Tag Archives: Technology

by | July 18, 2014 · 10:00 am

Hospitality Industry Technology Update: “In Marriott’s Newest Flagship, Tech is all Behind the Scenes and in Your Hand”

“…Research is showing that more hotel guests are starting to demand certain techie features.marriott-marquis-exterior Research company SmartBrief found that 45 percent of hotels guests travel with two mobile devices – 40 percent carry three. And with these devices, guests are demanding more charging options, mobile-based automated services like check-in/check-out, digital signage in the lobby, sophisticated meeting rooms, and customer service via social media…”

As technology continues to dictate our everyday lives, we seemingly anticipate our environment to respond in the same manner. There are numerous products designed to make our homes smarter, and even restaurants are using tablets to do away with traditional wait staff. In the travel and hospitality sector, some hotels are adapting to new tech trends by adding things like automated blinds, TVs embedded in bathroom mirrors, sophisticated radios with iPhone docks, iPads in lounges, or even a robotic luggage handler (it’s real, it’s called the Yobot, and it’s at the Yotel in New York City).

For more: http://bit.ly/1mobXr6

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

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by | July 17, 2014 · 9:16 am

Hospitality Industry Security Update: “Secret Service Warns Hotels of Data Theft”

“…Given that users at hotels use public computers to check email, print boarding passes, pay for travel arrangements and download private business information,SecretService it’s not too hard to imagine what an imaginative hacker could do with this information. Worse still, there isn’t much that even a savvy hotel operator can do to prevent this misuse…”

The Secret Service has confirmed what you’ve probably suspected for a long time: Public computers at hotels are ridiculously insecure, and you’re taking a gamble with your personal data each time you use one.

For more: http://fxn.ws/1rk6Pfg

 

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Filed under Crime, Guest Issues, Hotel Industry, Maintenance, Management And Ownership, Privacy, Technology, Theft

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by | July 14, 2014 · 9:33 am

Hospitality Industry Legal Update: “Smoke Alarm Laws Taking Effect”

“…The biggest change, which took effect July 1, 20140225165058_87769requires all new battery-operated smoke alarms sold in California to be built with a nonremovable 10-year battery. Existing smoke detectors don’t have to be replaced until they reach the end of their 10-year lifespan or start malfunctioning…”

New smoke detector laws, including a change that took effect July 1, are intended to keep working alarms in rental properties and homes in Tracy and throughout California.

State Senate Bills 1394 and 745 are phasing in rules for installation and types of smoke alarms during the next two years.

For more: http://bit.ly/1qYv68S

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Filed under Fire, Hotel Industry, Maintenance, Management And Ownership, Risk Management, Technology

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by | July 8, 2014 · 9:00 am

Hospitality Industry Technology Update: “Perch App Helps Hotels Track Competitors”

“…While Perch is geared toward small businesses in general, Evans says it has proven to be particularly beneficial to hotel owners and managers.perch Users can stay connected with the community by watching local hotels, restaurants, and venues to discover events and activities happening nearby…”

Social media offers hotel owners and managers a wealth of information at their fingertips, but being able to access it all can be a challenge. With so many outlets that allow guests to share pictures and thoughts about a hotel—Facebook, Twitter, Yelp, and Instagram, just to name a few—it’s virtually impossible for one individual to keep track of everything that’s posted online.

For more: http://bit.ly/VVryt4

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

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by | July 3, 2014 · 9:50 am

Hospitality Industry Technology Update: “The Hotel TV Gets Smarter”

“…Travelers, in general, have grown accustomed to hotel rooms with really bad content and as a result they have grown used to bringing their own devicesHotel TV and bringing their own subscriptions…Access my own content’ is something that growing segments of travelers want, and we know it will continue to get both more pervasive and more elegant from a process standpoint…”

The hotel room TV is now starting to look like your mobile device.

A number of hotel TV manufacturers have developed the capability to let travelers stream content from their devices to the hotel TV. Some are even making it possible for the hotel TV to mirror exactly what is on your smartphone screen.

It’s just one way that manufacturers and content providers are trying to keep the hotel TV relevant at a time when people are used to watching anything they want when they want to on their iPads and smartphones

For more: http://usat.ly/1j0ordJ

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

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by | June 24, 2014 · 8:35 am

Hospitality Industry Liability Update: “Hotels Don’t Need CO Alarms, New Rules Say”

“…CO is a very real danger, and CO alarms should be in hotel rooms,”CO says Stephen Thom, a University of Maryland professor of emergency medicine and a CO specialist. “CO incidents happen in every major city regularly, and people only pay attention to the need for CO detectors when there is a tragedy…”

New international building and fire codes that will be published this summer may provide hotel guests less protection from deadly carbon monoxide.

The 2015 codes eliminate a 2012 requirement that required a CO alarm in each guest room or a detection system in all common areas, according to Michael O’Brian, a member of an International Code Council committee that recommended the new codes.

For more: http://usat.ly/1jLdVBe

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by | June 23, 2014 · 9:06 am

Hospitality Industry Security Update: “Navigating Concerns and Identifying Solutions”

“…Hotels are held to extraordinarily high standards with regard to safety and security.hotelkeycard.security It is critically important that all hotel staff be trained on appropriate security procedures for all high traffic areas, including the lobby, front desk, baggage storage area, guest entry points, valet, and parking lot and receiving dock areas..”

A single act of crime on your property could diminish your brand.

Business and recreational travelers demand safe and secure hotel accommodations, as well as responsive and friendly customer service. How can hoteliers ensure that their property provides as secure an environment as possible, while maintaining friendly customer service?

Best practices for protecting sensitive business information while making people productive from

As Warren Buffet said, “it takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it. If you think about that, you’ll do things differently.”

With that said, here are nine things to consider when it comes to blending hospitality and security.

For more: http://bit.ly/T3dyv1

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by | June 19, 2014 · 9:31 am

Hospitality Industry Technology Update: “Handheld Hospitality to Showcase SmartHuest App at HITEC 2014”

“…With SmartGuest, hotels can provide their guests with up-to-date information on hotel services and activities,handheld hospitality including special offers, room service, and restaurant menu selections.  Management can also send notifications of any kind in real time…SmartGuest also offers the options of sharing information on social media, or one-click-dialing or emailing for reservations.  In addition, quick search and GPS mapping allow guests to find their way in and around the hotel properties with the touch of a finger…”

HandHeld Hospitality, LLC, a leader in mobile hospitality technology, announced today that it will showcase its SmartGuest app at HITEC 2014, the world’s largest hospitality technology show.  SmartGuest is a customizable application that enables hotels to communicate directly with guests and increase revenue.

For more: http://bit.ly/1rbWmzo

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by | June 18, 2014 · 9:18 am

Hospitality Industry Risk Management Update: “Why You Need to Track Your Travelers”

“…Another factor reducing traveler safety is lack of awareness by travelers themselves about the risks they might encounter, experts said.risk management A recent survey by travel assistance provider International SOS found that while most international travelers carry smart phones, nearly three-quarters (73%) do not use travel-related applications before or during travel. Survey respondents said they would like information about medical services and risks in their destination – but apparently they don’t want it badly enough to bother looking…”

Do you know where your travelers are? Sure, you say. “I’ve got some people in Europe and a bunch headed for a meeting in the Bahamas.” Sorry, that’s not enough information. You need more than a general idea of where your travelers are, according to safety and security experts. Not knowing where travelers are or the risks they could encounter can open your company to legal and financial liability.

For more: http://bit.ly/1ilhLGc

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by | June 10, 2014 · 8:30 am

Hospitality Industry Safety Update: “Hyper-Vigilance Helps to Keep Guests Safe”

“…If an incident does occur, whether it’s an act of violence or a minor theft,safety responsibility rests with lodging management to respond immediately, Chartier says. That may mean correcting the physical surroundings, barricading an area, having appropriate security personnel respond, or calling the authorities. Situations will be further complicated once an incident spreads via social media or a news crew shows up…”

The autopsy photos still haunt Norm Bates, Esq. “She was stabbed 96 times,” says Bates, president of Liability Consultants Inc., in Bolton, Mass. “I’ve done hundreds of murder cases, but this was the worst one I’ve ever seen.”

Roughly a year prior to the October 2007 murder of 21-year-old Layla Banks, the former Stamford Sheraton Hotel in Connecticut had cut the property’s security staff of 10 to one as a cost-saving measure, says Bates, who served as a security and liability expert for the Banks family in the case against the hotel. The security office became a storeroom, and the director of engineering doubled as the director of security, a position that he was “incompetent” to serve.

For more: http://bit.ly/1ki7zc2

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