Hospitality Technology

Unified Computing System (UCS) technology is widely used byStation Casinos Inc., which is a one of high-tech Station Casinos Inc. invested and do a good implement in their properties. It not only help this company do a good business and also help the it employees keep their jobs.

Hotel guests are a captive audience and are often looking for the convenience factor when making their purchasing decisions, such as where to eat that night. If hoteliers take the initiative with their WiFi solution, they could be soon be reaping the financial rewards.

Implementing the right technology can bring a company back to business therefore it is really important to Know what technology is the best for the organization in order to improve productivity and attract potential clients.

Technology investment seems a necessity for the upper level hotels. Nowadyas, people are not only want to stay confort, but also want to feel the high technology which can bring them comfort. The expense on the intelligence technology has become one of the most main expence among the expences. The more data can be collected from customer can gain more loyal customers and has a big impact on the revenue.

Yes, technology has a great impact in our industry and it gives a competitive advantage for those that decide to invest in the newest technology.

Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts brand has been recognized by L2 Think Tan's Digital IQ Index: Hotels for the use of plenty digital platforms. By analyzing the needs and wants of guest and potential customers Four Seasons decided to invest in technology obtaining great results. "We are thrilled to be recognized by L2 for our commitment to transforming our guest experience through digital and social media platforms," said Susan Helstab, executive vice president, marketing, Four Seasons. Four Seasons saw the great influence technology has in the way we conduct business and communicate therefore the brand applied the newest technology to create a competitive advantage among its competitive set. "The L2 study reflects just how meaningful this is to the guest experience, and solidifies the importance of Four Seasons continual advancement in the digital realm." Some of the recent innovations Four Season applied to the properties are the new website FourSeasons.com that includes real-time search and videos. It also includes maps, Facebook, and blogs among others. Creating a powerful and global social presence in YouTube, Facebook and Twitter that gives them more publicity, Innovating with Emerging Platforms and Mobile Access "The brand has seen 110% growth year over year of business booked through iPhones and 200% increase via iPads." Four Seasons is attracting more groups, leisure and commercial demand thanks to its technology.

Based on a 2012 survey technology investment its anticipated to be essentially flat for 2012. Its expected to grow i Asia-Pacific region and Latin America, but to decline in Europe and North America.

"Stop, look and listen before investing in hotel tech"

This article first reviewed the technology revolution in hotels. From the telephone, TVs, to today's mini bars and electronic door locks. Why hotels install more and more technology into guestrooms? Because the hotels believe the guest wants it, needs it, and it's become a way to stay competitive. However, the high technology gives brings them competitive advantages and also provides convenience for the guests, at the same time, it also carries a high cost with it. How to select the best technology and how to make best use of the technology? The author suggested the hotels should Stop, Look and Listen before investing in hotel technology. First, the hotels should justify the reasons to set the expensive devices. How to make sure the devices is useful and worth that much money? The hoteliers need to see whether the guests really want and need the technology. Consider very carefully the kind of tech you are deploying. Is it because you feel threatened by what your competitors are doing? Remember they may be on the wrong track. It is important for hotels to understand what the guests really want and need and before investing the new technology, the hotels need to stop, look and listen.

When it comes to investing in technology in hotels, a better approach might be to simplify. In a day and age when most people carry around all their technology needs in their pockets (Cellphones, Tablets, Laptops, etc.) There may not be a need to invest so heavily in gizmos to attract customers and keep them happy. We may want to consider that all the guest wants is to be connected, so offering a super fast, reliable and suitably priced internet access is all the technology they really need. Investing in every new technology, with short lifespans, can end up making a real dent in your ROI.

It looks like the restaurant industry slightly started recovering from the recession in 2011. an increase in revenue and guest counts let to a positive effect on information technology spending in the industry. Restaurants' information technology budgets reflected that they allocated the most money to it than they had in the past 2 years. This rise signifies that restaurants on concentrating on the important of new information and innovations to set their locations and and environments apart from others. The article states that the biggest percent of the IT budget goes to internal personnel, followed by software, hardware, external service, and last, compliance. The industry pays close attention to information technology because it is tool that helps in cutting costs and increasing efficiency. Some of the IT features in restaurant that are popular are point of sale systems, credit card swipes, and touchscreens. The latest trend toward IT investments in the restaurant industry is a sure sign that the entire hospitality industry is both becoming more interested in technology advancement and getting out of treacherous economic waters.

The article describes the new IT feature installed in a flagship hotel of Mandarin Oriental Group of hotels - that is a WIFI feature installed into the walls of every guest room. Mandarin oriental New York is known as technologically savvy hotel, which adopts all new technology features, that appear in the market. Capacity, coverage and user density were major problems for the hotel before, but the time to change has come when iPhones and iPads hit the market and the need of new technologies has appeared.

IT system become more and more important, in tourism industry, it has positive effect on country's economy. When you plan to travel, IT can help you get relevant information in the world. IT is the convenient and short way to gather and communicate information through research. IT provide people a new way to get global information about tourism ,people do not need to go to every local agency to get information ,the local agency may not solve your problem and provide you information in efficient way. Now you can sit at home to get your journey information with the help of modern technology. The tourism industry really depends on information because on daily basis tourism is undergoing rapid and radical modern changes. Technology is being used for a variety of functions in the tourism industry, the continuous development of information technology has profound implications for the tourism industry. IT has flexibility of product specifications and greater reliability of information transferred information technology altered the way in which information is transmitted throughout the tourism industry, thus it offers new opportunities for information technology and the tourism industry. IT is one of the important resources for increasing the economic growth, it will improve productivity with good profit.

In this article the results of a study conducted by Motorola Solutions Inc to understand emerging trends in enterprise and government mobility markets are discussed. One of the main findings was that as way to enhance guest experience, information technology (IT) investments in the hospitality industry are expected to increase. From the survey it was found that 68 percent of the hospitality venues that are already using mobile technology have seen an improvement in costumer satisfaction. It was also found that 91 percent of hoteliers are aware of the importance of mobile and wireless technology and how mobility creates a competitive advantage. More than 50 percent of the hoteliers that are already using mobile and wireless technology according to survey have witness an improvement in their employees efficiency and productivity as well as an increase in sales. All of this is forcing hospitality venues to invest in powerful wireless networks not only for customer use but for mobile workforce. From the survey it was found that already 75 percent of the hospitality venues surveyed have wireless installed and one third of this venues are using 802.11n. The main drivers found for adopting 802.11n were improving throughput and reliability, and extending range of current wireless data networks.

Widely utilization and application of IT technology especially wireless and mobile technology are expected to increase in recent years.More and more hospitality organizations are realize the important role the mobile investment played in improving operational efficiency and enhance the customer experience. With wireless devices, hospitality organizations can save time of doing guest/attendee check-in, table-side order/payment or event ticketing which will improve operation efficiency and customers' satisfaction. According to survey results, tablets and VoIP handsets are the top two mobile devices planned for new deployments. Furthermore, right IT investment will increase revenues and have a good sales.

This article discusses several technologies in which all hotels should invest in, in order to stay competitive within the market. The author goes on to discuss technologies such as: interactive television, increasing bandwith, RFID sensors, mobile application technology, and energy management. I think the article brings up valid points in awknowledging that the identity of the traveler is changing and becoming more "tech-savy". In essence, to keep attracting guests hotels must invest in these technologies in order to have a competitive advantage among those who haven't yet invested in such new innovations.

this article discussed the difficulty of measuring the ROI of I.T. investment.

This article about the IDeas Revenue Solution Systems which will enable hotel managers to effectively manage pricing with just few clicks. It is the leading provider of the pricing and revenue management software for the hospitality industry. Now they have come up with its own pricing system which will enable the managers to seek revenue growth in their budget. This software is specifically designed for the clients who face tough competition from the dynamic service markets, with other brands deploying the revenue management systems, it has become difficult to compete. This software is scheduled to be released in the other half of this year and the benefits include, forecasting occupancy, set room rates and make competitive pricing decisions. It is a simplified system which requires minimum training and interaction to learn and operate. This will further help in increase in revenue, can be used by busy managers with just few clicks, it gives room for improvement to enhance guest satisfaction. On the other hand it has minimal upfront costs and with positive outcomes and very little risk. this will also help the limited service hotels to compete with the current and prospective hotel owners with this simplified pricing capability. It is interesting to see how IT has evolved into the hospitality industry by providing the best possible systems, software's to compete in this results driven industry, where a company can fall behind any minute with the pace at which the support systems have taken the reliability for lifting the revenue, in order to invest more and attract more customers.

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.

This new Google Venice Update enable customers to receive more relevant and precise hotel information than before when they searching. The information including the nearest hotel around them, price, up-coming events, restaurant hours and so on. While many hoteliers already have a geo-targeted SEO strategy targeting long-tail keywords addressing the location, nearby attractions, etc., it is important to cover all your other SEO bases to ensure the best results. Further, developing an APP applied on iPhone or iPad which will increase convenience for customers and improve productivity for lodging industry.

This article discusses four cyclical sales revenue cycles. First, the daily sales revenue that depends on meal periods in restaurants, second, weekly cycle where business travelers mostly uses hotels during the week, third, seasonal cycle, during vacation months and fourth, generalized business cycle. There is direct costs which refers to all materials and labor costs that are traced to the product and then there is indirect cost which refers to utilities, overhead,salaries etc. Managers review operating results to ensure that all departments provide sufficient income to cover total indirect costs for the overall hospitality operation and provide excess funds to meet the desired level of profit.

The article discusses the features of a property management software and the advantages for a manager or to the owner of the property as a result of using the software.A property management software is versatile and can be used to manage both residential and commercial properties. The advantage is that the tenant can pay rent using recurring ACH, eChecks or credit cards. A landlord can use the property management software for finding the rental yield, which is a measure of the profitability of the investment. 

This article mainly talks about icloud basics and the cost of icloud. Icloud has lots of benefit for the customer who uses apple devices. Icloud do not replace local storage on iPhones, ipads and iPod touches. Icloud keep data in sync between any apple device and PC that you own. Every data are available across devices from Iphone to ipad. All the documents can be shared in any apple devices and people do not need e-mail or USB to store and transfer files. It brings lots of conveniences to the customers. Also, icould provide excellent backup function for customers. Another advantage of apple devices is that third party apps are able to use icloud as well. The cost of this service is not really expensive and apple will provide 5GB I cloud storage for free. Apple charges some extras money for additional storage, but it is not very expensive. Icloud will help apple not only enhance current market, but also can expand the future PC and other digital devices market. People who own multiple iOS devices will get the most out of iCloud, because it saves the hassle of manually transferring data between iPhones, iPads and so on. Therefore, more and more people will purchase apple devices in order to get the most out of icloud.

Travelers who checked in to the Westin Bonaventure Hotel & Suites in Los Angeles between April and December last year are being advised to review their credit card statements and credit reports this week after hotel officials warned of yet another security breach.

The Westin Bonaventure Hotel and Suites in Los Angeles had a security breach where their point of sale system for processing debit and  credit card transactions have been hacked. Data such as guests name, cedit and debit numbers and expiration date were jeopardized. Hackers had not been able to access information from the Hotel's computer system and neither did they affect guest room charges. The Director, Michael Czarcinski apologized and offered free credit monitoring services for those who used their cards during that nine month period.

Hotels and restaurants that have gone green, try to analyze how to effectively market the facet of their operation or how to market themselves going green. Some factors they would have to acknowledge about going green are how the practices can affect them and also where these supplies come from. Hotels can follow concepts of restaurant that focus on supply chain and local sourcing which might be an effective way of communicating environmental priorities. Front line employees are the best way to start with convincing customers that the establishment is committed  to being green.