Category Archives: Technology

by | February 21, 2011 · 10:52 am

Hospitality Industry Internet Risks: Hotel Management Must Train Employees To "Check Security Software And Certifications On Websites" To Prevent Downloading Internet Viruses

“These Internet scammers are very sophisticated…They’ll send an e-mail that looks like eBay or PayPal, asking for your information. The attorney general speaks often about Internet safety, and he encourages consumers to check the security software and certifications on websites and never store their personal information there. We have an identity theft protection tool on our website, www.Ag.ky.gov…”

Every website you visit tags your computer with a tracking device called a “cookie.” Your every move online — e-mail, downloads, credit-card purchases — is stored on your own computer’s hard drive as a digital footprint, even though you religiously delete and empty your recycle bin.

(A woman) was digitally minding her own business and was accosted by a phony website phishing for her personal information — something all too common on the Internet. As technology insidiously pervades every aspect of life, personal privacy becomes more endangered and difficult to maintain. Erik Eckel, a managing partner at Louisville Geek and Berg’s computer service tech, called her problem “one of the biggest trends we’ve seen.

Users will click on a link on someone’s Facebook page, or travel to a site that’s infected and they receive a pop-up window saying, ‘You’re infected. You want to go ahead and license the software? Only $39.95.’ The pop-up won’t go away, people buy it and then an illegitimate user has their credit-card number.” And then there are hackers, like David Kernel, now serving a yearlong sentence at the Ashland Federal Correctional Institution in Kentucky for invading Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin’s private e-mail account during the 2008 election and sharing her password and telephone number.

Even Kentucky Attorney General Jack Conway was a victim of identity theft, weeks after announcing a special unit on cybercrime.

For more:  http://www.courier-journal.com/article/20110222/FEATURES/302220033/With-latest-Web-perils-it-s-wise-to-be-paranoid?odyssey=tab%7Cmostpopular%7Ctext%7CFEATURES

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by | February 15, 2011 · 8:49 am

Hospitality Industry Data Security: Hotel And Restaurant Management Should Consider "Tokenization" For Credit Cards And Sensitive Data

“…tokenization is a data security model that generates surrogate values, called tokens, to replace sensitive data—credit card numbers, for example—in applications and database fields. The sensitive data is simultaneously encrypted and stored in a central data vault, where it can be unlocked only with proper authorization credentials...”

In 2011…expect to see many more mid-sized to large enterprises adopt tokenization more broadly to protect many other types of sensitive information, including electronic health records (EHR).

It does this by removing sensitive data from applications and databases, which has the added benefit of reducing scope for Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards (PCI DSS) compliance audits.  Over the past couple of years, the tokenization data security model has taken its rightful place alongside data encryption, and it is well on its way to becoming a commonplace solution for credit card protection.

What’s more, a particular version of tokenization—Format Preserving Tokenization™—is equally adept at protecting personally identifiable information (PII) and electronic health records (EHR) to help organizations comply with data privacy laws like the EU Data Privacy Directive and HIPAA.

For more:  http://www.thetechherald.com/article.php/201107/6818/RSAC-2011-Data-Security-Wunderkind-Tokenization

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by | February 4, 2011 · 2:58 pm

Hospitality Industry Risk Solutions: New York Hotel Introduces "iPads" Into Guestrooms For Room Service, Concierge Communications, And Room Controls As Technology Delivers Instantaneous Quality Control Throughout Property

[vimeo http://vimeo.com/19170938]

 At the touch of a screen, guests are able to order room service, make restaurant reservations, communicate directly with the concierge, request wake-up calls, explore NYC destination guides, and even check airline schedules and print boarding passes (which are promptly delivered to their room). Guests can even use the iPad to control the lights in their room as well as the heat and air conditioning systems.

New York’s Plaza Hotel is offering iPads in each of its guest rooms and suites. The program, which launched in January, makes the landmark hotel on Central Park South the first hotel in the world to provide guests services and room controls using iPads and Intelity’s ICE (Interactive Customer Experience) software to all of its guests.

“We chose the iPad because it is a great piece of equipment that is here to stay and won’t disappear tomorrow,” adds Krige. “It brings another five star element to the hotel.”

The iPads will not replace the human element at The Plaza.

“They are not meant to replace our concierge service and the personal touch we are known for,” Krige says. “It is to provide more choice. At a five star hotel you should have choices—if you want to use the iPad, you can do so. If you want a butler service, that is available, too. If you want to be left alone, that is a choice, as well. By putting the iPads in the guest rooms, we are bringing a new technology to everyone’s fingertips.”

In addition to providing a service to guests, the system helps the hotel track how it responds to requests made by guests, such as how long it takes to deliver a requested toothbrush. “If you order a pair of slippers, the request will go directly to the slipper department with no intermediary,” says Krige. “The requests go directly to the end producer, so that they can be very efficient.

For more:  http://www.luxist.com/2011/02/03/the-plaza-in-new-york-offers-ipads-in-all-guest-rooms-and-suites/

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by | January 27, 2011 · 7:16 pm

Hospitality Industry Technology Issues: Hotel Managers Must Recognize The Importance Of Video For Marketing, Information Sharing, Communication And Education

“… innovation is going to be led by video and many companies are not prepared to capitalize on its power.  Everywhere around you people have smart phones and they do something with it that has an element of video. That is very different than we did a couple of years ago.”

(As) video becomes integrated in many different business models and sooner or later all companies, regardless of industry, will need to find creative ways to incorporate video into marketing, sharing of information, communication, and learning. Those companies that are unable to cater to different audiences via various media will suffer.

“It’s not just the phone industry or the media industry. It is going to be incorporated into every business model you find around the globe.”

Verwaayen says the U.S. and Europe have embraced different content formats and that Asia is catching on. ” The world is going to be a place where applications are going to cater to the taste of consumers and from that perspective consumers have all the power.”

For more:  http://blogs.forbes.com/miasaini/2011/01/26/davos-explosion-of-video-is-next-technological-innovation/

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by | January 26, 2011 · 4:38 pm

Hotel Industry Technology: Hotel Owners Will Raise "Guest Satisfaction" With Increased Availability Of Mobile Device "Host-Based" Applications On Hotel Facilities And Events

“…a conference application, which put all the materials you typically get at a conference on the device, but also a directory of all the other people at the conference, with photos. We could push video and photos to the device during the meeting and update things real time as the conference was happening.”

Clearly the consumers, the guests we serve, are increasingly on the road and increasingly connecting to us through mobile devices, and there’s a tremendous pace of innovation on these devices. We don’t talk about smart phones now as much as we talk about super phones.

We’ve already launched applications for the iPhone across our brand, but we’re also building out applications for other mobile devices–a whole host of location-based services. You could imagine a time when a guest wants to find things around the hotel, or even within the hotel they’re at—if they need to find a coffee shop or a clothing store because they have forgotten something for their trip.

We rolled out 2,500 iPads—the largest one-day rollout of the iPad ever. We included on those iPads a couple interesting applications—a conference application, which put all the materials you typically get at a conference on the device, but also a directory of all the other people at the conference, with photos. We could push video and photos to the device during the meeting and update things real time as the conference was happening.

The other application we piloted was the beginning of a virtual concierge idea. It allows our guests to order room service from the device, find out more information about the hotel, see all the information that is typically in a booklet on the desk in the hotel room—with rich video and audio and linked right into the property management system at the hotel.

For more:  http://www.smartplanet.com/people/blog/pure-genius/hilton-cio-mobile-device-use-in-hotels-is-skyrocketing/5332/

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by | January 25, 2011 · 10:25 am

Hospitality Industry Green Issues: Hotel Group Achieves "LEED Volume Precertification" For Its "Green Engage" Program Making Hotels 15% To 20% More Energy Efficient

IHG (InterContinental Hotels Group) the world’s largest hotel group by number of rooms, today announces that its in-house sustainability system Green Engage* has been awarded with a LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) volume precertification established by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) and verified by the Green Building Certification Institute (GBCI). IHG has become the first hotel company to receive this award for an existing hotels programme, further cementing its place as an industry leader in the field of sustainability.

The USGBC’s LEED rating system is the preeminent program for the design, construction and operation of green buildings. Volume precertification is a preliminary step that provides a streamlined path to LEED certification for a large group of hotels based on a preapproved prototype and process.

  • In the US alone, an average hotel has in excess of $500,000 in energy expenses every year.
  • On average, energy is the second largest cost in hotels and our hotel owners want help to manage this.
  • Green Engage can deliver over $90,000 in annual energy savings by making hotels 15% to 20% more energy efficient.
  • Additionally, Green Engage helps owners respond to the growing interest from guests who are looking for sustainable hotels that manage their environmental footprint.

http://www.ihgplc.com/index.asp?PageID=116&Year=2011&NewsID=2568

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by | January 24, 2011 · 7:43 am

Hospitality Industry Payment Systems Risk: Process, Controls & Instrumentation (PCI) Compliance In America Must Address "More Secure Methods Of Payment Authorization"

“…more incentives (should be) put in place to encourage more secure methods of payment authorization. One example of this is the “chip and PIN” system in use outside of the United States. In this system, credit cards use a tiny PIN-activated microchip that protects payment information...”

“As it stands, virtually every Western and Eastern nation have migrated to this (system)…which countries haven’t? Iran and the U.S.”

Data security also is going to be a major focus at this year’s Hospitality Law Conference.

Right now, liability is on the merchants’ side of things but not on the payment systems, and that has to change, said Cannon, who is counsel to the Merchants Payment Coalition.

“Right now, all liability runs downhill and at the bottom is the merchants’ coalition and, partially, the hospitality industry,” he said.

The federal government is reviewing the issue of data security liability and could potentially come up with a new way of assigning liability by 21 July of this year.

“In terms of the regulatory process, this is the speed of light,” Cannon said.

For more:  http://www.hotelnewsnow.com/Articles.aspx/4809/Hospitality-Law-event-to-examine-privacy-PR

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by | January 17, 2011 · 3:00 pm

Hospitality Industry Technologies: Surveys Show Hotel Guests Will Want "Self-Service And Kiosk Check-In" Options

 “…A survey found 70 per cent of airline passengers want more self-service options through internet, kiosk and mobile phone applications…”

“While online booking and check-in are nearing their full potential, there is now clear demand from the travelling public for self-service..”

http://www.smh.com.au/travel/traveller-tips/hot-tickets-for-the-year-ahead-20110117-19tld.html

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by | January 3, 2011 · 4:54 pm

Hotel Industry Trends: Technological Advances Will Be "Among The Most Important Forces Driving Hotel Industry"

The Fraunhofer Institute believes that technological advances with be among the most important forces driving the hotel industry, leading to some major changes over the next ten years.

  • The hotel room is decorated to meet guests’ particular tastes
  • The bath water is just how they like it
  • The minibar is stocked with their preferred range of drinks
  • Their favourite music is playing in the background.
  • Guests will be checked in by robots, which will also provide a first class range of services for the duration of their stay.
  • Automated ‘smart’ rooms will be fully equipped to meet the needs of guests.
  • Guests will have their own profiles, which they can either enter via a PIN on a smart phone or which are transmitted by means of biometric authentification.

This data can then be used to individually adapt the lighting, air conditioning and even the colour of the room. In the hotel rooms of the future the entire infrastructure will be designed to aid relaxation:

  • Gentle curves instead of sharp edges
  • Smart ‘energy beds’
  • Wall displays with giant screens, serving as an interactive interface to all the different communication channels and providing a workspace for business travellers.

However, technological innovation is not the only topic under consideration in planning the hotels of the future, and ecological aspects will play an increasingly important role in meeting the needs of guests.

For more:  http://www1.messe-berlin.de/vip8_1/website/Internet/Internet/www.itb-berlin/englisch/Media_Centre/Press_Releases_and_News/index.jsp?lang=1&newslang=en&newssys_id=31619&source_oid=550&year=2011

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by | December 28, 2010 · 7:15 am

Hospitality Industry Internet Security Risks: Hotels Can Offer Wireless Internet With WPA2 (Wi-Fi Protected Access 2) To Offer Guests Greatest Wireless Security

IS WIRELESS INTERNET IN HOTELS SAFE?

  • The short answer is: No. Wi-Fi was born to be convenient, not secure. Unsecured, unprotected wireless is everywhere. When a device connects to unprotected Wi-Fi, all the data stored on that device is available to a hacker with the proper sniffing tools.
  • The longer answer is: It depends on what kind of wireless that is provided.
  • Free, unsecured Wi-Fi is the least secure. Any Wi-Fi connection, whether in public, at home, or in the office, that is shared with anyone with any wireless device, lacks encryption of the data packets streaming from the connected devices.
  • A simple Firefox add-on called Firesheep can allow anyone with a Firefox browser to sniff out other devices using the same Internet connection, and to spy on their browser activity. Even if the victim’s login is encrypted, once they visit an unencrypted site, their data becomes vulnerable.
  • Wi-Fi with a WEP encryption is slightly more secure. Wired Equivalent Privacy was introduced in 1997 and is the original version of wireless network security. But WEP has been cracked, hacked, and decimated.
  • Wi-Fi with a WPA encryption is better. Wi-Fi Protected Access is a certification program that was created in response to several serious weaknesses researchers found in WEP, the previous system. WPA and WPA2 are tougher to crack, but not impossible.
  • Mobile Broadband has a degree of encryption that has been cracked, but the necessary hardware isn’t widely deployed by criminals. Researchers have demonstrated how the system can be hacked, but it’s still more secure than other options.
  • WPA2 Wireless Internet IS THE MOST SECURE 

For more:  http://advice.cio.com/robertsiciliano/14923/hacking_wireless_for_identity_theft

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