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Most hospitality industry executives (about 80 percent) indicate that their companies are investing in the Internet, intranet, specialized technological services in the rooms, and other aspects of technologies, such as "property management systems (PMS), central registration systems (CRS), yield management, reservation systems, sales and catering systems, e-mail/Internet, database marketing, point-of-sale, food and beverage, guestroom technologies, and kiosks for guest check-in and check-out (Cline and Warner, 2000, p.3). Most hospitality organizations have local area networks (LANs) within their hotels, and some have networks that connect them to their corporate offices. Many hotels are adding extranets, which connect the company to their suppliers or customers. About three-quarters of the hotels indicate that their company has a separate information technology department, while the smaller hotels outsource to a third party. The focus on all this is, of course, getting customers to book and to ensure their comfort while they are in the hotel. Some technological features currently available include web pages for the hotels (simple pages with the prices and specials easy to see), Internet connections in the rooms, voice mail, and automatic checkout at the conclusion of the stay. Many hotels provide fax/copier/printers, interactive television with pay per view entertainment, cordless phones, and e-mail (Cline and Warne |
