Squirrel and shift four

Squirrel and shift four just recently teamed up to offer a new coop where customers would be able to use gift cards in all the areas of a hotels property. This means that customers will no longer need to have a gift card for each area for the hotel they will be able to use one centralized card that will offer credit to the spa, restaurant, or the snack bar without having to use cash. The concept of a universal card is not new but a gift card that allows you to spend anywhere on property and is centralized to that buisness is a new concept. The challenge will now be how the hotel or property will convince the customer to spend money on theses gift cards instead of say a major credit card gift card. The answer may be in offering a discount for buying property exclusive cards, and making them available on check in so that guest feel more comfortable with the process of using these cards.www.hospitalityworldnetwork.com › Technology

Revenue management systems

Recently I read an article by Jon Inge on revenue management systems in which he spoke about the importance of using RMS to fill gaps in slow periods and to use RMS is to capture all available revenue. Revenue Management systems like Rainmaker help the marketing department forcast for times of slow periods and tell hotel management when its not worth the effort. The systems can also be desighned to find oppurtunities with existing guest and how to market to the segment that your particular brand is important to. Revenue management systems can show hotel managers where they are leaving money on the table and help give management a leg up on how to capitalize on market segments that would purchase their  product. Rms are programs tat can be teid into other programs that give you information on guests folios and guests preferences. Basically this is a system similar to a pos system that can give you information on how to better manage your hotel.  http://www.hospitalityupgrade.com/_magazine/magazine_Detail-ID-567.asp

Reflection
This was not my favorite article, I felt that this revenue management system was just another program that should be done the management and its marketing department. The hotel management should have an idea of when the hotel is slow and how to capitalize on its market segment. The RMS seems to me like another way to gather information already available to the hotel, although i am sure it can expedite this information more rapidly, i dont see how it will save or make the hotel more profitable.

Security risk in a wireless enviroment

I was reading an article in Hospitality Upgrade by Tia D LLori about the security risk associated with wireless access in hotels and restaurants. Many people feel that when they use their laptops in wireless venues that their data is safe from tampering, but according to Tia the risk are elevated when in a public wireless access hub. Thieves in today's environment are smarter and have ways to access your computer by using programs that allow them to eavesdrop on open wifi signals. Many thieves have even created their own bogus websites that redirect unsuspecting wifi users to false websites that encourage you to enter pins or access codes. Scammers today have found ways to disrupt wifi ,collect information through the kaos, they then use this information in another attack. The good news is there are precautions we can take in order to protect ourselves. The first is not to send important credit card or bank card information in a public or unprotected area, make sure you have a firewall on your wireless device and try to use pass codes that are not easily cracked, don't use common names or default pass codes. Another important piece of advice was to make sure you don't leave your wireless device unattended. Some of this stuff seems obvious but you would be surprised how many people are not taking any precautions to protect themselves. andhttp://www.hospitalityupgrade.com/_magazine/magazine_Detail-ID-549-Wireless-Networks---A-Customer-Loyalty-Dream-Can-Become-a-Security-Nightmare.asp


Reflection:
I found this article to be very informational, many people don't realize the need to be careful when using today's technology. Technology is moving at the speed of light, and even kids today often have very sophisticated pieces of technology. Phones And laptops are found in nearly every public place I can think of, many of us use our black berries or ipads to do important banking or changing of personal information. Making hotel reservations in public wifi areas or buying stuff off amazon can be very risky when you consider the sophistication of today's thieves. I know i will be more caution when using technology in public, especially when i am dealing with pass codes or pins. It seems to me that the safe route is to make sure your wireless technology has good security and does not leave your site when in public places.

Hospitality schools try to implement technology in programs

Recently I read an article in the Nations Restaurant News by Alanna Klassen that was talking about the increased need for information technology in the hospitality industry. The article talked about how schools like the Uuniversity of Delaware, University of Houston and Cornell University were looking to add more technology courses to their curriculum in order to bolster the technology knowledge students would have when they graduate. The article stated that the new focus of many restaurants and hospitality related businesses are now Internet reliant and much of the information that these establishments attain comes from technology based systems such as POS or CRM. Alanna stated it was critical for students to have a firm grasp on the fundamentals of these types of systems if the students wanted to be competitive in toady's market. The article says that many hospitality programs have added technology courses to their curriculum in order to give their students that competitive edge. One of the obstacles many universities have encountered is the lack of professors knowledgeable in the hospitality technology sector. Schools have started to share information with each other to help alleviate some of these problems. The future of hospitality seems to be in the hands of technology. http://digibib.ehb.be/storage/Sector%20Informatie/Hospitality%20education/HOSPITALITY%20SCHOOLS%20STRIVE%20TO%20KEEP%20PACE%20WITH%20TECHNOLOGY1.pdf

Reflection:
I felt this article was a solid reason for taking classes like this one. The importance of technology in the future  cannot be overstated. Employers will be looking for graduates who have the ability to navigate this technology and the creativity to manipulate it. I can see how the POS systems have started to change how we deal with customers and is giving managers more information about their clientele, I also can see how the Internet has become one of the major engines for marketing these hospitality companies. The future of our business is dependent upon information systems and our University has stepped up and started offering classes like this one so that when we graduate we will be prepared to use it. As technology grows we may also find that their will be good databases on the Internet that can be shared, this will help managers make better decisions about how they run their business. I feel that this article spoke to the rising need for information technology in toady's market.

5900 room hotel uses RFID technology

I was reading an article in hospitality upgrade about a hotel called Aria in Las Vegas, this hotel has gone to RFID locks in their 5900 room hotel. The new technology allows guest to flash their RFID tag in order to open the door to their hotel room. Aria has also been able to integrate their RFID system with another company that handles the technology for their lights, TV, and curtains. When a guest walks into the room the
lights automaticly come on and if it is the guest first time entering the room, a theme song for the hotel will play. The hotel has controls on the tv which is activated by the door unlocking that let you control the rooms technology. This new technology is also a big convienence to the front desk as well as the customer, Guest can now have their room changed automatically without having to go back down to the front desk. The hotel also has a better idea of the guest wants through the technology in the room. The amazing thing about all of this is that we see two technology companies coming together to integrate thier systems. We now can have hope for other companies to start collaborating to unify the hospitality expeirience. http://www.hospitalityupgrade.com/_news/showNewsDetail-docID-4100.asp

Reflection
I found this article exciting because of the implications of technologies working together to upgrade the hospitality expierience. The fact that the doors open automatically is cool, but the real prize is the hope that the integration between the two companies responsible for the collaboration will continue. In the future you may be greeted by name instead of a theme song, and if you stayed at other sister hotels your personal preferences may be met upon entering the room. Imagine going to a hotel and already having extra towels in the room, or a bottle of champagne for you and your spouse. Or the capacity for the hotel to have reward points or payment systems through the RFID tag. The possibilities are endless to what kind of information this technology could provide the hotel to beeter meet your needs.

Central reservations saves money

I recently read an article from Enzine Articles, written by Nick Nikolis about how automated central reservations have saved many hotels money and time. The article talks about how consumers now use the Internet to book their rooms at almost all hotels and the need for a person to answer the phone and take the reservation has become a thing of the past. These automated systems can organize and help the hotel maximize their occupancy with very little labor involved. Hotels no longer have to take the reservations and hope the customer shows up, now the reservation is made online and paid for in advance, which allows the hotel to manage the reservations. Another positive is the hotel will know how to staff for different periods in the year depending on what reservations have been made. The hotel will be able to run deals during lean times to try to fill the hotel, or raise their prices when their is heavy demand. This automated central reservation system is also more convenient for the guest as they can answer any questions they might have through the centralized system. guest no longer have to wait on hold as the desk clerk checks the system for availability. The automated system is the way hotels are now doing business and it is saving hotels money .http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Nick_Nikolis



Reflection:
I found this article to be very interesting, we all know that most hotels use online and automated systems, but the fact that it makes the hotel more organized and more profitable, just goes to show you that technology is quickly becoming the way businesses find ways to save money in the increasingly competitive business world. Automated reservation systems allow the guess work to be taken out of the equation and it gives valuable information to hotel managers on how they prepare for volume or dry times. The convenience this automation offers the guest assures that more people are likely to use the web to book their hotel reservations. The new system allows for forecasting and preparing to have enough staff on during heavy volume. Another way I think this technology could be used is to tie it into all the other components of the hotel to make a seamless operation, where guest could book their room and note their preferences. The staff members could then be ready to meet those guests needs.

Reflection Hospitality training through technology

I found the article to be very interesting, the fact that computer training can be more effective than personal training is something I never realized. If computers can do the training restaurants and hotels may really be able to save some money on the training. It may even be possible to have employees train at home on their own computers. One of the downfalls I see in this type of training is the lack of ability to ask important questions that may be important to the position that the employee is training for. There may need to be some integration between the old system of having someone train you and the new computer based system. It really could change our industry and help to cultivate knowledgeable staff. I think we all remember training under someone who did not give you all the information you needed to do your job, with a computer system many of those issues could be cleared up. Employees could have a sound knowledge of how they should perform their job before they get started.