Bringing it all together.

The speed with which technology is moving in the hospitality industry is amazing, everyday there is something new and exciting on the market. Suppliers are working together with hoteliers to provide the best service possible from technology and service, IP is the solid foundation which enables convergence for many of the hotels.
Before there were always separate systems for the PBX, PMS , CRM etc, now it is a one stop shop which may seem difficult but convergence is making it all possible.
Before the wow factor was when a guest could view their bill on the television, today it takes a whole lot more to get the wow factor from the guest. Technology plays a big part today in contributing to that wow factor, after all the guests are expecting more than what they can get at home or in the office when they enter that hotel room. while hotels can use technology to reach the guest outside of the room, via online registration and loyalty club points, the hotel room remains the most important.
Vendors must be willing to work with hoteliers in providing this support, if they are not then the lifespan of their company would be very short."Hoteliers have always been concerned with getting heads in beds. Solution providers must concern themselves with keeping those heads satisfied." Both hoteliers and solution providers have to enter into a business relationship that will be advantageous to them both.
Reading the articles really brings it home as to how much technology is changing the industry. Now less is better, which can be a good thing, getting more done with less systems in place. However, they must be careful and ensure that they do have a backup plan in case something goes array. The next time I visit a hotel I will inquire/ look at their system and see how far along the hotel is.

Phillips, D (2006, March 01). Bring Them All Together - How the WOW the Guest. Retrieved April 13, 2007 from , Web site: http://www.hospitalityupgrade.com/_magazine/magazine_Detail.asp?ID=63

"Do you know what they are saying about your hotel?"

The internet is a forum where anyone and everyone can express their thoughts and opinions. The hotel business has recognized the importance of blogs and postings and has made it easier for guests to leave their comments and reviews on their websites. This has not always been the case, in the early days of the internet, finding a website which was easy to navigate and leave or read a comment was quite difficult. Now there are a number of site which offer these services and are user friendly; sites such as TripAdvisor.com, IgoUgo.com, Mytravelguide.com and Travelpost.com.
"Many major travel booking sites have now added customer reviews and ratings. Expedia and Travelocity offer guest reviews and ratings while Priceline, Hotwire and Hotels.com provide customer feedback by numeric rating scales (e.g., 4 out of 5 or 7 out of 10). Some sites offer users incentives to post both reviews and photographs. IgoUgo,for example, gives points-style incentives for free gifts from companies such as Target, iTunes and Amazon to users who post reviews or photos.”
However, with the upside of the forum, where potential travelers can use the sites and blogs as a gauge to make a reservation at a particular hotel based on comments from a website or blog, there is also a downside. Granted there will not always be good reviews, hotels have to protect themselves and ensure that those who did indeed write a blog, good or bad, was actually a guest at the hotel. Disgruntled ex-employees, malicious competitors, forever dissatisfied customers or the case of the mistaken site, where the wrong comment is posted on the wrong site, is something that managers have to be on the lookout for.
Due to the effect such comments may have, sites have taken a number of steps to ensure that the claims made are legitimate. Some sites limit who can post a comment, Expedia uses their sign in process to see if the person actually booked a hotel within the given time frame. Others contact the hotel if a poor review is posted on the site to ensure that the validity of the posting.
The biggest problem for owners/ managers of a hotel is finding out what is being written about their hotel. It is a long and tedious task, however when they do find out what is being posted they should immediately take action to rectify the problem and clear any misunderstandings.
The internet can provide a wealth of information. When booking my holidays I do go online and read some of the comments posted. However, it is unclear whether a person wrote a bad comment out of spite or if it was truly warranted. Everyone view and experience things differently. What may be pleasant for me may not be for another individual, and so I do not put too much into what the others are saying. I am willing to take the chance and experience it myself.

Burns, J (2006, March 01). Do You Know What they’re Saying About
Your Hotel? - How guest review Web sites may be impacting your Hotel.
Retrieved March 23, 2007 from, president of Hospitality Technology
Consulting.Web site: http://www.hospitalityupgrade.com/_magazine/magazine_Detail.asp?ID=67

"Have You Given Thieves the Key to Your Register?"

It is so much easier to take a credit card around than it is to carry cash and as a result we see more and more card transactions taking place in businesses. However danger still lurks around the corner just as it did when we carried cash on us, except now instead of just stealing cash they are also stealing the identity of a person as well. Some steps can be taken to prevent such an event from occurring: businesses should use equipment that has been lab evaluated and approved by credit card companies, managers should ensure that a log book of pin numbers are never kept after the transaction has occurred. Ensure when POS systems are first initialized that they are loaded with encryption keys. Use keys on system for one purpose and one purpose alone, in both the POS system and the network processor link. Ensure that all devices have unique keys assigned to them including pin encryption and key exchange keys. Managers should also educate their staff to look for and prevent future problems relating to theft. If a pad looks like it has been tampered with or gone missing it should be reported immediately to the authorities. Inspect POS and pad inventory on a regular basis as well ensure that only authorized personnel can service terminals thus limiting access to the pads themselves.
There is always someone out there looking to see where they can get a free ride off someone else. Theft of this nature is becoming more common place and so businesses must work diligently to ensure that they protect their clients from such a disastrous occurrence. I myself tend to be a bit skeptical when using my credit cards. Everyday I hear about the nightmares that people have gone through trying to rectify this problem. For me I am a bit old school and am wary of using my card online and in the stores, then there is the other part of me that thinks that its okay, this wont happen to me. You never know, the minute your guard is down that is when disaster strikes. Be aware and be informed.

Smith, M (2007, March 03).  Have You Given Thieves the Key to Your
    Register?. Retrieved March 21, 2007 from ,  senior vice
    president, enterprise risk and compliance at Visa U.S.A. Web site:
    http://www.hospitalityupgrade.com/_magazine/magazine_Detail.asp?ID=97  

"The Gospel of the Repeat Guest".

When is someone considered a repeat customer? Everyone has their own definition, but the repeat customer can be based on but not limited too : your previous stays- are you considered a repeat on or after your second visit? The time period in which you visited- is it once in the the last year or three times in the last six years? The purpose of your visit- were you a tourist on your first visit and now part of a delegated committee- are you a repeat then? How do the hotels know- do you tell them that you are a repeat client or can they retrieve it through their system? The guest history displayed at the front desk is about 70% accurate. Repeat customers are always good to have but do they save on the marketing dollars? Hotels send different messages to lure customers back, but they still have to keep in contact with them. How much revenue is lost in providing upgrades to repeat customers? When they return to the hotel, do they spend as much as they did the first time? Is the hotel generating enough income to accommodate them again? Is it worth it? Can hotels depend less on luring clients back and depending on the customers spreading the word about the good experiences through word of mouth and gaining more business that way? They will after all tell their friends and families about the experiences they had, so why not treat the new customers with as much attention as the repeat?
This article was might interesting, in that I never thought about how much money the hotel can spend in trying to lure a clients back to the hotel. What do they do, the money that they sometimes lose by the guest who comes back but does not spend as much. The next time I check into a hotel I will have to look at how they measure a repeat customer, how do they keep track of that customer and what lengths do they go to to retain that customer.

Schubach, M. & Phillips, L. (2006, June 16.).   Hospitality Upgrade: Customer | Relationship Management:
Thou Shalt Have No Other Guests Before Them. Retrieved March 09, 2007.
from , Michael Schubach, CHTP, is the VP of resort technology for ClubResorts, the resort division of ClubCorp.
Lisa Phillips is the director of ClubResorts' guest centric marketing. Web site: http://www.hospitalityupgrade.com/_magazine/magazine_Detail.asp?ID=4 

Self-service Technologies: The Affect on Hospitality Branding

In recent times it has been noted that branding is fast becoming one of the five big divisions in which companies are investing a lot of their research and development dollars into. Hospitality branding is becoming one of the top priorities in the industry and when done correctly can have a great impact on the shareholders of the company. In 2006, over $475 billion dollars, a fifty one percent increase from 2005, was spent by consumers at Kiosks and self service machines and the figures are expected to reach $1.2 trillion by 2009.

The question arises however, “is branding just an important strategic option or has it become an indispensable strategic imperative?” An independent hotel with a good management team, in a prime location, and accommodates online booking, can give a chain hotel just as much competition.

Companies have to be able to differentiate themselves from each other, to do this they should invest in programs that are difficult for the competition to replicate, which in turn will land them the notch above the competitors.

Companies today are not depending on investment analysis, instead they are following the leads of the airlines, but by doing so they are losing critical information on their perspective and present clients. By investing in such programs, they have to figure out which segment is going to be affected, would they appreciate the addition of the new self service technology? Which group will be excluded? How far and how fast should the product be introduced to the customers?

When the research was completed, it was found that the companies were focusing on the firm benefits, such as potential cost savings, increased customer satisfaction, labor reduction, and increased operations efficiency. Instead they should be focused on the customer related benefits, such as reduce waiting times, location benefits, greater privacy and added convenience. After all the value creating capabilities, the staff should be able to deliver consistently each and every time a guest stays at the hotel.

I think that this is a great way to go and more hotels should spend the time and money it takes to get to know the clients and cater to their needs. Not everyone likes to stand in lines, I am one of them, if the line is too long, I will find someone else to give my business to. I appreciate the speed and accuracy of a self service check out, I do not have to deal with the staff and I can get in and out as quickly as possible. Efficiency and effectiveness and two of the things I look at when booking with a hotel, also the level of customer satisfaction and the services that are provided that makes me feel like a valued guest.

Dickinson, C (2006, October 26).  Self-service Technologies: The
   Affect on Hospitality Branding. Retrieved February 24, 2007.
   from , vice president, client industry executive with EDS’ global
   travel and hospitality industry segment.
Web site: http://www.hospitalityupgrade.com/_magazine/
magazine_Detail.asp?ID=42 

This is my first blog

This is my first blog ever...So I have to learn the ins and outs of writing in one. Don't know anything about having one so if i go astray just let me know...