Saturday 16 September 2006 by Edward.

Preeti Kannan examines tech trends in the hospitality industry, reports ExpressHospitality. The three main areas of IT opportunity are: customer relations, marketing and property management.

Tech predictions include:
KIOSKS: Computer reception desks to receive guests.
INTERACTIVE TELEVISION: inbuilt food/drink menu and special services
COMPLAINT/REQUEST MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS: IT alerts
LOYALTY PROGRAMS: niche programs and cross-selling of programs
TRAVEL PORTALS: see travelguru.com
COMMENT/FEEDBACK KIOSKS: data stream to improve customer service
ONE-STOP HOTLINE: single point of contact for all guest inquiries
MOBILE ALERTS: mobile technology to connect all staff
REAL-TIME IT ACCESS: anywhere-record-access for key statistics

Posted in Report/Book | 1 Comment »

Saturday 16 September 2006 by Edward.

WorldMap displays 60,000+ blue hotel pins on a global, interactive Google Map. Let’s say your interested in travelling to the Charlevoix area in Quebec, a hidden jewel. You locate the area of interest via a search tool, then click the blue pin of interest to you. The Charlevoix shows three hotels: Econolodge La Malbaie, La Pinsonniere and Fairmont de Manoir Richelieu. A click of a pin and you see the name of the hotel, a photo of the hotel and links to more photos, and a link to the hotel’s website. This is a very visual way of locating hotels.
Similar maps exist (see: Barcelona Available Apartments Map) but the advantage with the WorldMap website is the number of hotels mapped. The site needs to be integrated with other data to show surrounding events and destinations of interest (see: Indiana Travel Guide Map) to be even more useful to the tourist.

Posted in Maps, BEFORE the visit | 1 Comment »