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 »

[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 »

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 »

You Can Now Earn Points Towards HFTP Membership Dues, Registration and More

HFTP is pleased to offer our new Member Rewards Program to reward our most dedicated members.

Here’s how it works:

Earn Points

You’ll receive points for referring new members and earning the CHAE and CHTP designations. These points can be redeemed for event registration fees, certification application fees, or a new membership! Points expire 3 years from the time they are earned.

Win Prizes

Prize drawings will be held bimonthly, and all members who have received points through the program are eligible to win! The first drawing for a prize of a Kindle Fire will be held on December 15, just in time for the holiday season. Read More »

I had a nice surprise the other day upon arriving at the office.

Former HFTP Global President, Jules Sieburgh, CHTP, sent me a box of archive items from our history as an association and related events to HFTP and HITEC.

Among them was the very first issue of CKC Report…The Hospitality Technology Newsletter, published in May, 1984. It was published by Larry Chervenak, CHAE and edited by Joyce Christmas.

Both had a tremendous impact on the hospitality industry. As an International Hospitality Technology Hall of Fame inductee, one of Larry’s contributions to our industry was his idea to create a conference devoted to hospitality technology – which ultimately became HITEC. Joyce wrote about hospitality technology before writing about technology was “cool” and was awarded the HFTP Award of Merit for her efforts.

It’s been a long time since I’ve read a CKC Report since it was discontinued because of Larry and Joyce’s health and Larry’s passing. As I thumbed through it, I had a few chuckles and a bit of reflection on how different we are today.

Here are a few excerpts: Read More »

The Message: Relax and Stay Focused on Business Goals

I was fortunate to be a first-time attendee at HITEC 2011, the hospitality industry’s largest technology event, which was held in Austin during late June.

My company provides consulting services that focus on developing web solutions for clients and we have done a lot of work in the hospitality sector, so my goal was to learn about industry trends, absorb as much as possible about the business and use that knowledge to help our clients.

Volume and Variety of HITEC Exhibit Hall Can Leave You Dazed and Confused
After attending presentations throughout Monday and into Tuesday morning, I joined the throng of folks on “the floor” to peruse the various HITEC vendor booths. I have to admit to initially feeling a bit overwhelmed with trying to understand the details of some products and how they might be relevant to me, or more specifically, the clients that we support. The volume and variety of vendor offerings was enough to make you feel both amazed and confused.

Because we mostly focus on corporate-level custom web solutions that attract/retain guests and improve operational efficiencies, I concentrated mostly on web-based product offerings, which helped narrow down the field.
And after meandering through several HITEC aisles, it dawned on me that the challenge of understanding technological offerings, the value they can add, and which ones to ultimately choose was probably shared by a great number of attendees. Read More »

No Need to Be Confused About the Cloud Any Longer Thanks to the Recorded HITEC 2011 Super Session

Isn’t everyone a little bit confused by the cloud? The HITEC 2011 educational session on cloud computing made the cloud a bit clearer to its audience a couple of weeks ago. Infor’s Javier Buzzalino, senior vice president of development, was a featured panelist at this highly attended HITEC super session.

The session included an overview on the cloud, advice on choosing a cloud vendor, a look at the architecture of the cloud and a lesson on cloud security. Though geared toward the hospitality industry, the presentation included numerous tips for anyone curious about the cloud.

As the leader of our research and development team, Buzzalino gave the audience an in-depth look at application architecture for the cloud, moving applications into the cloud, potential issues, and common practices within cloud computing. Read More »

A Survey of Hotel Guests Shows What Technology Features are Important to Them When They Travel

The integration of technology into our everyday routine is seamless — used in communication, design, decision-making, orientation and entertainment. With mobile smart 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, opening a new avenue for delivering personal guest services efficiently and with ease in the guestroom.

Before HITEC each year, one of the most frequent questions asked is, “What cool guestroom technology is going to be shown this year?” Because so many companies use HITEC as their product launch location, I can never answer that question definitively.

So, I decided to conduct a survey, not of what kinds of guestroom technology would be at HITEC, but of what the industry thought should be in a guestroom. Following the survey results, I am also interjecting into the survey results some ideas of things that I would include in my ideal guestroom. Read More »