Technology

August 26, 2019

HomeAway Launches Virtual Tours in Bali

Singapore, - HomeAway®, a global leader in the holiday home rental industry, announced the launch of Virtual Tours in Bali. First launched in the U.S. in November 2018, Bali is the second market outside of the U.S. and the first market in Asia Pacific to offer Virtual Tours - a new proprietary product that seamlessly displays virtual tours of holiday homes on HomeAway. This customer-centric technological innovation allows homeowners and property managers to share a 360-degree walk-through of their properties with travellers. Travellers can visualise the property prior to their stay, setting their expectations and delivering a better stay experience. It also benefits homeowners with a proven record in increasing conversion.

Vrbo

Bali, Indonesia

August 20, 2019

The Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre in Australia Now Using InvoTech UHF-RFID Uniform System

InvoTech Systems Inc. announced the recent implementation of its UHF-RFID Uniform System at the Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre to automate uniform tracking, accounting and reporting for the uniforms. InvoTech Systems is the leading provider of advanced Linen Management, Laundry and Uniform Systems that integrate the latest RFID technology to increase profitability for hotels, resorts, casino operators, sports arenas, convention centers and theme parks. The InvoTech System installed at the Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre manages the Uniform inventory for 900 employees, and the convention center joins InvoTech's extensive client portfolio of convention centers worldwide. Click here for more information on InvoTech's Linen, Laundry and Uniform Systems.

Australia

My biggest frustration with hotel-tech when booking or staying at a hotel!

By Henri Roelings

Expert Views (27)

July 14, 2019

Max Starkov, Hospitality & travel technologist and digital strategist, Hospitality Net

I have two big frustrations: 1) In the Booking Phase: dealing with mobile-last Hotel websites that take forever to download on mobile devices. Wake up, hoteliers, visitors to your websites quit if your website pages and booking screens are not downloading within 2.5 seconds!

Terence Ronson, Founder & Managing Director, Pertlink Limited

Whilst you may have viewed my HITEC video regarding my frustrations with tech when staying in a Hotel – let me add my two cents regarding booking a Hotel. In many cases, I find the booking process to be just too cumbersome and does not always follow a natural sequence – such as location, dates (in/out), number of people, type of room etc.

Gregg Hopkins, Founder & President, Get Hoppy Consulting

External Article

July 11, 2019

Japanese airport hotel puts flight simulator in room

If you've ever gotten off a long flight and thought to yourself, "I miss being on a plane," then the Haneda Excel Hotel Tokyu has the room for you.The airport hotel near Tokyo's Haneda International Airport has installed a full flight simulator inside one of its rooms that guests can book for 90-minute flying sessions. The machine simulates the experience of piloting a Boeing 737-800, flying from Haneda to Osaka's Itami Airport with an instructor on hand to help. Using the simulator costs 30,000 Yen ($277), while booking the room for the night is an additional 25,300 Yen ($234). Guests aren't allowed to operate the simulator themselves.Aki Hagiwara, a public relations manager at the hotel, said it cost about 10 million yen ($92,000) to outfit the room. While she was unwilling to disclose sales figures, she said the hotel has gotten positive reaction from enthusiasts.

cnn.com

Japan

External Article

July 2, 2019

Oyo Has Remade India’s Hotel Business. Now It Is Going Global.

Founded just six years ago by a 19-year-old entrepreneur from one of India's poorest states, Oyo Hotels and Homes has grown so fast that it already ranks among the largest hotel chains in the world. In fact, going by the number of properties it claims in its network, Oyo is by far the biggest, twice the size of No. 2 Wyndham Hotels & Resorts.

WSJ

India

Investing in Technology Innovation - How Much is Enough?

By Lyle Worthington

Expert Views (13)

June 18, 2019

Floor Bleeker, Global technology executive, board advisor, and investor, IN2 Consulting

I don't believe that this is about Billions of dollars or even percentages of revenue. It's about a willingness to change, and unfortunately we are not very good at that. In our industry innovation or R&D does not have to be very technical and therefore does not have to be done by specialists.

Dave Berkus, Managing Partner, BERKONOMICS

Lots of us think that there is not enough investment in innovation in the hospitality industry. I disagree - at least as it relates to the investment by chains. When you include technology refurbishment and renewal, it is the independent properties and to a lesser extent the loosely managed brands such as Best Western individual member properties that fall behind.

Michael Toedt, CEO and Founder, dailypoint

Digitization means democratization. Today it is not the budget that decides but the competence of the management about success and failure. Hotels should invest first and foremost in the quality of management, in their continuous education and training.

The next-gen metrics that move hotel P&L

Ad Guide

Hotel tech has changed what's possible – and measurable. RevPAR and ADR aren't enough; discover the metrics that really matter.

Mews

Ad Be seen. Be trusted.

Why Hospitality Net Leads B2B in Hospitality

Learn what makes us the industry-leader in what we do.

Hospitality Net

Artificial Intelligence… Where could and should AI be adopted in our industry?

By Henri Roelings

Expert Views (15)

June 9, 2019

Ian Millar, Senior Lecturer Hospitality Technology, EHL

Even though still in the Buzz word stage, AI will play a massive role in our industry. Most will state that it will be a customer facing technology. From concierge robots who can interact with guests to chatbots and messaging.

Floor Bleeker, Global technology executive, board advisor, and investor, IN2 Consulting

Revenue management systems (RMS) were once amongst the hottest technologies in our industry. Unfortunately, we have not made much progress beyond hurdle rates, last room availability and length of stay powered by basic algorithms that haven't changed much.

Mark Fancourt, Co-Founder & Principal Consultant, TRAVHOTECH

Artificial Intelligence is not new to the hospitality industry in the specifics of narrow intelligence. The industry has long had technology capable of providing decision support or executive information around specific and targeted sets of consolidated information.

The Death of Yesterday’s PMS: Embracing the New Normal

By Henri Roelings

Expert Views (26)

June 2, 2019

Dave Berkus, Managing Partner, BERKONOMICS

Does anyone remember the NCR 4200. Used as the front desk and night audit posting machine? That dinosaur was replaced by what we thoughtlessly named the “PMS” (which would have been better named 'PMIS” for “information system.”) Well, it is about 46 years later and things surely have changed.

Floor Bleeker, Global technology executive, board advisor, and investor, IN2 Consulting

There will always be a system that is at 'the heart' of a hotel, whether we call it PMS, CRS, CRM, CRPMS or something else with a C or a P in it... We need a place where we can store inventory, rates and customers. Our problem today is that we don't have a single platform.

Ian Millar, Senior Lecturer Hospitality Technology, EHL

Hotels need to get back control of the data on their businesses and especially on their guest. the latter can be enabled by "service bus technology". Adding onto this the approach of working with SAAS platforms this starts to become possible.

Opinion Article

May 27, 2019

Hotel Yearbook 2020 China Special Edition - 酒店旅遊創新年鑒中國特輯

This Hotel Yearbook 2020 China Special Edition - 酒店旅遊創新年鑒中國特輯 was produced for HFTP, coinciding with CHTA Connecting Travellers Conference - 未来旅行者大会 2019 which took place from May 28-30 in Shanghai Marriott Hotel Parkview. 100+ innovative companies, nearly 2000 attendees from China local and global well-known hotel management groups, capitalists (owners & ventures), airlines, OTAs, scenic spots and etc. are expected to be here. And more than 100 Chinese and Western C level cross-border top leadership will get together to share their most innovative thoughts.

By Frank Wolfe, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), HFTP

China

Is Hotel Technology Lagging Behind other industries?

By Lyle Worthington

Expert Views (18)

May 22, 2019

Floor Bleeker, Global technology executive, board advisor, and investor, IN2 Consulting

The hospitality industry is definitely lagging behind other industries when it comes to technology. The check-in and check-out process for example has not fundamentally changed since, well ... ever ... In my opinion there are three main reasons (or should we say excuses?) for this, as well as many smaller ones.

Timo Kettern, Director Franchise Technology Services EMEA, Hilton

A big part of this issue is due to the fragmented stakeholder situation in our industry. There is a) the brand (Franchisor) and their priorities to push the brand distribution and franchise fees. b) the management company that aims to maximize revenue and profit (as it will in most cases increase their income of management fees); and c) the owner or asset manager of the hotel who's priority is to maximize the EXIT value of the property.All these stakeholders compete for the available investments (FF&E) funds.

Ian Millar, Senior Lecturer Hospitality Technology, EHL

This is a two sided problem. Hoteliers are not investing enough into technology and will keep using it till it breaks or stops working. There are no or limited return on investment calculations that are used. Investment in technology is also too low and does not receive the priority that it should.

May 17, 2019

Sudima Hotel Group Digitizes with Infor for Expansion

Infor, a global leader in business cloud software specialized by industry, today announced that New Zealand Sudima Hotel Group has deployed Infor Hospitality Management Solution (HMS) across its hotels to streamline its rapidly-growing hotel operations, and to provide a better customer experience with its mobile housekeeper application with faster room turnover.

Infor

New Zealand

May 15, 2019

Horst Schulze joins Boost as Director and Board Member to bring service excellence through mobile training solutions

Boost announces the appointment of Horst Schulze as Director and Board Member, effective immediately. Mr. Schulze is recognised as one or the world's leading hoteliers whose career spans over six decades including co-founding The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company and founding The Capella Hotel Group. Mr. Schulze will advise Boost on course content and curriculum and apply his own experience of service excellence to Boost's mobile training programmes.

Boost

Singapore, Singapore

HRS Hospitality & Retail Systems

April 17, 2019

HRS Group of Companies extends its operations to South Korea

HRS Hospitality & Retail Systems has expanded its presence in the Asia Pacific region through the acquisition of an IT services provider in South Korea.

South Korea, Korea, Republic of

Why Hospitality Net Leads B2B in Hospitality

April 17, 2019

IHG, Shenzhen Telecom and Huawei Test 5G Technology for Hotels

The InterContinental Shenzhen, Shenzhen Telecom and Huawei have signed a strategic cooperation agreement to create what is being dubbed as 'the world's first 5G smart hotel'.

IHG

Shenzhen, China

Ad Be seen. Be trusted.

Learn what makes us the industry-leader in what we do.

Hospitality Net

April 2, 2019

Secutech Thailand, Thailand Lighting Fair, Thailand Building Fair and Digital Thailand Big Bang: Inaugural Smart City Solutions Week

As one of ASEAN's leading business destinations for smart city solutions, Messe Frankfurt in collaboration with Digital Economy Promotion Agency (DEPA) will host the inaugural Smart City Solutions Week in Thailand from 28 ‒ 31 October 2019. Messe Frankfurt's brand shows for the smart city industry ‒ Secutech Thailand, Thailand Lighting Fair and Thailand Building Fair ‒ will showcase innovative smart city solutions, while the focus on digital infrastructure will be at the DEPA-organised Digital Thailand Big Bang show. The four shows will embrace this new theme to serve as a one-stop shop for the latest smart city technology and solutions.

ITB Berlin

Thailand

External Article

April 1, 2019

China’s Alibaba Is Shaping the Future of the Machine-Driven Hotel

Imagine being in your room within one minute of arriving at your hotel. FlyZoo, a 290-room hotel located close to Alibaba Group's headquarters in Hangzhou, a city 170 kilometers southwest of Shanghai, promises just that. It is powered by Fliggy, Alibaba's online travel platform.

skift

China

March 15, 2019

Secutech 2019 To Pinpoint Real-World Business Applications Through Six ‘Smart Solution Pavilions’

Asia's security industry is once again beginning to shift its attention towards Taipei, as preparations continue ahead of the 22nd edition of Secutech. As anticipation continues to build, the fair's organisers have announced details of six pavilions that will allow buyers to easily locate high quality products as well as the most relevant OEM and ODM partners for their businesses.

ITB Berlin

Taipei, Taiwan

February 12, 2019

Shiji Helps Marriott International to Complete Successful System Switch in China

Working with Shiji Group Professional Services teams, Marriott International successfully completed a full system migration of 167 former Starwood hotels in China in late December 2018.

Shiji

China