Hotel rooms are ready to go high-tech with new security products that can enhance the guest experience.
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HFTP's Guestroom20X features technologies from VingCard Elsafe and Axxess Industries, a... - 0 views
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While they are at the door, guests will find Axxess Industries’ IP Video Intercom. It replaces the more commonly used peephole
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Shea said security technology has been a long-time development, but not implemented in hospitality – until now.
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Although these enhancements are beneficial to hotels worldwide, some wonder whether hotels are buying the technology and ultimately, implementing them.
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HFTP calls the developments showcased in the Guestroom 20X , “game-changing for the hospitality industry, opening a new avenue for delivering personal guest services efficiently and with ease.”
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A final security enhancement to the guest room is Ovation Networks’ EcoManaged, an energy management system. With Wi-Fi monitoring, the system measures and detects CO2 in the room and adjusts the room temperature as necessary.
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Hotel rooms are ready to go high-tech with new security products that can enhance the guest experience. As the organization Hospitality Financial and Technology Professionals (HFTP) prepared the 2012 guestroom exhibit Guestroom 20X for last week's HITEC tradeshow, the group sought new ways to make the room more modern, efficient and self-serviced.
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As we can see technology is rapidly making its way into our field. This article explains how technology implemented in the guest rooms allow the guest to have a more personalized experience and feel that there belongings are also secure in the hotel. "The key thing is to provide something that's valuable to the person that uses it, the person that administers it and the person that supplies it," said Shea, whose firm's technology is one of many showcased in the futuristic room. This is very true considering that technology is not cheap and a lot of money has to be put into this new technological wave, but the consumers seem to be paying the money. Overall, technology is changing our industry and our companies either have to embrace it, or be left behind.
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According to this article, hotels are coming up with new and more secure ways to make guests feel safe and comfortable. This can be extremely important for women traveling alone, or people with children. This article describes several new security features that can be added to hotel rooms that serves guests efficiently and with ease. The first new technology device is a Mobile Key Solution. Guests will be able to receive their room number and room key via their mobile phone or computer allowing them to bypass the front desk altogether. Also, at the door, it is equipped with IP Video Intercom that can replace the peephole. This intercom can routed to any device in the room and it can be accessed using mobile phones. Also inside the room is a high-tech safe that features four unique solution for providing extra security. Other security features are sound recognition smoke alarms and CO2 detectors. Right now, technology companies are ready to install new products, but there is question as to whether hotels are buying the technology. It is my opinion that as technology continues to advance, security will have to advance as well. Security for guests information, and personal safety will have to increase. More advanced room key technology is definitely a priority. There are too many issues with room keys and this can be a giant security issue. It is my opinion that we will start to see new security technology entering hotels in the near future.
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High-tech security products and hotel rooms can enhance the guest experience. The article introduced some new technology related to the hotel room security, including the door's Mobile Key Solution lock, RFID and mobile-friendly NFC technology, Axxess Industries' IP Video Intercom instead of the peephole. What's more, with IP connectivity, guests can answer the intercom using their mobile phones, also the new generation safe with RFID contactless, electronic lock. The most inspired tech is the Ovation Networks' Eco-Managed, an energy management system. With Wi-Fi monitoring, the system measures and detects CO2 in the room and adjusts the room temperature as necessary. With all these new technology integrations, guests security can be more insured and personalized, and provide hotel customer quite new experience.
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New technologies poised to change guest experience. Hotel rooms are ready to go high-tech with new security products that can enhance the guest experience, they are making the room more modern, efficient and self-serviced. As we can see, the future of hotel technology is unclear, but moving forward requires a certain factor. In a hotel room, first and foremost, the guests will be able to open the door's wireless software, in this way, they will securely receive their room number and room key and makes it easy for them to check-in or check-out. In addition, guests may answer the intercom using their mobile phones. And they will feel more safe with the electronic lock to provide anti-cloning technology. Finally, guests will notice the SafeAwake Smoke Alarm Aid, it will alert guests when a smoke detector is activated which will give guests much more safe. Although these enhancements are beneficial to hotels worldwide, some wonder whether hotels are buying the technology and ultimately, implementing them. The technology is changing, the customers are embracing.
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Hotel rooms are ready to go high-tech with new security products that can enhance the guest experience. As the organization Hospitality Financial and Technology Professionals (HFTP) prepared the 2012 guestroom exhibit Guestroom 20X for last week's HITEC tradeshow, the group sought new ways to make the room more modern, efficient and self-serviced.
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This article covered information on the projected security of the future in hospitality. The Hospitality Financial and Technology Professionals (HFTP) were working on developments that they planned to showcase in the HITEC tradeshow last year. These developments, collectively recognized as the Guestroom 20x, were expected to make hotel rooms more efficient and modern. These developments included obtaining rooms and keys without front desk interaction, video intercoms to replace peepholes, reinforced room safes, and a smoke alarm aid to properly alert guests in case of fire. There were also talks of an energy management system in the rooms included. The developments seem to be a start towards a changing way of hospitality. I believe that these developments are great options for hotels in the future. Of course, there are always risks that must be recognized. These risks could even be the downfall of the developments. Technology's ability to fail or malfunction is too constant at this time. System glitches, hacking possibilities and power outages could inconvenience these developments as well as inconvenience the guests at the hotel that use them. My main concerns lie with the option to obtain rooms and keys through PCs and mobile phones, the smoke alarm aid and the energy management. One technological failure could cause any of these to cease operating, which means that guests could be locked out of their rooms, in danger if there is actually a fire (or inconvenienced because of a malfunctioning alarm), or inconvenienced because of a nonworking room temperature gauge. These issues could lead to many problems for the hotel that hosts these developments. So, the companies should analyze these issues before installing these developments.
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POS Software Trends 2012 | Top Stories | | Hospitality Magazine (HT) - 10 views
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In 2011, many POS software developers focused on launching new options to help mobilize operators, connect them directly with their customers, and allow more visibility across the enterprise. Social media, cloud computing and mobile solutions dominated this year, and most vendors report these trends only growing stronger in 2012. Their input is covered in the “Vendor Innovations & Predictions” section.
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This year’s survey also suggests that hospitality operators may be growing tired of waiting for the vendor community to develop acceptable tableside ordering devices, and are considering mobile phone-based POS as an alternative.
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. When comparing 2012 purchasing plans to last year’s survey results, a trend emerges: more investment in the year ahead.
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Hospitality operators were also asked to share their POS purchasing plans for the year ahead . When comparing 2012 purchasing plans to last year’s survey results, a trend emerges: more investment in the year ahead. This is positive news for industry, as it shows that purse strings have loosened for IT budgets. In fact, it’s also a full reversal of the results of this survey from one year ago when, across the board, hospitality operators reported far less POS investment plans
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The point-of-sale has undergone something of an identity shift over the past several years, as hard-wired, all-in-one units are being replaced by a variety of mobile devices.
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For recent years, the operators in the hospitality industry are looking for the suitable solutions that allow them to break down the tableside ordering barriers, such as the mobile phone-based POS. In the annual report analysis for the POS Software Trends, the hospitality industry takes a look at industry-wide innovation priorities for this system. Among the talking with the developers for the enhancements for POS software in 2011, many developers focus on launching new options for mobilize operators.In this year, social media, cloud computing and mobile solutions are the three top and will continually growing in 2012. A trend for 2012 POS purchasing plan is, more investment in the year ahead. It is a full reversal of the results of this survey. Greatest number of operators plans to add new functionality and features to their current POS software in the year ahead. A third of operators plan to expand the installation base of the POS software they currently use. Researching and testing new POS solutions for possible future deployment will be the focus for 20.5% of hospitality industry.
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I ran across this article while I was researching for my paper. It's pretty interesting and it gives you a sense of what changes could be coming to your favorite restaurants. I'm not surprised to see online and mobile POS systems being the most in demand. Those systems are pretty cost effective and have the potential to really increases sales.
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This article focuses on the topics of POS Software Trends 2012 in hospitality industry. In the past several years, the POS has been changed from hard-wired, all-in-one units to a variety of mobile devices. Hoteliers are looking for the POS which is industry-tailored and affordable. According to the annual POS Software Trends report, enhancements and plans has been pointed out. In 2011, social media, cloud computing and mobile solutions are the main R&D aspects. They plan to pay more attention to Vendor Innovations & Predictions in 2012. HT has also pointed out the trends from the POS Software Reader survey. Firstly, from the POS features in demand, the top three are online ordering, mobile phone-based POS applications, and interesting innovation. What's more, mobile phone-based POS would be possibly replaced the tableside ordering devices. Secondly, from the POS purchasing plans aspect, more investment will be occurred in the next year. But in fact, hoteliers reported far less POS investment plans. The top three plans are to add new functionality and features to the current POS software, to expand the installation base of the POS software they currently use, and to develop and/or deploy a POS for use on a mobile device.
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In the few years, the hardwires are replaced by a plenty of mobile device. For example, Motorola mobile companys retail the enterprise tables to the hotel operators. The hotel operator should pay for the enterpeise tables. The annual POS Solftware Trends report fingers out that the hospitality technology takes a look at industry-wide innovation priorities for POS software. POS features has a high demand in the hospitality industry.
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Great Post! There are some companies that are working on a new products that would allow guests to simply wave their room key on the POS system and the system will register their room key information versus charging to manually to the room with just the room number. One of the biggest issues in the industry is making sure that the POS system in the hotel interfaces with the PMS system. Without the interfacing, hotels face balance check variance and possible loses.
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This article introduces the trends of POS in hospitality industry. It lists some data to show the hospitality operators consider mobile phone-based POS instead of tableside ordering devices. It also list the information about the hospitality operators plans to add new functionality and features to their current POS software.
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The points of sale have changed over the years. The hard wires, all in one unit are being replaced by mobile devices. As the article mentions, hospitality operators have been looking for solutions to break tableside ordering barriers. After motorola released a tablet, the software community has been working in developing applications for both consumers and employees. The POS software developers are been asked about the improvement happening in the technology. Social media, cloud computing and mobile solutions are growing trends. Hospitality operators were asked which POS platform innovation are they looking for. The POS features in demand are: Online POS Mobile phone based POS ordering Enterprise wide centralized POS Table side POS ordering Cloud computing Software as a service Open source There is an increase in investment for POS development. The POS features purchasing plans: Add new functionality features and modules to POS Test and research new POS solution for possible implementation after 2011 Install POS on a wireless network.
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The hyper-competitive landscape of travel The heat is on: five online travel trends set... - 0 views
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Expedia reports that 65% of hotel bookings within this last 24-hour window are via mobile, and 15% for flight bookings. Vegas is a particularly striking example of this last-minute mobile booking trend, with 32% of all bookings coming in via mobile,
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what the industry really needs to do now is focus on how the customer got to that point, how they moved through and interacted with each channel, and what role each channel played in getting the customer to book.
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marketers need to identify those channels that are helping to drive more conversions, or can influence the conversion funnel.
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Increasingly, revenue management needs to integrate with all the disciplines – sales, marketing, channel optimization, loyalty marketing, and operations.
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By 2020, about 50 million Indians are expected to travel overseas, according to estimates drawn up by Tourism Australia, which has been actively targeting this market.
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This article gave us a five new online travel trends.Because travel is a hyper-competitive industry, the most pertinent emerging themes in onine travel are considered and experts insights and predictions are provided in the Las Vegas TDS North America event. First trend is the travel industry need be ready for a mobile-only world. Researches indicates that the mobile sales will increase extremely. Because it is expensive to develop mobile app, so traditional travel companies and online travel companies do not such into launching a mobile app in a short term. Convergence, commerce, content and how these impact customer behavior will be an ongoing theme. There is a risk of firms focus too much on one channel, Customers are using a range of different devices to plan, research, book and review their travel experiences. Revenue management became essential for the business. It needs to integrate with sales, marketing, channel optimization, loyalty marketing , and operations. Think new markets and new customers like China, India, Brazil and Russia. Firms need to be actively targeting this market and make adjustment such as develop local website etc. Last trend is that there are lots of new development in the industry. Facebook start to monetize travel. Google and Apple are also developing their travel related products. This social travel planning tools become successful. Technology develops and standards emerge, mobile bookings may not just be for the last minute.
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Marriott accelerates green hotel development - 1 views
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Because increasing concern about environment and polluted water and air resources, hotel in green is an emerging issues. It is benefit for both hotel operators and consumers. Reducing fuel and water consumption, creating green construction standards for hotel developers, educating and inspiring employees and guests to support the environment, these are all strategies that will be used in developing a green hotel. Developing a green hotel is a cost saving method as well. Hotel can build a environment-friendly image among consumers and also for its sustainable development.
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E-Marketing and E-Tourism - 0 views
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which made life easier for customers and allowed hospitality centres to be independently known and successful.
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Hospitality Centres could target specific customer segments and focus on developing customer value in particular segments. The development of softwares that allow identifying and targeting a certain kind of customer for the business
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Over the last few years, information and communication technologies (ICT) have had a growing impact on tourism promotion, marketing and sales.
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More and more people now prefer to search for information on tourism destinations and offers on the Internet.
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But in most cases it is not developing countries that benefit from new tourism opportunities. World tourism is mostly concentrated in a handful of rich countries
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Most information on tourism opportunities in developing countries is generated, updated and marketed online by major international service providers based in developed countries.
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What can be done to reverse this trend? One solution is for developing countries to take advantage of the new opportunities offered by ICT to brand and promote their own tourism industry.
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e-tourism could help developing countries exploit the untapped development opportunities tourism offers and, if set up efficiently, could give them better control of their own tourism industry.
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It is evident that all best business practices have been transformed as a result, and that the each stakeholder in the marketplace is going through a redefinition of their role and scope. There are both challenges and opportunities emerging but the competitiveness of all tourism enterprises and destinations has been altered dramatically.
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The chart is totally describe the e-marketing about the tourism system. A guest can easily book air ticket, hotel and car from one website. He/She can choose a way to save his/her money. This kind of system make life easier for customers and allowed hospitality centers to be independently known and successful. E-tourism is important in nowadays, people can't do many things without the Internet. The e-marketing has great space to improve. Guests can choose their favorite route by using this technical.
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This article discusses 'E-Tourism Evolution' from tourism initial goal of establishing an online presence (96-99) to acquiring customers (99-03) and then retaining customers (2003-now). E-Tourism started with a focus on getting travel industry members in front of consumers on their computers, then offering attractive travel site features such as direct booking for customer convenience. This course has shown that while travel providers increased online travel options and services, consumers were finding a lack of personalized customer service which prompted increased dissatisfaction with the eMarketing providers. This led to the current focus by the tourism industry seeking to provide exceptional customer service within their eMarketing platform to ensure effective service and enhanced customer satisfaction, thereby ensuring increased customer retention. Whereas eMarketing has greatly increased travel to under developed countries, such countries must gain greater access to information and communication technologies to capture more of the tourism market. Tourism is utilizing a variety of communication channels including social media. Facebook booking engines are utilized by online travel sites, and travel packages and services are auctioned or bought direct on eBay. An online brochure, VBrochure by VFM Leonardo provides virtual tours and marketing content for mobile applications as well.
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In the beginning of this article, it uses a chart to depicts the transformation and evolution of e-tourism over the past 15 years. According to the chart, we can easily find out that the goal and focus has changed as the year changes, from just to establish an online presence to customer retention. Then, it uses the changes of the number of tourists visiting Cambodia, one of the poorest countries in the world, as an example to say how information and communication technologies impact the tourism industry. However, this trend seems put more good impacts on developed countries. So next, the article gives some solutions to reverse this trend. In the end of the article it shows a chart to compare the percentage that people use e-market with the percentage that people use traditional methods.
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E-tourism represents the paradigm-shift experienced in the tourism industry as a result of the adoption of ICTs and the Internet. It is evident that all best business practices have been transformed as a result, and that the each stakeholder in the marketplace is going through a redefinition of their role and scope. There are both challenges and opportunities emerging but the competitiveness of all tourism enterprises and destinations has been altered dramatically. It is evident that the "only constant is change." Organisations which compute will be able to compete in the future.
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Recognizing-events_4.0.pdf - 1 views
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The purpose of this research is to explore and define the digital maturity of events using the Industry 4.0 model (I4.0) to create a definition for Events 4.0 (E4.0) and to place various relevant technologies on a scale of digital maturity.
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These surveys and the thorough literature review that preceded them allowed us to map the digital technologies used in events to levels of a digital maturity model.
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This study has responded to calls from the academic literature to provide a greater understanding of the digital maturity of events and how events engage with digital technology.
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We found that engagement with technology at events and delegate knowledge satisfactorily coexists for and across a number of different experiential levels. However, relative to I4.0, event research and the events industry appear to be digitally immature.
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Events are in the midst of rapid social and technological change. With a growing variety of technological means, the industry is fast-paced and increasingly delivered to a discerning consumer market while finding ways to connect with consumers through technology
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Digital technology is the thread of the fabric of organisations (Li et al., 2018). It is an increasingly important part of how they engage with their customers.
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Moreover, engagement with events as fans, spectators, delegates or organisers can be augmented with digital technology by improving access and sociability capabilities, refining the personalisation of events, and thereby creating enhanced experiences.
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As we advance into what many in business and academia consider to be a fourth industrial revolution, the capacity to control and exchange data electronically has extended our ability to create, edit, maintain, transmit and retrieve information.
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I4.0 can be described as the digitisation and automation of the manufacturing environment. It also creates digital value chains to enable the communication between products, their environment and business partners. Digital applications have impacted the tourism sector too giving rise to ‘Tourism 4.0’
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The events industry is an ideal environment to benefit from the implementation of a widespread digitised approach with numerous organisations empowering managers and improving the overall event experience with the integration of extensive ICT practices and systems.
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With the more widespread adoption of digitalization in event delivery and as the supply chains of all events become intertwined with technology, we can learn how the digital maturity of events in the 21st century is shaping event management and event control.
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The team set out to answer the following research questions: RQ1. Can digital maturity in events be defined? If so, RQ2. How should the levels of digital maturity of events be classified with regard to the digital maturity of the events industry and the development of event management theory?
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Successful events are no longer measured by simply achieving a respectable attendance, a great deal more engagement is manifest through digital technologies
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Successful events require organisers to create something that is considered by those who attend as a valuable and memorable experience (Pizam, 2010; Tung, 2011). Creating memorable event experiences can be described as being dependent on a number of factors including creating regular attendee engagement, providing appropriate activities, relevant subject matter, topical and contemporary focus and targeted to a sizable receptive audience.
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technological factors being one of the most important areas of demand for companies along with the implementation of I4.0. SMEs (Small to medium enterprises) are [lagging] behind in developing strategies to implement new solutions.
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The development of digital maturity in events can be compared to smart tourism, which Gretzel et al. (2015) expressed as a logical progression from traditional activities. Smart tourism is characterised by an ability to transform large amounts of data into enhanced tourist experiences and increased destination competitiveness thanks to the interconnection of the different stakeholders through latest ICT advancements
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As the components of I4.0 become more prevalent in the events industry, much value can be obtained from understanding how businesses are adopting new levels of digital engagement in order to engage their audiences
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it is prudent to suggest that the survival, and future success of events can depend upon digital maturity and transformation
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owever, dealing with digital maturity requires careful attention as Neuhofer (2016) urges caution advising that applied technology solutions have proven to have the ability to create or destruct the value of the experience.
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I4.0 therefore acknowledges the impact of connected computers with the key constituents being cyber-physical systems, the Internet of Things, cloud computing and cognitive computing
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highlighted that the use of communication networks globally has risen dramatically and become ubiquitous due to the rise of smartphone ownership. This has been fuelled by social media, apps and faster broadband speeds to create a networked society
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By combining the Internet of Things data and big data (extremely large data sets that may be analysed computationally to reveal patterns, trends and associations, especially relating to human behaviour and interactions), event managers are able to create a competitive advantage.
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As event companies develop new and innovative ways to connect, the events themselves are absorbing aspects of I4.0 at every stage of the process; pushing the boundaries of event experiences far beyond the physical world
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They are used to promote events before, during and after delivery and are used to gather data and inform decision-making. Generating responses from an event can be achieved using a number of methods and through both qualitative and quantitative data.
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With the advent of big data and analytics, new sources of valuable data are available to guide decision-making processes in a more informed manner. Businesses were once looking at historical data, but advances in database technology and system processes have led to near real-time data collection and analytics
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Failure to adopt aspects of digital technology does not necessarily suggest a poor experience or the end for those businesses less digitally mature; not every event business relies on this kind of data support to survive. Instead, this research provides an opportunity to better understand where event businesses do engage and more importantly, how communication between non-digital and fully integrated individuals/businesses can be improved.
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Digital maturity and transformation today differs from previous periods as it not only provides the change in the main business processes but also reveals the concepts of smart and connected products through service-driven business models
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Our analysis begins with an attempt to uncover the potential challenges, on-going developments and various strategies that will provide the events industry and academics with a forward-facing approach to the growth of technology within events. By including industry professionals and academics, the research contributes to bridging the gap between practise and academia.
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Because the research and empirical data collection includes industry perspectives, we believe this research will provide value to event managers, marketers and practitioners around the world who wish to understand more about the digital maturity of events.
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After conducting the social media analysis (1), it became evident that the discussions appeared to be around topics that utilise digital technology rather than the technology itself. Furthermore, and probably a reflection on the value of the group, a lot of the data included questions about understanding the topics rather than providing usable information to our research.
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We did not have detailed information about the precise characteristics of the individuals who contributed to the dataset of posts. However, to an extent, their roles listed in LinkedIn were informative. These included events consultants, social media managers, marketing professionals, EventTech managers, CEOs at tech companies and events students.
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Although this response rate of 52 academics may be considered low, this did allow for the creation of the initial insights into the E4.0 concept and crucially it provides a starting point to better understand the levels of the developing digital maturity model.
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The most referenced themes were social media, marketing, apps, GDPR and mobile. The top 14 themes are shown in Figure 1 below.
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The results of the thematic analysis reveal the most pertinent events and technology topics in this group in the time period specified. The most common topics were social media and marketing. Marketing appeared alongside other topics as a verb, a noun and an adjective. This certainly influenced its prominence.
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This statement reinforces the knowledge and general use of social media during events. Mobile and event apps were recognised as presenting opportunities to enhance events and were considered to be a permanent part of events.
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Carefully managed and fully integrated data and digital systems including social media, apps and CRM create digital value chains to enable the communication between events, their environment, and business partners.
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Event organisers invest heavily on social media engagement and expect a great deal in return through social media retweets, tagging and sharing of images. However, it is just as important to understand if delegates consider technology at events that important.
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Our expert respondents were asked if they considered the events industry to be at the cutting edge of technology. Responses were largely supportive of the suggestion that it is. 64% agree, 22% neither agree nor disagree and 14% disagree.
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Online registration/digital booking was very familiar with 65% ‘extremely familiar’ with the technology.
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The survey also collected a selection of qualitative data as respondents were asked to if there were any specific examples of connected/digital technology considered to be essential to the delivery of an event that had not been discussed in the survey. Significantly, 23% answered no to this question.
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With regard to the digital maturity of the events industry affecting the development of event management theory, the literature review indicates that academics are making contributions to theory and a broad understanding of digital technology exists.
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industry appears not to be digitally mature. Also, our findings suggest that relative to I4.0 not all events are digitally mature. Therefore, the ‘digital immaturity’ of the events industry may be having some effect on event management theory
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It became evident from the survey that many respondents suggested they were not familiar with technology that they would all have experienced.
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The results from the survey suggest that widespread academic understanding of technology at events is extensive. Some digital technology is considered routine, while other comprehensively used technology appears to be unfamiliar to the end user.
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The growing digital maturity levels form the foundation for E4.0 and will contribute to what Gerbert (2015) described as greater efficiencies and changing traditional relationships among suppliers, producers, and customers.
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Therefore, satisfaction from the event comes down to providing delegates with the right communication levels they need to complete their individual objectives. This can range from the most basic social engagement to the gathering or observation of big data. Events are evidently a melting pot of experiences and goals and not all of them demand the highest levels of technology to complete.
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Artificial intelligence has the ability to provide events with endless systems that sense, learn and decide throughout the delivery process though many gaps exist.
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The data also indicates that there is good knowledge across all types of digital technology. This is reassuring for the development of education as the events industry embraces digitalisation
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However, as more value is placed on the use of digital technology and events mature through greater access to technology, we see the emergence of an E4.0 era.
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Thus, this model anticipates that events will grow in their digital maturity to level E3 and E4. Thus, digital technologies may become sufficiently embedded so that data related to one element of an event will be used to inform other elements of an event in real time
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Online registration and wearable technologies such as delegate smart badges are superficial digital experiences and only considered as a process rather than as a fully perceived digital experience.
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Our findings indicate that digital communications have enabled a shift in the content of events, marketing and the use of social media as a communication tool before, during and after the event.
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On the limitations of our research, one might argue that engagement with technology, or indeed lack of it, does not provide evidence of the immaturity of digital technology in events. However, the digital maturity model that we propose is principally informed by the literature on digital technology and events.
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This research has provided a revealing perspective on the use of digital technology in events. It has built on theory that has been previously developed in this and similar subjects of research, such as business and tourism. From this, the research can claim a number of contributions. It (i) provides an empirical investigation into how event businesses and individuals engage with digitally technology at events, and (ii) it provides a definition of E4.0 and other preceding levels that contribute to digital maturity.
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Our research has shown that event delegates are aware of the ability to communicate in a reciprocal process with technology rather than through a linear/top down process. This in itself is evidence of E4.0. Furthermore, this research highlights how industry is continually striving to optimise the delegate/event relationship through apps and other technology. The industry’s on-going mission to create deeply flexible communication opportunities is eliminating the possibility of gaps in the communication process in order to optimise delegate engagement at events.
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A broader discussion on potential issues such as IT & data security, skill-sets, expensive production costs and outages; these are significant problems within internet and cloud-based technology. Furthermore, the emerging topic of E4.0 itself requires both conceptual and empirical development.
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This research has shown that there remains a great deal to discover about the use of technology at events and many opportunities exist for further research from academics and practitioners working together to provide mutual benefits for both industry and education.
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This article covers a study performed to determine the digital maturity of events. The research conducted reveals that the majority of industry professionals are aware of technology in events. The study ultimately finds that events have a low digital maturity, but high potential for advancement. The article also addresses the limitations of the study performs and agrees that additional research should be performed to determine the relevance of technology in the events industry while acknowledging that digital engagement is not necessary or conducive to every type of event.
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This article has discovered the fact that the event industry was digitally immature. It also introduced a new concept which is called E4.0 into the academic literature. The article is meaningful since it has filled a gap in the literature relating to events and digital maturity and responded to some of the calls for research. The authors were also planning to make further research on E4.0, events, and digital maturity. They have mentioned that the studies on E4.0 itself were also requiring deeper research.
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7 Top Fantastic Hotel Point of Sale Systems - 1 views
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A point of sale system is the point where a customer transaction occurs. The grocery store checkout counter, for example, is a point of sale.
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a POS system can link a hotel property management system with the restaurant or spa, so all transactions and data are in a centralized location.
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This POS system is a stand-alone option for those who don’t need a full property management system to go along with it.
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This article basically disclose the advantages and disadvantages of the top 7 POS systems, which is very useful for the professional of the industry. It is great reference for the professional on the industry to make a better decision when choosing which POS to adopt. I found very important to shop around and read articles like this to better find what suits your company and its needs. Not all POS systems are deign the same way or can accommodated any company size.
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This is a list of some new and great POS systems designed for hotels on the market right now. It gives a great unbiased opinion on the pros and cons and costs of each.
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The Point of Sale system is an essential for all businesses. The development of this system have grew through the years of technology development. This system is the major link to all sales associated with the business. With the growing demand for businesses the point of sale systems have followed suit with its development encouraging many companies to develop a system useful to many establishments. Although developing these systems can be a pro to businesses there are a few slight cons that each brand has associated with it.
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HFTP Begins Development of a Global Hospitality Accounting System Users Guide - 1 views
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To create a global resource for the hospitality finance industry, Hospitality Financial and Technology Professionals (HFTP®) has begun development on a global hospitality accounting system users guide.
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The global guide will provide the industry with a comprehensive glossary of inventory terminology, charts of accounts and will benchmark common allocation for specific regions of the world. The project is planned as a three step process:
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HFTP is working with members of several organizations including, EHL, HFTP's Research Institute at the University of Houston, Hong Kong Polytechnic University and Hospitality Professionals Association (HOSPA).
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To create a global resource for the hospitality finance industry, Hospitality Financial and Technology Professionals has begun development on a global hospitality accounting system users guide. HFTP is the only global association dedicated to hospitality finance and technology and our Global Board is investing heavily to create a benchmark that stakeholders can use to compile accounts, compare regional differences and define the value of a hospitality operation.
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I agree that this will be a great resource for hospitality finance and technology professionals. I believe that the school doing the research should partner with industry focus groups as well.
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This article focuses on a global accounting system. Their trying to make a generic set up that is user friendly for people worldwide. People are working on this and we will see what it has to offer the hospitality community here in the future.
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This article speaks about a user guide that will "compile accounts, compare regional differences and define the value of a hospitality operation." To create this guide will take some time, and 3 steps must be performed. First the research needs to be conducted and gathered, secondly the collected data will be distributed to regional teams who will develop sample charts of accounts. Lastly, the team chairs will finalize the project by authoring a discussion on similarities or differences.
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This article was pretty brief, but it stated that Hospitality Financial and Technology Professionals has begun development on a global hospitality accounting system users guide. This would create a global resource for the finance industry. Frank Wolfe, HFTP's CEO, says that the company is the only global association dedicated to hospitality finance and technology. They are hoping to create a benchmark that stakeholders can use to compile accounts, compare regional differences and define the value of a hospitality operation. What I found interesting about this article was that it greatly involved final year bachelor students at Ecole Hôtelière De Lausanne in Switzerland performing research for this project. I also think that a global hospitality accounting system users guide would be beneficial, especially since many managers/employees do not have the strongest training or skills in a financial or technical area.
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HFTP (Hospitality financial & technology professionals) begins developing a global hospitality accounting system users guide. This kind of users guide is totally new to the hospitality industry and currently there is no global resource like this. The global guide will provide the hospitality industry with a glossary of inventory terminology, accounting charts and other accounting-related information. This project is developed using technology that can provide users with a benchmark that stakeholders can use to compare regional differences and define the value of hospitality operation. This project is a three-step process. First, bachelor degree students from all over the world who are interested in this project will work as data collector. Second, the assembled and analyzed data will be processed into professionals in different regions all over the world to create new sample charts. Finally, the initial guide will be published in multiple languages and distributed globally. This new accounting system technology is predicted to help the hospitality industry increase the ability in financial management, accounting, cost control and the sharing of global accounting data sources.
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New Green Hotel Tech Includes Smart Fireplaces, Lights With Memory || HotelChatter - 2 views
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Most of the new green tech developments are focused on reducing energy use, and it seems like there are some killer new innovations coming to hotels at the moment.
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they control what gets switched on and off using the system that tells them when a guest comes and goes.
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Other hotels are doing similar things (and even more). An example of a newly-developed energy efficient amenity:
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And the conference also talked a lot about putting solar panels on hotel roofs with government subsidies.
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The system will remember how lights are set and if the fireplace is on and will shut down 20 minutes after the guest leaves and come back to the same setting when guest returns.
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Most of the new green tech developments are focused on reducing energy use, and it seems like there are some killer new innovations coming to hotels at the moment
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For example, at Hotel 1000 in Seattle, they control what gets switched on and off using the system that tells them when
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Other hotels are doing similar things (and even more). An example of a newly-developed energy efficient amenity
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The system will remember how lights are set and if the fireplace is on and will shut down 20 minutes after the guest leaves and come back to the same setting when guest returns.
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And the conference also talked a lot about putting solar panels on hotel roofs with government subsidies.
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While we all know now it's the technology era, customers would like prefer new hotel technology which would enhance their experience. When we are geeky enough to love new hotel technology, however, we have got our green side too. For example, in hospitality industry, some hotels control what gets switched on and off using the system that tells them when a guest comes and goes; some also talked about putting solar panels on hotel roofs with government subsidies. Applying new technology in hospitality industry also will have some negative side as everything has two sides. it is just a kind of balance thing. We just need to find the most suitable ones for our hotels and customers.
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The article talks about how hotel are getting into more green technology. In New Orleans they had a conference for hotel own and GM that want to get greener with their hotel technology. The new green tech development is focused on reducing energy use. For example the new developed energy efficient system will remember how light are set and if the fireplace is on and will shut down 20 minutes after the guest leave and come back to the same setting. It will be a big saving for the hotel especially when the power bills comes in they will notice a different
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How Much PMS Do You Really Need? - 1 views
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Technology in the hospitality industry - exploring the very latest trends - 3 views
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Nowadays, hotel guests who travel with devices such as phones, tablets and computers no longer see Wi-Fi as a perk, but as a must-have when they check in at a hotel. Hotel guests expect to be able to connect to the internet seamlessly and without too many interruptions, leading hotels to invest in better, faster Wi-Fi infrastructure so that people can do business and use their technology devices with ease when they book their stay. Hotels are also starting to move away from user pay models. In the past, hotels could charge exorbitant rates and guests knew they would have to pay if they wanted to go online. Installing and maintaining a hotel-wide wireless network may be coupled with costs, but many leading hotel groups have started to install high density Wi-Fi and started to offer in-building mobile phone coverage as guests have come to expect these services during their stay (not only for themselves, but also for their guests if they are hosting a conference or function at the hotel). It might not yet be financially feasible for hotels to completely abandon the user pay model, but many of them are re-thinking their current infrastructure and pricing models.
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Technology is advancing at a faster pace than ever before, and this is changing both the expectations of patrons as well as the way in which the hospitality industry conducts its business. Some of the trends in industry are leading to great improvements and savings for hospitality industry companies; while some are changing how hotel developers plan their buildings, infrastructure, management structure and staffing requirements.
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This technology is also ideal for self check-ins by guests at hotels as well as the next trend in this article: smart room keys.
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Near field communication (NFC) technology is the next-generation short-range high frequency wireless communication technology that gives users the ability to exchange data between devices.
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Hotels will increasingly install smart room access systems that allow guests to unlock their doors by simply swiping their phones across a keyless pad on the door. Starwood (owner of the Sheraton, Weston and “W” hotel chains) has already upgraded 30,000 room locks across 150 hotels with this system and Hilton will be implementing a similar system at 10 of their US properties this year. In 2016, they will be deploying the smart room key technology globally. This technology will mean that guests don’t have to worry about picking up keys and front desk staff won’t have to issue new keys in the event that a guest loses their room key. Another innovative way to offer a keyless experience is through fingerprint-activated room entry systems and retina scanning devices. Retina scanning is even more accurate and secure than fingerprint scans and hotels like the Nine Zero Hotel in Boston have already installed an iris scan system in place of key cards to control access to the hotel’s presidential suite.
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Some hotels are already offering more futuristic experiences, with robots delivering any items ordered through room service to a guest’s door. A boutique hotel that is nestled between Apple’s headquarters and other tech companies, called Aloft Cupertino, has a robot butler called Botlr that is able to move between the various floors of the hotel in order to take items such as toothbrushes, chargers and snacks to guests. These types of digital systems not only make it easy for hotel staff to deliver items to guests, but it also offers a forward-facing digital experience to people who stay at the hotel. Infrared scanners are now also used to minimise disruptions relating to housekeeping (which is a common complaint from customers). Instead of hanging a ‘Do Not Disturb’ sign on doors or having cleaning staff wake up traveling guests with knocks and phone calls, hotel staff can take a more innovative approach by using infrared scanners that will detect body heat within a room and tell cleaning staff that they should rather come back later if the room is currently occupied.
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Digital conference facilities Besides being able to offer high density Wi-Fi for conferences and meetings, hotels also need to be able to offer access to audio-visual (AV) and digital facilities for conferences. While the amount of AV and digital equipment that goes into a typical conference room is fairly minimal, staging companies are often hired for various projects in order to equip the facility as required.
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Mobile communication and automation In many airports, it’s no longer necessary to stand in a queue to check in and people are expecting the same kind of easy, technology-driven check-ins at hotels. Guests want to be able to do everything from checking in at a venue’s automated kiosk to ordering room service with a digital device instead of standing in queues and moving around the hotel premises to order food.
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Cloud services Being able to provide entertainment on tap and mobile content has led to the trend of hotels investing in cloud services. While hotels want to be able to offer digital content, they don’t necessarily want to invest in IT infrastructure and IT staff, making cloud computing the ideal solution.
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Feedback on social media Technology has infiltrated almost every aspect of our lives and hotel developers need to realise that almost any person checking in at a hotel, resort, spa or lodge, will have a smartphone in their pockets.
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Converged LANs to support multiple services Converged local area networks (LANs) will also help hotels to create more intelligent buildings. A variety of computer-based building services can be automated in order to control lighting, refrigeration, air-conditioning and heating. Besides reducing energy consumption, converged LANs can also be set up to provide a smarter, more personal experience. If a guest is known to prefer his or her room temperature at 18°C with the lights dimmed to 65%, for example, this can be programmed before the guest checks in at the hotel.
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Integrated, seamless experiences Technology doesn’t mean that customer experience can only happen online and through devices, check-ins and online comments. All of these experiences need to be part of an integrated, dynamic system so that the guests’ experiences are at the forefront of the marketing and operational team’s mind.
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Marketing, management and hotel developers can no longer work in silos and these technology trends are giving them the opportunities, tools and solutions they need to create memorable experiences that can lead to positive change and growth in the industry.
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With technology evolving and changing at a fast pace it is changing both what consumers expect and how the Hospitality industry responds to these expectations as well as how they do business themselves. The article highlights the many trends in the Hospitality industry. These trends include the improving and overhauling of a Wi-Fi network, conference rooms that offer Audio visual equipment, Smart room keys and many other different trends.
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In today's world we are surrounded by technology; however, sometimes we do not realize the extreme of which we are surrounded by until we stop and look around. The Hospitality industry is quickly adapting to the technologically world we live it. I read an article written by Jeff Robinson, Technical Director for Aurecon titled "Technology in the hospitality industry - exploring the very latest trends". This article was beyond interesting because it touched on some on the way technology has already changed the hospitality industry and ways it will be changing it for the future. Robinson tells us in his article that "some of the trends in industry are leading to great improvements and savings for hospitality industry companies; while some are changing how hotel developers plan their buildings, infrastructure, management structure and staffing requirements". This means its not only about the bottom dollar, but the experience of each guest when they stay at the hotel. Robinson also states the obvious fact that travelers these days do not see Wi-Fi as a perk, but more of a must have. Full access to audio-visual is also on the must have list especially for business meetings and conferences. What I found most interesting from Robinson's article was the introduction of the Near Field Communication (NFC) technology. This technology give you the ability to share information from a short-range frequency wireless communication. This technology is also ideal for self check-ins by guests at hotels as well as smart room keys.(Robinson) Hotel room keys have come a long way. From an actual key, key card in which you insert, to a key card you simply pass close to the reader and now the birth of the smart key. "Smart room access system allow guests to unlock their doors by simply swiping their phones across a keyless pad on the door.". (Robinson) Now how awesome is that. Robinson also talks about other new technology just as the future of hotel in room entertainment, hotels offering
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It has been well described and defined that technology impacted the hospitality industry in which it has advantage and disadvantages. The update and development of software creates a change in the business. This justifies that better software leads to better customer service. For this development has given most business opportunity to grow as they give them better tools.
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5 Reasons Why Event Management is Important in Tourism - 2 views
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If you look at the destinations that gained popularity in recent times, you’ll find out that the flow of tourists to this place began after the successful event management.
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This is the major reason why the role of event management in tourism is so important. Tourists and travelers need to understand why they should visit a particular destination. Therefore, event tourism comes to the rescue.
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These plans should focus on the planning of social events in order to achieve the full potential of tourism. Managing events is the activity that deals with developing and planning various kinds of events for that society. A fruitful integration of event management into touristic activities will win success and attract numerous customers to the target destination.
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The development of tourism and the introduction of new destinations reveals the huge perspectives for the growth of event management. The majority of most social activities, such as festivals, recreational events, etc., have become possible due to the tourists, which travel around the world in search for new impressions and emotions.
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The term “event management” can puzzle some people who have never thought about its meaning and role in modern society. I
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The key tourism goal for events is to attract more tourists (especially in off-peak seasons) to serve as a catalyst for urban renewal and to increase the infrastructure and tourism capacity of the destination to foster a positive destination image, which contributes to general place marketing to animate specific attractions or areas.
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Nowadays, events can mitigate or aggravate political situations, which is another lure for tourists.
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When certain parts of society reached a certain economic peak, they shifted to a more thoughtful way of life that included alternative energies, wise ecology, and environmental protection. This also made way for the birth of completely new consumer needs, which increased the demand for a specific range of events and tourism.
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Management of events provides various opportunities for the travelers to spend their time without being bored. If you plan your visit to some exotic country, it doesn’t mean that your vacation will be limited with rambling across the sights and historical monuments of the destination. You can diversify your trip with extreme events or any social activities.Thanks in part to event management, you will surely experience a wide array of emotions and experience many new things.
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Wherever and whenever one is planning a trip to a location they want to have fun and live in the moment. From cruises that have excursions and on boat activities, to hotels that offer cocktail hours for incoming groups to live performances, having a way to keep guests entertained are crucial and vital to keeping a guests happy. It is important for the hospitality industry have different outlets to provide a memorable experience for their guests that will lead to positive reviews, word of mouth recommendations to repeat business, event managements are important. As event managers it is key to always be looking for ways to keep guests entertained, relaxed and overall having a great time.
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Events in tourism development produce an incredible impact on the industry as a whole and influence a broad range of human activities: politics, environment, socio-cultural, and other aspects.
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Although event management and tourism are different notions, it should be mentioned that they are closely aligned with each other. Actually, regardless of the type of tourism you choose, event management will accompany it within the entire period of activity.
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The key tourism goal for events is to attract more tourists (especially in off-peak seasons) to serve as a catalyst for urban renewal and to increase the infrastructure and tourism capacity of the destination to foster a positive destination image, which contributes to general place marketing to animate specific attractions or areas.
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You cannot possibly underestimate the importance of events for tourism. The most popular types of tourism events, regardless of the tourism type, come in a wide range of exciting options. Various types of festivals and events have always existed as significant parts of human society.
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Tourism and event management are said to have evolved from primitive gatherings of people for agricultural or religious reasons into the more modern type of events—large-scale, corporate and governmental—as well as their long history of attracting tourists and establishing host communities as tourist destinations.
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The emergence of new political powers, capitalism, new products, and new social relations, as well as a new way of modern life, paved the way for more versatile event tourism development and a growing number of cutting-edge events.
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Today, it is not surprising that apart from the above-mentioned impacts, events also have the power to affect the formation of a destination’s image and can help with promoting, positioning, and branding it across the globe.
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This article greatly described the importance and significance event management has for the tourism industry. Special events definitely draws individuals in to multiple destinations, which delivers a huge boost for the tourism industry.
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The following article, 5 Reasons Why Event Management is Important in Tourism, focuses on event management within the hospitality industry. The role of an event manager within the hospitality industry is a very complex job and it takes someone with a vision and skills in order for a successful outcome. Event management is important within the hospitality industry because tourism is truly dependent on the effective management of events. The article provies the following example, Niagara Falls is now a known destination and is a prominent place to visit, however, the main "flow" of tourist started as soon as the event managers had begun to arrange tours, cruises, etc. Event management is vital within the industry and this article highlights some of the important impacts it has on the industry as a whole. "Naturally, tourism and event management can exist separately, but their consolidation can bring many benefits not only for the development of tourism but also for the development of the economy of countries or cities in total."
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The article highlights why event planning is an important element of tourism. It discusses key social, political, and cultural events that span both tourism and event planning. It strives to establish a clear connection between the benefits of tourism and social events implemented from a streamlined perspective.
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This article talks about how different types of events are important for tourism. Events such as mega, hallmark, major and local events attract more tourists such as the olympic games or the Superbowl. Some destinations are visited only for special events, driving more tourism to that destination. As tourism has become very dependent on effective event management, small events such as arranging tours in a destination have led to an increase in tourism. The development of tourism and the introduction of new destinations reveals the huge perspectives for the growth of event management. The majority of most social activities, such as festivals, and other recreational events have become possible due to the successful event management and the travelers that they attract.
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Event Management can be both local and global, it is the management of various activities including conventions, meeting and other major activities. Tourism is not considered a part of event management; it is classified as a set of tourism related activities. Tourism is thus divided into various niche activities. No matter what tourism type you choose, event management will always be a part of the activity. There are various types of classifications. Events may be condsidered Mega, Hallmark, Major or local. It is necessary to recognize the importance of events to the tourism product, and as such, you should never take for granted the need for proper and effective coordination. It is also important to note that events such as cultural activities also aid in destination development. A key factor in having these events is to promote the destination and attract more visitors, particularly at times in the season when things are slow. The introduction of events can serve to stimulate local economies and draw attention to unseen parts of the destination, as well as aid in the building of infrastructure in those communities. It is also important to note any event requires significant planning, the who, what, where and how allows a better understanding of how a proposed event may impact a destination's image and can help with building a stronger global brand. The significance of tourism in event management is centered around possible offshoot activities such as tours and entertainment or any other economic benefits that maybe be derived beyond the event itself. By creating such signature activities, it is likely that you broker relationships with visitors, which could likely create loyalty to your brand.
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The power of partnerships | Green Hotelier - 0 views
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Taking a partnership approach is often the most effective way to find a successful lasting solution to a problem that achieves ‘buy-in’ from all parties
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A key partnership mechanism is the Global Compact, an international multi-stakeholder initiative which brings companies together with UN agencies, governments, labour and civil society to support universal environmental and social principles.
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With specific regard to tourism, as far back as 1999, the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development (UN-CSD) identified that sustainable tourism development ‘cannot be successful without a profound collaboration with all stakeholders’] It stressed the importance of involving small and large-scale tourism operators in solving problems;
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One of the most important issues facing the world today is poverty and how to alleviate it. The MDGs aim to eradicate extreme poverty and halve the number of workers living on less than one US dollar a day, among other aims. Tourism creates economic opportunity through employment business linkages, and other income-generating possibilities -and therefore has the potential to reduce poverty
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This needs to be addressed so that traditions and local culture are carried through the generations and not watered down or commercialised
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Despite its potential for negative impacts, tourism by its very nature also offers a mechanism through which to address issues and achieve positive outcomes.
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No industry is more customer-focused than tourism -satisfying people’s needs, desires and dreams. But as well as ensuring the well-being of its clients there are others whose well-being is fundamental to the sustainability of any tourism enterprise:
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Tourism can seriously damage the environment at both global and local level if it is not developed and operated responsibly:
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Too many tourists visiting fragile archaeological and architectural sites of historic and cultural significance
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The negative effects of poorly-planned hotel and tourism infrastructure development can place an intolerable strain upon natural systems, particularly in terms of demand for water and the effect of its treatment and disposal.
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Various types of partnership have been formed to address the issues relating to sustainable tourism development and are supported by the case studies on these and the following pages:
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The power of partnerships The tourism industry is partnering with other organizations to solve problems on how to bring a more sustainable tourism. Global impact is an international multi-stakeholders consensus to bring together companies, UN agencies, government and communities to support environment. The project need not only for NGOs to facilitate contracts but also for governments to have the right legislations dealing with sustainable tourism. Tourism can affect three key areas: * Communities: Tourism creates economic opportunity but should not affect negatively traditions and local cultures. * Individuals: Tourism should be creating the right safe working environment. * Environment: Tourism should not damage the environment. Any waste should be disposed of properly. Tourism can achieve positive impacts on the region such as funding wild life conservations. There are se several partnerships that develop to better control the tourism industry and its impacts on the region. To be successful a partnership must have appropriate stakeholders, mutually agreed goal and process, and sensitivity to the power members among other characteristics.
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Sba Green Loan Program Breaking Ground For New Hotel Development - 0 views
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The financial crisis of 2007-2008 is considered by many economists to be the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression. It resulted in the threat of total collapse of large financial institutions, the bailout of banks, and downturns in stock markets around the world. The bursting of the U.S. real estate bubble, which peaked in 2006, caused the values of securities tied to U.S. real estate pricing to plummet, damaging financial institutions. Prior to this crisis strategies to develop new hotels or acquire existing assets with a small percentage of cash out of pocket were plentiful. Today to secure funding it may take 30%-40% of hard cash to move a deal forward. The Small Business Administration (SBA) is offering a way to leverage funds at well below market rates for major renovations and new construction with as low as 10% cash down. The catch? Some money-saving energy efficiency or renewable energy measures must be in the mix. Millions of dollars in SBA 504 loans have been available for decades to help small businesses grow. The greening of the program began when the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 added 3 public policy goals that could qualify businesses for a loan for construction, renovation, or refinance to: 1.Build a new facility (or retrofit an existing building) that consumes at least 10% less energy. 2.Incorporate sustainable design such as LEED into the new construction or renovation projects or building purchases. 3.Incorporate the production and use of renewable energy onsite for the business and/or for the local utility. Another area the 504 green loan program can assist the hospitality industry is to bring cash to the table for major renovations. Hotel franchise companies have been lenient over the past several years on product improvement, as not many hoteliers have had the financial ability to perform major renovations. In the past several months the need for franchise companies to protect their brand have
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HFTP developing hospitality accounting system users guide | Hotel Management - 0 views
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To create a global resource for the hospitality finance industry, Hospitality Financial and Technology Professionals has begun development on a global hospitality accounting system users guide.
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Our plan is to document how the industry is actually performing the process, as opposed to mandating a process."
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HFTP is short for Hospitality Financial and Technology Professionals. It is working with members of several organizations, including EHL, HFTP's Research institute at the University of Houston, Hong Kong Polytechnic University and Hospitality Professionals Association. From the article, HFTP has start developing a global hospitality accounting system users guide. The global guide will provide the industry with a comprehensive glossary of inventory terminology, charts of accounts and will benchmark common allocation for specific regions of the world. The project is planned as a three-step process. 1. Final year bachelor students at Ecole Hoteliere De Lausanne (EHL) in Switzerland working on their Student Business Project are gathering data, surveying hotel operations and assembling terms of reference. 2. Once the data is assembled, it will be distributed to regional teams of industry professionals that are chaired by industry consultants. These teams will develop sample charts of accounts and common allocations for their specific areas. 3. The team chairs will finalize the project by authoring a discussion on similarities or differences of allocations. The initial guide will be published in English, with plans to distribute globally in multiple languages.
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Related Content Topic : Nortel Toronto-based telecommunications-equipment manufacture... - 2 views
www.itbusinessedge.com/...ravel-and-hospitality-industry
Technology hospitality travel solution cloud interface
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Once broadly implemented, Kenny says it should be possible for a customer to book a flight, rent a car and stay in hotel room and have the entire transaction not only handled electronically, but also fed back directly to their company’s accounting systems for payment. The entire transaction would be devoid of any paper, he said.
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Today, the travel industry is made up of airlines, hotels, car rental companies and a host of other organizations all offering services around the fundamental need to travel. The problem from the consumer’s perspective is that they have to pretty much engage these companies separately to get to where they are going. But what if they could all be engaged as part of the same transaction?
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That’s part of the thinking that is going into the development of a new Agilaire Passenger Service Solution that Hewlett-Packard is developing. HP is licensing the RezView NG reservation system developed by Pegasus Systems to create a foundation on top of which the company is building a new scalable cross-company reservation ad billing system that will reside in the cloud.
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The article talks about a integrated cloud computing system developed by HP for the travel and hospitality industry. It will allow a user to book a flight, hotel and car rental all using one system which will then generate a electronic receipt, thus also rendering the operation paperless. Articles like this shows us that we are in a ever changing industry, our adaptation needs to be immediate if we want to keep our customer happy. Programs like this let us know that our customer can also come from the most unexpected places in the world, because we are not just providing a service like hotel or restaurant, we are serving a much larger objective for our customer which is 'the need travel"
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This article speaks about combining all aspects of travel and hospitality that guests utilize. For instance, hotel, car rental and flight. This is a really good idea because it makes it easier for the guest to pay for and make travel arrangements. It also allows for collaboration between the industries which would, as the article says, change the travel and hospitality industry. Creating the system in the cloud makes it easily accessible to all those who would be collaborating. There would be no need to host the server because that would be an extra expense. For this idea to be implemented, serious considerations and development have to be looked at for an internet back up. Should companies accept the Agilaire Passenger Service Solution cloud network, then their success and functionality depends on the constant functioning of the internet.
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This article talks about how does the tourism industry had develop in the past years and how connected are all the branches that form part of it. Hotels, Airlines, Car rental, are the basics of this industry. With all the technologies growing faster, these business still complain about a miss conection between them. This is what HP is trying to fix, developing a Agilaire Passenger Service solution to create a foundation on top of which the company is bulduing a new scalable cross-company reservation and billing system that will reside in the cloud. the basic idea is to allow companies in the travel industry to leverage a common transaction processing system built using modern Linux, Java J2EE and service oriented architecture (SOA) technologies wrapped around an easy-to-use interface. Where this gets interesting from a business perspective is that if you can break down the transaction barriers between companies in the travel and hospitality industry. We can see how the cloud is growing and helping industries to be integrate all together
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The Trump Organization Announces the Purchase of Miami's Legendary Doral Hotel & Countr... - 0 views
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The Trump Organization plans to make a major investment in the resort and golf courses with the intention of restoring Doral to its former grandeur.
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“When Doral first opened, it was considered the best resort in the world,” stated Donald J. Trump, chairman and president. “The combination of the property’s incredible location in the heart of Miami and our very significant investment in upgrading the resort will enable us to return Doral to its former glory if not surpass it. When completed, Doral will be the finest resort and golf club in the country.”
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“Our ability to create value through the development process combined with the strength of our brand and our unsurpassed hotel and golf management capabilities make us the ideal owner of this iconic asset,”
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Earlier this month, TRUMP HOTEL COLLECTION announced it had been selected by the U.S. General Services Administration as part of an exhaustive and competitive RFP process to be the developer of Washington, D.C.’s The Old Post Office, the most sought-after hotel development opportunity in the country.
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It was recently brought to my attention that Donald Trump has expanded his portfolio with the $150 million dollar purchase of Miami's Doral Hotel & Country Club. I was casually watching the coverage of the 2012 World Golf Cadillac Championship on NBC and saw Ivanka and Donald on the screen but just brushed it off because of their well known passion for golf. To be honest, it was more exciting for me to see Watson fall to Rose after missing a birdie putt in the playoff round. Anyways, after searching Market Watch for 'IT Investment' and 'RFP' I stumbled upon this article and it all made sense. I am now pleased to summarize the exciting $200 million dollar investment Mr. Trump made with intentions to "reposition all aspects of the resort" resulting in a "greatly enhanced guest experience." Although not explicitly stated, I assume this investment will also include a 'renovation' of the current IT structure of the hotel and country club to increase productivity, revenue and ultimately ROI. Linda Robertson, from the Miami Herald, reported on March 8th that Mr. Trump stated, "to have 800 acres in a city like Miami -that opportunity will never arise again." It will be interesting to see how The Trump Organization follows through on their investment and achieves their goal of making Doral a "world-class facility benefiting of the resort." This article also mentions that The Trump Hotel Collection had been selected by GSA as the preferred developer for Washington D.C.'s The Old Post Office after an "exhaustive" Request For Proposal review. After researching the topic I could not find for what exact reasons he won, besides money. I will take a further look into the news. A lot of exciting new developments for The Trump Organization in the recent few months.
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Wi-Fi firm looks to hotels, universities - 0 views
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The United States wireless network provider Meru Networks Inc is eyeing the Chinese market with the company expecting its revenues in the Asia-Pacific region to double in the next two to three years.
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The country's thriving hospitality industry and higher education institutes will be the biggest customers for Meru
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China has been one of the fastest developing markets for Meru because of increasing demand despite slowing gross domestic product growth
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Meanwhile, the rapid-growing hospitality industry in China is likely to become another gold mine for Wi-Fi providers.
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The number of five-star hotels in the country hit 651 in January and there are another 500-plus luxury hotels waiting to open
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Chinese telecommunications carriers have been able to develop their own third-generation telecom standards. Overseas communication network providers seem to have trouble adapting to the different industry standards.
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Because of increasing demand, China has been one of the fastest developing markets for Meru--an American wireless network provider. The company expects that its revenues in the Asia-Pacific region will double in the next two to three years. The company thinks that China's education industry could be a safe place to find profits and the rapid-growing hospitality industry in China is likely to become another gold mine. It is estimated that China's five-star hotels could exceed 1000 by 2015. However, China has a habit of adopting its own communication standards so that overseas communication network providers seem to have trouble adapting to the different industry standards. Therefore, Meru has reached a decision to cooperate with China's telecom carriers to better develop the market.
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CloudBasedvsDesktopBased_PMSHotels.pdf - 0 views
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Even though keeping up with the modern developments in IT sector is crucial for the success and competitiveness of a hotel, it is usually very hard for new technologies to be accepted and implemented.
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On the example of hotel property management system (PMS) and comparison between features of its older desktop-version and new web-based programs, this research aims at finding out at which stage and how effective is usage of cloud technology in hotels.
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Constant innovation in hardware, software, and network developments and applications means that only dynamic organizations that can respond efficiently and effectively to these innovations, will be able to outperform their competitors and maintain their long-term prosperity.
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It is crucial for tourism and hospitality practitioners to proactively incorporate new technologies into their businesses as these will improve service quality and differentiate their products and services.
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In order to be able to follow the increasing guests' requests for qualitative services, it is mandatory for hotel management to constantly work on improving its functions and operations. For this it is necessary to keep track of innovations in sectors outside the hospitality, like IT sector that works on creating, developing and introducing new technologies
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Hospitality is one of targeted sector that is considered appropriate for application of cloud technologies and services. Hotel Management System or widely known as Property Management System (PMS) is one of the system where IT practitioners saw the chance for improvement by ''moving it to the cloud''.
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Hotels will be forced to upgrade their current systems so that they can respond to various and changeable guests' habits and requirements. However, until today, there was not enough academic papers related to usage of cloud technology in hospitality industry even though this sector is under continuous changes caused by usage of new technologies which made search, evaluation and payment of the hotel rooms easier than ever.
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After comparing the two groups of hotels, from which one was using desktop PMS and other group cloud- based PMS, the results of the research were derived and presented. In conclusion of the paper, challenges with which the hotels are facing and which affect their decision of starting to use cloud- based technology as well as recommendation for future work will be discussed.
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As stated by the Sharif (2010), cloud computing is the latest technology that is being introduced by the IT industry as the next (potential) revolution to change how the internet and information systems operate. The term “cloud” was probably inspired by IT text books’ illustrations which depicted remote environments (the Internet) as cloud images in order to conceal the complexity that lies behind them (Sultan,2010).
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The goal of a new computing world is to develop software for millions to consume by easily accessing it over a network. Cloud service providers are making profit by charging consumers for accessing these services.
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Products offered via this mode include the remote delivery (through the Internet) of a full computer infrastructure (e.g., virtual computers, servers, storage devices, etc.); the building blocks of an IT enterprise.
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Services provided in this category include CPU processing on demand, virtual Web hosting, and storage on demand. The most notable vendors are Amazon’s EC2, GoGrid’s Cloud Servers, and Joyent.
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With cloud computing, services and applications that were managed locally in the past requiring hardware, operating systems, web servers, as well as teams of network, database and system management experts are now provided remotely by cloud providers under this layer.
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Cloud computing services can be adopted by firms in three different forms (Goscinski and Brock, 2010):
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Private clouds - involves firms deploying key enabling technologies, such as virtualization and multi-tenant applications, to create their own private cloud database
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Hybrid clouds - mix of the previous two types that are emerging with the intention of providing clients with a level of “control” over their resources
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The cloud offers enterprises the option of scalability without the financial commitments required for infrastructure purchase and maintenance.
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Reallocating information management operational activities to the cloud offers businesses a unique opportunity to focus efforts on innovation and research and development. This allows for business and product growth and may be even more beneficial than the financial advantages offered by the cloud.
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These investments and efforts for a new technology to be presented open a new progress circle of technology advancements and it continues in the same way.
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When creating software or an application for a hotel, IT personnel have to possess a certain level of flexibility, openness and creativity. On the other hand, hotel employees are expected to have more insightful and openminded approach towards new ways of performing business operations, sometimes take risks and have experiences with using different programs and applications.
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A hotel's PMS can gather and keep valuable information about hotel guests by incorporating business intelligence tools which help hoteliers organize and make sense of the gathered data. Regardless of whether room reservations come from Online Travel Agency, Global Distribution Systems or by telephone, all of them are gathered, stored and managed in the PMS.
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Simplicity of the cloud based property management system allows it to be productive. Cloud based PMS's can operate on any advice that has a web browser and the companies are putting their efforts to make it even more friendly on smaller devices like tablets and smart phones.
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Business intelligence options provide hoteliers with a threedimensional view of guest data, which allows easily statistical reporting and increased hotel management efficiency.
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The aim of this study was to investigate the difference in practical usage of the two types of PMS systems – cloud based and classical (desktop) ones.
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On the question about the reasons for using the current PMS type in hotels, answers of Group A were based on usage of their current PMS for years and on the fact that employees in all hotel departments were used to work on it. As time passed by, hotels upgraded their system to new versions for several times and additional customization was implemented with regard to hotel preferences.
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Hotels from Group B were consisted of relatively new boutique hotels that operate for more than a year and from those that were not using any kind of PMS solution (they were using Excel tables and creating reservation records manually). The reason why hotels from this group wanted to use cloud PMS was a desire to try the latest technology used in hospitality industry.
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Other reasons for using it were: PMS could be reached from any place where Internet connection is available, simple but effective design with lots of visual solutions, more options to enter the important information and the fact that it is working not only on any PC but also on any mobile device due to its mobile applications.
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low investment costs were main reason for hotels from Group B to decide in favor of cloud based version.
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The similar amount of initial investments were confirmed by the Group A. Being considered as great amount of money for newly opened and small sized hotels to invest, management decided to try out the cloud version which allows access to this system based on monthly subscription with very little or no investment cost, depending on the solution provider.
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After initial investments in the system implementation, hardware, software and training of employees, every year hotel makes a one-year-based contract for additional support services and, if needed, extra training. Support is provided any time a hotel reports an issue or malfunction by directly connecting to hotel's computer through remote programs.
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Changes are made either for each hotel at a time, or after releasing new version, when provider try to convince all the current users to upgrade to it. Upgrade is provided by the extra charge, so these costs should be also considered during planning investments in classical PMS.
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Regardless of which type of system they used, all participants were very careful about and interested in the matter of data security.
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However, it is totally different situation with cloud based system, which is mainly open system where all authorized users and providers from outside have access to. Of course, it is up to hotel management to whom the authorization rights will be given and being an open system it makes support, development and innovation activities much easier. Cloud based PMS are hosted on some of the world's best known servers so there is no need for additional computers to be used as servers.
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Although there are some great differences in functions and way of managing regarding classical and cloud based system, both have their advantages from which hotels do not want to give up.
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One of the biggest advantages of cloud based PMS for the Group B is the fact that this system can be directly integrated with hotel online booking engine. This is considered as a great advantage for the hotels that besides having functional web site, wish to maximize use of its online booking engine, receive more online reservations directly from the guests and gain more profit.
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Such a functional connection between hotel’s PMS and online reservation system allow hotels to have a social media integration as well. This means that hotels are able to receive online reservation through their Facebook page as well as receive direct links to its page from the biggest review sites such as TripAdvior.com.
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In this paper two different approaches and perspectives on usage of cloud based and classical hotel management systems were exposed. Hotels from Group B have shown a tendency for usage of new technologies and readiness to adopt and continuously learn about them.
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Among factors, affecting why hotel prefers one system over another, are type and size of hotel, through which channels are guest reservations coming, previous experience with IT stuff and different programs, etc.
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Cloud based program can help them in order to update prices and room availability information to hotel's booking engine. This prevents overbooking, provides easily management of CRM functions and information, with no first investment costs or extra expenses which results in revenue increase.
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Hotels that use classical PMS pay a great attention to the security issue because they do not want to risk opening their hotel for external intervention. In recent years we can find in media lots of evidence of information linkage from system that had much higher security measures than an average hotel.
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Measuring the performance of cloud-provided services is another challenge for the hotel management, primarily due to the lack of measurement standards.
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While investigating the previous knowledge about the other system solutions, hotels in Group A have claimed lack of information about the cloud technology and its solutions.
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Even though IT stuff in these hotels has some basic knowledge about it, it is still not enough to convince the other managers about its benefits. Therefore it may be concluded that, besides trying to overcome the above mentioned challenges, developers of cloud based solutions to hotels should also work hard on training the potential clients about the positive aspects and correct usage of cloud technologies.
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Lack of measurement standards for cloud-provided services in general as well as for hotels is another important limitation due to which qualitative research was conducted. Authors’ recommendation is that academicians should focus more on topics of cloud computing, cloud solutions for other business operations and on defining measurements standards for cloud services.
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This article, published in 2015, covers a study performed in Turkey to analyze factors in hotels that lead management to prefer desktop-based PMS over cloud-based PMS or vice versa. The study uses qualitative research to determine the reasons for the usage of PMS and the advantages and disadvantage of either system. The study found that, among others, significant factors that contribute to the form of PMS implemented by mangement may include the size of the property, reservation channels, and prior level of IT experience.