Hospitality Technology

Backup and recovery describes the process of creating and storing copies of data that can be used to protect organizations against data loss. This is sometimes referred to as operational recovery. The purpose of the backup is to create a copy of data that can be recovered in the event of a primary data failure. Primary data failures can be the result of hardware or software failure, data corruption, or a human-caused event. Storing the copy of the data on separate medium is critical to protect against primary data loss or corruption. This additional medium can be as simple as an external drive or USB stick. The possibility of weather-related events may justify having copies of data at remote locations. For best results, backup copies are made on a consistent, regular basis to minimize the amount data lost between backups.

This article by Michael Toedt on "Data privacy matters in the hotel industry" speaks on the approaches that can be taken to protect guests' data and their privacy since these practices increase guests' trust and loyalty to companies. Accordingly, it is vital for hotels to securely store guests' information. Thankfully, CDM systems make it much simpler for hotel staff to manage data-related requests from clients, such as updating personal details. They also enable one-click deletions, preventing data disputes.

Majority of millennials use social media to share their travel experiences with their friends. Social media is a very important tool in this day and age for the travel industry and hospitality. Engagement with potential guests online sets a more positive first impression, and can lead to more bookings and exposure. Social media also allows businesses to reach a larger audience by using targeted ads on different social media platforms. Tracking these ads can help improve the marketing strategies to see which ads are providing more traffic. Having a strict and consistent schedule of posting content can also be helpful, as it shows potential guests engagement with the community, especially if there is a lot of interaction in comments, as well as giveaways thrown in to the mix. Businesses can also partner with influencers to show off their locations for them to their massive followings. This increases the awareness and showcases the property to a large audience that may not have seen it otherwise. Social media, if used properly, can be a great tool to engage with existing and potential guests. Communication and engagement build loyalty, while broadening the audience spreads awareness.

This article talks about the development of sustainable technology and how it relates to tourism in Barbados. It mainly discusses new technologies and how the country plans to create more business opportunities that promote tourism but also help the economy to thrive. The main takeaway is that the country hopes to become a fully renewable economy by 2030. It has many different natural resources and business opportunities that will allow for the skilled labor that is necessary to do so.

With travelers becoming more aware of sustainability and its benefits, many sectors within the hospitality industry are modifying their product to be sustainable. Using green computer technology like contactless check-in rather that key cards which overproduces plastic for the key cards used. Hotels are also using automation and AI like having an automatic power shut off when a guest leaves their room and smart showers limiting shower length.

This article discusses the importance of using social media in the hospitality industry. According to the article, social media increases visibility, increases direct bookings, and increases brand awareness. When done correctly with the right team and right platforms, social media can result in tremendous benefits for hospitality companies. Some of the platforms mentioned were LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. These platforms help companies to communicate with potential and existing customers through ads, stories, reels, videos, as well as customer testimonials. Influencers were also mentioned as these social media stars have a large and/or specific following that can help promote hospitality brands. Overall in this day and age, if you would like your company to succeed, you need to be on social media because it is the best form of marketing and promotion.

Phillips a manufacturer of TVs and other electronics made efforts to reduce its carbon footprint in terms of e-waste by extending the lifetime of its current products used in hospitality. They did this by creating software updates that would upgrade the TVs without having to replace them with newer models that have all the bells and whistles that guests expect to have in newer Smart TVs. Since 2019 "53.6 million metric tons of e-waste" have been calculated up 21 percent since 2014. Laptops and TVs are among the highest number of items being discarded. Phillips like many companies has committed to making green initiatives and one of these ways was with currently used TVs in the industry. Rather than replace them with a newer model they can update with simple software which allows them to last longer. Sustainability has been at the forefront of customers' minds and Phillips made its own commitment to sustainability in the industry. It is great to see tech giants making efforts to be sustainable. I know we hear about "green initiatives" but we often don't see them. This is something tangible and has a huge impact not only on the tech side but for hospitality providers. Instead of needing the greatest and latest they can save money and keep using currently purchased tech and just upgrade it. I find this very appealing especially for smaller HSP that may not have budget replacement every so often. I also find this good for consumers because it can also be done at home. These updates are available for all Phillips tv users, not just HSP. So this goes a long way to benefit the environment. And many more ideas can come from this simple idea.

According to the World Economic Forum, more than 50 million tons of e-waste are produced each year. E-waste is a serious threat to our environmental viability and our public health. The toxic chemicals and heavy metals that go into developing electronics seep into the soil, pollute groundwater, and release atmosphere-warming hydrocarbons when burned Educate yourself on what gets put into your electronics. Solving the e-waste crisis is only possible if we understand the scale of its environmental impact. Consider whether or not you actually need that phone or computer upgrade. The longer you hold onto your current devices, the more electronics will be kept out of the waste stream. The way you take care of your devices on a daily basis makes a big difference in how well they work and how long they last. If the time comes to part with that old computer or phone, make sure to dispose of them responsibly by donating your e-waste

This Human-I-T article on 5 Ways You Can Reduce E-Waste is a powerful one. The simple practice of unplugging my fully charged computer and phone, and regularly cleaning them are major takeaways for me from this article, to expand the lifespan of my devices. Additionally, donating gadgets that are no longer useful to lower-income households is something that I can implement since all my older electronics are stored in a cabinet at my home which will eventually be discarded. Thank you for sharing this article!

I really enjoyed this as its helped me understand how important it is to be vigilant of your electronics and how you dispose of them. Especially with the videos watched this week, it's good to have this source to go back to. Lots of great takeaways and people should be more aware of this.

This article explains social media in hospitality and tourism. I really loved the explanation of the SOSTAC method which stands for S-Situation analysis/ Who are we? O-Objectives/ Where do you need to go? S-Strategy/ How you'll meet the objectives T-Tactics/ Details of strategy A-Action/Do your thing C-Control/ How did you do. This method was created by PR. Smith in 1990. It was created for digital strategy, and we still use this method nowadays. This technology helps us define our goals and KPI's as well as understand the buying process, what audience we need to cater to to have a successful following and monetary outcome as well as how to keep that momentum.

This article describes the effects of technology on our environment. Everything from production to dumping the product can cause long term pollution issues if we are not careful. This article gives tips to combat this issue.

There is clearly a connection between ownership of "stuff" and proper stewardship of the same. this article brings to light how this process needs to be sustainable and the responsibilities that we all have to ensure that our own footprint is not causing more harm to our planet through poor management of the items we have purchased. According to a 2013 report by the Consumer Electronics Association, the average American household uses about 28 electronic products such as personal computers, mobile phones, televisions and electronic readers (e-readers). With an ever increasing supply of new electronic gadgets, EPA's Facts and Figures about Materials, Waste and Recycling show that Americans generated 2.7 million tons of consumer electronics goods in 2018, representing less than one percent of all municipal solid waste generation.

This article on "Sustainable Hospitality Technology Made Possible" gives detailed tactics on how properties can lower their energy and consumption costs, and reduce waste which ultimately leads to protecting the environment. As explained in the article, this sustainability shift did not occur overnight, but rather through a progressive process that encompasses corporate social responsibilities and consumer sentiment.

This article is explaining electronic waste and its danger to developing countries when the materials are not properly disposed of. Many countries have joined forces to create the International E-Waste Management Network (IEMN).

This article is about the integration of social media in marketing for restaurants, and particularly how that has adapted and changed as a result of the pandemic. The article gives a brief introduction with some statistics outlining the particular usage of social media by different generations and how they make decisions regarding the content they see on that social platform. It then goes into detail about how Instagram is the primary platform that leads to success for restaurants marketing. It then takes a slight turn and explains that many consumers are looking to give their business and attention to entities that take social or other stands and seem to have a genuine care for making the world a better place. It has also been shown that outsourcing of marketing has reduced as a result of the pandemic and the need to save money during the hard times. Additionally, there is something that consumers find appealing about the genuine marketing that an internal employee is able to do on a platform such as instagram. The article concludes that even though the pandemic has been a terrible thing, it has forced restaurants to become more proactive and innovative in their marketing strategies.

This article talked about how and why to use proximity marketing for your restaurant. They started off by talking about how many people have smart phones and how restaurants can use this to their benefit. There were a couple benefits of proximity marketing this article brought up that i thought were great ideas. The first being partnering with other business and restaurants to create combo deals. The other being just hoe in-depth you can personalize the experience using proximity marketing.

Proximity marketing can be used in many different ways in the hospitality business. For restaurants specificially it can help enhance the customer experience, increase customers, maintain loyal customers, boost sales, make customers want to keep coming and more. Proximity marketing allows restaurants and all the hospitality industry to focus more on their clientele and who they want to reach in many ways and can be a great tools for sales.

I like how this article broke down proximity marketing and which tools it targets for different consumers. I also enjoyed the graph is used for popular proximity marketing solutions. This article helped me understand this concept a bit more and in an easy way

This article is about how hospitality and tourism have been reshaped through IT, eMarketing and how it has helped prove sales, information, made destinations more popular and also help travelers plan. eMarketing also is a massive platform for word of mouth. This study also shows what helped eMarketing become what it is. When certain things are typed into search bars, this data is collected and used for eMakreting and to target specific groups of people.

This article talks about research surrounding analysis of global proximity marketing. The article categorizes several things such as sales, revenue, cost structure, and more. It includes data on some of the most well known companies in the world, including Google, Microsoft, Apple, and more. This research is important because it provides a business overview of the sustainability of proximity marketing and discusses its implications for the marketing and sales industries, which hospitality falls under.

Geo-targeting is a step above geo-fencing and like that of Proximity marketing is a digital marketing technique meant to geographically target consumers within a set of parameters. The purpose of this is that while digital marketing has been around, is being used and the future of it is quite relevant it requires companies to adapt using various methods of marketing to reach the consumer. And geography is an area that is highly required. And unlike geo-fencing, geo-targeting is more generalized in the locale. It is asserted that companies need to have a better understanding of their guests at a basic level than before. "Hotels can no longer take a blanketed approach---understanding where a guest is coming from and the impact of a hotel's digital footprint" is just as important. A reason hotels might want to use geo-targeting is that direct business captures "95% more revenue than that of indirect channels". Interested enough many guests book last minute and that accounts for 72% off mobile bookings. Geo-targeting relies on revenue to determine its success. One issue noted is the use of VPNs can create miss-targeting when users are receiving messages from a location they are not in. Several things to note are prioritizing a focus on existing and prior guests because they cost less than advertising to new guests. Secondly, using CRM can create personalization through guest profiles and add an extra special factor to their experience. One example shown was Denny's and it showed an increase in visits. Geo-targeting is a marketing strategy that can help companies stay relevant.

This take on proximity marketing is interesting in that it requires a little more thought in implementation because you aren't just narrowing it down to a specific locale, you are creating a wider net to catch people in. That means you have to have a broader understanding of who you are catching which would be multiple targets that may not be alike, but have similar needs. They used the pandemic as an example of how it benefited them to use geo-location, While not marketing to a whole section of the US they targeted a more localized net ( a state away) but not too narrow as to leave out a specific target. It showed some success in that they were able to save money and help bring brand awareness to a different type of consumer. They not only target those locally but "neighbors" and I know that I as a new guest appreciate seeing local people utilizing a product or service and come back for more because it gives me an idea that the product or service or both is appealing to guests. This also helps hinge on the word of mouth of the customer. That is an additional positive aspect of this type of marketing. Seeking local rather than national or global customer-created brand devotion.