Earlier this year, the Nominating Committee – comprised of past Global presidents, Advisory Council chairs and chapter presidents – was tasked with picking the HFTP members that would replace the outgoing HFTP Global Board of Directors.

After a long day of interviews, the Nominating Committee was able to narrow their choices down. Without further ado, here is the official slate for the 2012-2013 Executive Committee and Board of Directors:

Executive Committee

HFTP Global President Raman P. Rama, CHA, CHTP, CHAE, VP & CTO/CIO of JHM Hotels
HFTP Global Vice President Jerry Trieber, CPA, CHAE, CFE, CFF, director of field accounting for Crestline Hotels and Resorts
HFTP Global Treasurer Daniel Conti, Jr., CHAE, CAM, director of finance for The Ritz Carlton Golf Club & Spa, Jupiter
HFTP Global Secretary Ian Millar, CHTP, deputy director INTEHL at EHL
HFTP Global Immediate Past President Lisa Funk, CHAE, controller at Alexis Hotel

New Directors

Laurie Jackson, MBA, CHAE, controller at Pelican Isle Yacht Club, Inc.
David Johnson, CHTP, director of information technology at Washington Duke Inn and Golf Club
Arlene Ramirez, MBA, CHE, CHAE, principle of ADR Hospitality Consulting
Prakash Shukla, CIO of Taj Hotels

In accordance with Article X of the association’s bylaws, 2012 Nominating Committee Chair Thomas G. Smith, CHAE, CFO of Westmoor Country Club, announces the committee’s recommended 2012-2013 slate of officers and directors. According to Article X, Section 3, of the bylaws, should the slate above remain uncontested, the HFTP Secretary will cast a single ballot at the HFTP Annual Business Meeting at the Annual Convention & Tradeshow in Orlando, Fla. The Secretary will then declare the mentioned individuals as duly elected.

HITEC 2012 is June 25 – 28 in Baltimore, Md.

Here are some details on the opportunity:

Disclaimer: As an association, HFTP may not endorse or promote a product or vendor. HFTP Connect is educational in nature and blog posts must not be sales-oriented. Products or vendors may only be mentioned in an educational format.

HITEC Official Blogger Benefits:

1. A Complimentary Full Conference Registration.
2. HITEC Press Access – Access to all the education sessions, an Opening Party pass, access to the exhibit hall and an invitation to be one of the first to view the new version of GUESTROOM 20X.
3. Internet access in the HITEC Press Room to write blog posts (blogger must have own laptop).
4. Credit as the author of the blog post and links to blogger’s web site, social media accounts, etc.

HITEC Official Blogger Requirements:

1. Five blog posts related to HITEC (one before HITEC, three during the week of HITEC and one after HITEC).
2. Email blog posts, along with any pictures, to Katy Walterschedit.
3. If Official Blogger fails to perform the blogger requirements, the blogger will be charged for the amount of the HITEC Full Conference Registration ($775 USD).
4. HFTP will help bloggers in securing hotel reservations; however, bloggers are responsible for room, tax and incidentals.

Blog Post Guidelines:

1. Examples of blog posts HFTP is considering (but are not limited to):
   • Takeaways from education sessions blogger attends
   • Trends blogger see at HITEC (security, cloud computing, etc)
   • What stands out to blogger on the show floor
   • Blogger experience as an attendee
   • Blogger’s favorite parts about HITEC
   • Why blogger feels/thinks it’s important to be at HITEC
   • Blogger thoughts on anything HITEC/hospitality technology related
2. Length is under 500 words.
3. HFTP Connect will link blog post to any web site and social media accounts blogger requests.
4. Blogger does not have to be a professional blogger; however, must have good writing skills and an interest in sharing their HITEC experience.
5. HFTP requires that the blog posts be original content, written by the blogger.
   • Blogger may repost the content on their own blog after the blog is posted on HFTP Connect (with a disclaimer and link indicating the blog post was originally posted on HFTP Connect).
6. Qualified Official Bloggers – Are professionals employed by hotels, resorts, casinos, clubs, consulting firms and/or a current HITEC exhibiting company. Non exhibiting vendors do not qualify.
   • Official blogger considerations are subject to approval by HFTP, producers of HITEC, to ensure qualifications are met.
   • Not everyone that applies will get picked.
7. Postings may not involve information that could give rise to a claim for a violation of the antitrust laws. Specifically, messages are not to involve the following:
   • Prices, credit terms or other terms of sale, or what constitutes a “fair” profit level;
   • Individual costs, capacity, inventory or sales;
   • Individual distribution or marketing information, including territories, customers and suppliers;
   • Complaints or disparagement about individual firms, or other actions that might tend to hinder a competitor in any market; or
   • Any other unreasonable limitation on competition.
8. Postings should not include product or service sales pitches or recommendations.
9. Blogger agrees to HFTP Blog’s Terms of Use:  http://blog.hftp.org/legal

If you’re interested, please send a brief description on why you would be a good guest blogger to Katy Walterscheidt.

Deadline for submissions is Thursday, May 31.

ASK is what we need to do more.

So many hospitality professionals arrive to their workplaces with enthusiasm and passion.

We are proud of what we do and where we work.

We have embraced the challenges of our organizations as merely complications, not limitations.

We commit fully.

We engage with purpose and integrity.

We influence others to their highest potential.

What we do is who we are.

So why don’t we ASK?

As HFTP members, we have access to training at the helm of our industry — technology, leadership, worldwide trends and more are all available to us.

We can choose to be at our own desks for this training, yet we have access to a greater network beyond our corporations and brands.

This network stretches across the globe and can be face-to-face for us: If we just ASK.

If you have not ASKed yet, get started today.

Check out the cost to attend a conference. Get it into your budgets this year.

HITEC 2012 — the largest hospitality technology conference in the world — is right around the corner and a great place to get started in this journey.

ASK to become an HFTP member (attend an HFTP conference this year, including HITEC, and you save $100 off your registration fee by becoming a new member of HFTP).

You would do this for your colleague. But now it is time for you: Time that you get clear about what you want and what you need to be renewed and continue in this dynamic industry of hospitality.

Just ASK.

Then…keep ASKing.

Esther Fullen is controller of two hotels for Charlton Resorts in Banff, Alberta, Canada. She is the chair of the HFTP Social Media Advisory Council and is active with the HFTP Southern Alberta Chapter. You can follow her on Twitter @EstherFullen.

And one of our more popular member benefits are the free webinars we offer twice a month. The beauty of webinars is that you can get education on popular topics from a convenient location (wherever you have Internet access).

And since webinars are free for HFTP members, they are a cost efficient way to get continuing education without having to travel.

Typically, HFTP hosts webinars during work hours in the US. That’s great for members in the Western Hemisphere, but can be hard for members in other parts of the world to attend.

That’s why HFTP is starting to offer more online education geared towards specific regions, at times that are convenient for that region.

Starting this month, HFTP is hosting a series of webinars focused towards Asia. Here’s a sneak peek at the first webinar in the series:

Show Me the Money, Career and Promotion

May 23, 2012, 3:00 p.m. SGT Singapore Time

If you are a student, young professional or someone who is thinking about changing careers, this webinar is for you. James Lee, director of finance for The Regent Singapore, a Four Seasons Hotel, will discuss:

• The difference in profession, job and career?
• Importance of time in career planning
• Knowledge and skill requirements
• Trends and current developments
• Experience and salary
• Career fit and interest

Register Now>

And be sure to check the calendar often for updated listing of webinars.

Steven Stout, CAE, is director of meetings and special events for HFTP.

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

A Distribution Professional’s View on Hospitality Technology

Valyn Perini is an experienced travel professional with more than 15 years in hospitality and travel operations, sales and marketing, systems, consulting and software development. As CEO of OpenTravel, Perini oversees the operations of the organization, including developing and executing strategies to reach the goal of standardizing electronic distribution of traveler information in the travel industry. She is a member of the HITEC Advisory Council.

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

My specialty is distribution, and it’s hard to quantify all the changes going on right now. The pace of change is just breathtaking — for guests and hoteliers.

The industry has evolved from the GDS being the primary electronic channel of distribution to the incredible proliferation of channels and business models.

In the next two years (who knows what distribution will look like in five years?), we’ll continue to have the discussion of mobile sites vs. apps, and sites like Room77, hoteltonight.com and other niche hospitality distribution sites will either take hold or fail, depending on the market.

What kind of guest technology thrills you when you encounter it at a hotel or resort?

I like a really nice sound system that I can plug my MP3 player into.

Hotels spend so much money and effort on televisions and almost no thought on an audio system; not everyone watches TV.

Some of the newer televisions have audio input but they’re not always easy to find, and to use them, you have to have your own cord – hardly guest-friendly.

I’ve seen some very nice small stereos that have a docking station or built-in cable to connect to an MP3 device in some hotels; I wish other hotels would follow suit.

Since you’ve been in the industry, which technology do you think has changed hospitality the most?

The cost of technology — not any single technology — has had the most significant impact on the industry.

Technology and development is getting less and less expensive, leading to innovation in technology development and the proliferation of technology in what was historically a manually-driven industry.

A really good recent example is the move toward cloud computing.  This is only possible because the decreasing cost of storage and the increasing robustness of connectivity makes cloud-based applications affordable, even for the smallest hospitality operation.

What is your favorite hospitality-related mobile app that you use?

I must confess: I don’t use any hospitality-specific apps because I don’t find them useful enough yet.

What I do find useful when I’m traveling are restaurant and activity-related sites, to help me find things to do in-trip (as opposed to pre-trip).

Hospitality companies would do well to ensure they’ve tagged their publicly-available activities, outlets and other amenities so they are ‘findable’ by mapping sites and search engines.

This will allow travelers to find the property while in-trip, generating additional non-guest revenue.

The latest generation of automatic minibar technology is simplifying hotel operations while improving guest satisfaction and enhancing the hotel’s bottom line

For decades, the minibar has been a staple of hotel guestrooms, from mid-scale chain properties to luxurious independent resorts. But as minibars have proliferated in the industry, so too have its operational challenges.

Fortunately, tech-forward hoteliers are discovering ways to streamline minibar operations and increase guest satisfaction, while maximizing profits through automated minibar technology.

Automatic minibars are simpler to manage, enhance a hotel’s cache with guests and increase operational efficiency. Most importantly, automatic minibars offer profit potential that traditional manual minibars just can’t match.

Following are some common challenges that hoteliers have faced with traditional manual minibars, with explanations about how the automatic minibar is changing the paradigm for this important hotel offering.

“Minibar attendants spend countless hours each week just checking and refilling minibar stock.”

With traditional minibars, attendants must check every minibar in every occupied guestroom. This is time-consuming and tedious, not to mention, a significant staff cost factor.

By contrast, automatic minibars notify hotel staff automatically when an item has been removed, eliminating the need to do inventory checks on every guestroom.

In addition, attendants are notified of which guestrooms need attending and precisely what items need to be restocked.

This tremendously improves operating efficiency and leads to decreased labor costs, with one minibar attendant needed on average to refill 400 automatic minibars — compared to four attendants for manual minibars.

This translates to a 75 percent reduction in staff time and costs to maintain minibar operations.

“We experience inventory loss on a regular basis, with some guests claiming they didn’t take the items that are missing from the minibar.”

Traditional minibars create potential friction between a hotel and its guests, which is antithetical to good service.

Other than the word of the minibar attendant, there is no way to prove that the current occupant of the room is responsible for a missing item. In some cases, the attendant may have neglected to restock the item; in other cases, the guest may not be completely truthful.

In either scenario, a complaining guest is unlikely to be charged for the missing inventory, at the risk of the hotel being wrong and alienating a guest.

This troublesome aspect of the traditional minibar scenario has been solved with automatic minibars, which can be programmed to automatically add the appropriate charge to the guest’s folio once an item is removed.

With a digital audit trail, the hotel now has evidence to show guests who challenge the charge. Some advanced automatic minibars include a feature that automatically locks the minibar after a guest has checked out, preventing the guest or staff from emptying the minibar after the fact.

Automatic minibars reduce the average loss percentage to just 2 percent — down substantially from the 20 to 40 percent loss rates common with traditional manual minibars.

“Monitoring items in the minibars for expiration is next to impossible.”

Hotel minibars typically include items that have a sell-by date, such as candy bars, pastries, beers and soft drinks.

Monitoring the shelf-life of these products in traditional minibars is a daunting task at best. Automatic minibars make it easy to monitor product shelf-life, since the technology records the time since any given item has been restocked.

Armed with this information, minibar attendants can efficiently switch out products nearing expiration and move them to a public concession area, where they are more likely to be consumed quickly.

This process minimizes inventory loss while ensuring that guests are never sold expired product.

“The plain look of most minibars doesn’t fit with my hotel’s design scheme.”

Minibars have — until fairly recently — not been available in styles much beyond a standard miniature refrigerator aesthetic. Design customization was a costly endeavor, and even then, a hotel was unlikely to get a truly bespoke, fashion-forward look.

Some forward-thinking automatic minibar manufacturers have broken that paradigm, consulting with hoteliers to better understand industry needs and creating genuinely original guestroom appliances.

Customization ranges from materials used, specified dimensions and the minibar’s actual design. Minibars are now available in a variety of styles, with options ranging from wood or glass doors branded with the hotel logo to completely custom units, specified and built to fit a specific size and guestroom design.

Internally, everything from shelf organization to multiple sensor technologies can be customized, in order to better display products, further enhancing sales and profits.

“Minibars consume too much electricity.”

Older manual minibars have a reputation as energy consumers. In fact, a 2006 study by Denmark’s hotel trade organization, HORESTA, found that minibars accounted for as much as 10 percent of a hotel’s total electricity costs.

Today’s automatic minibars use considerably less energy. Because automatic minibars inherently include computerized monitoring systems, they’re able to adjust cooling production per guestroom according to whether a room is vacant, occupied or out of order.

This functionality can generate savings of up to 30 percent, depending on occupancy and the hotel’s preference for the level of cooling.

Furthermore, some advanced automatic minibar models feature interior eutectic devices—commonly known as “cold sinks”—silent, efficient compressor cooling units that allow for minimal compression cycles, reducing energy consumption even further.

“I’ve heard that automatic minibars sometimes charge guests incorrectly for items they didn’t take.”

Some early incarnations of automatic minibars employed sensors that were overly sensitive, picking up slight movements like a bumped cabinet, or which recorded items as removed even if they were immediately replaced by the guest.

Advancements in sensor technology have largely negated these issues.

Modern automatic minibar products now offer one of three sensor types—infrared, magnetic or micro-switch—each of which respond to changes in items’ location, size and weight.

Moreover, the sensors on some automatic minibars can be programmed to be as strict or as forgiving as hotel management deems appropriate.

Minibars have long been a luxurious amenity offering for hotels, and one that many guests have come to expect.

The emergence of automatic minibar technology is now making management of the amenity more profitable, efficient and less frustrating, while adding significantly to the hotel’s bottom line.

Bruno Agrario is the vice president of Sales/Americas for Bartech Systems International, Inc. Follow @BartechSystems on Twitter and visit them at HITEC Booth #1426.

This is an excerpt of an article that was originally printed in the April/May issue of the Bottomline. It is part of a PCI Compliance series that is leading up to HITEC 2012.

The hospitality industry has been targeted by cyber criminals seeking to steal credit card information for years — primarily because of the volume of transactions and the potential ability to propagate to multiple locations within the hotel chain.

In fact, for the past three years, Trustwave has identified the hospitality industry as one of the top targets for cyber criminals in Trustwave’s annual Global Security Reports (2009 – 2011).

Unfortunately, to-date the hospitality industry as a whole has been slow to identify breaches.

In most cases, hotels are alerted after customers call to complain that their card has been used fraudulently or the credit card processing bank alerts the hotel about the potential credit card breach.

How Hotels Are Alerted to Potential Breaches

When a certain percentage of credit cards that have experienced fraudulent activity have been processed through a hotel’s payment environment, the Payment Brands (i.e., Visa Inc., MasterCard Worldwide, American Express, Discover Network and JCB) will flag the hotel as the source of a potential breach and issue a Common Point of Purchase (CPP) report.

The payment brands alert the hotel’s processing bank, which then contacts the hotel about the potential breach.

Regardless of how the breach occurred, the hotel is required to enlist a PCI Forensic Investigator (PFI) to identify the details of the breach and the necessary remediation activities.

When processing banks request an official forensic investigation, only the PFIs can conduct the investigation. Additionally, hotels can only use PFI companies that are approved by the PCI Security Standards Council.

7 Guidelines for Choosing a PFI

There are presently only 15 PFI approved companies around the world. Here are some guidelines to consider when choosing a PFI:

1. Eligibility

Hotels must ensure that the company they select is on the list of approved companies.

If they choose a company that is not on the list of approved PFI companies, they will most likely have to repeat the investigation with an approved company, which means increased costs, and potentially degradation of evidence.

Bottom line: It’s best to work with an approved company upfront.

2. Presence

An important consideration for choosing a PFI is where the firm can conduct investigations — this is critical for hotels with multiple locations around the globe. Even if those locations are not on the suspected list, it is possible that attackers may have propagated to them through Local Area Network.

Out of the 15 approved PFI firms, there are two firms that can conduct PFI investigations in all regions.

While it is not disallowed to use multiple forensic firms for a data breach, it could lead to confusion and increased costs.

3. Reputation

Choose a company with experience in the field. The PFI list changes every year, so it is important to ask the company how long it has been certified as a PFI firm.

The firms that have been conducting credit card breach investigations for multiple years would most likely have many experiences with complex cases.
Also, ask your credit card processing bank for recommendations. Though they don’t select a PFI firm, if asked, they may give provide a short list to choose from.

Hotels should conduct their own research on the PFI firms. Many firms share their breach statistics and white papers on credit card breaches.
Furthermore, hotels should look to peers in the hospitality industry for advice and recommendations.

4. Timelines

When a hotel experiences a security breach, they need to act as quickly as possible.

Questions for PFI firms include: 1) How long it will it take to start the investigation? 2) How long will it take to complete the project?

For a single property, the project start date should be within five days of signing the paperwork, while the project completion should be within a month.

The investigation for multiple locations could depend on the complexity of the case. Also, it is the hotel’s right to request weekly updates on the investigations.

Most importantly, the PFI firm must allocate time for questions about the breach and its financial and reputational consequences.

5. Reporting and Remediation

PFI firms are required to submit a preliminary report within five business days from the completion of the onsite visit at the suspected property.

While additional analysis is required by the PFI firm following the onsite visit, a skilled PFI firm will most often have the ability to discover key information regarding the breach and assist in containment within the first 24 hours of their visit to the impacted location.

Completion of the investigation results in a comprehensive final report. The final report will outline in detail all findings uncovered by the PFI firm per PFI requirements.

Within the final report, a comprehensive list of completed and outstanding remediation steps will also be documented (which will most likely mirror PCI DSS compliance requirements).

Subsequent to the completion of the PFI investigation, the breached entity will be responsible for fulfilling and validating PCI DSS compliance requirements as quickly as possible.

6. Costs

The costs of hospitality investigations depend on the scope of the investigation.

The first thing an investigator will determine is the merchant ID that is experiencing fraud. For example, if Common Point of Purchase report was called on the hotel restaurant’s Merchant ID and that restaurant environment is not connected to other areas of the network, then the investigation can be limited to the restaurant environment only.

However, it is very common for hotels to have interface systems that connect the hotel restaurants, spa and other areas within the hotel to a common property management system.

It is important for hotels to have a complete understanding of the systems that process, transmit or store credit card data so that they can provide adequate information to the PFI firm.

The scope of the investigation could also increase based on connectivity with the corporate location and/or other franchisee locations. Hotels should ask PFI firms about the costs in the event of scope increases to encompass multiple locations and systems so that there are no surprises during the investigation.

7. Disclosure of Information

Per PFI contracts, firms are required to submit reports to the client, as well as the contracted acquiring bank and the impacted card brands. At the time of selecting a PFI firm, hotels should inquire about their data disclosure policy and be comfortable with their policies.

Many mature PFI firms have relationships with law enforcement agencies and will share data per the authorization of the client. While it is important to share the forensic findings with law enforcement agencies to catch the attackers, the decision to share the data with any parties other than acquiring bank and card brands lies on the shoulders of the impacted client.

Bottomline: Pick a PFI that has a great reputation and can handle complex cases

Without a doubt, credit card data breaches are stressful and can be expensive. Hotels should look for a PFI firm that has a great reputation and is capable of handling complex cases.

The requirements in this guide are designed to help organizations within the hospitality industry select a PFI firm that can provide them with the best service during the investigation, questions to ask them and clear guidelines on how to move forward after the investigation.

Jibran Ilyas is a senior security consultant, incident response with Trustwave. He is also member of the HFTP PCI Compliance Task Force. For more information, you can follow @jibranilyas and @Trustwave on Twitter.

Cleverdis recently interviewed Frank Wolfe, CAE, CEO of HFTP for their Hotel Innovations & Technologies publication. The following is reprinted with permission from Cleverdis.

The world’s top hospitality organizations “leverage” Ecole hôtelière de Lausanne (EHL) in Switzerland as a prime research resource for major projects. How does it work?

At the outset of a Student Business Project phase, each participating company makes a presentation, “pitching” their project to the students, and thus competing with all other companies on the podium, as it is the students who select which project they will undertake.

One can therefore imagine how tough it is to sell accounting to students, when a number of more “fun” projects are on the table.

Could you please explain your project to us and why you’ve decided to work with EHL?

The project — Global Hospitality Accounting Standards User Guide (GHASUG) — is a global hospitality accounting project. There are many types of accounting, but it’s very difficult for someone to come in and compare hotels in different parts of the world, because there is no standardized system.

North America has a very good system but it’s not widely accepted around the world.

We’ve decided to start working on finding solutions, and we chose to start the project with EHL because its number one in Europe, the zone in which we wanted to begin research. The school is fantastic, the students are fantastic and we are thrilled with the results that we’ve obtained from them.

In the first phase of our program, the students started from the very beginning by getting hotels’ financial inventory and to create a searchable database.

They’ve analyzed the information they obtained from the different kinds of hotels.

For example, one hotel’s inventory had about 837 items on it. And the largest hotel had 10,000 items.

They’ve taken this and really have now laid the groundwork for our next groups.

We want to do this with a series of groups – one in Hong Kong with the polytechnic institute (We will start this next month). They will continue for a second phase, as we want to obtain more and more details, to have enough data to finish the project.

We are hoping to also undertake surveys in Russia, in India and in China and maybe also in America in addition to the uniform system.

What were the main objectives for students and what has been completed?

What we hope to achieve is to assist, for example, a hotel company that is doing business in Europe, but wants to acquire a hotel, for example, in Russia.

They can take the information from this project and can have a better feel about how profitable the hotel is or what kind of capital items they have at the hotel.

Sometimes a company may want to buy a hotel, but they don’t know how strong its IT department is. They need to get an idea of what’s in the property and to know if it’s like comparing apples to apples instead of apples to oranges.

If they don’t use the same accounting system, it’s very possible that one hotel may appear more or less profitable than it is, due to differences in the accounting system.

Another interesting fact that the students established in phase one is that, initially, we are not going to look at revenues, because money is money. In some cases, an enterprise may make purchases before they record the money as revenue.

So in reality, if you look at that hotel’s financial statement, it may look as though they have $100 million in revenue, but in reality, they have $140 million.

In a hotel in the US, you would say $140 million in revenue and $40 million in expenses, and that’s a big difference when comparing hotel properties.

So it is complicated to put it all down when you are not familiar with the systems. The students have achieved a great deal during this 10-week period.

The students that worked on this project recently won the Paul Dubrule Award for having the top student project out of 34 projects.

So HFTP’s Global Treasurer, Jerry Trieber, CPA, CHAE, CFE, CFF was visiting our office yesterday before he attends the conference. During his visit I was excited to share with him some exciting HFTP certification news.

This week, HFTP reached a new certification milestone.

There are two new international Certified Hospitality Accountant Executives (CHAE) — both of which are a first for their countries.  The individuals are:

• Konstantin Lantsov, CHAE
  Financial Accountant
  Ritz Carlton
  Moscow, Russia




• Marcos Bravo, CHAE
  Cost Controller
  Sheraton Rio Hotel & Resort
  Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

With over 1,400 professionals who have passed the CHAE and over 300 professionals who have passed the CHTP, those wanting to show their dedication to the industry is growing around the world.

And you could be the next accounting or technology professional to become certified with HFTP.

You can learn more about the Certified Hospitality Accountant Executives (CHAE) and the Certified Hospitality Technology Professional (CHTP) on HFTP’s web site. You’ll also find a calendar of reviews and exams, resource tools like an online practice exam and information on how you can take the exam from anywhere in the world.

Bryan Wood is director of Certification for HFTP.

Walking in the door, you HAVE to have a plan. Despite being given three days to explore the massive technology solutions marketplace, sometimes attendees only have time to speak to a few vendors — perhaps some of them are old contacts and sometimes they are new ones.

The hospitality technology vendor community spends a great deal of time and money on research that they want to share with the industry. The HITEC Advisory Council realizes with all of that accumulated knowledge in one place on the show floor, it only makes sense to use our vendor partners to help educate HITEC attendees.

This is where the TechTours come in to play.

Get Hands-on Education

Last year the HITEC Advisory Council introduced the TechTours to the educational program. It ended up being a huge success.

Various groups of 10 attendees were escorted around the show floor to hear from companies offering various solutions in an educational format. Without the worry of being “sold” to, attendees used this one-on-one time to really educate and arm themselves with information to better qualify their time on the show floor.

What should I be looking for when purchasing IPTV solutions?

What questions should I be asking as I go around to the various booths?

What is in store for the future?

The TechTours were an excellent opportunity for attendees to ask detailed questions that are hard to ask during the show hours. The tours were incredibly successful from both the attendee and vendor sides of the conference. So much so that many asked us to “please DON’T KILL IT.”

New and Improved for HITEC 2012

As with every new venture, there are always kinks to work out. And I think we’ve worked them out for 2012.

Instead of holding the tours after the show like last year, the TechTours will be held prior to the show opening on Wednesday morning. So instead of spending all day on your feet walking the show floor and then asked to stay longer, attendees will start their day with the TechTours.

Also, we’ve selected two categories for 2012 that are always a big buzz at HITEC:

• IPTV
• Mobile Applications

With so many forward thinking initiatives on IPTV available on the show floor, the TechTours can help you educate yourself before you start your shopping.

And with “Mobile Apps” being a buzzword for most industries, this was an obvious choice as one of the selected categories for 2012. Why not visit those mobile app companies who cater to the hospitality industry on the show floor?

The TechTours help encourage attendees to take advantage of the knowledge available to them at HITEC 2012 — not only in the education rooms,  but also on the show floor. Allow our vendor partners to show off their research and development efforts, while you become a smarter customer. With the TechTours you can ask your questions in a safe environment and really listen to what the companies can teach you during this session.

TechTours will be held at HITEC 2012 on Wednesday, June 27 from 8:30 – 10:00 a.m. in the HITEC Exhibit Hall.

Make sure to pre-register for the tours as spaces are limited for logistical reasons.

Since the TechTours are a part of the HITEC educational program, they are only available to those attendees who register for a full conference registration.

You can sign up for the TechTours online during your HITEC registration process or you can fill out this form if you’re already registered for the full conference.

Hey exhibitors, interested in being a tour stop on the TechTours? Fill out this application to be considered.

Steven Stout, CAE, is director of meetings and special events for HFTP.

I don’t drink coffee. Coffee upsets my stomach and makes me jittery. And yet, I love Starbucks.

While enjoying a fine cup of tea the other day at my local Starbucks, I reflected on why I feel so connected to Starbucks and how this connection could help hospitality professionals.

My conclusion: Through frequent, friendly and financially rewarding communication, Starbucks makes me want to visit its stores and buy its product.

Communicate Frequently

Starbucks sends me an e-mail once or twice every week. Sometimes I am too busy to look at the e-mails, and sometimes I have a minute so I take a peek. I think that Starbucks counts on this and contacts me frequently enough so that there is always something new for me to look at.

The title of the e-mail always gives me a clue as to the content. For example, “Send Starbucks Give eCards This Valentine’s Day,” or “Get a Free Drink When You Buy Starbucks Blonde Roast Coffee.”

When you send e-mails to your members or your guests, does the e-mail title always describe the contents? Are you sending communication in a consistent time frame so your recipients know when to expect the next note from you?

Invoke Positive Emotions

You might be thinking that receiving a Starbucks e-mail every week would become annoying, but in fact I look forward to the messages. The e-mails are short, attractive (HTML) and get quickly to the point. There is always a graphic of some sort, usually of the product they want me to buy.

But here’s the main point: Every time I read a Starbucks e-mail, I think about sitting in one of their shops, perusing the paper, enjoying the music, sipping a steaming hot (or cold) drink.

Reading Starbucks e-mails takes me away for a brief moment, and sets me up for another visit to the nearest location. Are you creating the same emotional tug in your members and guests when you send an e-mail? Does your e-mail subtly say, “Come back, visit us, re-live the great experience you had the last time you were here.”

Occasionally Offer Financial Rewards

Starbucks encourages me to purchase by putting a coupon into its e-mails. Not every e-mail contains a coupon, but every four to six weeks I receive an incentive to try something new.

As before, Starbucks always tells me about the incentive in the subject line of the e-mail. I appreciate this because I don’t have to open the e-mail to find out if there is a coupon.

Again, we are all busy and Starbucks respects our time. I appreciate that. I also appreciate the Starbucks rewards program and like the additional attention I get both at the store and online because I am a member.

Do you make it beneficial for your members and guests to belong to the club or rewards program? Do you sometimes thank them for their loyalty by offering a discount or deal?

I enjoy visiting the stores and I enjoy receiving regular communication from the company. For me, Starbucks has found the right balance between information, fun and reward.

Donald Moro is the vice president of Marketing at Northstar Club Management Software, a leading provider of on-premise Club Management Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) for private clubs and resorts. He can be reached at (888) 240-3501 or don.moro@globalnorthstar.com.

Photo courtesy of Visualpanic’s Flickr stream.

The project’s objective is to engage the students to give back to the community.

It is also a working project for the students to experience leadership, organization, communication, finance, compassion and planning through their involvement.

The student volunteers will prepare a grocery gift pack to deliver to each household consisting of white rice, cooking oil, sugar, salt, rice vermicelli, Hi Fibre Cracker, Instant Oatmeal, tonic drink and toilet rolls.

The organization of the project by the student chapter involves:

1. Planning and management
2. Volunteer recruitment and training
3. Public relations and communication
4. Event organization
5. Fundraising and finance

The students are actively engaged to a successful event on April 14.  HFTP Asia Chapter members are supporting the students by volunteering, sponsoring and donating to the project.

This will be the inaugural community project by the student chapter, and it is our hope that we can sustain this project every year for the students to give back to the community.

James Lee, FCCA, CPA, is director of finance for Regent Hotel. He is a founding member of the HFTP Asia Chapter in Singapore and currently serves as the chapter’s president. He also serves as adviser to the HFTP Asia Student Chapter.

Contact James Lee if you’d like to learn more about how you can support the student chapter.

Last year, many of our HITEC app users complained of slow loading times, so we knew it was time to find a new partner to re-develop the app.

We found that partner in Bally Technologies, a leader in developing mobile apps for the hospitality industry. Bally Technologies (formerly Macroview Labs) has built popular apps for many hotels, casinos and conferences.

Since we are a technology-based association, we also wanted to provide the same mobile service to HFTP members and attendees of HFTP events.

That’s why we came up with a separate HFTP mobile app.

This official free HFTP mobile app will make it easier for members and other hospitality professionals to get instant access to information about membership, certifications, HFTP events and other important HFTP resources.

Download the Free App

The HFTP Moblie App is available for download now. If you don’t have an iPhone, iPad or Android, the app also works as a mobile web site for all devices.

Apple Store (iPhone and iPad)

Android Devices- Google Play Store

Mobile Site – For all other devices, visit mobile.hftp.org for the mobile site.

On the app, you’ll find:

• HFTP membership information
• HFTP events’ schedules and details
• CHAE and CHTP certification information
• Social media — connect with HFTP on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
• HFTP Connect — the Hospitality Professionals’ Blog
• Industry news
• Resources, publications and member benefits
• HFTP  leadership — Board of Directors and committees
• HFTP awards
• And more

New HITEC App Comes Next

Now that the HFTP app has launched, HFTP is working with Bally Technologies on the new HITEC 2012 mobile app. It will be released in late May 2012.

If you experienced slow loading times with last year’s app, we hear you. Rest assured that this year’s app will be better than ever.

We Want Your Feedback: Tell Us What You Think

We have an ongoing relationship with the developer of our mobile apps, so we’ll be adding more features in the future.

Download the HFTP mobile app today and stay tuned for updates.

Please check it out and let us know what you think. What do you like about the app? What features would you like to see included in the next update of  the HFTP mobile app?

Lillian Lack is the director of member services at HFTP.

Once complete, the global guide will provide the industry with a comprehensive glossary of inventory terminology, charts of accounts and will benchmark common allocation for specific regions of the world.

I was one of 26 that made presentations to the students on February 10. After the presentations were completed, the students then selected the project they wanted to work on for their Student Business Project.

On Monday, February 13, I met with the team that was selected to begin the research on our project. We spent most of the day discussing the project and telling stories. They will be gathering data, surveying hotel operations and assembling terms of reference.

I was so impressed with these five young women so I wanted to introduce them to you. I am quite certain you will be seeing these ladies in top positions in our industry.

Ayane Melody Ka Ho

My name is Ayane Ka Ho, but everyone calls me Melody. I am 22 years old and a native to both Japan and Taiwan. I have spent the greater part of my life in Japan and Taiwan; however, I was able to experience my final two years of high school in Paris, France. Coming from a family that runs a  family business, hospitality was imbedded in me. One of my favorite things about the hospitality industry is the fact that it is fast pace, dynamic and unpredictable. On top of that, hospitality is all about making others feel welcome — what a great industry.

Nicole Bloechlinger

My name is Nicole. I am 24 years old and born and raised in Switzerland. Since I was a child, I was fascinated by the hospitality industry. Being in my last years of studies, I am positive this is the industry I want to work in — not only because of all the amazing international working opportunities, but also the wide variety of people that work together to create a memorable experience for the guests. I feel honored to be part of such a unique industry.

Karin Kupper

I’m Karin Kupper, 23 years old, from Zurich, Switzerland. What I like most about the hospitality industry is its diversity, also with regard to the people you get in contact with. Studying at EHL, I got to know the different areas of a hotel and developed an understanding for the whole operation. This comprehension is an important factor why I want to stay in this industry after graduation from EHL.

Claudia Reich

My name is Claudia and I was born and raised in Zurich, Switzerland. What I appreciate about the hospitality industry is that it is international in so many different ways. Also, I like the hotel environment and its unpredictable events that make every day a different one.

Maria Aman

My name is Maria Aman. I am 24 years old and I was born and raised in Zurich, Switzerland. I believe that I discovered my passion for hospitality during my childhood while traveling with my family. Furthermore, working in a five star hotel in Zurich after secondary school also confirmed that studying hospitality management was the right path for me.

In my opinion, the hospitality industry is the most interesting industry because of the many daily challenges to face. Furthermore, it is also the most rewarding industry, enabling one to provide others with unforgettable experiences. Because I would describe myself as being versatile, open-minded, determined and having many different interests, the hospitality industry allows me to further develop my personality.

Lisa Funk, CHAE is director of finance for Alexis Hotels and the HFTP Global president.

Photo (left to right):  Melody, Nicole, Karin, Claudia and Maria

But earlier this week, I had a long day that was different.

It was a long day filled with excitement, energy and spectacular insight from people who have a passion to represent HFTP to the global membership and hospitality community.

Honestly, who wouldn’t want to represent an association that allows you continual hospitality education on so many levels, and can benefit you personally and professionally in so many ways?

Earlier this week was the first ever HFTP Train the Trainer Seminar held in Dallas, Texas. Led by a tremendous panel of instructors – we, as a collaborative group, learned how to effectively present the review for the CHAE (Certified Hospitality Accountant Executive) and CHTP (Certified Hospitality Technology Professional) exams to chapters and individuals who are interested in pursuing their HFTP certification.

Can I get an Amen?

Being a certification holder myself, I know the dedication required to study and test. As an added plus, there’s all the anxiety and pressure we put upon ourselves to achieve highly.

Each professional has their reasons for certification — some want personal achievement accolades, some desire to pursue/elevate their careers, some want to keep the jobs they have and others just like to show people they know what they’re talking about.

Whatever your reason, you now have at your disposal a TEAM of HFTP representatives that can assist your chapters to offer the CHAE and CHTP reviews — so utilize us.

If you currently serve on your local Chapter board – get out there! Let the membership know how valuable certification can be.

To be the best, you have to integrate and establish yourself with the best.  Duh – that’s why I came to the HFTP Knowledge Exchange in Dallas, Texas this week.

Jessica Vint, CHAE, is regional controller for The Hotel Group in Edmonds, Wash. She is also a director on the HFTP Global Board.

The learn more about HFTP Certification — like upcoming reviews and exams, study guides, online practice exams and more — visit www.hftp.org/certification or e-mail Bryan Wood, director of Certification.

New Unemployed Veteran Target Groups:

• 4 weeks: Gives employers a tax credit of up to $2,400 for hiring veterans who have been looking for a job for at least four weeks
• 6 months: A generous $5,600 tax credit is provided for hiring veterans who have been unemployed and available for work for six months or more

The tax credit for the disabled veteran target group (those with service-connected disabilities), which is already in effect, has been doubled to $9,600.

But keep in mind these new veteran tax credits are only approved until the end of 2012.

More Discussion at the Knowledge Exchange

I will be analyzing recent and pending changes of these, and a number of other employer tax credits, during an education session at the Knowledge Exchange on March 22 in Dallas, Texas.

Michael Lancey, MBA, EA, CHAE, is a tax credit advisor for Mckenzie Chase Management, Inc. You can connect with him on Twitter and Facebook.

Photo courtesy of DVIDSHUB’s Flickr photostream.

Article 1:  26 legal tips for hotel HR professionals

Article 2: More legal tips for hotel HR professionals

There are 50 tips stretching over these two articles. 50 is a great number for a scholarly dissertation. But I feel like it is not a practical number with which to encourage decisive action.

So I have a tip I’d like to throw in that boils this down to one thought. I’ll get to that in a minute.

But first let’s review some of their tips:

Some of the tips are quite involved. Take this one.

23. Be aware of local and state laws that have a lower threshold to establish claims for hostile work environments and individual liability, Gilman said. The trend is highlighted by a recent case in New York in which the court found state law to be more expansive than federal law.

Hotel management companies manage hotels across the country. By some estimates, there are more than 4,000 different labor laws to comply with for a business that operates in all 50 states.

This chart looks at the trend of federal labor laws.

(Click to enlarge)

The fun continues.

31. Beware of federal agencies stepping up enforcement, such as wage and hour enforcement by the U.S. Department of Labor, Ilene Berman, a partner with Atlanta-based Taylor English Duma, LLP said, adding she’s seeing a lot more on-site audits from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and DOL.

The DOL (Department of Labor) isn’t the only agency stepping up enforcement. The Department of Homeland Security, among others, is also getting in on the act.

But, wait! There’s more.

Your company has terminated an employee. Has it followed these steps?

48. In order to avoid successful retaliation claims, 1) have an anti-retaliation policy, 2) train, 3) address performance issues, 4) give candid evaluations, 5) document decisions to terminate, 6) be aware of timing, and 7) document, document, document, Gilman said.

Has your HR department put together such policies? Have they been this meticulous with their procedures and documentation? If not, can your company afford to risk a potential incident down the line?

My Bonus Tip to You

Unfortunately, few companies have the time, money or resources to tackle this entire list the way it should be tackled.

So let’s boil the 50 tips down to one missing tip:

Get yourself a legal team together, and get it together now.

Review all your employment practices and procedures before plaintiff’s attorneys or the Feds force you to.

The lawyers have won.

If you can’t beat them, join them.

Matt Lucas, CHAE is director of hospitality at Alternative Employer Solutions, a hospitality industry HR outsourcing consulting company. To find out how hotel owners and operators control costs and reduce risk by outsourcing HR functions, download his free report at hotelpeo.com. Matt can be reached directly at mlucas@hotelpeo.com.

Consider these three possible options:

1. Use established platforms like Facebook
2. Invest in specialized, private social networking solutions
3. Or do nothing

Because every club is unique, there is no one right answer. The benefits of each strategy should be balanced against the needs and demographics of the club to arrive at the best choice.

Using an Established Platform

There are many compelling reasons to leverage an established social media platform like Facebook.

For little more than the cost of labor, the club can promote itself, broadcast news and events, and even operate a members-only group within Facebook. But the most important reason to choose Facebook for a social media platform is that the members are probably already using it.

The club’s feed becomes integrated with the member’s existing social network. Should a dissatisfied member post negatively, the club has an opportunity to address the problem publicly, further demonstrating its concern for member satisfaction.

Using a Private Social Networking Platform

The primary reason to select a private social networking platform is to maintain the private nature of the club.

Many private social network products offer features similar to Facebook, but they operate in a closed environment, separate from the public social media networks. Members may appreciate the private nature of this platform, especially as there is little chance of any private club information being accidentally made public.

There may be a cost associated with the private platforms, or members may be subjected to online advertising, which could diminish the overall experience.

Ignoring Social Media

It may be prudent to do nothing at all while the dust settles on social media.

Perhaps a member survey would determine if the time is right for the club to entertain diving into social media. A focus on targeted member communication might be a better use of the club’s resources.

However, the risk in doing nothing is that if social networking is here to stay, the club could miss an opportunity to differentiate itself among the competition.

What to Do?

Figuring out the club’s social media strategy needs to happen, as the club may already be the subject of discussions on social media sites.

If the club is currently ignoring social media like our friend the ostrich, perhaps it’s time to open a dialog on the matter, establish a social networking policy and implement one of the aforementioned options. Don’t be an ostrich: lead the club in making a decision regarding this important new communication medium.

What kind of social media strategy do you have at your club right now? Would you change it?

Donald Moro is the vice president of Marketing at Northstar Club Management Software, a leading provider of on-premise Club Management Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) for private clubs and resorts. He can be reached at (888) 240-3501 or don.moro@globalnorthstar.com.

Top photo courtesy of Sean MacEntee’s Flickr photostream.

My wife owns a home-based bakery and recently asked me how she could inexpensively accept credit cards.  Just a few years ago, my reply to her would have involved renting a credit card machine, signing up for a processor and paying monthly statement and processing fees.

But not anymore.

I recently learned about a wonderful little device from a company called Square, Inc.

The Square: By the Numbers

This little device, which is free after a $10 sign-up credit, plugs into the headphone jack of an iPhone, iPad or Android device.  It’s possible to swipe credit cards through the device and, after you have signed up for the Square processing service, start accepting credit cards inexpensively and easily.

The cost is only 2.75 percent of the transaction amount, and there are no hidden statement fees or other charges to pay.  If you enter the credit card number manually (without swiping), the cost goes up to 3.5 percent plus $.15. Most major credit cards are accepted, and the payment – less the processing – is deposited into your bank account the next day.

The Square: Easy to Use

I picked up my Square device at the nearby Target, opened the box and plugged the device into my wife’s iPhone. The box contained a simple card that told me how to register my account, which I did using the iPhone itself.

Within 20 minutes I was able to swipe a credit card and take payments. I could even perform an electronic signature capture using the iPhone screen.

Receipts from Square transactions can be emailed or texted to the recipient. If you choose to send a text, the recipient receives a link to a web site that displays the receipt. You can even customize the receipt that your customers will see.

The Square: How it Applies to HFTP Members

Impressed with the simplicity and flawless execution of this little device, I began thinking about its uses for HFTP members. Whether for your property or as an HFTP chapter leader, this device could help you in those moments when you occasionally need to accept credit cards.

Square’s solution might be your answer.

I could definitely see it used in various hospitality settings like:

• At an off-site event or off-site catering
• For a beverage cart at a golf course
• As an inexpensive credit card solution for the front desk
• Accepting credit card deposits over the telephone
• Allowing employees who work at home to accept payments

Every once in a while someone solves a problem in a simple and elegant way.

I believe that Square has done this by filling a gap in the credit card processing market. They offer an affordable solution that takes advantage of today’s mobile world.

So if you happen to need a creative, made-from-scratch cake in the Richmond, Va. area, I hope you will look up my wife at www.getsugarbuzzed.com.

She now accepts all major credit cards.

Donald Moro is the vice president of Marketing at Northstar Club Management Software, a leading provider of on-premise Club Management Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) for private clubs and resorts.  He can be reached at (888) 240-3501 or don.moro@globalnorthstar.com.

Howdy!

I’m a proud member of the Fightin’ Texas Aggie Class of 2003.

Yes, that just dated me.

But it’s important to this blog post – I promise.

For those that aren’t familiar with Texas A&M University, the university is well known for all of its traditions.

From saying “Howdy” (like above)  – to Muster (honoring fellow Aggies that have passed away) – to being a part of the 12th Man (supporting our team by standing throughout football games) – to the Big Event (the largest one-day student run community service project in the US) – to being proud of where you came from (this is where the class of 2003 comes in) and so much more.

A lot of the Aggie traditions stem around the concept of “the other education.”

Part of the Texas A&M culture is the belief that you receive more knowledge than just the traditional education from the classroom – you also receive your “other education” outside of the classroom.

“The other education” I received through learning from fellow classmates, carrying those connections on throughout the years and being an active participant in my community has been important in shaping who I am as a professional years after leaving Aggieland.

So this got me thinking and relating it to HFTP’s newest conference – the Knowledge Exchange.

HFTP is offering attendees the opportunity to get more out of the conference than just formal classroom education.

Of course regular education sessions will be at the Knowledge Exchange. But this time, attendees get to be more proactive about what they learn outside of those education sessions. With longer breaks between sessions and attendee-led discussions, everyone has the opportunity to get “the other education.”

Hallway Networking Can Increase Your Conference ROI

I recently read a series of articles from Thom Singer’s blog Some Assembly Required about the importance of networking at face-to-face conferences. And it really hit home with me. This is exactly what we (HFTP Global) are trying to provide for attendees at the Knowledge Exchange.

Singer stressed the need for “hallway networking” at face-to-face conferences and meetings. He points out that we often take for granted the power of connection that goes deeper than just collecting business cards at conferences.

This idea is vital to what the Knowledge Exchange is all about.

Like Singer says, “It is the sharing of thoughts, ideas and best practices that can provide the best education.”

He then goes on to discuss extending the “hallway networking” beyond the conference when you get home. By following-up with people you meet at the conference, you are able to extend your conference experience virtually.

By talking with fellow attendees and sharing thoughts and ideas, you are increasing your conference ROI. You gain more from the conference AND you could even make a connection that is needed in your future career.

“If done properly it is not uncommon that people first encountered at an industry event can become customers, vendors, co-workers, influential and trusted advisers and friends,” said Singer.

Get Your “Other Education”

So beyond the sessions on human resources, data security, tax management, health care reform, etc, I look forward to hearing about the important lessons attendees learned in the hallway of the conference.

Go out there and get your “other education” when you are at the Knowledge Exchange – or any conference for that matter.

Register for the Knowledge Exchange>

Katy Walterscheidt is the PR & social media manager for HFTP and a proud Texas Aggie. She is also the editor of HFTP Connect, the hospitality  professionals’ blog. You can reach her on Twitter @katyw03 or by e-mail at katy.walterscheidt@hftp.org.

Photo courtesy of StuSeeger’s Flickr page.

Read [Part 1] for more insights>

If you’d like to apply to be on the Global Board, the deadline is March 1, 2012.  Apply here>

Cheryl Brennan, CHAE

Is the time right? We’re all so busy that the thought of adding one more responsibility, such as applying for the HFTP Global Board of Directors, can be overwhelming.

However, maybe things have fallen into place for you, and you’re starting to wonder “why not now?”

Perhaps you have felt some of the things I was feeling the last two or three years:

•    A growing desire to be more of a part of the global HFTP organization;

•    Believing you have insight and experience that could benefit our members; and

•    Wanting to have input in some of the decisions that are made within our association.

We live in an exciting time — technology is taking us leaps and bounds through uncharted waters, and our international presence is broadening at an unprecedented pace. Is it time for you to become a part of it?

Maybe there are other things too – have you found yourself watching with interest the camaraderie among Board members? Do you enjoy expanding your network of peers so that you easily fit into numerous situations? Are you a “volunteer-at-heart” who gets satisfaction out of helping others? If so, take the next step.

Fill out your application, gather your letters of recommendation and submit. Don’t let the “what ifs” stop you. Just do it.

Cheryl Brennan, CHAE is controller at Bloomfield Hills Country Club and is a director on the HFTP Global Board.

Calvester Legister, CHAE, MBA

Intrinsically motivated, I have consistently sought channels through life that intellectually stimulates. Within all HFTP members there exists some thirst for knowledge and a determination for continuous growth — two mutually inclusive attributes provided by the organization.

Becoming a member was a necessary condition for knowledge but not sufficient for continuous growth. My certification, chapter leadership and now as a board of director all represent my quest for continuous growth (communal leadership, commitment and a will to contribute).

Being a “bench warmer” is not acceptable to the son of a Pentecostal minister; which is what being a member but not volunteering for the HFTP’s board would be like after fifteen years.

Our last strategic board meeting held in Las Vegas, Nev. 2011, served as a reminder that nothing less than continuous growth is acceptable. When an HFTP member grows through their service to HFTP, it represents collective growth — a symbiotic relationship. I would rather be affiliated with no other organization beside HFTP but continuous growth for free! Why wouldn’t you volunteer to serve on HFTP’s global board?

Calvester Legister, CHAE, MBA is director of finance for Yotel New York and a director on the HFTP Global Board.

Jules Sieburgh, CHTP

For years I avoided being a part of the board, and eventually someone changed my mind. It was the best thing that could have happened to me.

I would highly recommend the opportunity to work with HFTP staff and with other dedicated members. It is a unique experience and worth every second of your time.

Jules Sieburgh, CHTP is a technology consultant for Jules A Sieburgh, LLC. He is an HFTP Global past president and an inductee into the HFTP International Hospitality Technology Hall of Fame.

Bob Oprea, CHAE, CHTP

My first attempt in applying for the Global Board of Directors was unsuccessful. I was disappointed. But a couple of years later, I was approached to apply again. I did and felt that I was better prepared and buoyant from the confidence that other had in me. Second time was the charm.

During my tenure, I had one board meeting, in particular, that impressed me. It was our annual strategic planning meeting and our leadership had brought in a few hospitality association professionals from all over the world to assist us in brainstorming our future goals. Toward the end of the meeting, they were extremely complimentary of HFTP and our leadership methods.

It was incredible to hear such comments but even more incredible to see the manner in which the meeting was run in that we ALL had something to offer.

Serving on the Board has opened my eyes to a well-organized, professional method of governing. I am very proud to have stepped forward and participated as a director.

Bob Oprea, CHAE, CHTP, is controller at Le Pavillon Hotel and was a director on the HFTP Global Board from 2004-2007.

RP Rama, CHA, CHTP, CHAE

I joined HFTP in 1991. After gaining so much personally in education and networking at HFTP events and via the different resources HFTP provides, it was time to give back to the organization that gave me so much.

I wanted to be able to work with students who are our future HFTP members — get them to be a part of HFTP. I wanted to bring my experience and knowledge to the association to help in fulfilling its goals, as stated in the strategic plan.

Why would one not want to share their leadership skills with HFTP? Why would one not want to work with a fantastic team of board of directors and learn from each other?

I would recommend everyone to remove the fear in you and be bold and apply for positions at the Global level and help the organization grow within the US, internationally and through student chapters.

Give back to HFTP what you got from HFTP and more. Working together, charting the course of HFTP with other Board members, is a fantastic experience — how ideas come to the floor, how all comment on them and how the consensus of what is better for the membership gets implemented.

It is a lifetime rewarding experience. Any doubts in applying for a Board member position? Contact me.

RP Rama, CHA, CHTP, CHAE, is vice president and CTO/CIO of JHM Hotels. He is the HFTP Global vice president and was a director on the HFTP Global Board from 2006-2009.

The 2012 Hospitality Financial and Technology Professionals Compensation and Benefits Survey aims to capture the current salary and benefits information for finance and technology related positions.

The survey also provides information on working environment, responsibilities and much more.

We need your help.

The data you can provide helps us compare this information for professionals working in different geographic areas and demographics.

We realize this may be sensitive information, so the survey results are anonymous.

You do not have to be a member of HFTP to take the survey. Take the time to fill out the 2012 survey before March 5, 2012 and you will be eligible to receive a free copy of the results.

Survey Link:  http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/8NYLTQT

Tanya Venegas, MBA, MHM, is the executive director of the HFTP Research Institute located at the University of Houston’s Conrad N. Hilton College of Hotel and Restaurant Management. The HFTP Research Institute offers free routine research inquiries for HFTP members, and also publishes valuable research in HFTP’s journal The Bottomline.

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.

What are some important strategies for security – data and guest?

Important strategies for data and guest securities are continuing to revolve around PCI Compliance/credit card data security and personally identifiable information security. I also think that physical guest security will continue to be important, as we have recently witnessed stories of unauthorized entry into guest spaces by cameras and other unwanted guests.

Strategies here will include:

• Maintaining vigilance over credit card data security rules and standards;
• Training front line managers and staff regarding PCI Compliance;
• Training front line managers and staff regarding reviewing guest identification upon arrival; and
• Possibly installing more cameras throughout hotel public spaces (camera technology has become significantly more available and less expensive over the last several years).

Name three areas within hospitality technology that are evolving the most?

As the global traveling community becomes more and more environmentally conscious — and with Gen Y using technology more than other generations — hospitality technology is evolving to meet those needs.

1. The Cloud — Until a year or two ago, “The Cloud” was simply something in the sky that obscured the sun; now, everyone is using “The Cloud” for data storage. Some technologies even allow for PMS operations to be fully “in The Cloud.”

2. Smartphone Usage - Travelers with iPhones or other smartphones constantly ask, “Is there an App for that?”  The usage of personal smartphones to handle tasks such as changing the channels on the television in the hotel room, paying for the hotel stay, and the like, are now possible.

3. RFID systems - From guestroom keys to wristbands to “toll tags.”

Since you’ve been in the industry, which technology do you think has changed hospitality the most?

Since I’ve been in the hospitality industry (during the last 14 years), I think that smartphone technology has changed hospitality the most.  In late January 2012, LodgeNet, a provider of in-room guest entertainment, said that it was going to release a smartphone application capable of acting as a television remote control in a hotel guestroom.  There are also smartphone and iPad applications that act as restaurant menus, methods of payment and more.

As a user of technology, the smartphone has changed the way that hospitality technology interacts with guests.

From a back-of-the-house perspective, though, I would say that “The Cloud” has changed hospitality the most.

What is your favorite hospitality-related mobile “app” that you use?

The HITEC mobile app.  It has everything that a HITEC attendee needs: education information, vendor information, show hours and maps of the show floor.

With a packed itinerary during HITEC, it is great to have an app that I use on my smartphone to get me where I need to be on time. All I need to do is to look down at my smartphone and do not need to consult my daily planner.

Now, if there were only an app available that would talk to the vendors and sign contracts for me, but I am not sure that Siri does that yet!

If you’d like to apply to be on the Global Board, the deadline is March 1, 2012.  Apply here>

Lisa Funk, CHAE

It’s that time of year again when HFTP calls for applications for the Global Board of Directors and the Executive Committee. You may be sitting there wondering if the time is now for you. If you are thinking about it – then the time is right!

Since joining the hospitality industry in 1997, HFTP has the one constant throughout the years.

When I needed education, I turned to HFTP.

When I needed a network of professionals, I turned to HFTP.

And when I need a certification that showed the industry I was a professional, I turned to HFTP.

I remember when I applied to be on the HFTP Global Board in the spring of 2005. My only thought was that I wanted to give back. Giving back by serving others as a director on the Global Board seemed like the best way to do that. It has been the best experience of my professional life and I encourage you to apply.

But you don’t have to just take my word for it. I thought you might want to hear from a few past and present board members as well. We are all here for you if you have questions. We serve at the pleasure of our membership.

Lisa Funk, CHAE is director of finance for Alexis Hotels and the HFTP Global president.

Terry Price, CHAE, CHTP, CPA

My primary motivation for running for the Board of Directors was to give back to an organization that had given me so much that made me a better professional in the hospitality industry.

However, I must say that I failed. The more I tried to give back, the more I gained.

The opportunity to work with a group of individuals from all sizes, shapes and segments of the industry with the sole purpose of providing a resource for our members and the rest of the industry was amazing. The knowledge, focus and friendships that I gained during my time on the Board is unmatched in my career.

Who I am today, as a professional in the hospitality industry, is directly related to my service as a Board member of HFTP. I encourage anyone to seek this opportunity because it will change your life and career.

Terry Price, CHAE, CHTP, CPA is an HFTP Global past president and served as a director on the HFTP Global Board from 2002-2005.

Derek Wood

I have been involved with the hospitality industry for nearly 30 years (my how time flies! – I know I started very young). I have attended every HITEC since 1998, and have been a speaker at most of them as well.

The industry has been good to me over the years, I saw an opportunity — by serving on the Global Board of Directors — to give something back to the business and the organization that has been an important part of my life for so long.

There is a bonding with the Board of Directors that I have not found elsewhere that I think that comes from the fact that everyone not only wants to be there, but is honored to serve.

The fact that the positions are unpaid is testament to the dedication of the members. After attending the Board meetings you really do get a sense that you are assisting in defining the future direction of HFTP.

As for the Board members themselves, they represent a cross section of the businesses that HFTP is involved in, they are all different characters, there are quiet ones and loud ones (no names of course – but they know who they are!) but they are all so genuine. What I did not realize before I was elected was the depth of personal friendship that everyone gains from being a part of the Global Board.

If hospitality is in your blood, then I urge you to consider applying for the position of Board Director for HFTP, its rewarding, fulfilling and so worthwhile.

Derek Wood is managing director of Derek Wood Associates Ltd and a current director on the HFTP Global Board.

Jessica Vint, CHAE

Beginning with participating in the Leadership Summit, I made so many friends and connections through HFTP. Serving on different HFTP committees not only allowed me to get more involved, but let me see more of the inner workings of HFTP and how much the association focuses on providing to its membership.

Aside from incredible encouragement from other HFTP members, the passion I feel for HFTP and all that they provide propelled me to apply for the Board. Listening to others about the interview process can be daunting and make you second guess yourself – but now that I serve on the Board – I serve with pride.

One goal during my tenure is to help make HFTP stronger as an association and to continue to communicate to members all that we have to offer.

Jessica Vint, CHAE, is regional controller at The Hotel Group and a current director on the HFTP Global Board.

Daniel Conti, CHAE, CAM

I applying for the Global Board because HFTP has enhanced my career by providing exceptional education and expanding my network of individuals to call on to assist me. I felt I wanted to pay back to the association by offering my services on the Board of Directors.

Also, some of my biggest industry mentors were former board members who continued to encourage me to run for the board.

Daniel Conti, Jr., CHAE, CAM, is director of finance for The Ritz Carlton Golf Club & Spa, Jupiter and HFTP Global Secretary. He also served as a director of HFTP Global from 2008-2011.

Jerilyn Schnitzel, CHAE, CHTP, CAM

I decided to run for the Board of HFTP because I love HFTP and I wanted to help the organization to grow. HFTP helped me grow as an individual and I wanted to be able to give some of that back to the organization.

As a club controller, it was a great experience to sit with industry leaders. All the board members were out to achieve one thing: What is best for HFTP.

The camaraderie and friendships you make with HFTP are unbelievable and forever.

Jerilyn Schnitzel, CHAE, CHTP, CAM, is owner of Schnitzel Hospitality Consulting. She has served two terms as director on the HFTP Global Board from 2003-2006 and 2007-2010.

Ralph Miller, CA, CBV, CHA, CHAE

Participation in the HFTP Board of Directors provides an opportunity to:

•    Directly impact the level of professionalism in the industry;
•    Develop life-long professional relationships at a national and international level; and
•    Sharpen leadership skills with a dynamic and progressive international organization.

Ralph Miller, CA, CBV, CHA, CHAE, is president and owner of Inntegrated Hospitality Management Ltd. He is an HFTP Global past president and also served on the HFTP Global Board from 1999-2002.

This is an excerpt from an article in the 2012 Hotel Yearbook, a

Over the past two decades, the Internet has transformed how hotel rooms are bought and sold. Before, customers typically contacted the hotel directly for information, or relied on travel agents, tour operators or other intermediaries to suggest properties that might be appropriate.

The growth of the Internet in the late 1990s added greatly to the quantity of information available to consumers. However, despite this new-found access to vast amounts of information, the challenge of credibility remained.

Social media potentially help address this credibility issue.

Since travelers enjoy talking about their experiences, discussing future plans and seeking the recommendations of others, social media sites such as blogs, social networks and review sites have become important information resources.  Such sites provide consumers with easy access to a pool of high-quality, topical and most importantly, unbiased information, generated not by commercial interests but by other consumers, thus helping to reduce, if not totally eliminate, the aforementioned credibility issue.

As a result, social media have had an almost immediate and dramatic effect on how travel is researched, planned and bought. Most commentators agree that social media now act as a key element in the traveler’s research process.

Predictions and trends

Below are some of the developments that I see happening in the short term in relation to the hotel social media space:

Terrific TripAdvisor
Having moaned about the possibility of fake reviews since the site’s launch, 2012 will be the year when hotels finally admit and accept what TripAdvisor does – acts as a fantastic (and free) source of customer feedback, and, when hotels do their job right, as an incredible promotional tool.

Several of the large hotel chains (including Accor, Worldhotels and Premier Inn) have already come to this realization, adding TripAdvisor widgets to their web sites so that customers (and the corporate office) can see the quality of each property, practically in real time.  2012 will be the year when this approach goes mainstream, and hotels start putting their own house in order, focusing on improving customer service and the overall guest experience, rather than wasting time and money ranting about the unfairness of it all.

Vivacious Video
Faced with a client base that has grown up with streaming video and computer games, text and images are clearly no longer enough. 2012 will be the year when hotel companies wake up to the power of multi-media as a selling mechanism. Video, both professional and user-generated, will start to become integrated into the promotional strategies of innovative hotel chains, and will become commonplace within three to five years.

Already we are seeing evidence of the power of video to attract site visitors (and when done well, customers). InterContinental Hotel Group has had incredible success with its Concierge Insider Guides, while there are few travelers left who have not seen the incredible presentation of the MGM Grand in Maximum Las Vegas, Nev.

Today these are the exceptions. Tomorrow they will be the norm.

Superior Social Networks
For years, hotels have been trying to build up a relationship with their customers, spending millions on running rewards (sorry – I mean loyalty) programs in a vain attempt to win the right to speak with their clients and try to influence future stays. Practically everyone (hotels, clients, dogs on the street) agree that most of these programs simply do not work and are a waste of time, money and plastic.

2012 will be the year when the mainstream chains follow innovators, such as CitizenM, and realize that they can build a closer relationship with their customers through the social networks they use every day rather than by giving them points for stays they will never make. Expect a big emphasis on building presence and generating activity on social networks, such as Facebook by hotel companies, even if most cannot figure out the return on investment of their actions.

Lovely location-based services: Even as hotels struggle to get their heads around the potential of social media as a whole, technology and society are moving on. Customers are mobile, and increasingly they expect their social media to be mobile as well – hence the incredible consumer popularity of services such as foursquare, Gowalla and Facebook Places. During 2012, leading-edge hotel companies will start to take baby steps in these arenas, gaining considerable first-mover advantage over their competitors.

Modified Mindsets
I’ve spoken before about the need for a new skill set to successfully manage hotel sales and marketing. The challenge, however, is that the necessary competencies are evolving rapidly in response to both incredible technological advances and rapid consumer adoption.

2012 will be the year when hotel companies begin to change how they hire – instead of looking for concrete skills and x years of experience, the more forward thinking will start hiring based on attitude and mindset. Skills can be easily taught and unfortunately date quickly, but employees that think differently can overcome such challenges easily. As Darwin said, it’s not the strongest or the most intelligent of the species that survives; it’s the one most adaptable to change.

Having hesitated for so long, 2012 will finally be the year that hotels embrace the power of social media as a primary (rather than alternative) customer communications and relationship channel.

It will be the year when they devote the time and resources to using social media properly, rather than simply setting up a Facebook page that no one ever reads.

It will be the year when hotel companies hire creative young people to act as their social media champions, and empower them to do whatever it takes to build, animate and sustain meaningful and authentic presences on the social media channel used by their customers.

2012 will be all of this, and more.

Because if it’s not, we’re doomed.

Peter O’Connor, PhD, is academic director and professor of Information Systems at Institute de Management Hotelier International (IMHI), an MBA program specializing in international hospitality management administered by ESSEC Business School, France.

The Hotel Yearbook is a forward-looking publication which brings together opinion leaders from the global hotel industry and asks them “What are you expecting in your part of the hotel business next year?” The publication is available for a free download for HFTP members. Note that a quick registration is required. A print edition is available at Amazon or on the Hotel Yearbook web site.

Download the Free Copy of the Hotel Yearbook 2012>