I was trying to sit here and think of something that I could talk to you about in this second to last blog for my class. I have discussed a LOT of different issues that can be presented at a hotel. I have shown you many different sites that you could use to find a hotel at a reasonable price, for specific or general inputs. But, what I haven't written about it why its important. Think about it. If there was no Internet the hotel's would still have to advertise in the magazines or the newspaper, or television. Thanks to today's technology we are able to rapidly and rather fast find a hotel with just the click of a button. So what are some awesome technologies that have been developed for a hotel?
I don't know about you but when I think about going to a hotel I think about the check-in in process. Without a computer and database system for guest information, Hotels would still be trying to keep track of all their guests, and when they checkin in, and when they left on paper, which could lead to errors, and double booking (ironically this still happens even now with computers from my experience). I took a class in Hospitality tourism while I was at CNM and the entire purpose of the class was to determine the front desk operations. We even had a mock check in program to play with. Not surprising to me, is that I found features and codes and area's of the program my teacher could not even find himself. The computer database's that Hotel's function off of are extensive to say the least. Most have not only the guest list in them, but the employee schedules, and the records which keep track of which rooms are empty and clean. So for example you could see a section of the database that looks like such
Room: 312
Status- Occupied
general Cleaning- no
turnover clean- no
and another that says
Room 313
Status- unoccupied
general Cleaning- yes
turnover clean- in process
( the above would say a general tidying is done when guests are still there, but full out cleaning is not done yet by the maids to prep for the next guest.
Maids themselves have their own database's they sometimes have to maintain. How do hotel's check your not stealing their towels? They most likely have a database that keeps track of the number of pillows, blankets, and other accessorized items like the TV, desk and coffee maker. When 2 towels are taken to be cleaned, this can be put into the database system. Just think about how easy it would be for a person to bilk a hotel out of all their towels, sheets, and supplies if hotels didn't have database systems to keep track of them! On the same system they have all their inventory they probably have a system to put in for work orders at specific rooms so you would see this
Think about this logically. On the computer network you will have a employee database telling you who's working, and who's not, and a guest database to tell you who's all is there and who isn't. Ok are you ready for this? I'm going to add another dimension to this. If you are a rather grande hotel and have a restaurant and you cater you will most likely have more then 6 different kinds of database systems running for the hotel itself.
1) check in
2)Employee
3) Inventory
4) Food Inventory
5) Account management
6)food ordering system
7) restaurant reservations system
8) Room Card system
Ok... as you can see there are many different ways a hotel uses information technology. This is just the tip of the iceberg if you think about it. I feel there may be another blog after this one, so thats why I put Second to last blog at the top... So I will leave you this question.
If there was no internet and you couldn't book a hotel in advance through the web, how many of you would drive down with blind faith and just book the closest, nicest or cheapest hotel that you find? How does seeing the hotel pictures ahead of time affect which hotel you truly stay at?
I found an interesting article about information Security in and article by Cornell university that I thought would be an interesting read for everyone
Title: Hotel Network Security: A Study of Computer Networks in U.S. Hotels, Cornell Hospitality Report, Vol. 8, No. 15, September 2008
Authors: by Josh Ogle, Erica Wagner, Ph.D., and Mark Talbert
If you type in that exact wording above in the title onto google, it will direct you to the article I will be talking about it. Seeing as my last few blogs have been about network security in the hotel, I thought it might be interesting for me to find an article or something that pertains to it directly. If I was a hotel manager I would take the time to go through this report and see what the Students at Cornell University have discovered through their surveying process.
One of their issues tackled was well the fact that many hotels are providing unsecured- wireless networking for guests that stay at their hotel. This in my opinion is like opening a door for hackers to try and break into the system and steal important viable information over the airways. Not only that but to make the wi-fi everyone is trying to access to work or do their research or e-mail people from incredibly slow and inoperable. From a Human resources prospective here, I can see the hotels ending up with a few lawsuits on their hands. This article is one of the leading studies about security of guest information in hotels. I did a little research and found several articles that pinpoint the lacking security at hotels. Doesn't that just make you feel really safe about browsing the Internet at a hotel when you travel??
One of the reasons why this case is something all Hotel and IT managers should read is their simple way of describing everything. They actually give you a list and definition of some important key terms. For example. Do any of you know what the promiscuous mode is when it comes to computer mode? Well let me explain it to you, seeing as Cornell was so very kind to explain it to me. A promiscuous mode is going to give you every file that people in thatwi-fi spot, or hotel is receiving. So every file received over the Internet at that instant is not only available to those requesting it. But also available to them. Scary thought isn't it? If a hotel uses a Hub, It doesn't take a genius to steal people's information.
The smart blogger: This guy has the computer know-how to tell when there's something fishy going on in a computer network. I feel he puts it quite nicely at the end of his last blog about the hotel security by saying "Who on Earth would surf from the same PC they use for storing customer data? Certainly none of you -- right?"
Digital Investigations and Special Operations Group
So obviously part of the problem here is not only Hotel being smart and informed about what kind of programs they have to check and clean out any viruses or spy bots that might be slowing down the system, but perhaps they should have someone that guests could go to who is knowledgeable enough to remove software that is malicious and may cause harm to anyone who is accessing their Wifi.
Sorry this may not be the most interesting blog you can find, but I encourage you to leave comments if you will about what other issues you can find that deal with Hotel Network Security. I think in this day and age its very important
I shall leave you with this comment
" How safe do you feel your information is now? Considering you know how easy it is for someone to hack your Internet?"
Hello all For today's blog I thought I would try and focus on what kind of systems the Hotels use, and whether or not they are taking the proper security cautions in protecting my identity when I rent a room at their establishments. So For today I'll look at a Large Popular Hotel, what systems they use, and then Small, independent hotels...
Hilton Hilton is a highly esteemed hotel that many travelers have frequented in the past years. But, whenever you stay at a hotel like this. Do you ever stop and think "golly is my information safe in the hands of these people". If you use a rewards program, obviously they remember you and store your information. So to be honest. The only reason I am bringing this up, is because of a case we were discussing in one of my classes this week. It was discussing just how easy it is to steal someone's identity. So lets discuss the number of items that a hotel would have to keep you safe. for hilton here is what they say.
Wow thats a lot of different information that they give you. I looked through many of these and couldn't find the name of the program they used to ecrypt and store people's personal information. I'm guessing as a customer your supposed to use blind faith that your information will not be given to a third party. Want to comment on what you think?? can you find the company they use? feel free to comment!
Next lets look at yet another hotel and the security in their hotels. Now perhaps we could look at a competitor to Hilton. Such as Hyatt Ok here we go. On a random Hyatt website I again went down to the bottom of the page and found the Privacy policy that they are implementing on a day to day basis. From what I could see they have a much more extensive and interesting layout for explaining how they use your information, and what they do to protect it. Here is an exert of 1) they introduce the policy. 2) the application of the policy 3) types of personal information we collect 4) How we use personal information 5) Disclosure of personal information 6) Centralized Data Processing Activities 7) Information We collect when you visit us Online HALT This part is interesting.... They actually tell us how they protect your security with cookie technology
Because the security of your personal information is important to us, we use Secured Socket Layer ("SSL") software with up to 128-bit encryption in order to encrypt the personal information that you provide to us. If your browser is SSL enabled (which most are) your transmission of personal information to us online will be encrypted. You can verify whether your personal information is transmitted using SSL encryption by confirming the symbol of a closed lock or solid key on the bottom bar of your browser window. You can also verify that your personal information will be encrypted using SSL encryption by making sure that the prefix for the web address listed for that page has changed from "http" to "https". If you do not see the appropriate symbol and the "https" prefix, you should not assume that the personal information that you are being asked to provide will be encrypted prior to transmission.
The personal information we collect from you online is stored by us and/or our service providers on databases protected through a combination of physical and electronic access controls, firewall technology and other reasonable security measures. Nevertheless, such security measures cannot prevent all loss, misuse or alteration of personal information and we are not responsible for any damages or liabilities relating to any such incidents
8)Choice Conclusion: That is pretty much what I wanted to cover for this blog. I don't think I should inundate you with too much information, I want you to be able to read this happily. I am also going to let you know that i'm open to suggestions on what I should blog. So feel free to leave some sort of comments :D
thank you for reading my blog yet again. I know its not terribly awesome but I try my best
Hello all!
So, as you all know I posted a review of the clubhouse inn and suites. So for this blog I am just going to give you my review of the site www.kayake.com! I personally did not know about this site before my friends used it. Just goes to show the number of websites that are popping up that can be used to find a hotel or website. Here is an option on kayake that I have not noticed with other sites. I have not seen so blatant a thing saying hey look compare us to all these sites. As you see all the "popular" sites are there for you to compare their listings too.
What an interesting feature, If your looking to be a friendly site, then this would be the feature to use. So I guess we should test out the comparison feature they have here then eh?
So lets see here is the input selection area. I realize you might be able to type in there. But really all I did is copy and paste so you see what i'm going to comment on.
I put Albuquerque, NM march 31, to April 1st 1 room 1 guest. The first options that hotwire gave me is
Ok if you use kayake.com for anything I would say use it to do a broad spectrum search for your travel plans. I'm sure once you use the broad spectrum search you could even come up with some more in depth search on those Sites. The only thing that Kayake doesn't do is give you pictures of the hotel. That's kind of odd considering many Americans are driven by how the hotel looks, and the aesthetics of the place.
Security is another issue that can come up in this realm of websites. How safe is it to use these websites to book your hotel? People use them every single day, so it appears that this would be generally safe. Kayake has a page tells you what they offer security wise for their clients. This is the disclaimer they provide about security. Seems to a my limited IT knowledge that their process for protecting information they have stored is decent at least.
Kayak has a sophisticated security program intended to keep the information stored in our systems protected from unauthorized access. We store your information in secure data centers located in the United States. Our systems are configured with data encryption, or scrambling technologies and firewalls constructed to the highest industry standards. We also use Secure Socket Layer (SSL) technology that protects the data you send over the Internet. Third party security firms review our internal security policies and documentation regularly. The bottom line is, when it comes to information security, we mean business.
Overall I would say that Kayake is a good site. Out of all the sites, I would say this one is not the flashiest, but by far is the most informative.* In all of the recent research I have completed lately I have found that security should be at the top of everyone's minds when they using sites such as these to find hotels. The fact that Kayake has a legitimate programs that they use to encrypt and store your information is rather comforting to a consumer such as me
Hot off the presses Ladies and Gentlemen here is the review of the Clubhouse Inn and Suites.
My friends used the search engine www.kayake.com
For one night and 3 girls.. and 2 king sized beds. We got the room online for 80 bucks using kayake. Pretty Sweet deal if you ask me!
I forgot to take the picture of the hotel the night I went, but I promise you I took plenty of pictures of the rest of it, without the hotel figuring out what I did. Because of this I did not get a picture of the lobby and because I'm trying to be as reputable in these posts as possible I will make sure I add the picture's I actually took..
So first off we went and checked in. We were told our room is number 164 on the second floor of the apt. So, here it is, we go down this hall here to get to our room. Or what we assumed was our room!
When my friend was checking in, they "told" us our room was 154. What they really meant was room 164. But they keyed the cards for 154, and told us 154. Needless to say we were rather surprised to open the door and find someone else in our hotel room. Guest service- The ladies at the counter actually asked my friend Kimberly why she tried to open the wrong door. We were rather confused by this. Kimberly tried to nicely remind them they GAVE her the wrong room number. She then politely asked them if the keys open more then one door. They didn't like this question and responded " they shouldn't". Not the nicest ladies I have met at a hotel, but eh what can you do? This would be a case where i'm sure their database system is in fine working condition, but human error cause the mistake in the check in process. Even though I'm thinking this hotel could probably do with a more updated database system to keep track of which guest is where and which room is empty or filled.
Well my first impression walking into the hotel was that it smelled really nice! I know thats odd, but its kind of important, and probably means they actually clean it on a regular basis. So in case you cant see the rug here is what it looks like. I think its pretty much your regular albuquerque styles decor for a rug.
Obviously this hotel did their market research finding a pattern and type of carpet that will stand its wear and tear of the years a little bit easier then others. I find the design kinda nice. Then again this is the first time I have actually taken the time to look at the carpet and see if its really clean in a hotel that I am staying at. What do you all think? does the carpet look nice?
So the next step obviously is walking into the hotel room. My friends got into the room before I did. Se please excuse the stuff on the beds. Notice the copious amounts of pillows on the beds. I'm thinking somewhere down the line they did a focus group on what someone is looking for in a hotel bed, and they got the idea to put tons of pillows! Well I personally approve!
Ok so the only thing I would love to know is what the round pillow on there is for? and what is the point of the small skinny blanket at the end? Other then looks? If you going purely for looks here then the hotel is good!
So of course my next step is to check out the bathrooms! So here it goes!
Here is the shower down below. I would say that it was a very setup they they put in. the rod on the shower actually curved which mean more elbow room when you were taking showers. The shower also had a shelf that you could put your shampoo's and accessories onto. Take note how they have two soap holders there. One for when a person takes a bath, and one for when they take a shower. Very smart thinking indeed!
What's next Chelsey? you may ask? well I'll tell you. The next most important fixture is the desk. If you a student such as me you want something functional that you can cram a little bit of homework into before you spring break ends. so here is what the desk looks like.
Look here you have all the essentials, the folder with all the "necessary" important information, The essential table top lamp, the notepad and the phone. Seems to me its all in place. So of course I decided I should test out the wifi. So being a good sport I took a screen shot of my laptop and what the screen looked like when I tried to pull up the internet.
There you see over there the wifi on the screen, plus the terms of use that you have to click "I agree" to, in order to use the internet. So the question is. If your going to do something the hotel disagrees with. Are you really going to not click agree? Sure this connection is safe. But probably not as much as one would think.
Well lest you think I was at this hotel for nothing but taking pictures of random stuff in a hotel, we did get to have some fun! One of the deciding factors to choosing the hotel was the supposed Awesome jacuzzi they had. Yes it was indoors. Yes it was humongous. But was it all bubbly? Did all of the jets actually work in it? no! Some of them didn't. But alas, I cant tell you about the jacuzzi without proof I actually went to it. So here it is to end my post. It wasn't as hot as I am used to, felt more like lukewarm bath water, but after a while you were definitely jumping out trying to catch some cool air, so according to my friends. I should give this jacuzzi a thumbs up! Specially since there were actual towels down there for us to use. Although the bin for putting used blankets had roaches. Thats the online other thumbs down here.
Really Cool Hotels
2 Star
