Category Archives: Technology

by | December 27, 2010 · 9:42 am

Hotel Pool Safety And Health: Use Of A “Food Grade Enzyme” Can Reduce High Phosphate Levels In Hotel Swimming Pools That Result In “Overchlorination”, Leading To Guest Eye Irritation, Lung Damage And Asthma

The Clarion Hotel in Portland cut its chlorine use by 87 percent.

The phosphates reduce the chlorine’s effectiveness. Adding a food grade enzyme to the water reduces the phosphate level and allows chlorine to do its work. Not only is less chlorine needed, but it also lasts longer, Cooke said.

The pool was part of a test project with the state of Maine Department of Environmental Protection to help reduce use of the chemical, which has been linked to skin and eye irritations, lung damage and asthma. The project also saved some money.

“It is very easy,” said Peter Cooke, DEP pollution prevention program manager. The agency funded the project with a $30,000 federal grant. Overchlorination is common at public swimming pools because of the high levels of phosphates, Cooke said. Phosphates occur naturally in some water but are commonly added by water treatment plants to prevent corrosion in municipal water pipes.

The phosphates reduce the chlorine’s effectiveness. Adding a food grade enzyme to the water reduces the phosphate level and allows chlorine to do its work. Not only is less chlorine needed, but it also lasts longer, Cooke said.

Don Hopkins, operations manager for the Olympia Companies, property management company of the Clarion Hotel, said regular swimmers at the pool immediately noticed a difference.

“They said it smelled better and the water felt softer on the skin, ” Hopkins said.

He said workers at the hotel also noticed the difference. Hopkins said adding the enzyme to the 30,000-gallon pool saved $200 a month in chlorine costs, compared to the $130 monthly cost of the enzyme. The company is now looking to reduce chlorine at pools at some of its other hotel properties, he said.

For more:  http://www.onlinesentinel.com/news/using-enzyme-reduces-need-for-pool-chlorine_2010-12-21.html#

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by | December 23, 2010 · 7:59 am

Hospitality Industry Technology: Hotel Management Must Look To Increase Service To Improve Guest Satisfaction Via Cell Phone Applications Such As “E-Butler”

The E-Butler program is actually a mobile app that is available from the iTunes app store for free.

  • Guests can download it prior to arriving at the hotel and then once they arrive
  • They can start communicating electronically with their butler.
  • The app also features an “Insider’s Guide” from New York’s various personalities such as Vogue’s André Leon Talley, fashion designer Jason Wu, chef Alain Ducasse, architect David Rockwell and the Village Voice’s Michael Musto.
  • They comment their favorite shops, restaurants and city landmarks
  • If the guest wants to book one of these recommendations, they can do so directly through the E-Butler.

While the app is available to all to download, there are some restrictions accessing the butler–namely the app prompts all guests to enter their passcode, name, email and room number.

For more:  http://www.hotelchatter.com/story/2010/12/21/17165/533/hotels/ButlerLeaks_Messages_from_the_St_Regis_New_York_s_E_Butler

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by | December 20, 2010 · 6:24 am

Hospitality Industry Guest Room Security: Hotels Are Deploying New Technology For In-Room Guest Security And Satisfaction (Video)

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0s1EOY8P__4&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL]

David Heckaman, VP of Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group, walks us through some of the cool features built into their new Hotel in Las Vegas. the technology is by Control4, Guestlink, Saflok and Axxess. The system adds security, huge Energy savings and provides Guests with the best in-Room experience they can possibly have.

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by | December 18, 2010 · 3:22 am

Hospitality Technology: New Hotel Sensors Reduce Energy Consumption While Increasing Guest Safety And Comfort

The Westin Resort & Spa Whistler is continuing their quest to become one of Whistler’s most sustainable properties with the recent addition of new environmentally sustainable operations and programs.

  • The Westin Resort & Spa is the first resort in Whistler to install the Energex sensors, greatly increasing the green options for guests during their stay. The infrared-based technology can detect the presence of a guest in a suite, and when vacant, automatically adjust the temperature to a more moderate, energy-efficient level.
  • A centralized building automation system also allows real time control of the temperature of every suite simultaneously to conserve energy during periods of lower occupancy.  The system is expected to reduce the property’s carbon footprint by more than 54 tons of greenhouse gasses annually.
  • Housekeeping and engineering staff can detect when a suite is occupied before having to knock. Service to a suite can be discretely scheduled without ever disturbing a guest. 
  • The system also aids in guest safety by providing important information to expedite a building evacuation.
  • Guests can decline housekeeping service for stays over one night to conserve laundry, energy and cleaning chemicals, and in return carbon-offset credits are purchased on their behalf.

For more:  http://www.hotelnewsresource.com/article50999.html

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by | December 15, 2010 · 10:01 am

Hospitality Industry Identity Theft: Las Vegas Hotel Industry Is Target Of Cybercriminals Who “Skim Wireless Transmissions” And Intercept Credit Card Data And PIN Numbers On Low-Cost/High Tech Devices

Law enforcement officers learned last week how easy it is to have one’s identity stolen when a cybercrimes expert powered a $30 machine and intercepted some of the wireless transmissions coming from their smart phones as they sat in a UNLV conference room.

“It’s absolutely an arms race,” said Feffer, who also investigates cybercrime for the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office. “You see vulnerabilities in software exploited by criminals. Then you see the software companies patch those vulnerabilities and then the criminals develop new ones. That’s why you have to make sure everything is up-to-date and currently patched. What was good last year is by no means safe this year.”

As cybercriminals seek new ways to outsmart police and the public, crime-fighting agencies are increasingly turning to cyber-experts to show them the latest high-tech equipment used in identity theft scams.

One of those experts is Justin Feffer, who conducts seminars for identity theft detectives nationwide on behalf of the FBI and LifeLock, an Arizona company that specializes in identity theft protection.

“It’s absolutely an arms race,” said Feffer, who also investigates cybercrime for the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office. “You see vulnerabilities in software exploited by criminals. Then you see the software companies patch those vulnerabilities and then the criminals develop new ones. That’s why you have to make sure everything is up-to-date and currently patched. What was good last year is by no means safe this year.”

That’s the reason nearly 100 officers from Metro Police, North Las Vegas, Henderson, the state Gaming Control Board and other agencies attended the conference.

It included a demonstration of skimming devices that criminals use to steal credit and debit card information, including PIN numbers, from card-swiping machines that have become increasingly present at Las Vegas restaurants and retail outlets.

Speaking outside the conference room, LifeLock spokesman Mike Prusinski emphasized the importance of training. “Most of the individuals in that room have absolutely no idea what a skimming device looks like or what the wiring looks like. We’re opening their eyes to these things.”

The interview took place outside the room because the FBI and LifeLock don’t want the public — including the media — to know what law enforcement is learning about the tricks of identity thieves.

Nevada has been a hotbed of identity theft for years. The state last year ranked fifth in the nation with 106 complaints per 100,000 residents — 2,802 complaints total — that were fielded by the Federal Trade Commission. That’s down from 130.2 complaints per 100,000 residents in 2005, when Nevada ranked second. The agency did not explain why the numbers for Nevada are down.

The FTC data paint only a partial picture of the problem because many victims file complaints only with police instead of also with the commission. But the number of identity theft crime reports filed with Metro from January through Nov. 13 — 2,063 — is down from the 2,440 filed during the same period in 2009.

For more:  http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2010/dec/15/pickpockets-strike-through-ether/

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by | December 9, 2010 · 6:37 am

Hotel Industry Technology Issues: Successful Hotels Of Future Must Invest In Mobile Phone And In-Room Technology To Earn Sophisticated Guest Loyalty

To be successful, hotel companies need to spend more on initiatives such as mobile phone booking technology, smart cards, social networking and product innovation in rooms, Deloitte said yesterday at the launch in Dubai of its Hospitality 2015 five-year report on the future of the hotel industry.

  • By 2015 hotel rooms could have floors with built-in sensors that light the way for guests
  • Doors that can be unlocked through mobile phones
  • Alarm clocks that wake guests by increasing the amount of light in their rooms.
  • Guests should be able to text or e-mail their preferences so their rooms are set up to meet their requirements.

 “As an industry we are dreadful at technology,” said Alex Kyriakidis, the global managing partner at Deloitte’s tourism, hospitality and leisure division.

Technology spending in the sector is predicted to rise by just 0.9 per cent a year between 2008 and 2013 in terms of the compound annual growth rate.

“In our industry, of course, the airline is leading,” said Mr Kyriakidis.

“Now the airline has converged the entire experience on to your PDA [personal digital assistant]. With some carriers today you can do everything on your mobile phone from your booking, to your check-in, to boarding at the gate by scanning your mobile phone, all the way through on to your chosen seat on the aircraft.

For more:  http://www.thenational.ae/business/travel-tourism/hotel-industry-urged-to-get-technology-up-to-speed

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by | December 6, 2010 · 7:15 am

Hospitality Industry Credit Card Risks: Hotel Owners And Management Must Store “Credit Card And Guest Receipts” In Secure Locations To Prevent Identity Theft

“… (the defendents) found boxes of monthly credit card receipts from previous hotel guests. Box by box, they and others lifted them from the hotel, officials allege…”

The receipts, officials say, helped the men manufacture counterfeit credit cards in document “boiler rooms” and card “chop shops,” which they then used to buy $300,000 worth of merchandise in Texas, Oklahoma and Louisiana.

The merchandise, which included tow trailers, televisions, all-terrain vehicles and tires, then was resold or pawned.

The hotel didn’t learn of the thefts until August 2008, and since then, federal investigators have learned at least 17,000 receipts were stolen in what they say is San Antonio’s largest identity theft case.

Details had remained sketchy until the ringleader, Ruben “Hollywood” Costello, 36, recently pleaded guilty to ID theft fraud conspiracy, access device fraud, and conspiracy to launder money, and documents in the case were unsealed.

They identify Jones, 34, as his partner in the crimes and name him and Flaharty, 31, as two people who helped take the records from the Emily Morgan.

They also reveal Costello used a network of associates, methamphetamine addicts and others to maintain the scheme, and used an Elmendorf trucking company he ran, RD&N Hauling, to launder the money.

The cardholders never realized their credit card accounts had been compromised until months, even years, after they stayed at the hotel. But the damage made it hard for some of them to get loans and left lingering headaches in trying to straight things out, officials said.“When you look at these types of crimes, you may think the victim is the vendor or the credit card companies,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Tom McHugh said. “What we see is that the person whose identity is stolen, his problems may go on for years.”

For more:  http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/local_news/article/Ringleader-pleads-in-S-A-s-largest-ID-theft-case-859510.php

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by | December 2, 2010 · 9:27 am

Hotel Industry Risk Management: “GuestChecker.com” And Its “Twitter” Site Represent A Trend In Current And Future Web-Based Solutions To Guest Security Issues

http://twitter.com/GuestChecker

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by | November 30, 2010 · 6:11 pm

Hospitality Industry Trends: How Will Hotels And Restaurants Of The Future Improve Their Operations And Profitability? (Video)

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S9DhCXcL0A4]

Here is an interesting video describing some of the future trends of the hospitality industry, and more specificly hotels and restaurants. 

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by | November 29, 2010 · 8:30 am

Hospitality Industry Sustainability Initiatives: Hotel “Green Initiatives” Are Being Implemented And Maintained Through Training And Management In Spite Of Economic Downturn

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