • Most POS systems can also be connected to the kitchen so that the chef would be able to deliver the products at a fast pace and there would be no confusion in delivering the food.
  • The key to Point of Sale Applications is the use of various operating systems for recording and registering the items rendered per room.
  • ...1 more annotation...
  • Today, most hotels have even applied a membership connection through internet so that hotel customers would be able to register to a room that they want simply by accessing the hotel's website.
  • Jiaqi Xu on 24 Feb 12
     
    Hospitality point of sales systems are computerized systems incorporating registers, computers and peripheral equipment, usually on a computer network. Like other point of sale systems, these systems keep track of sales, labor and payroll, and can generate records used in accounting and book keeping. They may be accessed remotely by restaurant corporate offices, troubleshooters and other authorized parties. Point of sales systems have revolutionized the restaurant industry, particularly in the fast food sector. In the most recent technologies, registers are computers, sometimes with touch screens. The registers connect to a server, often referred to as a "store controller" or a "central control unit." Printers and monitors are also found on the network. Additionally, remote servers can connect to store networks and monitor sales and other store data. Newer, more sophisticated, systems are getting away from the central database "file server" type system and going to what is called a "cluster database". This eliminates any crashing or system downtime that can be associated with the back office file server. This technology allows 100% of the information to not only be stored, but also pulled from the local terminal. Thus eliminating the need to rely on a separate server for the system to operate. The efficiency of such systems has decreased service times and increased efficiency of orders. Another innovation in technology for the restaurant industry is Wireless POS. Many restaurants with high volume use wireless handheld POS to collect orders which are sent to a server. The server sends required information to the kitchen in real time.
  • Linfan Cai on 06 Oct 12
     
    Nowadays, the Point of Sales system is very important not only in hotels but also in any kind of business. The popular reason is that the POS is convenient, fast and promptly. The POS could be changed neatly. It will make the cashier compute for the expenses and costs more efficiently. The data used by the POS has been applied connection through the Internet. The customers could register by their private computer quickly. The POS also connect many kinds of service aspects that include restaurant, housekeeping, receiption and so on. It will make the whole system operate more integrate.
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Which Hotel Chains Have Green Initiatives? - 1 views

www.ehow.com/chains-green-initiatives_.html
shared by sultan alharbi on 10 Jun 12 - No Cached
  • sultan alharbi on 10 Jun 12
     
    It is examined that many large hotel chines in our industry work on supporting green initiatives. Clearly, they understand the benefits that would get from being somewhat green such as saving money and getting sometimes some facilities from governments. Although some large hotel chains have not done anything in terms of protecting environments, the others have successfully progressed at this environmental dimension. Amazingly, the green program in international hotel group, for example, is saving around $200 million every year. The Hilton Hotels, Ramada & Days Inn, and Hyatt Hotels are given as supporters of this initiative, and also the benefits that they get by implementing this environmental concept.
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Green Marketing: The Benefits of Green Marketing | Hotel Industry Magazine - 0 views

www.hotel-industry.co.uk/...green-marketing
shared by Ashlee Livingston on 07 Sep 13 - No Cached
  • enables them to generate additional positive publicity and engage with existing and new target customers.
  • responding to the challenges of the recession and keeping overheads down
  • meant that environmental issues were given a low priority – ignoring the fact that there are often cost savings associated with such things as improved energy and waste management.
  • ...3 more annotations...
  • 80% of travellers are willing to pay extra to visit an eco-friendly destination or business
  • hoteliers who rely on business trade may be the first to start seeing customers staying elsewhere if they aren’t making any efforts to demonstrate environmental responsibility.
  • greenwash’ accusations
  • Ashlee Livingston on 07 Sep 13
     
    This article is an interview with Leigh Tymms from Green Edge Environmental on the marketing benefits of going green. The most beneficial is generating a positive reputation with customers looking to go green. These customers are increasing everyday. According to the article, a report by Travelocity stated that 80% of travelers are willing to pay extra to visit an eco-friendly destination. Basically, more and more guests are taking into consideration the size of a hotels carbon footprint. Although it may be costly originally, in the long run it is also economically beneficial for hotels to go green. Tymms warns that hotels ignoring the green trend in hospitality risk losing customers. And he also suggest that hoteliers make sure they are actually taking steps to go green and not just marketing false claims for revenue gain. 

e-Marketing RateGain Solutions - 0 views

started by anonymous on 14 Nov 13 no follow-up yet
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How Much PMS Do You Really Need? - 1 views

www.hospitalityupgrade.com/...magazine_Detail.asp technology Hospitality Software solution PMS CRS
shared by Yunfan Wu on 03 Oct 13 - No Cached
  • Several vendors are developing new systems, though none have yet approached the rich functionality of older products with years of enhancements built into them.  At the same time, many multiproperty brands are looking to replace their existing standard property management systems, but as their strategic emphasis has shifted from central reservations (CRS) to customer relationship management (CRM) they’ve been wondering whether the new PMS really needs to have as much functionality as the old one.
  • Some brands developed their own PMSs, such as Marriott’s FSPMS and FOSSE, Starwood’s Galaxy and Hilton’s OnQ; others standardized on third-party systems. However, in all cases they mandated only the PMS and left it up to the individual properties to decide what to use for their other operational areas.  As a result, several vendors who concentrated on chain-hotel business focused on producing pure PMSs, with functionality covering the traditional core of individual and group reservations, check-in/checkout, folio charges, housekeeping/rooms management and the all-important CRS interface. MSI, RoomKey, Galaxy, SkyTouch and Infor’s epitome and HMS are examples.
  • Other vendors looking more to the independent and resort market expanded their PMSs to include sales and catering, spa/golf/activity management, CRM and sometimes even POS, both retail and food and beverage. For this segment of the market these integrated PMS applications (from vendors such as Agilysys, IQware, NORTHWIND and PAR Springer-Miller Systems) became their most strategic system. A few companies (including Cenium, IDS, Indra and Prologic First) have taken it even further, extending out into full ERPs that cover every operational area including financial and supply chain operations. MICROS falls between the two camps, offering a well-integrated PMS/S&C/CRS suite but relying on third parties for guest activity management and financial systems.
  • ...3 more annotations...
  • If you’re an owner/manager of a new-build property, there’s a great deal in favor of having as comprehensive a system as you can get, even up to the ERP level of one system managing the complete operation.  If you’re the owner or manager of a franchised brand property you have no say in which PMS to use anyway, though you’ll get the best results if all your other management systems are as well-integrated as they can be amongst themselves as well as interfacing with the PMS.
  • The real world being what it is, properties seldom fall into one segment or the other. Commercial city center hotels often need sales and catering systems, and many have added spas or other guest activities. Pure PMS vendors therefore developed good interfaces to link up with the third-party vendors’ systems typically used to manage these areas. Conversely, properties in the independent and resort world often already had existing point solutions in specific areas, and so vendors typically made their systems very modular and developed interfaces to link to the other vendors’ products until such time as they could, perhaps, replace them with their own modules. 
  • Given the varied demands of the different market segments, there will always need to be a mix of vendor approaches, but whatever else it’s attached to, a well-designed, intuitive and well-interfaced PMS module is still the core of operational success at every property.
  • Yunfan Wu on 03 Oct 13
     
    It gives a discription of how nowadays'  hotels develop and use of their PMS. Some brands develop their own PMS such as Marriott and Starwood; some look more to the independent and resort market expanded their PMS. It seems that we don't need so much kinds of PMS and so many function. According to the analysis of the market and demand, it comes the conclusion that a well- designed, intuitive and well-interfaced PMS module is still the core of operational success at every property.

Proximity Marketing - 4 views

started by Thomas Sharpe on 02 Oct 13 no follow-up yet
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After coup and slayings, Thai authorities ponder tourist-tracking - LA Times - 0 views

www.latimes.com/...t-tracking-20140930-story.html technology hospitality travel tech mobile GPS RFID
shared by danalbert on 02 Oct 14 - No Cached
  • "When tourists check into a hotel they will be given a wristband with a serial number that matches their ID and shows the contact details of the resort they are staying in so that if they're out partying late and, for example, get drunk or lost, they can be easily assisted,"
  • Kobkarn said her Tourism and Sports Ministry was considering the wristband model as a security precaution for all resort islands to make them safer for tourists
  • as well as a "buddy system" in which foreign visitors would be paired with a local minder to deter any foul play.
  • danalbert on 02 Oct 14
     
    The Thai government is considering adding technology as an addition to security for visiting tourists, As an addition to a potential curfew, use of the buddy system, and a restriction on where parties can be held, wristbands containing resort information can easily be issued to travelers. The Thai government is also considering an electronic tracking device, but they haven't worked out the details of its implementation. After the recent murders of two British tourists, the Thai government is anxious to show the world that people can still visit Thailand safely.
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Oracle completes Micros acquisition, forms new global business unit | Computerworld - 1 views

www.computerworld.com/...-new-global-business-unit.html
shared by fotan001 on 17 Sep 14 - No Cached
  • Micros will form the basis for a new global business unit at Oracle focused on hotels, food and beverage, and retailers, led by Mike Webster, who is now head of Oracle's retail business unit.
  • With the addition of Micros, Oracle will increase its top-line revenue and have new opportunities to cross-sell its products to the Micros installed base. It can also pick up brand-new customers, given that many hotel and restaurant chains are looking to replace aging systems.
  • In addition, Oracle can look to pair its portfolio of data-analysis technology with the vast amounts of information flowing through Micros POS systems and applications, thereby generating insights into customer behaviors, likes and dislikes, and the relative performance of products and services.
  • fotan001 on 17 Sep 14
     
    I find this very exciting for the Hospitality industry as both Oracle and Micros have been groundbreaking and their joint venture will bring new innovations for Hotels, Food and Beverage outlets, retailers, etc. I especially found interesting how they plan to use Oracles data-analysis technology and all the information which already exists in Micros POS systems. As we talk about personalizing experiences and being able to use data already collected to the companies advantage, it looks like Oracle is one step ahead with this acquisition and looks to specifically tap into it.
  • danalbert on 19 Sep 14
     
    This sounds like a great match. With Micros' expertise in the industry and Oracle's expertise in big data, it looks like a win, win for both companies and the industry as a whole. Could this create a monopoly and force prices up for the industry? Maybe. It could also be the beginning of more modular systems across the industry.
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If Expedia Was Too Powerful for Hotels, Consider Booking.com's Plans - Skift - 0 views

skift.com/...ls-consider-booking-coms-plans PMS priceline hotelninjas buuteeq ota travel
shared by Carolina Ferrer on 20 Sep 14 - No Cached
  • Fresh off its acquisitions of Buuteeq, Hotel Ninjas, and OpenTable this year, the Priceline Group is in the process of integrating Hotel Ninjas’ property management system with hotel digital marketing company Buuteeq, according to a report,  Google’s Travel Plans in a Post-Atomic Era [embedded below], written by Ken Sena of Evercore. googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display("div-gpt-ad-1390432568424-0"); }); With the integration of the two cloud-based systems for hotels, the Priceline Group “has the ability to handle property management, channel and rate management, and CRM, all of key consideration to hotelier,” the Evercore report states. “In return, Priceline receives subscription revenues on some of the services provided in addition to keeping these hoteliers’ semi-tethered to its Priceline traffic channel from the standpoint of ease an efficiency, given Priceline’s leading scale as an OTA.”
  • Carolina Ferrer on 20 Sep 14
     
    Recently, the Priceline Group has acquired Buuteeq, Hotel Ninjas and Open Table. They are looking to merge Hotel Ninjas' web based PMS with Buuteeq's digital marketing software. Integrating both of these programs would mean that Priceline would be able to offer hoteliers a well-rounded system that could keep track of customer folios and housekeeping processes through cloud based web interface. The Priceline Group has plans to integrate their two cloud-based systems for hotels. Many properties are concerned with the security that Priceline may have in place and they do not want their information getting out to competitors. While the new processes that Priceline Group is offering seem very worthwhile and efficient many properties may buy into it and ignore the security concerns. One of the main considerations of this new venture is that Hotel Ninjas is a young company and the Priceline Group does not have much experience on this end of the industry. These changes could start a fast growing trend with the way online travel agencies and properties are communicating and doing business.
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More hotels are going green, and it's not just to save water or money - Features | The ... - 0 views

www.thestar.com.my/...ot-just-to-save-water-or-money green luxury hotels sustainability conservation
shared by ccpanther88 on 21 Jan 15 - No Cached
  • The Intercontinental Los Angeles Century City Hotel is removing draping ivy plants from the balconies of all 361 rooms, replacing them with drought-tolerant succulents. The Courtyard by Marriott in Torrance tore out 81sq m of turf and flower beds, swapping them for native California grass to help cut water use by 15%.
  • With California in the worst drought in state history, some hotels have gone beyond
  • “It’s not a huge savings,” Steve Choe, general manager of the Intercontinental, said about dumping the ivy planters. “I think it’s about sending the right message.”
    • ccpanther88
      ccpanther88 on 21 Jan 15
       
      The ROI on the actual replacement of the plants may be minimal, but the value in the message (hopefully) has a trickle effect.
  • ...8 more annotations...
  • Nearly 60% of travellers say they plan to make eco-friendly choices when booking hotels, with half saying they would pay extra to stay at an environmentally friendly hotel, according to a 2012 survey by the travel website TripAdvisor.
  • The percentage of companies with travel booking policies that either require or recommend that a hotel adopt “sustainability” measures has jumped to 19% in the US, up from 11% in 2011, according to a new study by the Global Business Travel Association
  • Bathrooms are the biggest drain, accounting for about 30% of hotel water use, followed by landscaping and laundry, each with 16%, and kitchens with 1%, according to the US Environmental Protection Agency. Typical water-saving measures can reduce operating costs at hotels by as much 11%, the EPA estimates.
  • The Bacara Resort & Spa in Santa Barbara drained its decorative fountains and planted succulents and agave plants in a large fountain near the entrance.
  • The Intercontinental Hotels Group plans next year to give all 4,700 of its hotels access to an online tool that lets managers track how much energy and water they are using. The group hopes to use the system to cut water use by 12% over the next three years in water-starved areas like California.
  • The Loews Santa Monica Beach Hotel plans to install a system to recycle about 70% of the water used for its laundry operation.
  • The project will cost about US$96,000 (RM326,400), after water and gas rebates, according to hotel officials. Hotel officials expect the investment will pay for itself in 17 months
  • The Montecito Water District in Santa Barbara declared a water emergency in February and adopted penalties to force residents and businesses to cut overall water use by 30%.
  • ccpanther88 on 21 Jan 15
     
    The "Going Green" trend has been a true blessing since it's marketability took birth several years ago. Many industries are taking advantage of this technological and ecological trend. There has never been a better time than now to turn our business ethics into the direction of a better world. Basic utility expenses at any hotel or business can sometimes make or break their existence. Technology today has given us the tools to give back to both our beautiful Earth and our bottom dollar. Luxury brands and all the like are implementing new green policies and technologies that will cut costs and even beautiful their environments. By the end of 2015 The Intercontinental Hotels Group plans on equipping over 4,000 of their hotels with a system that monitors and assists in energy use and conservation. They have a goal of reducing their overall water use by 12% in California in part due to the severe ongoing drought. The Loews in Santa Monica Beach is investing $96,000 in a laundry-water recycling system. It will recycle nearly 70% of water use and pay for itself in less than 2 years. Apart from it's ability to cut-costs and truly give back to the environment, "going green" is highly marketable. One of the Intercontinental's General Managers was quoted saying "It's not a huge savings. I think it's about sending the right message." I have personally seen many RFPs from large corporate companies that request green-initiatives from hotels. Improving sustainability is important to the customer and the establishment. Around 60% of travelers consider green initiatives when selecting a destination and activity. Of those 60%, over half said they would even pay more to stay at an establishment that respected and helped improve the environment. In a world where we are fortunate enough to live in excess should we choose to, it's a shame it took this long for a global movement to "go green". Sustainability alone has built such a giant indu
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