We have some great reads for you this week!

In a world where push notifications and message alerts are popping up on our phones and computers at every second, minute, and hour of the day, it's safe to say that we are continuously connected to the happenings all around the globe through technology. When it comes to the hospitality industry, it is crucial for a hotel to be just as connected. Hotels must be aware of any breaking news in order to ensure the safety of its guests, employees, and property. The first read demonstrates how hotels are now integrating social media data to gather information and improve their security operations with more immediate responses. Not only do hotels need to be connected for security reasons, but also for marketing purposes as well. In our second read, Facebook encourages the travel industry to prioritize mobile strategies to reach more guests as more than two billion messages are being exchanged between brands and people each month. With consumers spending more and more time on mobile, hotels should consider focusing on mobile to drive business growth. While technology is clearly essential for advancement in the hotel industry, there is still a technology deficit in the sector and the need for more interconnectivity within the market. The third article highlights the importance of integrations between hotel technology providers and how working together can improve innovation, efficiency, and profitability for the industry overall.

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Check out the industry reads we collected for you this week!

"What time is checkout?" "Do you have a fitness center?" "Where can I find the nearest...?" The list of questions is endless when it comes to a guest's experience at a hotel. Luckily, hotels with chatbots can answer any and all frequently asked questions using the round-the-clock technology with very little manpower required. However, it shouldn't just stop there. Did you know that you can enable your chatbot technology to generate actual revenue? Instead of simply answering questions, our first read shows hoteliers how to take advantage of chatbot systems to better understand their guests and sell more services to them. It's a well known fact that millennials are a huge market for the hospitality industry. However, it's not as easy to capture this segment by using run-of-the-mill marketing tactics. As millennials have grown up with the Internet, it's crucial to identify the characteristics that set them apart from other generations in order to meet their technological standards. Hotelogix, a SnapShot partner, breaks down the steps to catering to millennials in five ways in our second read. Speaking of millennials, our final read shows how the power of millennials has affected the travel industry through social media. Since 2013, Instagram usage has grown by 375% in relation to travel. If you're not already on Instagram, perhaps you should consider it given the social media platform's newest update that allows businesses to add action buttons for users to reserve, book, or purchase items without exiting the app. If we haven't been able to convince you of the power of technology in the hospitality industry, perhaps that statistic alone will change your mind!

Happy reading. 

We have some new industry reads for you this week!

Blockchain, GDPR, fintech, cloud-based technology - there are so many new words we need to continue adding to our vocabulary to keep up with the changes of the business world as it advances into 2018 and beyond. While not all technological changes directly affect to the hotel industry, there are many innovations that we simply cannot avoid. Did you ever consider that the blockchain technology hype would apply to your hotel's distribution and loyalty? In our first read, you can read about how blockchain could potentially provide an alternative to online travel agencies, which would greatly affect a hotel's distribution strategy. While the consequences are yet to be confirmed, OTAs will definitely be on their toes as more and more airlines and hotel brands begin to adopt this new approach. Moreover, with blockchain, hotels can also access more complete profiles of their guests and create stronger loyalty programs. In the second read, we see how another hotel chain is attempting to provide it's customers with higher customer recognition levels through technology. Marriott International and Salesforce, the customer relationship management software, have entered into a partnership that will allow Marriott to enact complete, cross-channel recognition of their guests, to allow for a smoother, more knowledgeable communication approach with its customers. Finally, while modern technology is a crucial part of the hospitality industry, we cannot forget about the basic concepts of hotel operations like revenue management. In our third read, the importance of revenue management to general managers is broken down into six reasons. Interestingly enough, revenue management only surfaced in the industry in the 70's, and has since become an integral part of how hotels can optimize revenue and help GMs manage their properties. It only makes you wonder how blockchain technology and data-based customer relationship strategies will look like in the next 50 years too!

Happy reading.