What’s next in the TV game is interesting to say the least.

Discussions on several fronts paint an interesting story all revolving around TVs that can browse the internet.

Sounds great on the first pass however contemplating a little genius hacker who can write code for a virus that makes our TV crash when the favorite movie or sporting event is on, brings a sobering thought. Of course behind the scenes chip makers like Intel want to have full control of this market & technology on one side and the TV manufacturers are resisting at all costs in the hope of maintaining their own process.

Currently it is said that Samsung and Panasonic will roll out a TV in Australia this year that can, access finance, weather and news through Yahoo which will likely be done through a Channel 7 Yahoo alliance. More of a canned version rather than the full blown internet in all its glory! 

You may also be interested that US research is looking to give some credibility to the introduction of TV that produces a 3D picture. They claim on surveys made, the public would be willing to pay extra for a 3D producing TV.

In fact, the claims say “it will be a major force in the future for home entertainment”.Will be interesting to see the marketing hyperbole used to get you to pay a premium to what amounts to wearing a special set of glasses to watch the 3D effect and keep your head still for fear of getting dizzy spells!

Content is likely to be an issue somewhat like the “blueray” experience – there’s not much around!    

Greg

Food is a very important part of our life.

You can surely win anybody’s heart by offering delicious food. People are very particular about their food especially when they are traveling. In fact their selection of hotel (to stay) greatly depends on their eating habits. So if you want to attract more visitors to your hotel then offering good food is a good idea.

In fact offering good food can make a guest or casual diner come to your hotel again.

The economic meltdown of 2008 has definitely affected every individual’s economy at the micro level. So, the hotel and travel industry is expected to see a tough time ahead in 2009. In order to sustain this meltdown the hotel and travel industry players need to gear up and come up with new innovative business ideas.

Here are some of the findings based on experts study on food trends for hotels and restaurants expected for the year 2009 that can help you in business decisions.

·         Straight from the farm to the table cuisine is now-a-days getting very popular. A customer might ask, and would be delighted to know about where the food comes from, and can be a great selling point for wait staff when taking orders. If it’s structure properly can be used to up sell.

·          With market ups and downs and changing inflation rates, changing menus is an ideal thing to do.

·         Customization and personalization sometimes can make your customer feel special. Considering a slight change in the menu or taste, to suit your customer needs is worth it. Strong Return Guest programs could record like and dislikes of particular guests.

·         2009 will be a year of cost cuttings, savings and restoring the economic health. Consider things like half glass wine, happy hours, offering several snacks type foods that are a better option for customers as compared to a fixed priced complete dinner. 

·         In today’s fast paced life people are unable to stick to the traditional timings of breakfast, lunch or dinner. You should be ready to serve them food according to their needs anytime.

·         Restaurants that are open late night are very convenient for business travelers. In fact business travelers choose hotels (to stay) that have late night restaurant services.   

·         Dining in different areas of the hotel other than the traditional restaurant, bar can add uniqueness and a lasting memory. Creating a rainforest effect in the ballroom for a couple of sittings or out in the garden is fast getting popular. So, offering this kind of services can give guests and visitors an exciting and fun filled experience.

·          Complimentary restaurant services like serving breakfast or tea/coffee round the clock is an important thing for luring visitors. According to a study 72% of vacation travelers and 71% of business travelers check this kind of services before choosing hotels to stay.

·         With globalization the world has come closer. People travel to different places of the world and enjoy different type of food. So, prepare to serve any all kinds of food i.e. Chinese, African, Japanese etc.

·         Herbs in particular Tarragon was not much used till recent times, is gaining popularity among chefs these days, probably through programs from Gordon Ramsey!  Leading chefs around the world are now recommending including this ingredient in their menus.

·         More and more people are becoming aware of the importance of being eco-friendly.

So, stop supplying those water bottles and offer sparkling filtered tap water. If it tastes nice then less will need to be thrown out at the end of service. These are just a few things that you can concentrate on.

Next newsletter I will expand on some of the other things happening in the Restaurants around the world.

Greg

Have you seen or heard of these scams currently doing the rounds in your Hotel? 

Fake petty cash dockets are easy money for those with access to the petty cash tin. Dockets that smooth things out for a guest problem tend to be the easiest to get through. If you have suspicions then ask the guest if something was bought for them.

It won’t surprise you that it will be hard to track that “overseas guest who had a ruined shirt bought for them”, but then your thief knows exactly that and it can cover their tracks nicely. Most of that sort of stuff is only junior league. Scammers have become very clever as is evident by the following that has occurred in recent times. 

This scam begins when Sales and Marketing are contacted by an individual as an agent for a large company, foreign government department ect. The arrangement is made to reserve a meeting room and accommodation for a dozen or so guests to say at the hotel. The reservation is always made for a future date. After a couple of weeks goes by the individual will make contact with the hotel and request that his company executives or dignitaries would like to take a tour or play golf.

The hotel is asked to make the required arrangements and add the cost to the existing contract. Once the arrangements are completed and the contract is done our scammer asks the hotel to send a letter documenting the arrangements with an attached invoice with banking details. 

When our scammer receives letter and invoice they will call and ask for the banking information so they can wire transfer to the hotels account to pay the invoice. On receiving that information the scammer now has the hotels letterhead, Managers signature, banking details he can create a document on his home computer that requests the bank to wire money from the hotels account to some other account – likely offshore but not always.

This scam works a treat. Maybe your hotel has tighter security than that but it has been said and proven many don’t. 

Double check your systems. Make sure you are not vulnerable to a simple rip-off technique that could be sucking dollars from your bottom line. 

Greg