Hospitality Technology

the Agbogbloshie dump, a wasteland dotted with burning mounds of trash in Ghana’s capital, Accra.

Up to 10,000 workers wade through tons of discarded goods as part of an enormous, informal recycling process, in what has become one of the world’s largest destinations for used electronic goods.#lazy-img-360452765:before{padding-top:66.70212765957447%;}

Burns, back problems, and infected wounds

Hanson said it’s important to remember that a hotel that looks new and fresh will outperform a hotel that doesn’t.

Curb appeal is No. 1

Hotels are adding new tech in lobbies, including directory boards with interactive screens and big-screen TVs, he said.

Even though it’s a time-consuming process, the cloud can provide extensive financial benefits like budget savings and increased workplace productivity.

companies can save an average of 15 percent on all IT costs by migrating to the cloud.

Less demanding labor and maintenance Higher productivity Lower initial capital investment Top public cloud computing providers

Cellphones, computers, and other technological products contain a number of valuable materials that must be mined. Rare earths, gold, palladium, copper, and more all reside within our cell phones, TVs, and more.

These valuable materials are acquired through intensive mining operations. The recycling of such materials from our old gadgets would allow us to reuse these valuable materials, ultimately requiring less mining and conserving our finite resources. According to the EPA, the recycling of one million cell phones yields 35,000 lbs. of

The toxic components in e-waste not only pose risks to workers in developing nations, but they also pose risks to the environment; where e-waste is either improperly handled or disposed of, there is risk of soil and groundwater contamination.

LEED certification is a growing trend and concern among hotel developers, architects, hotel brands and consumers.

To earn LEED certification, a building is awarded points for satisfying certain green requirements in six categories- Sustainable Sites, Water Efficiency, Energy & Atmosphere, Materials & Resources, Indoor Environmental Quality and Innovation in Design.

istorically it was believed that there is a cost associated in building a LEED-certified hotel; however, it is arguable if this cost differential exists in today’s construction market. The USGBC reports that as of 2007, the cost to develop a green hotel, if any, is only one to two percent above that of a conventional hotel’s cost

Some companies treat corporate social responsibility primarily as a form of branding. For instance, a company that donates 10 percent of profits to cancer research might develop a marketing plan to let the public know about its good works so customers will feel better about buying its products. A more comprehensive approach to societal marketing would include an examination of the company's products and services and what effect they have on the customer and the society.

Consumers generally say they want to buy products that are more environmentally sustainable or socially responsible, but that doesn't translate to actual sales if the product costs too much or doesn't perform as well as its rivals. It might seem as if there's a gap between what customers say they want and what they really want, but in reality they want it all. An unpleasant-tasting, expensive brand of fair trade coffee is not going to outsell a delicious and affordable rival just because it is fair trade. However, a delicious and affordable fair trade brand could do very well. The fact that the coffee is fair trade is a benefit to the consumer, but only if the coffee meets the customer's other requirements for taste and price. Effective societal marketing treats the social responsibility aspect as an extra benefit to choosing an already fine product.

Sometimes a company can make its marketing campaign more socially responsible by making relatively small changes to a popular product. For example, if a restaurant offers a children's meal option including a grilled cheese sandwich, chips and a soda, it could improve the menu by offering fresh fruit and milk or juice as options. Some parents will still decide to order the chips and soda, but some will choose the fruit and milk. The company is giving customers what they want either way, but by including healthier options the company is doing what it can to have a positive impact on society.

Technology Services (TS) supports sustainability in several ways. Examples include: Purchasing from Environmentally Committed Companies Participating in Electronic Recycling Programs Deploying Virtual Technologies Limiting Printing and Recycling Paper

Responsible handling of electronic equipment is critical in order to minimize the university’s impact on the environment. TS purchases campus computers from Dell and Apple.

Dell also banned the export of their electronic waste to developing nations. They offer a strong trade-in program for used equipment. Dell focuses in every way on being environmentally and ethically responsible corporate stewards.

EPA works bilaterally with governments and environmental officials around the world on e-waste management.  U.S. EPA and Taiwan Environmental Protection Administration (Taiwan EPA) coordinate the International E-Waste Management Network (IEMN), which has brought together environmental officials from Asia, Latin America, the Caribbean, Africa, and North America to exchange best practices on e-waste management since 2011. 

EPA also collaborates with the Solving the E-waste Problem Initiative (Step)Exit Exit EPA website  to jointly address the e-waste problem in developing countries. Step, formerly known as UNU-Step, was previously an initiative under the United Nations University (UNU)

“E-waste”, “electronic waste”, “e-scrap” and “end-of-life electronics” are terms often used to describe used electronics that are nearing the end of their useful life, and are discarded, donated or given to a recycler.

For half a decade, the travel and hospitality industry has been trying to incorporate technology to enhance the way it interacts with its customers. Perhaps, the pandemic has been the major catalyst to accelerate digital transformation initiatives in the hospitality industry

But what exactly is digital transformation? Digital transformation is the implementation of the latest digital technology into a company’s business operations, processes and people to improve and optimize the customer experience.

The modern, tech-savvy traveler is more informed, empowered and wants to feel valued. Now, there is a demand for a frictionless, intuitive, hyper-personalized experience at every touchpoint in their travel journey. And digital transformation technologies such as AI, robotics, big data, IoT, cloud, mobile and AR/VR underpin a successful personalized guest experience.

Why Hoteliers May Want to Step Up Their Game on Security Technology

Within the hospitality industry, we are all quite aware that Covid continues to spook people all over the world, which will lead to depressed overall travel numbers for quite some time to come. Add to that the various automated systems that together mean hotels may never need to hire back a large portion of their former employees

Problems may come about in the form of snatched purses from restaurant tables, missing bags left at the bell desk or minor vandalism of cars left by the front entrance.

When it comes to the basics of cybersecurity, nothing is so elemental as the password.

the simple password has endured as the first and last guardian of consumer and business data. 

But with the rise of sophisticated hacking techniques, passwords alone can no longer protect against unauthorized access and security attacks.

A growing wave of cyberattacks is threatening governments, businesses and everyday residents. Across the globe, there is a critical shortage of skilled professionals to guard against these criminals.

The state’s cybersecurity workforce increased by only 1 percent between 2015 and 2020, which was the seventh slowest rate in the nation, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. By comparison, the ranks of these key professionals more than doubled in a dozen states over that timeframe.

Globally, cybersecurity experts are in extraordinarily high demand. An analysis from Cyberseek, a public-private partnership that measures cybersecurity workforce shortages in the United States, notes the talent gap is severe in every state besides Maine.

Domain clustering can be a factor in why your hotel is not ranking in organic search results for “hotels near Times Square NY,” especially if there are multiple hotels in your area. Google wants to make sure users are receiving diverse and relevant search results for their queries. That means that sharing a domain name can sometimes work against you because Google is unlikely to serve a user several hotels that are on the same domain.

It’s important to put yourself in a customer or potential customer’s shoes and approach your keyword strategy from that point of view while also considering algorithms, domain crowding, competition, and user intent.

Closeness to area attractions and venues is important to SEO, and proximity of your address to a point of interest has become the top-ranking factor in Google. This makes it much harder for your hotel to rank for attractions and points of interest if they truly are not “near” your hotel.

Hotels are part of the hospitality industry, where providing good customer service is essential. A hotel’s reputation is staked largely on the guest experience, and investing in proper security services plays a central role in ensuring guests feel safe and protected. It also protects owners from the damages and costs that may arise from criminal activity such as theft.

Security officers patrolling the hotel’s grounds can look out for suspicious activity. Hotels should have security officers regularly patrol the hallways, stairwells, lobbies, parking lots, restaurants and bars.

Security officers can handle unruly guests or visitors and prevent negative situations from spiraling out of control. Officers can also provide additional protection to VIP or controversial guests of the hotel that might attract public attention or protests.

Contact tracing is a public health practice that health departments use to identify and notify people who have been exposed to someone with an infectious disease.

Public health workers reach out to these exposed people to tell them that they've been in close contact with an infected person and to give them information and support to help them keep themselves and their loved ones safe.

People who have tested positive for COVID-19 infection receive a phone call or a short survey by text or email from the health department, asking them who they may have exposed while they were contagious

The hospitality industry faces vast security threats, making it a natural target for cybercriminals because of the value and volume of personally identifiable information that these organisations hold.

Marriott, Radisson Hotel Group, InterContinental, Four Seasons, and Hilton Hotels are just some of the major corporations that have hit the headlines in recent years as a result of a data security attack.

approximately 55 million online hotel bookings are affected by fraudulent websites and call centers posing as hotel websites, according to the American Hotel and Lodging Association.