Hospitality IT News For VARs — May 1, 2014
By Christine Kern, contributing writer
In hospitality IT news this week, PayPal is piloting a beacon-enabled payment system using wearable technology. And tiered Wi-Fi is emerging as the new industry model for hotels as they compete for guests and try to manage costs. A third article demonstrates the need to make your customers' hotel websites responsive to Google to help boost SEO ratings. Also, Dominos has jumped onto the iPad app bandwagon with its new ordering app that includes a more realistic pizza builder.
PayPal Pilots Beacon-Enabled Payments Using Samsung Wearables
Mobile Commerce Daily reports that PayPal is piloting a new payment method linking Bluetooth low energy beacons with Samsung Galaxy smart wearables to enable payments without the need for a bank card or even a smartphone. This move represents the growing momentum behind beacons as a transformative, in-store experience.
Tiered Wi-Fi Emerges As New Industry Model
Hotel News Now reports that as consumers increasingly demand basic connectivity at no charge, full-service hotel brands pioneer a new path. Recently, major hotel have begun developing tiered offerings that satisfy customer demands as well as keeping the possibility open for revenue from premium service. Early indicators, however, point to tiered Wi-Fi with free basic service for all guests becoming an industry-standard model for full-service hotels — and owner-operators will pay 100 percent of the cost.
Hotels Should Consider Whether Website Meets Google Requirements And Can Boost SEO
Hotel News Resource lists how your customer's hotel website can boost interoperability with Google. When Google talks, hotel marketers need to listen; especially when it comes to responsive website design. With mobile traffic gaining market share month after month, hotels need to ensure their desktop versions of their websites are optimized for smaller screens and deliver fast loading times. The more responsive a hotel website, the higher it's Google SEO rankings — and the easier it will be to maintain.
Domino’s Pizza Launches New iPad Ordering App
QSR Magazine reports Dominos has a new iPad ordering app. It will offer users access to the full national menu, coupon search, and location-based store locator. It will also allow direct access to track an order using Domino’s Tracker and and to saved information through Pizza Profiles, which allows customers to reorder their favorite items in as little as five clicks or about 30 seconds.
Hospitality IT News Talking Points
According to Hospitality.net, The Hotel Windsor Melbourne has seen a 9 percent increase in revenue per available room (RevPAR) in the five months since adopting a new revenue management system (RMS). It has enhanced the hotel's approach to forecasting and pricing through implementing an advanced automated system that analyzes data and enables the hotel to make strategic revenue and inventory management decisions. This resulted in an increased average daily rate (ADR) by 4 percent, along with growing its occupancy rates by 6 percent over a five-month period.