Excerpts

Hospitality organizations, like all others, have gone digital. Whether it is with a customer, supplier, or co-worker, our industry is expected to operate to a large degree "digitally." In an industry where presentation is everything, this must be accomplished seamlessly, even though numerous boundaries and multiple parties are involved. Take heed that if along the way it breaks down, it is the property where the customer is located that suffers. If it works properly, well that was expected in the first place. Technology Strategies for the Hospitality Industry not only takes away the confusion surrounding technology in our industry, it also gives you the tools to succeed. Obviously, information technology (IT) or information systems' (IS) role is an important and challenging one for managers today. From daily operations to future planning, it is hard to find a process where some form of technology is not involved. Do you wish to understand it? Ours is a fast moving industry, where serving the customer right away often takes precedence over all other considerations. For this and other reasons, oftentimes the uses and advantages of technology are not employed to their fullest potential. Given the competitive nature of our industry and the fact that technology will not go away (regardless of the "dot.com" crash), today's manager has no choice but to understand it. Simply put, technology is part of doing business in the new millennium.. Information technology (IT), information systems (IS), management information systems (MIS) . . . just what is the difference? The first two are often used interchangeably in this book and elsewhere; however, MIS is very different. The M in MIS stands for management. Managers are concerned with getting things done through other people. Managers are also evaluated on revenue and expenses. Although IS and IT are used, their purpose is to lead the reader in understanding technology within a management context, or MIS. From a human resources perspective, those managers with this information technology understanding find themselves with a "leg up" on their competition and often a brighter career path. Whether your role or career aspirations focus on food and beverage (F&B) management, asset and space management, marketing and sales, consulting, or perhaps even MIS, your specialty will only be enhanced with the right MIS knowledge base resulting in your becoming a coveted "knowledge worker." Changing Roles in Hospitality Management Past day-to-day operations in our industry involved pens, paper, and files. Although they are obviously still used, the focus has shifted towards technology. Managers find themselves using technology daily. Almost all departments have department-specific software and systems through which an organization is managed. Take, for example, the purchasing environment. Today, e-commerce has enabled hospitality organizations to purchase needed items from a vendor or supplier over the Internet. Other examples include the systems and applications used in a restaurant or catering environment. No longer is a stand-alone cash register or paper seating chart enough. Now, enterprise, meaning companywide, systems have been put in place to take advantage of data collection and collaboration across different locations. On the lodging side, properties are now managed by entire systems that track the status and charges of specific spaces and allocate costs and supplies accordingly, all the while interfacing with the outside world. The use of the Internet plays a large role in Technology Strategies for the Hospitality Industry. Audience If you are a current hospitality management student or a hospitality professional wishing to better your MIS knowledge, you can use this text. With an eleven-chapter layout and specific emphasis on aligning technology to business strategy, this text presents both specific and conceptual themes. Layout/Unique Features This text is a collaboration among three academics and one industry professional who keeps us honest. Further, the "living" world of hospitality technology is incorporated via interviews at the beginning of each chapter with leaders in our industry. They include Bill Fisher, the former president of the American Hotel and Lodging Association (AH&LA) and now Eminent Scholar at the Rosen School of Hospitality Management at Florida International University and Bob Bennett, one of the few members in the Hospitality Technology Hall of Fame, currently senior vice president--property systems and services for Pegasus Solutions. Through these interviews, we take a look at hospitality technology from two main vantage points. From Microsoft to Micros, we first seek to understand Technology Strategies for the Hospitality Industry from a vendor's perspective. Second, we look at it from the view of those who purchase and use these systems and applications every day in hospitality, be they a general manager or a director of technology for a specific property. Through these two views, the reader is able to fully capture the function and use of technology in the hospitality industry. Entrepreneurial Regardless of the "dot.com" crash, the drive and execution of innovative ideas play a vital part in our industry and are presented throughout the book. From the ability to make a restaurant reservation over the Internet from companies such as Open Table Inc. to new phone systems using the same medium such as bConvergent Inc., new technologies are giving both managers and customers more capability. After the opening interview, the subject matter is detailed in the chapter itself, with a case study and learning activity at the end. After reading the chapter, we recommend that you reread the interview with your newly gained knowledge. The text opens with a foreward written by Richard G. Moore, Professor Emeritus at Cornell University. The eleven-chapter text itself is divided into two parts. Chapters 1 through 4 form Part I and constitute fundamentals of knowledge and usage. Chapters 5 through 11 make up Part 11 and look at specific software and systems in hospitality. The first chapter welcomes you to the world of hospitality information technology, and Chapter 2 shows how we can use it for competitive advantage. These two chapters set the tone for the rest of the book, while presenting to the reader what career and business opportunities are available through technology understanding and usage. These points are reinforced throughout the book and serve as its major themes. Rounding out the fundamentals section are Chapters 3 and 4 with a description of computing essentials and networks, requisite knowledge for the next section. Chapter 5 begins Part II with a detailed discussion of e-commerce and the way in which the Internet has changed the way we do business. Chapters 6 and 7 detail operational-specific applications for both the food and beverage and lodging sides. Chapter 8 is our most detailed chapter and is a thorough analysis of the global distribution system, where and through which much of our customer data originates and travels. Chapters 9 and 10 round out the text with a discussion of databases and customer relationship management (Chapter 9) and the efficient usage of information through such systems as executive information systems (Chapter 10). Today's front line managers often purchase technology directly, just as they would food or uniforms. They are expected to shop competitively, apply it to their department, and provide a return on investment (ROI). For this reason, we end the book with the investment and implementation chapter (Chapter 11). Appendices The appendices of the book contain further detailed analysis on four important themes. The first appendix expands on the case study from Chapter 3, it is the HITIS initiative from the AH&LA for hospitality information technology industry standards. This organization is concerned with the interoperability of technology used in our industry. The second appendix comes from an established professional, Cindy Estis Green, and is a more detailed analysis of revenue and yield management from Chapter 7 and customer relationship management (CRM) from Chapter 9. The third appendix offers more detail on the global distribution system from Chapter 8. The fourth appendix contains a sample request for proposal (RFP) from Chapter 11, providing a working example of the content presented in the chapter. Companion Web Site The companion Web site www.prenhall.com/nyheim to the text provides hands-on problem solving. Interactive "how to" solutions are presented to the reader. Topics include return on investment (ROI) and labor cost spreadsheet exercises, a customer database problem, and an e-commerce exercise on implementation and marketing. The Web site also contains updated materials and industry news and links. Career For those seriously considering hospitality technology as a career, the authors encourage the reader to pursue the industry's certification, Certified Hospitality Technology Professional (CHTP). This certification is offered from the Hospitality and Finance Technology Professionals (HFTP). More information can be found at www.hftp.org Excerpted from Technology Strategies for the Hospitality Industry by Peter D. Nyheim, Francis M. McFadden, Daniel J. Connolly All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.