Category Archives: Technology

Hospitality Industry Technology Update: “How to Protect Your Online Presence”

“…Hoteliers can take a proactive approach to dealing with spammers by regularly checking their information is correct on major search engines like Google, Yahoo, and BingImage…Once hackers identify an easy target, they can install their own codes on the back-end of the hotel website. For instance, they may switch the booking widget so that it brings customers to a copy of the hotel’s website and then the booking is subsequently made through a third party…”

In January, spammers hijacked official website links for thousands of hotels listed within Google+ Local, rerouting visitors to third-party booking services. Since these listings feed results into Google Search, Maps, and Hotel Finder, Google worked quickly and quietly behind the scenes to correct the links. And despite the irritation of this hack, there are key takeaways for hoteliers that can help them protect their online presence.

For more: http://bit.ly/1jXwANU

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Filed under Hotel Industry, Management And Ownership, Risk Management, Social Media, Technology

Hospitality Industry Technology Update: “Marriott Bids for Gen Y Business With AC Hotels”

“…Personalization will be key to success as the next generation will guard their privacy except with a handful of brands,Image and then they will expect the company to know and meet their expectations. ‘Loyalty, big data and digitiization. You combine all the those and the epicenter of that is where you get personalization,’ Jhunjhunwala said. The key operating word is ‘trust’…”

As hotels are learning it’s going to take more than free Wi-Fi, a Facebook account and extra sockets to please the millennial traveler, Marriott is bringing the AC brand to the United States with hopes of locking in the loyalty of the Gen Y business traveler.

It has so far approved plans for 33 hotels in the United States, with the first set to open in New Orleans in September, followed by Kansas City and Miami, said Callette Nielsen, brand vice president for AC Hotels by Marriott.

For more: http://cnb.cx/1lQmlsQ

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Filed under Hotel Industry, Management And Ownership, Social Media, Technology

Hospitality Industry Technology Update: “Hotels Working On Concierge App For Check-in Via Smartphones”

“…Marriott Hotels, for instance,offers mobile check-in for select members who can check in via the mobile app and collect their key card from a designated mobile check-in desk. Image‘This technology will change the guest arrival experience and streamline the entire check-in process,’ said Prasad Iyer, head-cluster e-commerce, Indian subcontinent and Maldives at Marriott Hotels…”

Come 2015, guests arriving at the Aloft and W Hotels will be able to bypass the traditional check-in desk and enter their rooms using their smartphone as the room key.

Starwood Hotels & Resorts, which owns the two boutique brands, is working on collaboration with locking and security solutions provider Assa Abloy to develop keyless checkin technology that will allow the guests to check in and out of their rooms using their mobile phones.

For more: http://bit.ly/1n4iwRN

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Filed under Guest Issues, Hotel Industry, Management And Ownership, Technology

Hospitality Industry Technology Update: “Living Green at OTO Development’s Newest Georgetown Area Hotel in Downtown Washington D.C.”

“…Forward-thinking in its design and construction, the hotel is seeking LEED Silver certification. Upon opening, the Hilton Garden Inn will begin participating in the LightStay program, Imagea Hilton Worldwide initiative to save energy by continuous measurement and reduction of electric, gas and water consumption…” 

Opening late May, the Hilton Garden Inn Washington DC/Georgetown Area brings environmentally friendly accommodations to Washington, D.C.’s high-end Georgetown neighborhood. Perfect for the savviest business and leisure travelers alike, the hotel gracefully blends modern technology, plush furnishing and a desirable location while keeping green.

Managed by the experienced hospitality company OTO Development, the Hilton Garden Inn is dedicated to providing guests a fantastic Washington, D.C. experience while staying environmentally conscious.

For more: http://bit.ly/1jSvRxe

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Filed under Green Lodging, Hotel Industry, Maintenance, Management And Ownership, Technology

Hospitality Industry Customer Service Update: “The Future of How Travelers Evaluate Hotels”

“…Currently, TrustYou’s Meta-Reviews have a broad reach, with more than 50 million monthly impressions from more than 120 intermediaries, OTAs, Destination Marketing Organizations (DMOs), Convention & Visitors Bureaus (CVBs) and GDSs. As this number grows, more and more travelers are able to make more informed, Image smarter travel decisions in the shortest amount of time…”

Ten years ago, travelers had to base their booking decisions on traditional advertisements and marketing. This was the only available information to go off of when booking. Then, user-generated content came along and changed everything, introducing user-generated content to the travel industry. Travelers could turn to the opinions of their peers to get an inside look at what the hotel was really like.

For more: http://bit.ly/1lYA2Z1

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Filed under Guest Issues, Hotel Industry, Management And Ownership, Social Media, Technology

Hospitality Industry Guest Services Update: “Empowering Employees to Improve Guest Services”

“…By providing employees with the right tools, hotels can meet these needs while gaining customer loyalty. ‘By empowering employees with the right productivity and collaborative tools and using technology to collect, Image access and optimise data about individuals, hotels can not only strengthen their business model, but also provide an enhanced guest experience,’ concludes Jones…”

From the moment a guest enquires about a hotel, to the moment they leave the property, staff strive to offer patrons a seamless experience that differentiates their brand and fosters loyalty. In the past, this experience arose from the hotel’s ability to provide efficient and personalised interactions between guests and its staff.

But in today’s world, where mobile and online applications are increasingly replacing traditional face-to-face interactions, is it really possible for hospitality organisations to deliver a compelling personalised service?

For more: http://bit.ly/1uvktvU

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Filed under Guest Issues, Hotel Industry, Management And Ownership, Technology

Hospitality Industry Technology Update: “The Power of Cloud for Hotels”

“…Early adapters like InterContinental Hotels Group have seen a vast improvement in the operational systems and guest services with cloud systems. The cloud being cost effective, flexible, and easy to integrate, Image with increased data security eliminates chances of owning a capital investment that is outdated. Cloud PMS is now the go-to choice for the intelligent hotelier who wants to stay ahead in the competitive hospitality and travel industry…”

Technology and innovation has stopped taking us by surprise. Every year numerous new innovative solutions and technological concepts enter into the market addressing issues, solving problems, easing operations and keeping the industry vibrant and ever changing.

For more: http://bit.ly/St7jRO

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by | May 5, 2014 · 8:37 am

Hospitality Risk Solutions Technology Update: “A Child’s Efforts To Save Her Mother Lead To Changes In Hotel 911 Calls”

“…According to a survey conducted by the American Hotel and Lodging Association, which found that guests can’t simply dial 911 for help in 55 percent of all franchised hotels…But Imagethe good news here is it seems like the majority of hotels who do not have direct-dial 911, those changes can be made by reprogramming the equipment rather than replacing it…”

As her mother was being attacked, a 9-year-old girl frantically dialed 911 for help from inside an East Texas hotel room. She dialed once, twice… four times that December day, but the call never went through.

Her mother took her last breath.

What the girl did not know was that the hotel’s phone system requires a “9″ first to reach an outside line. “She told us she did what she was supposed to do,” said her grandfather, Henry Hunt. “And it didn’t work.”

For more: http://cbsloc.al/1oa8Vtw

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Filed under Claims, Crime, Guest Issues, Hotel Industry, Management And Ownership, Risk Management, Technology

Hospitality Industry Technology Update: “Hotels Continue to Invest in People and Technology”

“…Given the increasing use (and cost) of third-party resellers and intermediaries, the expanding influence of technology, and the growth of regional shared-services, on-site sales and marketing departments are under scrutiny. Image Like they have in the past, hotel operators will need to adapt to these external and internal influences in order to define the proper role for unit-level sales and marketing personnel…”

The introduction of technology has influenced the duties of on-site hotel sales personnel over the years. The Internet, sophisticated revenue management programs, and social media provide marketing professionals with an array of new tools. Investment in technology is often justified by increases in productivity and reductions in labor costs.

However, at U.S. hotels, investment in technology within the sales and marketing department has led to shifts in marketing strategies, with only slight increases in salaries, wages, and benefits.

For more: http://bit.ly/1n6YEhJ

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Filed under Hotel Industry, Management And Ownership, Technology

Hospitality Industry Technology Update: “Accor Puts Digital Technology at the Heart of the Customer Experience”

“…With the massive deployment of this digital solution Accor is clearly providing an online service that is consistent with new consumer habits. Image Over two billion people currently have a smartphone and 47% of travel searches are made from mobile phones, making them the preferred device for finding, preparing and organizing a trip…”

1,000 Accor hotels worldwide equipped with innovative new digital welcome by end 2014

Accor announces the worldwide implementation of a digital solution that revolutionizes guest welcome in its hotels. The objective is simple: use digital technology to offer customers an unprecedented personalized welcome. Guest welcome is less devoted to administrative formalities, making the hotelier entirely available to greet guests, cater for their individual needs or simply help them save time.

For more: http://www.mynewsdesk.com/sg/accor-hotels/pressreleases/accor-puts-digital-technology-at-the-heart-of-the-customer-experience-988715

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Filed under Guest Issues, Hotel Industry, Management And Ownership, Technology