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The following articles are from the ALFA Update, case studies from Senior Living Executive, and audio files from ALFA's conference sessions. Building and Technology articles focus on  ideas, best practices and solutions to problems related to green living, physical plant, space planning, and security.

An unssuspecting person check into a hotel like any normal person would. The ever so common exchange, credit card for room key took place. The only difference was that the person that checked had done so with other intentions. The "guest" utilized an IP Telephone that was in this hotel room to hack into the hotel credit card database and steal credit cards, transmit them to a foreign country and then have money transferred to his offshore bank account. This happened but at the hands of Jason Ostrom, aa Vigilar senior security consultant. Ostrom was able to unplug teh telephone in his room, plug in the phone's ethernet canle into his laptop and hack away. Of course, he did this as part of his job in testing a company's security agaisnt viral hackers. His company offers free security testing using a downloadable software called VolP Hopper This article was extremely interesting because as a frequrnt traveler as well as a perosn in the hospitlaity industry I was very shocked at the ease that the credit card information could be stolen. When it comes to credit card security it is of the utmost importance for companies to be PCI compliant and spend whatever it is necessary to safeguard the information of their customers. The detrimental damage that a security breach can have on a person can be debilitating as leaders in the hospitality industry we must do everything possible to prevent attacks like this from happening. made me become extra cautious about using my credit cards.

This article discusses some of the advantages and disadvantages of technology in the field of human resources. An advantage is that it speeds up the process of employee training and adds to the useful HRIS. It also adds to the organizational factor to play. As far as disadvantages since some of the technology is new to this area and has caused some questioning of these tools by employees who are use to doing their work a certain way.

This article talks about the new technology that helps to improve HR efficiency. Several strategies with technologies can make big changes. It also can save time and is a precious commodity for senior executives. However, there are also risks in these technologies. 

This article talks about most of the hospitality organizations investment  expenses on IT is increasing. Although the fact is that 91% of decision makers realize that the importance of mobile and wireless technology, one critical challenge is to convince upper managers to approve the investment of the latest technology. However, in order to solve this problem, they present several cases for the new technology procurement to senior managers. This is a good method to use facts to prove the benefits and success of the new technology. 

This article highlights the need for technology innovation to be more inclusive within the sector. It focuses on senior level roles but also emphasizes the importance of including all levels within the evolution of the industry. It also highlights that these changes would have occurred with or without the pandemic but was expedited because of it. It speaks about including lower levels of management with invitations to trade shows and other technology exposition in order to include a larger net of point of views and perspectives. It also highlights the need for further automation in order to help with large scale global issues like climate change and continuing touchless actions like check ins to maximize efficiency and the guest experience.

The current trend of human resources software is towards global. Every major human resources software vendor is trying to appeal to multinational companies looking to handle their global workforce through a single, cloud-based human resource system that can manage everything from payroll and administration talent and learning management. Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts at Toronto had trouble transferring managers from one location to another and researching HR when they open new hotel. This is because they did not have certain standardization of compensations and they too much relay on paper-driven systems. Today, Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts are enabled to check compensation information on anyone at specific property as well as locations employees want to work in the future by using Workday's a global human capital management system. Moreover, Four Seasons' managers and employees working at the properties around the world will be allowed to use the system in various languages.

The following article is from the ALFA Update, its a case study from Senior Living Executive, and audio files from ALFA's conference sessions. Building and Technology articles focus on  ideas, best practices and solutions to problems related to green living, physical plant, space planning, and security. For instance in this particular article 

The hotel is a perfect place for hackers to attack because they have easy access to retrieve thousands of guest information including credit card information, billing addresses, and much more personal information. Nicholas Percoco, senior vice president of Trustwave's SpiderLabs, mentioned that the credit card and debit card information is the most in demand by hackers because it is easiest to turn into cash quickly. There are three main steps in a typical data breach and how attackers mostly operate at each level: initial entry, data harvesting, and exfiltration. Close to half of these attacks occur via remote access applications, of which 90 percent exploit default or weak passwords. Around 42 percent of attacks occurred via third-party connections; 6 percent via SQL injection; 4 percent via exposed services; and 2 percent via remote file inclusion attacks. Interestingly, less than 1 percent began with an email Trojan. As an IT manager of the hotel, it is crucial to recognize how serious the consequences are for the hotel should the data not be protected well. 

Hey all, here is an article I found that talks about hackers taking over the hospitality industry. It mentions how hackers main objective is to gain access to debit accounts and gain access to customer cash. Also, hackers are also able to infiltrate POS systems along with other valuable technology with in the hospitality industry. Nearly half of these attacks occur via remote access applications, of which 90 percent exploit default or weak passwords, according to the report. Around 42 percent of attacks occurred via third-party connections; 6 percent, SQL injection; 4 percent, exposed services; and 2 percent, remote file inclusion attacks. Interestingly, less than 1 percent began with an email Trojan.

hackers are EVERYWHERE!

The article that i read on Marriott Link Two Data streams With Revenue talk about combined two management system into one. Marriott had a hard time analyzing revenue data and the marketing. MArriott noticed it was too expensive to operate a full service hotel with selected service or even the facilities. So what Marriott Howard Melnick senior vice president of information resourse decieded to do was use the System called One Yield. Howard combined two system iwhile he lowered the cost of staff by 33%. Marriott system One Yield has delivered the profit of 6.7million the first year and today it still increasing.

This interview talks to Gareth Gaston, senior VP of Global E-comerse in the Wyndham Hotel Group, about recent trends in E-comerse.He believes that E-comerse should be apart of every department in the hotel, Front Office, Sales, Marketing, and the departments should help the Online Travel Agencies to draw more guest. Mr. Gaston believes that hotels need to start to create a partnership with online travel agencys(OTA) and begin to create a better system for price consolidations online rather than fight them at every turn for overbooking or under-pricing.

One of the major issue of cloud computing is encryption, which is the process of transforming information to make it unreadable to others users.  Encryption arises as a problem in cloud computing because not all the companies that are providing the service of cloud computing but not the encryption services which is very important for the safety on the data of the customers. When choosing to use cloud computing, it is important to find out al the services that the cloud offers because without the encryption services, the security of the data also decreased said Subra Kumaraswamy a senior security manager at Sun Microsystems INC.   Another issue when it comes to cloud computing is authorization because not all providers can control who can access their data, which make the data vulnerable to hackers.  In my opinion before someone decide to use the cloud computing it is important that the customers make researchers about the feature  and services that the cloud is using to make sure that is the best option for the company 

This article talk about the IT in hospitality industry. They give a example of the India. The number of the India's travel and tourism industry is grow 8.4% in 2008 and will be 8% more increase between now and 2016 according to the World Travel and Tourism Council. The hospitality industry should know the customers needs and the goal of the meeting them should be figured out in such a way that the cost of offering the service(s) does not pinch the company balance sheet i.e. variable costs should not show fluctuations northwards. Marketing gurus would always adhere to one statement for advice: cost need to be justifiable through high probability of ROI. The selection of technology in itself is a vital step. Another global feature that is extremely important is a detailed guest, group and company records. Used with a variety of customized reports, these detailed records allow precise targeting of various marketing efforts to improve occupancy rates, increase yield and enhance strategic planning. Each module should have a customizable report selection menu. The reports should have provision for sorting and filtering of data to enable viewing of the exact information might be required at a moment's notice. A good PMS enables a hospitality enterprise to increase revenue and occupancy, improve guest loyalty and reduce costs by centralizing and streamlining your operations. Forward-thinking properties have already begun building a network infrastructure that offers the flexibility and scalability to adapt to the ever-evolving guest, staff, and property management needs. Ajay Goel, Senior VP - Industry Business, Strategy, Operations, Cisco Systems India & SAARC opined, "These next-generation infrastructures are based on a converged network. They integrate with today's solutions-such as reservation, surveillance, and billing systems-and support the newest applications and technologies. The goal is to take advantage of tomorrow's opportunities while protecting e

This article is written by a publisher and editor. It is based on what he saw and heard. The main contents are around the LEED Volume Program. The leadership in energy and environmental design consists of a suite of rating systems for the design, construction and operation of high performance green buildings, homes and neighborhoods. Marriott group opened their first hotel as part of Marriott's LEED Volume Program. The senior design manager indicates the program saves owners about $100,000 in upfront costs and six months of construction time. And it provides a competitive advantage for Marriott. Depending on his article, it is easy to know what is unique about the hotel from a green design and operations perspective. For example, the pool uses salt water to reduce the need for chlorine. Or the windows are high performance and reflect heat. Especially, the shower facility is for employees who ride their bicycles to work. Hoteliers pay much attention to the green development will help them to reduce the cost and pollution. Moreover, the staff prefer working in a green hotel because it helps motivate them daily. The following link is about the detailed of Marriott's LEED Volume Program. http://www.usgbc.org/ShowFile.aspx?DocumentID=8146

It is important to identify the personnel in charge of project ownership and enable them with improved decision making. Senior management and finance should also be brought on board, along with all other Senior stakeholders.Implementing a Human Resource Information System successfully is a complex process.

This article outlines some best practices in the hospitality industry. These include: Talent Mgmt. & High Levels of Customer Centricity, Executing Enterprise-Wide Transformation, and Lessons from Industry Leaders.

PMS is common in hotel operation since its powerful fuction which can be streamed into two parts involving reservation and revenue management. As we all know, reservation is the beginning of hotel operation and it is the first expression the hotel leave to any customers. Thus, it is important for us to pay enough attention to the performance of this system no matter what size of properties we operate. A competent PMS can provide efficient experience for both guests and operators in that it can help them finish some jobs always frastruated them before. Another contribution of PMS is the ability of revenue management which has been treated as the most important job for seniors in hospitality industry. Based on powerful PMS, managers can easily get any information related to current operation and budgeting issues. For these reason, PMS is an necessary installation for each hotel with specific features.

This article is describing the power of having a property management system in a business industry. The PMS can offer many advantages to its customers. Customers can access the system wherever they are and whenever they want. This article offers many software ideas that can help hotels running smoothly. For example, there is the InnQuest roomMaster 2000, which has the right features (reservations, reservations, guest services, etc) and offer the right tools to help run a hotel. Hotel staff can learn it quick as well. This system is secure which is very important in a business industry. It also talks about the Reservation Master. In hotels, reservations are important especially when it offers its guest the choice to do its own reservations on the internet. It is good for smaller hotel businesses like motels. Another one is the Maestro, which is a powerful PMS system that helps companies have full control of their files. Last but not least, there is the RoomKey, which is a system that can help a company to have the right to use and activate it wherever they are.

A recent study from Motorola, a part of Motorola Mobility offering business and mission-critical communication products and services to enterprises and governments, finds that IT spending in hospitality industry is increasing, mainly driven by the need to improve guest experience. However, hotel technology managers will face the challenge to convince the top management to approve investment in the latest technology. To overcome this challenge, technology managers need to present the business case for new technology procurement to senior management, according to Karnib The research concludes that smartphones, tablets and mobile applications are the new trends moving into 2012 in the hospitality industry.