The Cornell Center for Hospitality Research (CHR) today announced the availability of a new report entitled, "Hospitality Business Models Confront the Future of Meetings," written by Cisco's Internet Business Solutions Group (IBSG), the company's global consultancy. The new white paper examines virtual meetings, Cisco® TelePresence™ technology and how existing travel and hotel businesses can take strategic advantage of these new capabilities. The report was written by Howard Lock, Cisco IBSG's global hospitality practice lead, and James Macaulay, IBSG's global research lead. The report is available from the CHR at no charge at .

When Iceland's Eyjafjallajokull volcano forced a suspension of European air travel, many travelers used virtual meeting technology to conduct their business. This is just one example of how technology has developed to allow virtual meetings to replace in-person meetings.

Lock and Macaulay point out that virtual meeting technology has come of age just at the moment when corporations are seeking ways to save additional money on travel and meeting expenses. Acknowledging that in-person meetings will not soon go out of style, Lock and Macaulay point to a new corporate meeting strategy in which companies decide whether a particular meeting should be in-person or virtual.

Most critically, they explain the considerable potential for hotels to include virtual meetings as part of their portfolio of services. Firms such as Marriott, Taj, Starwood, and Rendezvous have implemented virtual meeting services, typically offering telepresence rooms that can be connected to a global network. Other travel industry purveyors, including Maritz, Carlson Wagonlit, and American Express, have also added virtual meetings to their suite of services.

About Cisco TelePresence | Cisco TelePresence combines rich audio, high-definition video, and interactive elements to deliver an "in-person" experience over multiple networked sites, including organizational headquarters, branch or remote offices, or even telecommuter applications. The technology is reliable and secure, operating even over constrained bandwidth connections with quality of service, or high-speed broadband Internet connections.

About the Center for Hospitality Research

The purpose of the Center for Hospitality Research is to enable and conduct research of significance to the global hospitality and related service industries. CHR also works to improve the connections between academe and industry, continuing the School of Hotel Administration's long-standing tradition of service to the hospitality industry. Founded in 1992, CHR remains the industry's foremost creator and distributor of timely research, all of which is posted at no charge for all to use. In addition to its industry advisory board, CHR convenes several industry roundtables each year for the purpose of identifying new issues affecting the hospitality industry.

Center Members: Accenture • Access Point Financial, Inc. • Barclaycard US • Cvent • Davis & Gilbert LLP • Deloitte & Touche USA LLP • DerbySoft • Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts • Fox Rothschild LLP • Hilton Worldwide • Host Hotels & Resorts • Hyatt Hotels Corporation • IDeaS Revenue Solutions • InterContinental Hotels Group • Jumeirah Group • Marriott International • NTT DATA • Preferred Hotels & Resorts • priceline.com • PwC • The Rainmaker Group • RateGain • ReviewPro • Revinate • Sabre Hospitality Solutions • STR • Taj Hotels Resorts and Palaces • Tata Consultancy Services • Wipro EcoEnergy • Wyndham Hotel Group

Glenn Withiam
607.255.3025
CHR