Hospitality Technology

"Major technology firms will replace most hotel brands, because they can offer technology solutions and create markets to attract customers. The traditional hospitality industry will evolve into niche markets..." -> This quote from this article is able to summarize where this industry is headed in just a few sentences, but the article as a whole was able to pinpoint the top trends that this industry will have faced in 2022 due to the rapid changes that had to be made due to the COVID-19 pandemic which we still face today. Such as sanitation and other safety protocol that is still enforced. Companies have had to adapt because of this to make up for their lack of revenue. For example, "This means that hospitality venues are being used as make-shift offices for bleisure travelers, as well as locals seeking a change of work environment. This is a great opportunity for hotels and F&B venues to capitalize on the trend and adapt their offering to meet the needs and wants of this emerging segment; ample plug sockets, free high-speed WIFI and great coffee are good starting points." The author of this article stated that the number of guest book long term trips have decreased, but when it comes to reserving hotel conference rooms as office space, staycations have increased with this transition. "Videos providing 360-degree views of restaurant ambiance, café terraces enveloped in greenery or hotel beachfront locations, for instance, are just the ticket to make an establishment stand out this year. As ever, keeping the access threshold low is key to reaching as broad an audience as possible with virtual reality material: making content accessible on a variety of devices, without the need for a VR headset." Another point made in this article mentions how virtual reality is now being used to enhance the customer experience. As a personal observation this has also helped with the transition post Covid-19. The changes that have been made and implemented and have opened the door fo

"Technology and innovation are what have helped, even saved, restaurants as they transform how they operate to not just survive, but thrive, in this new connected and contactless era" "Third-party food delivery apps like UberEats, Foodpanda, or Door Dash will continue to be an important solution for those not able to offer in-house ordering and delivery services" "Contactless technology is going mainstream, and it's not just about placing an order online, but also about paying with a smartphone, smartwatch or smartcard via an app or touchless device" "technology-enabled reservation systems, restaurants can manage seating, waitlists, customer loyalty and dining preferences as well as collect vital client data be it for contact tracing or market insights" "Kitchen Display Systems (KDS) are a digital menu board for kitchen staff helping restaurants streamline back-of-house operations" "companies like Winnow are helping restaurant owners and managers cut food waste and costs and run their businesses more efficiently and sustainably" "auto-scanning barcodes with smartphone cameras on posters, tables, coasters, doors or websites allows customers to access online menus, order and pay - without contact" "air purification technologies to promote 'clean air'" https://diigo.com/0lmspn

Some of these technologies such as food delivery services, and conctactless payments I have grown used to as a consumer. However, technology like KDS to improve the back of house operations or air purification technologies are more behind the scenes type of technologies that I have not given much thought so I found this article interesting.

Many restaurants are adapting to a new reality. Some of the digital trends to watch in 2022 are as follows: 1. Online ordering systems and delivery apps - Food delivery market worth more than $150 billion globally. 2. Contactless payment estimated to triple from $2 trillion to $6 trillion by 2024. 3. Online table reservation system such as Open table Experiences initiative offering unique culinary events and dinner experiences. 4. Digital kitchen boards such as KDS, a digital menu board for kitchen staff linked to the restaurant's POI which displays orders automatically and efficiently. 5. Automated inventory management software tracking food and beverage stocks, anticipating quantities and scheduling reorders. 6. QR codes that allow customers to access menus online, order and pay. 7. Air purification technology like bipolar ionization and ultraviolet light.

This article plainly puts on display new aspects of technology that are currently being adopted within the hospitality industry. Wi-Fi infrastructure overhauls, digital conference facilities, and the latest in NFC technology are all touched upon in this article. I liked this article because it puts on display aspects of the industry I had not originally put thought to as being constantly changing.

Businesses may optimize the life cycle of a capital expenditure project by concentrating on three areas: capital strategy and portfolio optimization, project development and value enhancement, and project delivery and construction. Organizations must develop a transparent and carefully evaluated baseline and capital budget that provides a clear knowledge of the total capital expenditure budget for the next years, as well as realistic cost and time predictions for the organization's portfolio of capital projects. While claims on capital projects are relatively prevalent, smart management may keep them under control and allow owners to retain considerable value.

Event Management Software is ever evolving as is the way promoters and companies look to make events, conferences and conventions more profitable and case a wider net of attendees. As those additional revenue streams present themselves, event management software companies are continually streamlining the event process of sponsorships, speakers, maps, virtual meetings, touchless check-ins and much more.

With technology advancing hotels are taking advantage of that and introducing new things that will make the guest experience more personal. For example, the chatbots can assist guest and answer frequently asked questions 24-7, as well as doing direct booking. Implementing the new technologies it saves money for the hotel and a better experience for their guests.

In the fast pace environment of ingress of guests into an event, life safety is unable to take a back seat. Venues are having to adapt processes to ensure guests do not wait in long lines and go through the antiquated magnetometers and wanding process while keeping a safe environment for the guests.

AI is an incredibly important implementation that constantly aids in a company's growth. All hospitality businesses are implementing the use of artificial intelligence to help staff provide better experiences for guests and to collect market data. In hotels, these experiences range from the time of booking to check and everything in between. AI has been used to develop chatbots for guest assistance, adjust pricing based on data collected, and even a robot concierge. Overall, AI aids in efficiency and personalizing guest experience.

Companies should forecast differently when it comes to paying for technology. Instead of using a big chunk of change (Capital expenditure) investing in equipment it only uses just about 20% of the time, it can consider consider alternative, cloud based technology for a monthly fee (Operational Expenditure) This frees up money, time, and resources necessary for creativity and innovation in the company.

POS systems play a large role within the hospitality sector and develop by being used within different company types and industries. One main place where a POS is used and is extremely important is in retail. Along with creating speedy checkouts for customers, it is now a basic need for most of these POS systems to be using an inventory calculating software.

The technologies come with a 5G network that could increase guests' convenience in engaging with the properties' facilities to maintain an efficient service system. Second, the personalization of the services could be flexible since the connection with the AI and VR computer systems. Third, the development in using new techs will be booming through the 5G network. Then, the event and conferences will be more resilient in the hotel and have stable connections with people remotely. Lastly, the hotel operation will be efficient and sustainable with the support of the 5G network.

Understanding what each hotel system works for and the departments they connect or overlap with can benefit from integrating such systems to make smoother operations. By integrating PMS and POS in a hotel, it can be easier for the guests to check in, etc., but it's also easier for staff to manage and track all guest information this way too.

This type of integration is not new to the hospitality industry. Many hotels link their PMS system at the front desk to the POS system at the outlets. This integration is very efficient and convenient because guests can just simply charge their spending at the outlets to their folio, also known as "charge to the room."

Radio Frequency Identification or RFID continues to appeal to leaders in the hospitality industry as it allows for so many opportunities. RFID is a cost-effective technology. It utilizes radio waves to send signals from a chip to a receiver somewhere. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, RFID technology usage has increased because of the consumers' desire to have contactless options. This article provides quite a few great examples of RFID technology in the industry. It mentions Disney and Coachella as they have switched to using RFID wristbands. Hotels, as mentioned in this article, can use RFID technology for a multitude of things. Some examples include: for door locks, on-site payments, controlled amenity access, inventory management, and theft prevention.

The RFID is a very interesting and powerful system. Many industries have been using such system for a long period of time. In the aviation industry, the RFID helps to track and sort checked baggage at the airport by reading several inlays at one. Airlines that use such system has a higher customer satisfaction rate.

This Article is about the ditial menu and the restaurant that benefits to have the ditigtal menu, which reduced workforce for the company and cheaper to have one compare the phsical menu. At the same time the restaurant could enhance their efficiency. The types of the digital menu are tablets, AR, interactive tables, are common opitions to the restaurant in order to upgrade their menu. In general, the the dital menu could help different type and levels of restaurants to enhancing their technological innovation in order to improve their services.

The digital menu seems having a lot of benefits for the restaurants. This menu is practical during the COVID-19 pandemic, when in person interactions are forced to be kept at minimal. However, I would expect more in person interactions at an upscale restaurant because I am paying more.

Proximity marketing is a technologically advanced form of businesses advertising. This type of marketing is used to gather information on customers, such as purchase behaviors to see what they are buying and what they want to push ads to them on their devices. This "helps guarantee that the right ads are sent to the right customer for more accurate results". This can lead to increased sales, repeat business, and customer satisfaction. Proximity marketing will also aid in being able to engage more with your customers, instilling trust and improving conversion rates. This is the latest form of modern technology in marketing and creating personalized ads with business success in return.

Even though using beacon technology for proximity marketing is still in its infancy in the restaurant industry, this technology has already demonstrated some of its potential by virtue of increasing labor and overall operational efficiency while boosting customer satisfaction and loyalty. Beacons can help increase restaurant and bar sales, improve customer service, and provide more value for their customers, which should lead to customer loyalty. The possibility of applying beacon technology in the restaurants and bars opens a window of opportunity to engage diners and also enables restaurants to create more tailored experiences for them. Restaurants can use beacons to send alerts to people nearby about many table/seat availability and encourage them to make reservations or walk in. Or if the restaurant is very busy, restaurants can send the menu to their phones, so they can browse it while waiting for their tables. Restaurants and bars can build profiles of returning customers and provide offers based on past preferences. Thus, returning customers can benefit from improved and personalized customer service. During quiet hours or days, restaurants and bars can efficiently manage their staff and service, because of the data they have been collecting using beacons. Diners can even pay for their meal or drinks using their mobile device without having to wait for the waiter to come over and accept their method of payment.

This articles talks about what beacon-based proximity marketing is and its usefulness in restaurants.

Beacon technology has been around for a long time - prior to 2013 - but cost kept it unpopular. Initially only real big hospitality players had this tech. Now cost is no longer a limiting factor, but companies are limited to customers/potential customers who have a compatible app or the companies own app already on their phone, so they can push the proximity messages.

Highlights: -RFID for baggage tracking provides the data that allows airlines to efficiently track the bag through all airport processes. -With IATA's Resolution 753 now in effect, airlines have started to implement baggage tracking. -IATA recommends the use of the RFID technology, which is much more effective that the bar code technology mostly in use currently. -RFID also meets passenger expectations for real time tracking of baggage.RFID uses -Radio-frequency electromagnetic fields to transfer data that uniquely identifies each bag. -RFID does not require line of sight to the bag, and so can identify many bags at once. -The most common type of RFID used in the aviation industry is passive Class 1 Gen 2 Ultra High Frequency (UHF).

Summary: This article talks about Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) system in the aviation industry. The aviation industry uses RFID system to track checked baggage throughout the airport. This system is endorsed and strongly recommended by the International Air Transport Association (IATA). Many air travelers also appreciate this system because it gives them real time tracking of their baggage. They normally able to do so via the airline's application on their smart phones or tablets. The passive ultra high frequency RFID is the most common type of system used in the aviation industry.