Hospitality Technology

This writer Jeff Wuorio elucidates the many reasons as to why the point of sale system is so significant and important to any business. The article explains that it might be best to just step away from these old cash registers and step up to POS; such as, the Microsoft Dynamic Retail Management System. It is a computer software and hardware network that helps record sales as they are occurring, that way you can keep track of your inventory and pay more attention to your customers. The seven reasons are one your loss of inventory doesn't go undetected, You can keep track of which items that have been marked down, Promotions are easily tracked, it can automate host of functions when the boss is not present, your prices are consistent from one location to the next, you can get ma many tools from this single package such as payroll time clocks and a customer data preference data base, and lastly the best advantage to the POS system is the freedom, because it can now allow your employees to devote more of their time for better customer service.

This article is about an application developed by Big Night Entertainment Group called Tabbedout. This application is a secure mobile application that allows customer to view their account and pay it through their smart phone as the application is integrated with the Micros POS system. The application will be used in four of the company's venues. The application is a secure payment method as well as a marketing tool. The payment information of the customer is saved in the phone and not on a host server. This application gives customers a whole new customer service experience. Customers can close off their tab by simply paying from their smart phone, without having to wait for their server to come back with the bill, only to come back again after the customer has given away their credit card. Also, the server doesn't need to worry as their system has the customer credit card information to close the tab off in the event a customer walked out without paying.

This application is incredible. As technology advances, it makes our lives easier and simpler. Customers who pay through this application should feel more secure because identity theft is less likely to occur. As you said, the application gives customers new experience, and the advantages can result in enhancing customer satisfaction.

Through this article we can understand how the trends in event management industry taking shape. By having the knowledge of such trends in the event industry ,hotels can modify their strategies accordingly. Increasingly tech-savvy and eco-conscious clients will drive continued change in meetings and events management in the year ahead, according to meetings management, logistics and event company, Publicis Meetings USA (PMUSA). Technological advances are expected to be at the core of several trends in the meeting industry in 2011. Customizable mobile apps One trend is the use of mobile devices and customized applications to promote audience engagement, interactivity and networking. Mobile apps are now being developed for individual events and programs, allowing organizers to communicate with attendees before and during the meeting, especially regarding time-sensitive subjects like changes of itinerary, maps and other announcements. Hybrid meetings In today's cost-conscious business environment, PMUSA forecasts that new technologies will also drive continued growth in hybrid meetings. By incorporating hybrid components into their meetings, clients are saving money, achieving higher attendance rates and promoting sustainability. Incorporating technology, such as live broadcasts and video streaming, allows clients to conduct and attend meetings from a remote location. PMUSA believes that the cost savings is a major factor in this trend, along with the importance of a meeting's environmental responsibility." Comprehensive "green" meetings Meeting clients have increasingly been requesting "green" events, but it's the comprehensive nature of these requests that PMUSA sees as the most important trend for the coming year. Increasingly, clients are expecting every aspect of a meeting to include an environmental component, from biodiesel vehicles and biodegradable materials to the use of locally sourced food and reusable plants for centre pieces in lieu of cut flo

Yes, what you mention is the trend of technology using in event planning. I used to search information about the green concept of meeting. Now more and more planners consider this trend when plan meeting. It's a comprehensive one when implement.

Most of people believe that it is a trendwhich e-menu will replace traditional menus. E-menu has lots of advancedfeatures to provide a great dining experience such as the system is a simple,easy to use, modern digital touch screen computer or iPad with the restaurant'smenu on it. Also, with this modernized restaurant menu system, a customer'swaiting time will be minimized and waiter efficiency will increase. What'smore, e-menu is a full entertainment system which offers a wide range of games,chat and Facebook. Specially, the restaurant revenue willbe increase at least 10 % by using e-menu according to the latest studies. This digital restaurant menuwill completely replace the traditional paper menus soon based on its advancedfeatures. Restaurants using the e-menusystem have experienced an increase in customer satisfaction and loyalty,customer spending which is extremely important for a restaurant's operation ina long run.

Starwood hotel &Resorts Los Cabos have introduced 3-D online planning program to display the event details such as food and beverage, function space and table setting for the event planners. The event planners can design their own event setting by click the mouse. "view in 3D" button will offer a virtual 3D view of the event. Planners experience the event from the guest view. When all the event details are complete, event planners submit it online. The hotel will respond within 24 hours with a price quote. This technology makes the planning easier. It is cost effective way for the event planners to control all the event details in short time.

This technology sounds great! With this technology we can preview our event. That's makes the planning easier. What's more important we can intuitive see how does the design looks like.

The very first cash register was designed by James Ritty from Ohio in 1897. He designed the cash register so that his employees would not still from him. Today, this cash register is called a Point of Sale System (POS). It is more powerful than ever before. Nearly each and every business uses a POS system. A modern POS system is very powerful and efficient. They can store, track and retrieve all types of data. All the information can be accessible from anywhere and anytime, thanks to cloud computing.

this article shows several benefit of POS. It could provide detailed sales reports which enable to make more informed purchasing. It could also help to identify peak selling hours and items that frequently sell in pairs which help to boost profits. Furthermore, it improves the efficiency of the business. Moreover, it could improve customer relationships.

The event planning virtual software allows everything that you gather to be in one place. The article states "Event planning software takes important aspects of an event and keeps them all in one place for easy access". Event planning can be very challenging, because you have different information stored in different places; but with this virtual software it provides calendar, contact lists, online registration and your to do list all in one place. The software is available for a trial, before purchased; so that you can test it and see if it's in your liking. The article discusses other companies that provide similar services as the virtual event planning software. The websites that they mentioned are Eventpro-planner.com, Eventbrite.com and Punchbowl.com. The Eventbrite website, helps you to manage events; which also provides you with live attendees. They also provide marketing tools for your event like e-mail and social media marketing. Punchbowl.com is a website that offers event planning services for free. Some of the services are: invitations, accept RSVPs, manage your to do list, and it even accept guest contribution in monitory founds for your event. With all these software development, and the fact that they are virtual; this create a new entity to the event planning world.

This kind of software sounds really good. It can imitate to hold an event in details. It gives these options which also remind a planner of something important things. And also I can test it before purchased, I think this is good, cause some software actually does not fit for you, and you realize that after purchasing and using it.

POS is necessary management tool for a hotel operator to own because it enhances greatly the effectiveness of food, beverage, accounting, back-office management and saves food cost and labor cost and also save manager to deal with amount of numbers to analysis. As a operator of a hotel, to invest in a new POS system, there are some important features need to look for which include data reporting, back office management & integration, customer relationship management, wireless computing & handheld devices, payment security, self service technology. Wireless point of sale system is a booming field in recent years. In traditional environment such as a restaurant or a hotel, this technology helps to save time rather than waiting in a line for a long time and reducing service quality. Through wireless POS terminal, each order transmitted instantly and avoid overwhelming to back office and speed up the effectiveness of service staff. Self-service technology created a buzz in recent years. We can see this kind of service devices in supermarket, buffet restaurant and many other places. It saves labor cost on the one hand and also saves customers' time for checking out. 

For the customers, pay-at-table technology is very convinence and prevent customers from thieves. For the owners, it builds the raputation of the restaurant and effective the working process. The only thing I concern is about the cost to implement this technology. Whether the pay-at-table technology can be widely used or not may depend on the cost to apply.

This article gives pros and cons of mobile apps compared to mobile websites for event planners. Of course each have their positives and negatives. I think the decision of going mobile app or website depends on the people who are attending your event. If it's more of an older business crowd, I think a mobile website would be most appropriate. You can email the web address to all attendees and then they can click into it straight from the email on their smartphone. This can work with any phone that supports a web browser so you don't have to worry about developing an app for iPhones, Androids, and Blackberries. If the attendees are younger and more tech savvy, an app is probably the way to go since that can incorporate parts of their phone like the camera. Younger people are more apt to take pictures and post them to twitter or facebook. With the app they could do that right in the app and connect to more of their peers that way. Younger attendees are more likely to go through the trouble of downloading the app and using all of its features whereas older, more business oriented attendees are more likely to appreciate the ease of use of just clicking on a web link. At any rate it's an interesting choice to make if you are unable to afford both options. 

In 2011, it was announced that Panasonic would be providing their Stingray POS workstations to Carl's Jr. and Hardee's franchisees. This new type of POS system would allow for improved customer service, increased security and increase operational efficiency for the firm. Additionally, the POS system would have increased RAM and could also be integrated into a LAN network. I believe that investing in such systems is extremely beneficial to the firm if it does provide the expected and promised results. It is a costly investment but could in the long term provide tremendous benefits to the company.

The Hotel Technology Next Generation (HTNG) is a trade association charged to advance the application of hotel technology. HTNG is holding a competition to see what technology leaders think was the most innovation technology to be introduced to hotels in 2011. The judges in the competition are the people who select, buy, and deploy technologies in hotels around the world. HTNG's hotel members, which include top technologists from all of the world's top 10 hotel brand as well as from smaller groups and independent hotels. In order to apply, vendors may submit the application at : http://www.htng.org/innovation by February 24th and pay the $500 application submission fee.

Google is releasing some data on mobile search and Valentine's Day. The company said, "A whopping 62 percent of total searches for popular national chain restaurants [in the US] on Valentine's Day occurred on high end mobile devices or tablets." The reason that it focus on national chain restaurants is that it is obvious that customers are searching for a restaurant when they put in the keyword such as "Cheesecake factory" rather than "papaya".

WebPMS Pros * Typically less cost involved with computer equipment compared to server based. * Full time IT department at the hotel may not be necessary. * Remote access is easy when owner, manager or reservationist is not at the property and they need access to the property management system from a different location. * Consistent Data backup is completed at the data centre.(You need to verify this with your vendor, see the Service Level Agreement provided by your vendor for more information.) * Software enhancements and upgrades are typically done regularly and easily. * Quick deployment. Cons * Does not work optimally without a good quality high speed Internet connection. * Data access is dependent on the Internet connection being available. * Not a good choice for areas that have unreliable internet connections. PMS/Server Based *Costs to setup and maintain are typically higher than web based systems *Backup is done at the property and may not be tested for integrity or may be forgotten. *Data is physically located at the hotel; data security may not be as high. *Software enhancements and upgrade need to be applied via modem, internet or CD and are done less frequently due to the slower procedure.

As an industry leader in locking system, electronic in-room safety and energy management company, VingCard Elsafe just have their new product come out. And early this month, the Grand Hyatt San Francisco finished their renewal and started to use the complete package of hotel PMS and other related systems from this company. The biggest difference of this system from others is that this property management system not only provides automatic convenient service but also does a good job in energy saving. The whole package also include the in room control dashboard, which can automatically control the temperature and other electrical devices when the room is occupied. I think this is a great idea, it not only helps the hotel to provide service better or save the utility cost, but also bring a good reputation to the hotel as being green.

A key focus for hoteliers around the world in 2012 will be the integration of their online distribution with their Property Management Systems (PMS) and Revenue Management Systems (RMS) to make their online reach faster, simpler and more powerful. It means that many accommodation providers will switch their channel management strategy from the "legacy" manual channel management products of yesterday to technologies capable of providing fully automated, two- way, seamless integration between online booking channels and their PMS, CRS or RMS systems.

This article discusses the effects of technology on the hospitality industry. It discusses that the bottom line of using technology is to create a better level of service quality and customer satisfaction. These are including the software that the employees use to check in the guests as well. how social networking helps market to those on the web and there is minimal costs associated with this. It also talks about the next important steps that hospitality industry needs to take from other industries like stately formulation for restaurants. In conclusion this article states that technology plays a key strategic role in the growth and progression of the industry and i completely agree. with out it no company will be able to keep up with their competitors.

Technology plays an important role nowadays in different areas. Without the updated technologies, its hard for the organization to compete with its competitors. In my opinion, organization should do the environmental scanning on what competitors have in order to keep up with them.

This article describes a new PMS technology helps keep costs down, among other benefits. This will allow smaller hotels the opportunity to access systems for the purpose of pricing and placement in the industry.

Choice Hotels International has established thousands of Cloud Based Property Management Systems in its hotels. It can track every aspect of a guest stay in one centralized location and store it in the much cheaper and more efficient Cloud System. This system is being used in 5000 locations globally and is contributing to Choice Hotels' increasing profits.

Choice Hotels International Inc. manages its 5,000 hotels using a cloud-based hotel PMS named choiceADVANTAGE. It provides user-friendly functionalities to assist with guest services and revenue management, and gives the company's employees remote access through any computer that offers Internet access. The system provides companies a competitive advantage by providing them an easier form of checking guests in and out which in turn leads to superior guest interaction. The program is designed to provide seamless interaction with the central reservation and customer relationship management system supplied on the Internet, providing a higher value to the hotel. ChoiceADVANTAGE is a great investment for large hotel chains because it requires a small initial investment and eliminates the need to purchase, store and maintain the infrastructure and hardware usually associated with traditional property management systems.

This choiceADVANTAGE allows the Choice Hotel to integrate different systems without too much start up cost. I think its really a great investment helping hotels adding their value.