USA Today The nightstand iPad was once the most advanced technological feature in a hotel guestroom. Now, Amazon is stepping in to change that. This week, Amazon announced that it has developed Alexa for Hospitality, a new version of its Amazon Echo smart speaker, for hotels, vacation rental companies and other players in the hospitality [...]

Facilitiesnet What’s the connection between maintenance and design in institutional and commercial facilities? In most organizations, that connection is unfortunately limited, according to a new report from the U.S. General Accounting Office. The report highlights the disconnect that exists between those who plan and design buildings and those who are responsible for the facilities’ maintenance [...]

Skift When guests check into the Viceroy L’Ermitage Beverly Hills in California, they shouldn’t be surprised to find members of the hotel staff, from housekeeping and maintenance to the bellmen, all sporting the latest Samsung smartwatches on their wrists. That’s because the hotel is using those smartwatches as part of a strategy to improve the [...]

FacilitiesNet The benefits of LEDs are leading many facility managers to convert linear fluorescent fixtures (e.g., 2×4 troffers) to use LED lighting technologies or to consider doing so. The two options are tubular LEDs (TLEDs) and LED retrofit kits. (A third option is to replace the entire fixture.) Here’s a look at key points to [...]

Hotel Executive As sustainability becomes a larger focus in the hospitality industry, Westin wanted to find a way give back to the community in a way that further instilled our commitment to the environment and the well-being of our guests. We found a clear intersection between community health and the environment and began to brainstorm [...]

By Linchi Kwok Welcome to the era when machines begin replacing humans at work. In restaurants and hotels, machines or robots are already capable of performing many service jobs. Likewise, travelers can now make reservations for their hotel stays online, perform self-check-in on a mobile app or in a kiosk at a hotel, enter the [...]