Hotel Chief Information Officer Summit 2014 – The Disruptors

A point-counterpoint discussion about disruptive topics inpacting the hotel and travel industries, presented by John Burns, President, Hospitality Technology Consulting and Robert Cole, Founder, RockCheetah at the Hospitality Upgrade CIO Summit held September 4 & 5, 2014 at the Marriott Downtown in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Future Lodging Trends and Emerging Technologies – Wisconsin Hotel and Lodging Association

The closing keynote address for the Wisconsin Hotel & Lodging Association, Future Lodging Trends and Emerging Technologies, targeted the rapidly changing business landscape and the need to address many fundamental changes impacting marketing and technology. Topics covered included: Web 1.0, Web 2.0 & Web 3.0; Four Traveler Mandates; Five New P’s of Marketing; Six Business Impacts and the Seven Phases of Travel. The WH&LA Annual Conference and Tradeshow was held at Hotel Sierra in Green Bay, Wisconsin on October 26, 2010.

Mad as Hell About Airline Fees – How Hidden are They?

I’m Mad as Hell About Hidden Airline Fees and I’m Not Gonna Take This Anymore is the tag line for a coalition that is demanding that the US Department of Transportation requires airlines to prominently display all ancillary fees on their websites and to provide distribution to enable transaction of these fees through all third party channels. Upon closer scrutiny, several claims appear exaggerated, while the lack of specific proposals regarding HOW these demands can be effectively implemented ignores challenges involving business models and technical interfacing.

Are Your Facebook Friends Revealing Secrets?

Facebook’s privacy controls are much improved, but now the greatest challenge is users understanding of all those settings. without a viable method to view a friend’s privacy settings for posts made on their walls, Facebook users need to utilize tags and privacy settings normally used to manage posts made to one’s own wall to effectively control the distribution of posts on friends walls.

Future Trends Leading Technologies – Society of Government Travel Professionals

The Society of Government Travel Planners EdCon’10 Keynote Address focused on growing traveler needs for Relevance, Mobility, Personalization and Community. Developing effective strategies to address deep search, the splinternet, convenience and security will be essential. Eventual winners will be the smart, the unique and the engaged.

When Will Hotels Get Serious About Protecting Guest Information?

Since the days of roman highways, the foremost requirement of the hotel industry has been preserving the safety and welfare of its guests. In modern times, this task applies equally to the guests themselves, their belongings and also, their personal information. Hotels spend millions convincing travelers to stay with them, but are the underlying systems […]

Erin Andrews Peephole Video Demands a Proactive Hotel Industry Response

Erin Andrews victimization by a stallker who modified a peephole and filmed a video using a cell phone camera has been well documented. What has not been publicized is that unmodified hotel peepholes do not put a guest’s personal privacy at risk. Hotel management is able to take three basic measures that can help to eliminate the risk of future peephole related security issues. One distressing recommendation that has arisen as a result of the publicity is the recommendation for women traveling alone to block the hotel room peephole. Instead, women should always use the peephole before opening a hotel room door to avoid the risk of entry by unwanted visitors.

The World’s Most Infamous Hotel Stay?

Keith Moon, the notorious drummer and perhaps equally feared hotel guest, celebrated his 21st birthday on August, 23 1967 following a concert in Flint, Michigan. The site was the Flint Holiday Inn, who even posted a warm welcome message to Keith on its iconic “great sign.” The 1960’s were largely about pushing boundaries and the loss of innocence. Keith pushed the boundaries; the hospitality industry discovered a new benchmark for room destruction and property damage. Both rock ‘n roll and the hotel industry were forever changed, and the legend of the most world’s most infamous hotel stay was born.