Tag Archives: Technology Solutions

Hospitality Industry Technology Solutions: Hotels Partner With Google To Present Guests With “360-Degree Panoramic Virtual Tours” On Websites

“…Google Business Photos are 360-degree tours powered by Google Street technology. Many businesses have used the technology since Google introduced it in 2010, but a growing number of hotel companies are now adopting it… “Since the 360-degree panoramic virtual tours are taken by Google Trusted Photographers, guests know that these tours are created by a trusted, third party.”

Hospitality Industry Technology SolutionsChekitan Dev, marketing professor at Cornell University’s School of Hotel Administration and author of Hospitality Branding, says other hotel companies will have to think more about visuals to compete with their counterparts.

USA Today

By Nancy Trejos

Hotels are partnering with Google to change the way travelers can view hotels even before they walk through the front entrance. Best Western International on Thursday will announce the launch of Google Business Photos for all 2,200 of its North American hotels. All hotels will have the virtual tours online by the end of 2014.

Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group, parent company of Radisson, Radisson Blu, and Country Inns & Suites, this month started a pilot program of the service with an initial rollout at its hotels in Chicago, Miami and metro Washington, D.C.

“It will allow you to virtually experience the hotel in the same way you would if you were there,” says Dorothy Dowling, senior vice president of marketing and sales for Best Western. “We personally believe that this is going to be a game-changer in the industry in redefining how photos will be consumed by the consumer.”

The photos are taken by photographers trained and certified by Google. Their still photographs are stitched into 360-degree views using panoramic camera technology. Travelers can see the photos when they search for the hotel on Google Search, Google Maps, Google+, and Google Hotel Finder. They’ll be able to take the interactive tours on their computers, smartphones or tablets. The hotels also can link to the images from their websites.

For more: http://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/hotels/2013/12/18/best-western-carlson-google-business-photos/4115185/

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Filed under Guest Issues, Management And Ownership, Risk Management, Technology

Hospitality Industry Technology Solutions: New Restaurant Smartphone App Integrates “Ordering & Reservation System”; Customized Menus Along With Table Availability And Wait Times

“…the portable electronic device can be used to review a menu, place an order, and be billed for an order…In other examples, the Hände mit Handys im Restaurantportable electronic device can also transmit personal information or a personal profile of the operator of the portable electronic device to the restaurant so that the restaurant can personalize the menu or provide recommendations for items to order. In one example, the personalized menu can be configured to remove items from the menu that contain substances that the customer is allergic to…”

“…(the app is) capable of providing recommendations for restaurants in response to a search query for a particular restaurant type, cuisine, ethnicity, price point, rating, or a combination of a few of these factors. The recommendations provided to the customer can be based on the wait time for the next available table at the restaurant…”

“…the recommendations can contain only restaurants with a table available within a predetermined period of time. As another example, the recommendations can contain only restaurants capable of providing the customer with a table within a period of time after the customer arrives at the restaurant…”

On December 12, 2013, the US Patent & Trademark Office published a patent application from Apple that reveals a new ordering and reservation system that could work with various Apple iDevices. Although the system can be modified to be apply to movie theaters, repair services, museums and the like, Apple’s main focus is on a restaurant market application Our cover graphic was taken from Apple’s “Life on iPad” promotional video where they illustrated a chef or short order cook using the iPad as part of an ordering system.

For more: http://www.patentlyapple.com/patently-apple/2013/12/apple-invents-restaurant-ordering-reservation-system.html

http://blogs.barrons.com/techtraderdaily/2013/12/13/opentable-slips-apple-patent-describes-eating-at-a-restaurant/

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Filed under Management And Ownership, Risk Management, Technology

Hospitality Industry Risk Solutions: Hotels Benefit From Online “Digital Suggestion Boxes” Allowing Workers To Upload “Great Ideas” That “Manifest Their Visions” Of A Better Workplace

“…Last year, hotel company Kimpton, which operates 50 boutique hotels nationwide, launched a “Great Ideas Board” website where employees Hospitality Employee Solutionscan upload suggestions and brainstorms at any time, from anywhere. Co-workers are able to log on and build on those suggestions. Steve Pinetti, Kimpton’s senior vice president of inspiration and creativity, started the concept to get employees brainstorming together. Either he or the appropriate division head provides a response to every post within 48 hours…”

The physical suggestion box has gone digital, creating new opportunity for workplace communication. From phone applications to websites to intranet portals and blogs, businesses are replacing paper communication with an online format where employees can manifest their visions and ideas.

“Companies have discovered that the ability to let their employees give ideas and share information is critical,” said Leslie Caccamese, director of strategic marketing and research with Great Place to Work. With employees often dispersed in multiple locations, leaders are turning to technology to encourage innovative ideas and help transmit them to the key decision-makers within the company. The companies that land on the Best Places to Work lists are those that have a foundation of communication, and increasingly, electronic suggestion boxes are part of their programs, she said.

Research shows employees want to have their say on issues or problems that arise in the workplace. On an informal basis, some 54 percent of employees make suggestions to their bosses at least 20 times a year, according to a recent survey by Right Management, an international career and outplacement consultancy. But without a formal system to submit ideas and respond, only a small number of those suggestions turn into results.

Read more here: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2013/12/06/4524967/employee-suggestion-boxes-move.html#storylink=cpy

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Filed under Labor Issues, Management And Ownership, Risk Management, Technology, Training

Hospitality Industry Technology Solutions: Restaurants Will Soon Benefit From New “Location-Based Mobile Payment” Technology & Apps; Customers “Automatically Check-In”, Complete Purchases With Smartphones

“…Telegraphe Cafe in New York will start testing Beacon soon. Anne Abikhzir, one of the owners of the coffee shop, expects the new gadget will Restaurant Mobile Payment Solutionsincrease check-ins and make the experience of buying coffee and pastries more personal for her customers…shoppers (can) complete their purchases using their phones and that data is collected and analyzed by retailers..”

EBay has spent many hours and lots of money pinpointing the locations of thousands of retail stores so the e-commerce company can capture sales from smartphone wielding shoppers. Now the company’s PayPal division is using a new technology know as Bluetooth Low Energy to get even more accurate location information inside stores through a gadget called Beacon.

The first PayPal employee tests of Beacon are happening at Spice Hut, a restaurant and food truck business in Silicon Valley, Telegraphe Cafe in New York and Get York Coffee in Sydney, Australia. Accurate location information is becoming more important as the rise of smartphones boosts mobile commerce brings the benefits of online shopping to physical stores.

That’s the retail holy grail that eBay and other technology and retail companies are fighting for. Apple released iBeacon location-based technology earlier this year, start-up Shopkick has installed location-based systems in major stores already and a group of the largest retailers, led by Wal-Mart, launched a mobile payments group last year called MCX.

For more: http://www.wltx.com/news/tech/article/257658/378/EBay-PayPal-Pinpoint-Stores-for-Mobile-Shopping

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Filed under Guest Issues, Management And Ownership, Risk Management, Technology

Hospitality Industry Technology Solutions: “Top 5 Trends In Hotel Technology” Feature Importance Of “Electronic Device Support” And “Real-Time Online Pricing & Reservations”

Top 5 Trends

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by | December 1, 2013 · 9:35 am

Hospitality Industry Technology Solutions: Hotels Increase Collection Of Guest Information With Social Media & Surveys To “Upgrade The Experience”

“…Like other luxury hotels, the Peninsula collects a cache of information about its customers, which is stored in a guest-preference database. Hotel Technology SolutionsBut it’s done with only one purpose: to upgrade the experience. It contains information about your favorite food, your preferred room and what side of the bed you sleep on…Experts will tell you it’s unfair to compare a hotel with a few hundred guests with a chain with tens of thousands. Maybe, maybe not. La Quinta Inn & Suites recently used a feedback-management platform to harvest information through social media and surveys to determine what guests thought of its breakfasts, which are included in the price of their stay…”

Airlines, car rental companies and hotels ought to spy on their customers more often. Collecting information about you to improve customer service — and only for that purpose — could return the American travel business to greatness.

That’s no coincidence, says Offer  Nissenbaum, managing director of the Peninsula Beverly Hills. “If you collect all the little details,” says Nissenbaum, “you can meet and exceed a guest’s expectations.”

Actually, figuring out which side of the bed you sleep on seems to be one of the hottest data points in the hotel business. The Ritz-Carlton, which also delivers  above-and-beyond service, notes your preferred side, says spokeswoman Allison Sitch. Why? Because that’s  where the staff will place a water bottle and other amenities, which means a lot when you roll out of bed in the morning.

The volume of data being collected by luxury hotel chains such as Ritz-Carlton or Peninsula might make an NSA agent blush. But the hotels gather it unapologetically, “as long as the data is being used to make the customer happy,” says Sitch.

The insights were sent directly to front-line employees and managers  for their feedback. La Quinta responded by adding signs and more prominently displaying the healthy foods they already offered, and customer approval rose.

For more:  http://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/2013/11/24/airline-car-rental-hotel-traveler-surveillance/3692017/

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Filed under Guest Issues, Management And Ownership, Risk Management, Technology

Hospitality Industry Social Media Solutions: National Hotel And Restaurant Chains Using Twitter To “Attract A More Stable Following”

“…The idea stemmed from a conversation in which the company suggested one of their properties, and turned a Twitter user into a paying Hospitality Industry Social Media Managementcustomer. In an age when so few people have allegiances to certain companies, Loews are also hoping to attract a more stable following…The chain will launch “social reservations” at 16 of its 19 properties from November 19th, which opens another interesting channel for online users to book their next hotel stay with only a few clicks…”

Following in the wake of a recent tweet-a-coffee initiative from Starbucks, Loews Hotels and Resorts have made the decision to allow social media users to book a room through Twitter.

With 34% of hotel room revenue comes from online and mobile app bookings, the chain is hoping to give people in their 20s and 30s another way to book their stay without having to pick up the phone.

Here’s how the process works: Send a tweet to @Loews_Hotels with the hashtag #BookLoews to show you’re interested, after which a Loews travel planner will join in the conversation. Once all the details are taken care of, the planner will tweet a link to a secure chat conversation where you can process your payment information.

For more:  http://www.psfk.com/2013/11/twitter-hotel-bookings.html

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Filed under Guest Issues, Management And Ownership, Risk Management, Technology

Hospitality Industry Wireless Technology: Hotels Offered Free Wi-Fi At 64% Of Properties In 2013 With Guests Expecting Speeds Up To 5 Mbps

Hotel Wi-Fi Report

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by | November 16, 2013 · 11:34 am

Hospitality Industry Technology Solutions: Restaurant Companies Use Tablets And New Apps To Increase Efficiency, Consistency And Maintain Order Preparation Performance

“…to encourage kitchen efficiency, managers can also use the order system to set a performance benchmark…at Jason’s Deli, Michael Johnson Restaurant Tablet Technology(a regional manager) said the management has set acceptable order preparation that spans from six to eight minutes for each order. When the order has been in the pipeline for six minutes, information turns yellow on the counter/expo station display, which lets preparers know that customers have been waiting for quite a while and they have less than two minutes to finish preparing it…programming apps for tablets (also)produce analytic reports through orders, which can be sent to the management team at corporate headquarters for review. Technology use can also strengthen communication between franchisors, franchisees, and workers…”

The benefits of using tablets and technology extend beyond just table coverage for companies like Brinker International Inc. and DineEquity Inc., and possibly for Cheesecake Factory Inc. and Buffalo Wild Wings Inc. in the future. Combined with location pinpoint technology like RFIDs (radio-frequency identification), tablets can help servers quickly identify which table orders are coming from.

This will allow servers to spend less time wondering about the location they have to bring dishes to and more time on the actual delivery, giving customers an impression of operational efficiency, reducing cost for restaurant operations, and driving earnings higher. This is even more important when employment level in the United States is weak and people are still trading down to lower cost food. As Dave Praws, executive chef for Blue Lemon LLC says, “We’re able to deliver food quickly and efficiently and, in fast-casual, that’s what we are about. Without that ability, we’d be ‘slow-casual.’”

For more:  http://marketrealist.com/2013/10/restaurants-improve-efficiency-tablets-technology/

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Filed under Guest Issues, Labor Issues, Management And Ownership, Risk Management, Technology, Training

Hospitality Industry Technology Trends: More Restaurants Are Installing “Electronic Payment Systems” As Many Consumers Prefer Self-Service Terminals, Use Smartphone Apps, And Visit Websites For Information

Restaurant Technology Infographic

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by | October 14, 2013 · 9:46 am