AUSTIN, TEXAS, USA – For his hospitality technology industry influence and his leadership with forming Hotel Technology Next Generation (HTNG), Douglas Rice, executive vice president and CEO of HTNG, will be inducted into the International Hospitality Technology Hall of Fame. The induction into the Hall of Fame, which is Hospitality Financial and Technology Professionals' (HFTP) highest level of recognition in the area of technology, will take place at the 2012 Hospitality Industry Technology Exposition and Conference (HITEC®) on Tuesday, June 26 at 8:30 a.m.

"It has been an amazing privilege to have had the opportunity to work with so many talented people who are driving technology forward in our industry. To be recognized by HFTP for the role I have played is a great honor, and truly humbling," said Rice.

Rice spent over 15 years as a hospitality technology consultant, working as project leader for numerous high-profile projects for major hotel groups. He also created two of the early information products serving the hotel distribution community: ResTrak (a syndicated statistical study of reservations and distribution operations cost and effectiveness) and PHASER (the first competitive rate/availability comparison product based on GDS data). Both products proved highly successful, with most major chains and (in the case of PHASER) thousands of individual hotels subscribing.

Rice was a founding member of HTNG in 2002, when it was decided that hoteliers and vendors needed to collaborate to move technology ahead faster in the hotel industry. At the time, hotel technology was based primarily on solutions and technology architectures developed in the 1970s and 1980s, and on silo-based solutions from vendors. In the years since its founding, HTNG has campaigned on behalf of hotels to the vendor community; has provided know-how, tools, standards and community to help vendors move to more open architectures; and has provided exposure and success for innovative companies willing to invest in such architectures.

"Douglas" leadership has been HTNG"s critical success factor, through his ability to identify and bring together the right people from both the hotel and vendor communities to work together in effective teams," said Jon Inge, CHTP, ISHC, president of Jon Inge & Associates and inductee into the International Hospitality Technology Hall of Fame. "Interfaces developed under HTNG"s umbrella are now the de facto standard for hoteliers and vendors worldwide, and have made immeasurable improvements in the seamless integration of data across multiple systems."

He has remained involved with HTNG since its formation, becoming the Executive Director in 2004 and then the Executive Vice President and CEO in 2007. He serves on the HITEC Advisory Council and was instrumental, along with HFTP, in forming the Hospitality Technology Strategic Initiatives Council (HTSIC), an informal group of chief executives and volunteer leaders from all relevant associations involved with hospitality technology.

"Douglas Rice has contributed to our industry across a broad spectrum and over many years. The hotel industry is in a better position today with more choices, better products and better people because of his efforts and it is for this reason that I believe Douglas Rice is thoroughly deserving of this nomination, "said Nick Price, CEO of NetSys Technology Limited, an inductee into the International Hospitality Technology Hall of Fame.

Rice's prior career included several years as a Marketing Manager at United Airlines, and as an Economist with Data Resources, Inc., a major economic forecasting company now known as GlobalInsight.  He earned his Master"s degree in Business Administration at Harvard Business School, where he graduated as a Baker Scholar, and his undergraduate degree with Highest Distinction in Economics, with a double major in Mathematics, from Dartmouth College.

About HITEC
HITEC, produced by HFTP, is the world's largest hospitality technology exposition and conference. The conference is June 25-28 at the Baltimore Convention Center in Baltimore, Md. It offers attendees a one-stop shop for essential education, access to experts and hospitality technology vendors, networking with top leaders in the industry and the resources to find cost-effective ways to improve company bottom lines. For more information, visit www.hitec.org or contact the HFTP Meetings & Special Events Department at [email protected], (800) 646-4387 or +1 (512) 249-5333.

About HFTP
HFTP, Austin, Texas, USA and Maastricht, The Netherlands, founded in 1952, is the global professional association for financial and technology personnel working in hotels, clubs and other hospitality-related businesses. HFTP provides first class educational opportunities, research, and publications to members around the globe including, the premiere hospitality technology conference HITEC--founded in 1972. HFTP also awards the only hospitality specific certifications for accounting and technology --the Certified Hospitality Accountant Executive (CHAE) and the Certified Hospitality Technology Professional (CHTP) designations. HFTP was founded in the USA as the National Association of Hotel Accountants. For more information, visit www.hftp.org.

Katy Walterscheidt
Public Relations & Social Media Manager
HFTP

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