Hospitality Technology

I think it is important not to post just a message on your online marketing initiatives, but to post the right message. As highlighted, viral marketing is most effective when the message is passed along to other users. Its all about spreading the word.

Grand Hyatt San Francisco has selected a package of VingCard Elsafe solutions for installation during renovation of its 659 guestrooms. The renovation features the addition of VingCard's Orion energy management system and Signature RFID locks powered by the VISIONLINE wireless online access management system.

Article discusses the recent large scale IT investment in green friendly security for the Grand Hyatt San Francisco. The hotel recently upgraded 659 of its hotel guestrooms to feature energy management software as well as RFID enable security features for guests. This represents a significant investment in green technology for the use of energy conservation which in the long run will lower energy costs for the hotel in addition to making the hotel a more secure atmosphere for the guests. Hotel staff can monitor all forms of these upgrades which all communicate and work together with each other one a room has been reserved.

Today environment become green is more and more important. And advent technology is used in different industries in order to create a green environment. Hospitality industry also applies new technology. If the hotel becomes a green one, it will be a future value of your development. If the hotel becomes a green one, it will be welcome by the guests and increase the customers' loyalty. If the hotel becomes a green one, the staffs will very happy, because the environment is very good at their health and the hotel is very beautiful. It will reduce the turnover because the staffs feel comfortable. Except the feeling of people, another side is energy-saving measures. It is also a very important factor of hotel such as energy management systems, fluorescent bulbs, ceiling fans, linen cards, lights out cards, motion sensors for public rest rooms, meeting rooms, exercise rooms, etc., energy bills are much reduced. If the hotel is green, it means your hotel is responsibility for guests and staffs healthy. If they feel that you really care their health, they must give your some reward, which is benefit for your hotel. There's just no doubt that when odors, fumes, soot, droplets and residues of toxic, poisonous chemicals are not in the air, on our food or on anything we touch, we are not absorbing or breathing them. The green hotel will have a higher quality and price because it green theme which is good for guest and earn more profit because of lower cost which attributes to energy-saving measures.

This article addresses the differences between how CIOs in mid-sized companies and those in large companies behave towards IT investing in times of economic hardship. Specifically, it points out the mid-sized companies are quicker to jump on board with IT investments in hard economic times based on the premise that the cost benefits will be greater if they invest sooner. They were more likely to overspend in IT to try and get a step ahead. The larger companies were more likely to take a wait and see approach and to cut back on their IT budget in hard economic times. These larger companies tend to wait longer to make sure that the IT investment will pay off. When the economy is more stable, the spending between the two becomes more closely aligned. It appears that the mid-sized companies scramble to find any IT tech angle available in hard times to try and get ahead. In slower times, the mid-sized companies behave more like the large companies.

Green technology will bring benefits to the hospitality industry. It will become a future trend for the hotels to go green. From my point of view, going green is another saving cost and long-term benefits. We can reduce the the harm for what we produce and keep the guest's travel experience more green. Also hospitality plays an important role in telling others about the green concept. People will remember more when they are in realx.

This article discusses the different approaches hotels are using to make their hotels green. They are trying to use technology to reduce energy consumption which will help reduce fossil fuels. At Hotel 1000 in Seattle when a guest checks in the computer system sends a signal to the room to turn on the air conditioner. This system helped the hotel save approximately 40% on their energy. The Bardessono in Napa Valley has auto controls, so when the guest enters a room the sunshades rise, lights, television, and fireplace turn on. They will also turn off when the guest leaves the room. Xanterra in Death Valley has a total of 5,040 solar panels and uses wind power. By doing this they will offset emissions of 24,000 tons of dangerous pollutants over the next 25 years.

This hotel is a green initiative hotel, the furniture in this hotel are all recyclable. The linen detergents are also green initiative and does not harm the human body. All the garden and plant life / ecosystem enviroment does not use any ddt. They also use recyclable oil in their kitchen. The flooring bricks in this hotel also keeps the temperature constant using less energy to produce efficiency. So as the dual pane glass windows, keeping the guest room cool. The shower heads, faucets, toilets are all low flow water, guest also has the choice of reusing their towel and linens. Hotel Valley Ho participates in the Clean the World program; all soap, shampoo, and other in-room amenities are collected, cleaned, and recycled for use in developing countries.

It's very good that they recycle the oil that is used in the kitchen and all the unwanted food is composed and planted in the herbal garden!

This article indicated a kind of building structure and material for reducing the energy usage. Green building includes employing responsible, energy-efficient means in creating living, working and storage structures. Green building reduced energy usage by installing insulation. And this article introduced GREENGUARD certification to enhance the green movement. GREENGUARD Certification guarantees that the insulation is tested to ensure that chemical and particle emissions meet stringent indoor air quality pollutant standards. Considering the green hotel, this can be reducing the energy usage of hotel operation, the owner could be save cost, also save the environment.

SKY Hospitality and Widewaters Hotels select ed Aptech's Profitvue enterprise back office solution to provide accounting processes across multiple-branded properties. SKY Hospitality: performance-based decision making. This could provide a hotel-specific accounting system to grow their business and enhance their resource panning. Comparing with other performance management systems, the Profotvue and Aptech's are superior to others. Widewaters Hotel: "solid accounting". The evaluation from the industry consultants showed that Aptech was the most experienced hotel accounting company, its systems were solid and it provided excellent professional service.

After owning and developing properties for Hilton, Marriott, and Starwood, Widewaters recently launched its own management company. "Aptech has a track record of supporting hundreds of hotels and multi-property groups," says Arigo. "They also have experience with the largest chain flag operations.  As we expand our management organization, we can rely on Aptech to provide systems that support our growth and are easy to use." Profitvue handles single hotel operations, and multi-property and multi-company accounting.       Profitvue is available as a standalone application or as a thin-client Internet-enabled ASP hospitality back office solution.  Aptech hosts the application at its secure data center and manages responsibility for data backups and system maintenance. Hotel operators require only a PC and Internet connection to manage all their property financials, corporate accounting, and reporting needs.

INNCOM is the global hospitality-industry leader in advanced energy-management and Integrated Room Automation Systems (IRAS) for hotels and resorts. Furthermore, INNCOM is considered to be a pioneer in wireless environment installation with extensive experience in networking guestroom equipment and 25 years of tradition. INNCOM invented a Deep Mesh Network which uses advanced radio frequency technology to provide better control and monitoring over a hotel's HVAC, lighting and other equipment with the goals of reducing energy consumption and simultaneously improving the guest experience. In case of the Waikiki Beach Marriott Resort & Spa, it had upgraded its guestroom temperature control system to a networked energy management system utilizing the Deep Mesh Network (DMN) architecture from INNCOM, and since the 1,310-room property converted to this robust wireless environment (nearly eight months ago), energy consumption has dropped by 21 percent without requiring the 40-year-old facility to undergo an extensive or costly installation effort. After all, energy conservation is not just a question of saving money, but saving something that is home to us all: the earth.

Along with green initiatives in hotels and airlines, cruise lines and ports have been making efforts on "Going green" for years. This article, particularly introduces The Port of Los Angeles that can provide plug-in power system, a.k.a. Alternative Maritime Power system (AMP) to two cruise ships simultaneously. Basically, cruise ships consume the huge amount of fuel just like hundreds of cars do while they are in port. With the AMP that cruise ships gain electrical power from, cruise ships can turn off their engines while being at berth like an electric car. As a result, cruise ships can reduce their fuel cost and eliminate significant ship exhaust. More and more cruise ports have installed the AMP system and cruise ships have tried to be fitted to the power system. Obviously, the AMP is not the ultimate solution to pollution, however this can prevent the environment from being more polluted. The AMP system will advance, and we might see cruise ships sailing with only electrical power or other alternative power sources, such as solar power, power generated by cruise ships in the future.

this article summarizing the importance of the revenue management. it explains that to maximize the revenue, hotel have to see the rooms at the "right price to the right people at the right time". it also explains the difference in price based on the seasons, or business cycle. it encourages managers to recognize when the demand will go up and adjust the price accordingly. 

Yield management is a process by selling limited quantity of goods to create maximum profits. Successful yield management requires a manager to sell, such as hotel room, at the right time, right price, to right customer. To achieve this goal, manager should understand what the purpose of hotel, what the category of hotel, and why customer choose their hotel rather than others. And also should know the market principal about price fluctuate during off season and busy season. So it is necessary to know well about yield management in order to survive in the fierce competitive environment.

The growth and development of mobile technology has had positive effects on society. There are many advantages that are experienced from the implementation and use of mobile technology. It is obvious that mobile devices are intended to play and gradually more important role in the distribution and sale of travel services in years ahead. Hotel companies should capitalize on this technology and make the process of booking travel using smartphone. It will be a more intuitive process for guests. Mobile technology enables you to get real time hotel information and enable you to make speedy and informed decisions. With a big number of people using mobile technology growing each day, businesses are adopting the use of commerce to reach a larger pool of possible clients. By doing so, hotel businesses are able to increase their revenues and client base.

As most customers are supporting the green movement hoteliers had the need of applying green practices in their properties to attract potential clients. That is the case of Hilton Hotels such as the Strater and The Double Tree. "The Doubletree has been listed at the silver level by Green Seal, a nonprofit, third-party certifier in Washington, D.C. The Strater has been designated as meeting Energy Star standards set by the Environmental Protection Agency." Nielsen the Director of Marketing and Sales and green team leader at the Double Tree explains how the hotel had worked rigorously to become Green Seal certificated. Among the green practices that take place in the Double Tree as well as in The Strater are " recycling, energy efficiency, elimination of chemicals and the hotel had word volatile organic compounds, low-flow showers, toilets and sinks, and contracting with suppliers whose business practices are shades of green." The hotel also takes left over food and amenities to different organizations. With the implementation of the green practices the hotel has saved 26 percent on its energy costs by having lights with timers in low occupancy areas, low energy bulbs in offices and halls, and energy efficient lighting in guest rooms and restaurants.

Good article about the Doubletree receiving the silver level. They don't use chemical on their pools anymore and they also collect the leftovers from the restaurant and take it to a local ranch. Indeed, this shows that investing a great amount of money at first to become more and more green will lead them to save a lot of money in the long run!

As good an example as you will ever find about the benefits of the implementation of green technologies from top to bottom. I think this will begin to become common practice in the industry as more states adopt green certified practices in the lodging and hospitality industry in general.

The Amadeus computer system crashed on Monday, Jan 30, 2012 leaving thousands of airline passengers without the opportunity to check-in online, reserve their seats, or buy airplane tickets. For more than 3 hours, customers were very upset and unsatisfied for the delay that this situation caused by having the airline crew members manually put their information instead of usually scanning the ticket or passport.

Luckily this didn't happen during a busy time as the article stated. I can only imagine the bedlam had this happened during say the holiday season such as Christmas or a day following a major event like the Olympics or something similar. What I'd be interested t see is if all staff can react to and handle this as well as the staff of the airlines involved. I guess its a good example of having a back up plan in the instance of network issues such as this. Can't say our staff at work would be able to function as well in the instance of similar downtime.

This is an interesting article mentioning how airline industry goes green. Air France and Airbus combined the latest Bio-fuel and air traffic management technologies and reduced CO2 emissions in half. Furthermore, Continuous Descent Approach (CDA) is becoming more widespread as a way to reduce fuel burn. It requires significantly less engine thrust and less fuel burn. These green bio-fuel and CDA strategies might make airline companies as sustainable and valuable chains.

The nation's largest Army Reserve training post is "going green" . A new

As Americans tries to go paper less in many areas, the process is taking longer than expected. A survey conducted by TNS Global Market asks Americans if they would be willing to go paperless. Here are the results: 48% would be willing to reduce their use of newspapers, 45.9 % would reduce their use of magazines, 37.6 % are happy to reduce their use of forms, contracts, documents, 31.6% are willing to reduce their use of books and 6.1% would be willing to reduce their use of toilet paper. What do you think of that 6.1% that is willing to reduce the use of toilet paper?

This article highlight what different hotel chains are doing in order to "go green" It looks at different sections of the hotel and explains what the hotel chosen is doing to go green in the different areas. The first are is the Guest Room. The article explains the the Kimton Hotels have recycling bins for bottles, cans and paper and this increase there recycling rate to 75% over 3 years. The second area the article touches on is the Kitchen. It explains how the Fairmont Hotels and Resorts are encouraging their kitchens all over the world to use organic foods. The third area the article explains in the Bathroom. Apparently, the Aloft group has installed refillable shampoo and body wash dispenser at its locations and plan to do it for the future locations they are opening. As it relates to the outdoors, Asia's Six Senses is protecting the seascapes with chlorine fee pool sanitation system in order to protect the coral and marine life. The article also explained that the RockResorts have changed chemical cleaners to cleaners that were more natural. The article also states that changes are being made in shops and boutiques. The Swedish Scandic hotels stopped selling bottle water at 147 of their hotels and Banyan Tree resorts has partnered with local vendors to sell in their boutiques. I feel that all of these hotels and resorts are going in the right direction in order to save the environment in which they operate.

New York City union employees are trying to secure a contract that would include a 29 percent wage increase for workers in big hotels. Hotels will also increase contributions to worker pension funds to 10.5 percent of total payroll. That's opposed to the former 9 percent. The seven-year proposed contract would affect some 30 thousand employees and could raise some housekeeper salaries as high as 60 thousand dollars. In perspective, New York City has the highest yearly hotel occupancy rate of anywhere else in the world, at 85 percent. Room rates are well over 200 dollars. It's understandable how Hilton, Hyatt and other large brands can afford to negotiate with union demands. I foresee that the accounting departments in many of the big hotels will be quite busy making the adjustments if the proposed plan is accepted after Monday's vote.