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nixalexa

What are the Pros & Cons of Cloud Computing? | Morefield - 0 views

  • Cloud computing is when entities share a network of remotely accessible servers. The servers are hosted on the Internet, allowing businesses to manage data “in the cloud” instead of on a local server. It’s a shared space in which devices in the network can access data from anywhere.
    • nixalexa
       
      Many companies use cloud computing, where they can store software and important company information in one place. This article I chose from Morefield Communications it mentions how cloud computing has pros and cons. When discussing the pros cloud computing saves more money and time than having your IT teamwork with a server that might not be reliable and might not be as fast as having a cloud. When something goes wrong with the cloud, the company you use is responsible for making sure that the cloud is working properly and that any faults in the system get fixed, while with personal servers, your IT team has to be the one to fix these mistakes and maintain the installations and maintenance on the system. When discussing the cons managers and companies have to realize if they invest in clouds, it might not be cheap and if they decide to go from a cloud back to a personal server it might be expensive. Because clouds are owned by service providers you many times will have little control as it pertains to infrastructure and connection problems within the cloud unless it is due to your Wi-Fi. I believe if your company has high-speed internet and good bandwidth, as well as the financial means to maintain a cloud for a business I would recommend it.
mmorr116

Wendy's and Google Cloud Partner to Enhance the Wendy's Restaurant Experience | Hospita... - 1 views

  • Wendy's® and Google Cloud announced a partnership to enhance the Wendy's restaurant experience and unlock new customer, restaurant, and employee experiences through data-driven insights.
  • Wendy's intends to leverage Google Cloud's data analytics, artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), and hybrid cloud tools to create new ways customers can order food in the drive thru, on their mobile devices and through other touchpoints.
  • Google Cloud's AI/ML and data analytics solutions will enable Wendy's to innovate ways to create fast, frictionless, and fun interactions that redefine the way customers visit and enjoy our restaurants."
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  • By bringing together Wendy's commitment to innovation, with the best of Google technology, we can help build the quick service restaurant of tomorrow that redefines speed, convenience, and quality.
  •  
    Wendy's plans to 1) reimagine the restaurant experience for customers and employees by improving business analytics and reporting 2) create new ways of ordering food through mobile, web, and other touchpoints at the restaurant 3) provide a next-gen restaurant experience.
wenjieyang

How Technology is Changing the Restaurant Industry - 0 views

  • Restaurants that quickly pivoted to online ordering, drive-throughs, and carry out food were able to maintain steady business. Mobile ordering technology also reduces wait time for customers, making fast food even faster.
  • Online reviews have changed the restaurant landscape forever by giving an immense amount of  control to consumers.
  • In a world where any bad experience can turn away potential visitors, restaurants must step up their service, cleanliness, and food quality.
    • wenjieyang
       
      I agree. The restaurant I work at now takes customer reviews very seriously. Employee bonuses are related to customer reviews.
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  • it removes another touch point and both simplifies and speeds up the buying process.
  • Three of the biggest ways technology helps restaurants is with their digital food safety, employee performance, and team accountability.
  • digital food safety helps restaurants be compliant and serve hot fresh food.  
  • BOH digital software also helps restaurant owners ensure orders are accurate, service is friendly, and all employees are trained with the tools they need to succeed.
ecast038

Cloud vs On-premise PMS for hotels: which one is better? - CiHMS - 0 views

  • On-premise Property Management System requires a significant number of “on property” hardware compared to the Cloud-based one. It gives the hoteliers total control: data and the system, system configurations, networks, updates, and changes are all yours to decide
  • Running the On-premises PMS means hoteliers must maintain a dedicated server room, which also needs an effective cooling system and an around-the-clock support team to keep everything up and running smoothly
  • With the cloud computing vendors, the PMS providers would be responsible for most of the IT operations expense. The hoteliers can also get the advantages from the cloud computing vendors’ highly available servers, at their optimal performance.
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  • The hidden cost includes hardware server costs, additional IT staff expenses to manage the system infrastructure, maintenance fees (yes, more maintenance fees), and the expenses of other 3rd party software integrations
  • A cloud-based PMS has a much lower entry cost. They charge a fixed monthly subscription model, with a small initial setup fee. No server cost, maintenance fee, extra human resources cost, lower energy bills and is an extremely affordable budget for small and medium scaled hotel businesses
  • Although you can set up your On-premises PMS to be accessed from an off-site workstation or device, remote access can be affected by various factors. Getting real-time data can certainly be challenging, especially not at the speed that cloud-based PMS delivers
  • Undoubtedly, On-premises PMS is still ahead of the Cloud-based system when it comes to the number of integration capabilities, the flexibility of built-in reports that got customized, added over the years. 
  • a security breach can happen, losing your internal data, your brand reputation, revenue loss is unavoidable. 
  • It explains the widespread adoption of cloud-based systems. The only thing you have to hold responsible for is your Internet connectivity which is basic infrastructure any hotel should already have in place. In fact, the switch to cloud-based PMS is not impossible for the existing On-premises system.
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    When it comes to deciding whether you should switch to cloud computing or remain with on-premises PMS, it all depends on your company. Many people fail to see the hidden costs associated with on-premise PMS such as hardware costs, IT staff to manage the infrastructure and expenses coming from 3rd party software integrations. Although on-premises PMS can be more customizable for companies, cloud-based systems are dominating. They reduce costs, are highly accessible in real time, fees are consistent, and are highly secured.
jblan183

Smart hospitality-Interconnectivity and interoperability towards an ecosystem - Science... - 0 views

  • The Internet brings boundary-less business environment and a strong competitive market. The oversupply of tourism suppliers, especially in the hotel industry, forces hoteliers to be innovative and creative and to find ways to differentiate and give prominence to their hotel among the large number of competitors.
    • jblan183
       
      Using the "smartness" of the internet through interoperability and interconnectivity, the tourism industry can enable hospitality organizations to develop their competitiveness through better understanding of customers and market conditions and develop their decision making processes.
  • Technology in hospitality not only acts as a tools to improve operation efficiency and effectiveness (Yu and Lee, 2009) but also co-create customer experiences (Neuhofer et al., 2015), improve organisational performance (Melián-González and Bulchand-Gidumal, 2016), and disseminate marketing information (Okumus, 2013). Electronic marketing campaigns now shift its focus to cocreate through social media. Customers’ pre-purchase and on-site behaviour are influenced by the context posted on online platforms (Buhalis and Foerste, 2015).
    • jblan183
       
      This can be proven with the preferences of the guests in terms of making reservations. According to EuroStat, "In marketing and distribution statistics have shown that 59% of the travel reservation are made online," indicating "strong customer desire for online platform reservations" using online travel agency websites "as the key information and booking source for hotel reservations," as studied by Yacoue and Fleischer.
  • Based on the related literature on smart network and application interoperability and interconnectivity, this study proposes an integrated smart hospitality network which includes sensors (for collecting external data), cloud computing (big data storage and processing), and intelligence applications that enables automated operations to support intelligent business decisions with minimum customization of communication protocols.
ivonneyee

Yum Brands Is Adding Disruptive Technologies Across Its Global Restaurant System. Here'... - 0 views

  • Those moves set the ball set in motion to integrate technology-centric solutions across its four brands across the world with an objective of elevating both the customer and team member experiences.
  • “What Covid has done is change our mindset. We don’t have to have everything perfect to launch something. For example, in Pizza Hut, U.S., we launched contactless curbside and carryout in two weeks. In the previous environment, it would have taken months, committees, testing protocols. Now we don’t have the luxury of time. We don’t have to wait until we have sharpened the blade to perfection. Our strategy is the same, but our pace is faster,” Felder said during a recent interview.
  • “Digital Innovation Lab,” led by Park, a partnership with the Plug and Play platfo
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  • rm for startups and plans for a physical innovation lab to open later this year
  • The digital lab is unique in that it translates restaurant operations–be it at KFC, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell or Habit Burger–into a cloud “facility.”
  • Park’s team takes all digital inputs from Yum’s restaurants, like closed-circuit television footage of cars in the drive-thru, point-of-sale data or drive-thru audio, and puts it into the cloud
  • Plug and Play, which claims to be the world’s largest global innovation platform for startups and corporations
  • Automation can free up employees’ time spent on manual back-of-house tasks so they can focus more on customer-facing tasks, ideally providing more speed and accuracy in the process.
  • Some of these ideas–like voice, artificial intelligence, computer vision, IoT–have popped up in the restaurant industry here and there. None, however, have proliferated at the global scale Yum Brands offers. This is where the true disruption could happen. Yum has over 50,000 restaurants in more than 150 countries and territories, and employs 1.5 employees and franchise associates. Few food and beverage companies have this kind of global footprint.
  • Restaurant companies are no longer dabbling in technology efficiencies, they’re relying on them for their very survival. In fact, because of the pandemic, digital sales are now expected to make up more than half of limited-service business by 2025–a 70% increase over pre-COVID estimates. 
  • “The big lesson for us is we’ve got to be where the customer is. We have several restaurants at the moment trying to take consumer ease to the next level,” Felder said. “I don’t think we’ve ever seen a more fertile time of innovation in the history of the restaurant industry. We’re about to hit a wave of transformative innovations.”
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    Yum Brands, which runs restaurants KFC, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell and Habit Burger, is integrating technology-centric solutions across its four brands around the world, which could result in an acceleration of disruptive technologies on a large scale. This Digital Innovation Lab then adds information from thousands of Yum Brand restaurants into a cloud facility. The information includes closed-circuit tv from a restaurant's drive-thru and point-of-sale or drive-thru audio. Hundreds of startups then get access to the data to compare their technologies in the lab. They're able to use that information to create more automated services like artificial intelligence, computer vision and the Internet of Things. Yum's idea is by improving automation back of house, employees can focus more time on customer-facing tasks, resulting in more speed and accuracy.
lhick022

Disruptive Innovation: The Inevitable Change Every Market Must Face | MassChallenge - 0 views

  • According to Forbes, innovation could wipe out $8 trillion worth of U.S. public company equity
  • every company must have an effective strategy to either engage in or counteract disruptive innovation in its industry.
  • Clayton Christensen first coined the disruptive innovation theory in a Harvard Business School paper to refer to companies who meet market demands with a simpler, cheaper solution.
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  • This practice often results in game-changing products that are fundamentally different from any current choice on the market.
  • sustaining innovation seeks only to improve upon existing concepts or products
  • It happens slowly at first
  • Low-end market disruption occurs at the “low end” of existing value networks. Unlike new-market disruption, it does not launch a groundbreaking alternative.
  • Lower margins
  • Higher risks
  • Disrupts an existing market or creates a new on
  • Involves new technology and a new business model
  • New-market disruptors create products or solutions that are so much more affordable or convenient than existing options that entirely new segments of the population can begin using them.
  • New innovation is often ignored at the outset
  • It seems obvious only after the fac
  • Because of these potential costs, innovating in a disruptive fashion may be ill-suited for organizations that do not wish to commit these resources.
  • Software as a Service
  • Video Streaming
  • Smartphones
  • Personal Computers
  • Lightbulbs
  • Artificial Intelligence (AI)
  • Ride Sharing
  • It is important to note that you don't have to choose only one type of innovation at the other's expense.
  • Peer to Peer Accommodation
  • Lack of Leadership
  • Lack of Culture
  • . Sooner or later, your market is going to face a newcomer with a never-seen-before idea or business model. You must seek out ways of doing it first or else brace for the impact.
  • Listen To Your Customers
  • Focus On Your Business Model
  • Find an Innovation Partner
  •  
    This article fully explains disruptive innovation, its almost as if the article listened to the lecture then wrote the paper. I could have highlighted the whole paper, it lists causes, characteristics and effects of disruptive innovations.
ecast038

Disruption Drives the Hospitality Industry to Innovation - Hotel Business - 0 views

  • looks
  • drastic
  • looks
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  • As the industry looks to rebound, hotel owners, in particular, are introducing new solutions and services to entice guests, including embracing automation, a once taboo term in an industry used to thinking of service in a very human-centric way. From robot concierges to new marketing strategies, hotel owners are changing the norm to address social distancing measures and lingering travel concerns.
  • Property automation system companies are catering specifically to the accommodations industry to
  • the industry must completely re-evaluate and adjust operations to reduce potential touchpoints, and automation is a crucial component at this time.
  • The entire check-in process can now be done through a smartphone, minimizing staff interactions and reducing exposure to a crowded lobby. Guests can check-in with a single touch and enter their room in minutes without even requiring a physical key card.
  • centric
  • drastic
  • For an industry that has long since relied on its (human) staff to deliver customer service, this is
  • make the integration of smart locks and devices easily accessible.
  • experience
  • shift to a tech-first experience. However, for hotels struggling to open with a skeleton staff to reduce overhead, an automated management system can improve efficiency and the overall guest experience.
  • experience
  • branded apps are a one-stop portal for everything from reservations to room service. Used c
  • orrectly, a branded app can help streamline operations and establish a direct channel of communication between hotels and guests.
  • Smart technology is a key investment for hotels as they look to reduce high touchpoints in rooms. Voice assistants can control nearly everything in a room, including temperature, lighting, alarm clocks, televisions an
  • d to order room service. It also creates an opportunity for hotels to learn guest patterns and personalize the experience even further.
  • And based on the past few months, the industry is rising to the challenge.
  • the pandemic accelerated the need to embrace smart technology and automation urgently, putting more pressure on an industry with slim profit margins to cover the costs of implementing the infrastructure to accommodate these changes. The industry has its back against the wall, forcing change and innovative new thinking to adapt and entice guests back as travel resume
  •  
    Before the pandemic hotels were using apps to allow guests to view hotels in their area and book hotels from the comfort of their phone. These apps also had incentives to make customers want to book through the app, now that the pandemic has caused individuals to not be able to be in contact as much, the hotels have taken advantage of these apps to allow guest to do more. Guests are now able to check in through these apps, open the door to their room without needing a key, ordering room service and towels and other toiletries through the app as well. The pandemic forced a lot of companies within the hospitality and tourism sector to become more technology friendly in the sense that they wanted less person-to-person contact, for the safety of external guests and internal guests. Like mentioned in the article smart devices have more of an influence on the guests experience overall, the article mentioned how hotels are using robots to clean rooms, deliver room service and toiletries to guest to increase social distancing standards within the properties. Hospitality was once known as an experience only able to be best delivered by humans but now it is an experience through technology that brings comfort to guests.
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    To provide safer environments to guests and avoid going out of business, hotels had to quickly adopt changes and innovations. Although the industry has heavily relied on human interaction for all customer service aspects, smart technology and automation has been crucial for hotels. In many hotels, all guests need is their smartphone to check-in and get in to their rooms. Marketing has changed and many hotels rooms now feature workstations and gym equipment to ease guests travel concerns.
mmorr116

Virtual reality tourism ready for takeoff as travellers remain grounded | Virtual reali... - 2 views

  • Experts say pandemic could provide watershed moment for technology, potentially leading to more sustainable tourism
  • With globe-trotting banned in the pandemic, increasing numbers of people are turning to virtual reality to relieve pent-up demand for travel.
  • As historic sites are damaged through mass tourism, recreating them in VR could help conserve them.
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    As an example of VR use for sustainable tourism, on October 16, the Boca Raton Museum of Art in Florida debuted the first of its kind, full-motion, 360-degree, interactive VR experience of the Machu Picchu and the Golden Empires of Peru exhibition. In order to preserve this historic site, less than one million visitors are allowed in each year. On-site use of VR tech for a synchronous guest experience is also being explored and has the potential to be disruptive to use of tour guides. Plus, VR technology provides such rich immersive travel experiences that traditional marketing tools like pictures or standard print ads cannot match.
jblan183

Hotel tech bosses urge better multi-platform integration | PhocusWire - 0 views

  • The independent report (not put in the field by an existing tech brand or hotelier) from hospitality consultant Josiah Mankenzie found that over 80% of chief information officers, chief technology officers and chief operating officers of hotel brands wanted their PMS provider to concentrate on integrations.
  • Other noteworthy items in the survey included some relief for PMS vendors, with around 70% of respondents expressing they are satisfied with their current supplier.
    • jblan183
       
      From the Property System Management Survey website, it is shown in their survey that out of the 56 persons surveyed, most of them were somewhat satisfied with their current supplier; They are satisfied, but most believe they could have gotten an even better value from other vendors.
  • Half of respondents said supporting integration with other vendors, compared to 15% for growing revenue, 11% for time-saving functionality. Other factors such as mobile usage, security and cost all came in 5% or lower.
    • jblan183
       
      To further clarify this, the 56 persons surveyed say that the most important value provided are the integrations provided, highlighting the necessity as the survey was done when COVID-19 had hit the Hospitality and Tourism Industry hard, creating obstacles to the hotel tech bosses.
wenjieyang

How COVID-19 has sped up hospitality technology - Insights - 1 views

  • Not only can this advanced technology provide an attractive and safe service for customers, it can also collect and analyse essential data.
  • Machine-learning, big data and AI systems are already central to an industry shaped by online search engines and booking apps. New developments in these technologies have a huge potential to revolutionise the industry and to help hotels as they recover from the impact of the pandemic.
  • The biggest advantage of developments in machine learning is the ability of businesses to personalize experiences and provide constantly improving, streamlined services and marketing, based on customer data.
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  • There is endless potential in mobile integration not only to help customers, but also to help hospitality businesses to track data, manage revenue, offer new products or improve services. Plus, branded and mobile menu apps have been shown to be effective in increasing customer spending.
  • QR codes
    • wenjieyang
       
      Yes, the restaurant I'm interning at now no longer uses the traditional to-go menu and is using QR codes menus.
  • ApplePay or GooglePay.
    • wenjieyang
       
      Now we can use apple pay to pay in many shopping malls, restaurants, hotels, and supermarkets.
  • Because many of these contactless solutions are also easy, convenient, fast, and integrated with smart hotels and mobile apps, they’ve had the additional benefit of streamlining customer experiences.
  • We are entering a new era of where innovations in technology are bringing exciting new possibilities to hospitality.
kesca010

Innovation in event management - a vision of the future - 0 views

  • With video conferencing tools like Zoom and Google Meet quickly becoming part of our daily working lives, speakers have still been able to reach an audience, and conferences have still been able to take place.  
  • Singapore is well positioned to pioneer these new models.
  • “Hybrid events are expected to be the norm in the new Covid-19 environment, with a blend of virtual and physical elements, while retaining the ‘live’ aspect that fulfils the need to connect and network,” says Carrie Kwik, Singapore Tourism Board’s (STB) executive director, Europe.”
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  • Therefore, it is critical for our industry to pivot and adapt to new event formats and business models.” 
  • One thing is clear for the events industry: it will not entail jumping right back into pre-Covid norms.
  • According to Singapore’s Economic Development Board, the city state plays host to 59% of the Asian regional headquarters of multinational tech companies.
  • ttendees could be given an RFID token that blinks red when a person breaches safe social distancing guidelines, while movement tracking could take place via beacon or Bluetooth technology. 
  • For this reason, STB is developing a suite of initiatives to help tourism businesses in Singapore build the capabilities they need to succeed in the digital age.  
  • As digital/virtual becomes a key feature of many events in future, a successful venue may be one that can adapt its physical spaces and technological bandwidth to embrace this feature.” 
  •  
    This article covers how Singapore is one of the leading countries in innovation when it comes to event management. It goes into discussing the new normal and how the Singapore Tourism Board's reacted to it. In addition, there is statement explaining how Singapore's largest venue is now being used as a hybrid broadcast studio. They have taken this time during the pandemic to pilot innovative schemes and use it to not only adapt to the current crisis but also think ahead to the future of events. With that said, COVID-19 has pushed for for a flow of disruptive innovators in the event management industry. This is shown in the hybrid version of events.
nixalexa

OPEX or CAPEX for your IT Investment? | TOUGHBOOK Blog - 0 views

  • The “as-a-service” approach also has other benefits when it comes to flexibility. It’s much easier for a business to scale up and down as required. For example, adding new devices and services on a monthly basis or removing them. This flexibility ensures the business only pays for what it needs at the time, rather than having additional tech that is no longer required gathering dust in the warehouse.
    • nixalexa
       
      This approach is more beneficial for smaller companies, as many times they do not have the money to invest in these capital expenditures all upfront. This article explained the relation between Capital Expenditures vs Operational Expenditures as it relates to technology. This article explained how more companies have been taking the operational approach versus the capital approach because technology does not last forever. Almost every 3-5 years companies have to change their technology to stay up-to-date and efficient with their software and devices. Capital expenditures require all of the money upfront while operational expenditures is money spent as it comes in, like utilities, rent and other monthly or quarterly services.
  • Traditionally, if a business wanted to invest in IT equipment, such as new laptops or PCs, they would pay for their technology upfront as a capital expenditure (CAPEX).
khiyara_00

Three ways technology is improving hotel security | TOPHOTELNEWS - 3 views

  • Mobile keys are making an entrance, and this means added security for guests. In some instances, the technology can alert guests and hotel management when someone has entered the room or tried to get in.
  • Many properties are expanding the number and locations of cameras, upgrading hardware, and using better software to run and monitor the cameras. Some of the more advanced systems offer low-light vision, facial recognition, and movement and color recognition analysis software.
  • To combat cybercrime, hotels are taking steps to incorporate more advanced firewalls, limiting who has access to data, and securing mobile devices of employees.
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  • Mobile keys are making an entrance, and this means added security for guests. In some instances, the technology can alert guests and hotel management when someone has entered the room or tried to get in.
  • Mobile keys are making an entrance, and this means added security for guests. In some instances, the technology can alert guests and hotel management when someone has entered the room or tried to get in.
  • 2. Hotel security monitoring systems get an upgrade
  • ware to run and monitor the cameras. Some of the more advanced systems offer low-light vision, facial recognition, and movement and color recognition analysis software.
  • 3. Hotel security and cybercrime
  • New technology, such as mobile key cards, advanced monitoring systems, and cybercrime initiatives are working to protect property and personal information, so travelers can always feel more secure.
  •  
    In this article, TOPHOTELNEWS highlights three ways technology is reducing incidences of theft, assault, and data breaches in the hotel industry. Mobile keys allow guests and hotel staff to monitor who enters a room and when, limiting the chances of theft. Security cameras now offer low-light vision and facial recognition, and their decrease in size allows for discrete placement. Cybercrime initiatives are also working harder than ever to secure delicate information by developing advanced firewalls. Each of these advancements allows travelers to feel more secure in their "home away from home."
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  •  
    This is a great article as the hotel that i work for as many of these same features including the mobile keys, and high definition security cameras and a great team at the back of it. Although it is all good to have those features having the right team makes a huge difference. I have many examples with while being at the hotel probably having a difficult interaction with a guess the security team call me to make sure that i am ok. This made me feel safe to the highest extent that they are watching and alert.
  •  
    This article discusses three ways that hotel security is being enhanced by technology. One way is by mobile keys. Customers no longer have to use physical keys. They can simply use their mobile phone to open room doors. They don't have to worry about their keys going into the wrong hands. The second way is cameras. Modern cameras are smaller and are more easily hidden and can more accurately take pictures of the faces of persons who enter and exit hotels. The third way is to enhance the cybersecurity of the hotels' computer systems.
  •  
    This article discusses the ways a hotel can implement security measures to keep guest information and company's data safe.
ldevaul

How the travel industry can fight back against cyberthreats | SmartBrief - 1 views

  • Travel and hospitality businesses have become lucrative targets in recent years for cybercriminals who have stolen from the industries in attacks that often take more than half a year to identify.
  • In the past three years alone, the hotel industry has faced 13 serious attacks, according to an IntSights study.
  • The travel and leisure sectors suffered a 155.9% year-over-year rise in suspected online fraud attempts worldwide in the second quarter, according to a TransUnion study, compared with a 16.5% increase in overall alleged intrusions.
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  • The hotel industry attracts cybercriminals because it handles so many financial transactions in so many countries.
  • The top threat to hotels is phishing, a scam in which hotel guests may receive fake phone calls claiming to be from the front desk. The caller could claim that there is an issue with the credit card on file and that they need to re-verify the payment method. 
  • DarkHotel hacks are another significant threat. These target travelers via hotel Wi-Fi. Digital certificates are sent to guests, like a familiar adobe update, which will retrieve sensitive information. Hotel chains are combating these hacks by suggesting that guests use a virtual private network.
  • Malware (malicious software) is something criminals email employees, under the guise of the attachment or link looking innocent or legitimate. But when the user opens the file or clicks on the link, their system (and more) can be hacked into by the criminal.
  • IT department should routinely update operating systems and back up data and files, and every employee should double-check sources when asked for software administrative permissions. Also, strong firewalls can limit bad traffic and provide security. 
  • Software and hardware can help prevent breaches, but employee training is also an essential part of any hotel’s cybersecurity.
  • only around 35% of airlines and 30% of airports are prepared for cyberattacks.
  • “Guests can enroll in a service called WebWatcher, which monitors the sites where personal information may be shared and alerts guests if evidence of their personal data is found,”
  • Hotels are not alone in being targeted by cybercriminals: The airline industry has faced serious cyberattacks as well, and many airlines still aren’t equipped to handle them.
  • In 2018, a Marriott reservation system was hacked. More than 500 million customer records, including credit card information and passport numbers, were stolen. The company said the hack went back four years prior to the discovery and, when it was noticed, the company started using computer and mobile device monitoring software.
  • "The proliferated effect of the attack on SITA is yet another example of how vulnerable organizations can be solely on the basis of their connections to third-party vendors,"
  • The aviation industry faces dangers such as ransomware and distributed-denial-of-service attacks. Following the SITA attack, HackerOne solutions architect Shlomie Liberow stressed that airlines need to prepare for the worst. 
  • traditional enterprises like airlines have always been an attractive target since few are digital-first businesses, and therefore have relied on legacy software, which is more likely to be out-of-date or have existing vulnerabilities that can be exploited."
  • The airline industry needs to keep third-party vendors in check when it comes to protecting information. Given the high stakes involved, experts suggest that blind trust is not an option. 
  • “You simply cannot know whether your third parties meet your company’s security controls and risk appetite until you’ve completed a full vendor security assessment on them,
  • It’s important to note that the best practice is not a ‘one-and-done’ activity, but through real-time, continuous monitoring.”
  • In 2015, hackers targeted Polish airline LOT’s ground operations system, affecting 1,400 passengers. The hackers made it impossible to create flight plans and flights. It was the first attack of its kind, and it caused concern about cyberattacks one day remotely taking control of planes.
  • To address the threat, the standard advice is to back up and store data in multiple places, including off your physical premises, and have one copy of it be offline
  • Multifactor authentication and long, complicated passwords will take longer to crack. Updating and patching systems regularly helps companies avoid being victimized when a new exploit is discovered.
  • Treating cybersecurity as a companywide concern, not an IT concern, encourages each employee to take ownership of their actions and knowledge and to seek help proactively instead of making an “innocent” mistake that costs the company millions of dollars.
  • Finally, companies should avoid simply throwing money at the problem: Not all cybersecurity solutions work together, which wastes money and increases the risk of a breach.
  •  
    This article discusses ways that the travel industry can combat cyberthreats. The main cyber concern for hotels' is phishing, which is a scam that collects credit card information by pretending to be apart of a hotel's front desk staff. The article mentions that IT departments should do routinely updates to operating systems and back up data and files. Employees should also be trained to help prevent data breaches. The author briefly touched on what to do when your hotel system is hacked and even dives into how the airline industry is still very unequipped to handle cyberattacks and threats. This is a great read to learn how to keep up with best security practices in the hospitality and tourism industry.
dlevine4195

How 9/11 changed air travel: more security, less privacy - 0 views

  • The worst terror attack on American soil led to increased and sometimes tension-filled security measures in airports across the world, aimed at preventing a repeat of that awful day.
  • The cataclysm has also contributed to other changes large and small that have reshaped the airline industry — and, for consumers, made air travel more stressful than ever.
  • Transportation Security Administration, a force of federal airport screeners that replaced the private companies that airlines were hiring to handle security.
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  • The law required that all checked bags be screened, cockpit doors be reinforced, and more federal air marshals be put on flights.
  • Things that clearly could be wielded as weapons, like the box-cutters used by the 9/11 hijackers, were banned. After “shoe bomber” Richard Reid’s attempt to take down a flight from Paris to Miami in late 2001, footwear started coming off at security checkpoints.
  • Clear, which recently went public, plans to use PreCheck enrollment to boost membership in its own identity-verification product by bundling the two offerings
  • The long lines created by post-attack measures gave rise to the PreCheck and Global Entry “trusted-traveler programs” in which people who pay a fee and provide certain information about themselves pass through checkpoints without removing shoes and jackets or taking laptops out of their bag.
  • , PreCheck asks people about basic information like work history and where they have lived, and they give a fingerprint and agree to a criminal-records check.
  • Privacy advocates are particularly concerned about ideas that TSA has floated to also examine social media postings (the agency’s top official says that has been dropped), press reports about people, location data and information from data brokers including how applicants spend their money.
  • Each new requirement seemed to make checkpoint lines longer, forcing passengers to arrive at the airport earlier if they wanted to make their flights.
  • The TSA is testing the use of kiosks equipped with facial-recognition technology to check photo IDs and boarding passes rather than having an officer do it.
  • co
  • “TSA is an effective deterrent against most attacks,”
  • This summer, an average of nearly 2 million people per day have flowed through TSA checkpoints.
  • “They are there for my security. They aren’t there to hassle me,” Gathings said of TSA screeners and airport police.
  • Those incidents highlight a threat that TSA needs to worry about — people who work for airlines or airports and have security clearance that lets them avoid regular screening.
  • “All those folks that have a (security) badge, you’re right, many do have unescorted access throughout an airport, but they also go through a very rigorous vetting process before they are even hired,”
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    After the terrorist attacks of 9/11 was when the TSA was created. Ever since this point in history security in airport sis a lot stricter and requires certain documentation to travel. Lines are longer, leaving travelers to arrive for their flights earlier. Overall, 9/11 heavily impacted the security world we live in today.
cingram21

Why Assessing and Mitigating the Security Risks of PMS Data Should be a Top Priority fo... - 0 views

  • here are two components of the puzzle: the booking engine used by hotels, and the actual PMS. Since guest data can be self-hosted by hotels, managed on-property by a third party, or handled entirely off site, it’s up to hoteliers to decide what works best for their property.
  • However, even if your hotel’s data is out of sight, it is a hotel’s responsibility to keep their data partners accountable.
  • To stay informed on the status of your property’s data storage, operators should become familiar with the management at work in their hosting facility. Request information on the hosting facility’s certifications for GDPR, PCA, SOC 2, and others. It will also be useful for learning who oversees rolling updates out to your hotel’s machines, as well as firewall rules, antivirus requirements and more.
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  • No matter how a hotel stores its data, operators will always be liable for securing it on some level. This is particularly true for PCI compliance, as hotels still physically handle credit cards properly and store guests’ card data well locally.
  • In general, hosted environments, whether multi tenanted or dedicated, reduce some of the operational load of your IT team in various ways, dependent on the level of interaction coming from your data partner. A fully managed implementation could absolve hoteliers from overseeing updates, watching alerts for threat monitoring, and more. These systems also give operators the benefit of accessing their systems from anywhere, often through and ideally via browser-based user interfaces.
bruss031

Hospitality tech provider Jurny raises $9.5M | PhocusWire - 0 views

  • Los Angeles-based hospitality technology startup Jurny has raised $9.5 million in a round led by Mucker Capital, bringing its total raised to date to $12.45 million.
  • Founded in June 2020, Jurny provides SaaS and hardware solutions for independent hotels and vacation and short-term rental properties. 
  • Jurny Virtual also offers a virtual concierge, access control, guest screening, review management, accounting and 24/7 inquiry support.
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  • “Our mission is to help small- to medium-sized operators and hotel owners access a premium ecosystem that offers the benefit of economies of scale, not yet available to even some of the world’s largest hotel chains,
  • “Jurny Virtual is revolutionizing the industry by providing a premier service at a much lower cost
  • Jurny says it has more than doubled the number of units using its platform, with 635 unites in eight cities
  • on average, a 20% increase in revenue, 50% decrease in overhead costs and 2x net operating income (NOI) within the first 30 days of implementation
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    The 2020 created SaaS platform Jurny has raised another 9.5 million dollars to help expand globally and reach more small-medium sized properties looking for enterprise level solutions. The technology comes at a much less significant cost than many competitors already existent in the space and continues to prove why smaller sized properties should consider the software. Many operators are seeing an average 20% increase in revenue and 2x NOI within the first 30 days of implementation.
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