HFTP Connect

Restaurant’s Litigation Challenges Card Network Data Breach Fines
Cisero’s, a small family restaurant in Park City, Utah, has filed a counterclaim against U.S. Bank and Elavon, Inc., Cisero’s former acquiring bank and payment card processor. They are challenging the lawfulness of Elavon’s demand for indemnification from Cisero’s for fines assessed by Visa and MasterCard on U.S. Bank arising out of an alleged data breach at Cisero’s.

The Cisero’s lawsuit has drawn the attention of Wired, Bloomberg, and The Rolling Stone. Read More »

[Part 1] 2011 Year in Review for Hospitality Technology

[Part 2] 2011 Year in Review for Hospitality Finance

As we begin 2012, we here at HFTP Connect are reflecting on highlights we saw from the previous year to maybe see where we will go in the coming year. This three part series includes the latest happenings in hospitality technology, hospitality finance and with HFTP.

For the final post in our three-part blog series, we focus on the cool things that happened to HFTP throughout the year. 2011 was a great year for HFTP and it looks like 2012 is going to be even bigger – especially with the 40th Anniversary of HITEC and the 60th Anniversary of the association!

But before we get ahead of ourselves looking into the future, let’s rewind and see what HFTP was up to last year: Read More »

This is an excerpt from an original article featured in the January issue of the Hotel Business Review. Reprinted from the Hotel Business Review with permission from www.hotelexecutive.com.

In such a short amount of time, mobile technology has changed the way that the world does just about everything. There’s no doubt about it; smart mobile devices are dictating how we live our lives.

With these mobile devices in our hands, and media and information up in The Cloud, there are limitless possibilities for access.

This is a game-changing development for the hospitality industry.

It is opening a variety of delivery mechanisms for personal guest services that are affordable, efficient and easy to use. Not only is it now easier to travel the world, it is also easier for hotels to operate and could change how guests interact with a hotel. Read More »

The Season of Giving

The holidays always make me think of gift giving. We ask our families and friends to give us their lists and then we try to find the perfect gift for them. The one gift they will remember long into the New Year.

Every year HFTP chapters give “gifts” to their local communities through donations and community service. Here’s the story of one chapter’s recent gift:

HFTP is About Taking Care of Each Other and Our Communities
On Wednesday, December 14, I had the privilege of attending the HFTP New England Hotel Chapter’s holiday gathering at the Sheraton Boston. The evening was filled with amazing food, great conversation and the talk of gift giving.

The event featured a silent auction with all the proceeds from the auction benefiting The Little Sisters of the Poor. Read More »

Why the Knowledge Exchange is a Different Kind of Conference

Attending conferences is something I don’t always look forward to, even as a meeting professional.

I always like education sessions and gaining key takeaways from them, but I also want an opportunity to network.

When the conference isn’t conducive to connecting with my fellow attendees, it can be really difficult to make those connections. Not to mention how awkward it can be when you are attending a conference for the first time and don’t know anyone else there.

We hear the same thing from our members.

Not only is there a need for quality sessions, but there is a huge want for those connection times to exchange problems or ideas with fellow conference attendees.

These two principles are the spirit behind HFTP’s newest conference – the Knowledge Exchange. Read More »

[Part 1] 2011 Year in Review for Hospitality Technology

As we look forward to 2012, we here at HFTP Connect are reflecting on highlights we saw from the previous year to maybe see where we will go in the coming year. This three part series will include the latest happenings in hospitality technology, hospitality finance and with HFTP.

The 3 Biggest Hospitality Finance Topics for 2011

This time we look into what hospitality finance subjects were buzzed about in 2011. And from the looks of things, some of these topics will be big in 2012 as well. So make sure to tell us your thoughts on these topics and what you think it going to be important this year.

Here’s the list. Read More »

As 2011 comes to a close, we here at HFTP Connect will be reflecting on highlights we saw from the year. This year in review will be a three part series that includes the latest happenings in hospitality technology, hospitality finance and with HFTP.

The 3 Biggest Hospitality Technology Topics for 2011

We start this series with a look into what hospitality technology subjects were buzzed about in 2011. Several of the buzzed about subjects in the list below were mentioned in the HITEC 2011 Special Report.

If you haven’t read the HITEC 2011 Special Report yet, make sure you do it as soon as possible. It is a compilation of white papers from various industry sources on the latest technology trends that the HITEC Advisory Council, a group of industry experts, felt were important to the industry this year and in the near future.

So here we go. Make sure to tell us your thoughts on these topics. Read More »

On November 4, 2011, The Hotel Controllers & Accountants Association (HCAA) of Hong Kong celebrated their 20th Anniversary as an association and I was honored to be an invited guest at their celebration.  That day their new publication, A Guide for Hong Kong Hoteliers to the Use and Interpretation of the Uniform System of Accounts for the Lodging Industry, Tenth Edition was delivered from the printers.  HFTP’s logo is on the cover as one of the sponsors of this guide and is an indication of how closely our associations work together. Read More »

How a Sermon Had Me Reflecting on HFTP’s Ability to Pull Me Out of a Rut

I went to church yesterday and the sermon topic was “The Cloud.” It started making me think about HFTP and all I have learned being a member and participating in this association. For example:

• Every time I learn something new about PCI compliance, I am further daunted by how much more is out there to learn.

• I attended a fantastic webinar the other day on Millennials and how they learn. Really insightful. It made me think about some non-millennials who might need to tackle some new learning skills…

The sermon went on to talk about barriers and two points really hit me. Read More »

HFTP Connect is always looking for guest bloggers to provide insight into a variety of topics important to finance and technology in the hospitality industry. Our readers are interested in PCI compliance, club finance, health care reform, cool new technologies for hotels and golf courses, HR issues, going green, F&B cost savings and much more.

Do you have what it takes to be a guest blogger on HFTP Connect? Take this quick quiz:

1. Are you involved in the hospitality industry?

2. Do you know how to write?

3. Do you have a hospitality-related subject you’re passionate about?

4. Is your blog post original content that has NOT been published elsewhere?

If you answered yes to these questions, than you should definitely be a guest blogger for HFTP Connect. Read More »