"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