HFTP Connect

As we lead up to HITEC 2012 in June, HFTP Connect will be talking to various hospitality professionals about hospitality technology through the Ask the Experts column.

A Financial Expert’s View on Hospitality Technology

Jerry Trieber, CPA, CHAE, CFE, CFF, is director of field accounting for Crestline Hotels and Resorts and the HFTP global treasurer. Trieber is a frequent speaker at HFTP educational conferences, where he educates the industry on internal controls, fraud prevention, Sarbanes-Oxley Act compliance and PCI compliance. He is also a member of the HITEC Advisory Council.

How is your specialty  changing? How will it evolve over the next two to five years?

My “specialty” is hospitality operational finance, which has been changing concurrently with changes in technology. Every year when I attend HITEC, I see new technologies that change the way hospitality finance operates.

For example, there are software packages that have practically automated the income journal process such that the income journal can be prepared with the click of a mouse (it typically takes an hour or two or more to complete a manual income journal). There are machines that fully automate general cashiering functions, handling deposits, due backs and change requests. There are business intelligence programs that allow me to see how my hotels are performing daily (so that I no longer have to wait until the end of a month).

In short, technology is changing the landscape of hospitality operational finance, creating more efficiency at lower operating costs. And in the next two to five years, this phenomenon will only increase. Read More »

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 »

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 »

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 »

Modern hotel guests often expect the same comforts as home when they travel. And while the world continues to converge and hospitality technology becomes more accessible, there are still regions of the world that face technology challenges different than others.
Europe is one hot spot in the industry that has a unique set of issues that aren’t found in other parts of the world.

European Hoteliers Face Unique IT Challenges

In Europe, hospitality professionals must deal with various taxation rules, currency, vendors, information security, cultures and more as they cross borders to do business in each country.

Another major difference is the wide variety of hoteliers in Europe. While there are large hotel chains doing business in Europe, there are also many independent and small businesses running hotels throughout Europe. This poses a challenge in raising the awareness of technology available to these hoteliers.

Smaller hoteliers also have to worry about financing technology for their businesses to keep up with the larger chains. With guests bringing their own technology into their guest space hotels now more than ever before are expected to provide seamless integration with the home technologies which can put a heavy burden on IT budgets. Read More »

For many of us, our education was transmission based and many schools still continue this type of education. The teacher passes on the information to the student.

However, today the learning experience is radically changing as we know more about how people learn.

Three Types of Learners

The Fleming model — one of the most popular — states that there are three types of learners:

Visual Learners. The style in which ideas, concepts and other information are associated with images and techniques.

Auditory Learners. The style in which people learn through listening.

Kinaesthetic Learners. The style where people learn by actually doing a physical activity, not just listening to a teacher or watching a demo.

These styles, linked with the advances of technology for learning, have created a new potential learning experience for the hospitality industry. Read More »