HA100 : The Class : Operations : Automation : Lesson 1

Hospitality Automation

It’s still a people industry, but… computers are of great help in providing better service

Hardware and Software

Basic components of hardware:

Input

Output

CPU – Microprocessor

Storage

Software

Computer programs that:

Control the hardware – Windows, MS-DOS

Perform processing tasks – Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Access

Hospitality Applications

PMS – Property Management Systems – software applications that assist managers in the day-to-day operation of their properties.

- A set of programs that work together but also have individual, specific tasks.

PMS Interfaces – Interface is a connection with PMS

POS System

Call Accounting

Electronic Locking Systems

Energy Management Systems

Check-in/Check-out Terminals

Minibar

Movies

In-Room Safes

Interactive TV

Advantages of Computer Systems

More efficient operations due to more powerful computers

Better management information

Ability to track and react to guest needs

Empowerment of staff to make technology based decisions

Use of technology for training

Internet

The world's largest collection of networks connecting millions of computers. The Internet has more than 165 million users worldwide. More than 160 countries are linked into exchange of data, news, and opinions.

The Internet is a decentralized network by design. Each Internet computer, called a host, is independent. Its operators can choose which Internet services to use and which local services to make available to the global Internet community.

There are variety of ways to access the Internet. You may be accessing the Internet through an online service such as AOL or through other commercial Internet Service Provider (ISP), or you may be connected through a university computer.

The Internet provides you with with many opportunities to do research, find all kinds of information, go shopping on line for variety of items, keep in touch with friends, and make the arrangements for your next trip or vacation. The main uses of Internet include the following:

E-mail - low cost and efficient way to communicate with people across the globe.
Mailing Lists - allow you to send e-mail to a group of people all at once who may share a common interests.
Internet Relay Chat - it enables people from all over the world to meet and talk to each other - like a telephone party line.
Internet Newsgroups - an electronic posting board to share information on any subject of interest.
Telnet - allows a user to log onto a computer system on which he has an account from another remote computer.
File Transfer Protocol (FTP) - allows users to transfer files from one computer to another.

WWW - World Wide Web is the latest addition to Internet services. It combines text, audio, graphics, and animation in a single document. These documents are formatted in a language called HTML (Hyper Text Markup Language) that supports links to other documents, as well as graphics, audio, and video files. These links allow you to jump from one document to another. To be able to access the WWW, you need an application called browser, like Netscape or Microsoft Internet Explorer.

Intranets

An Intranet is a network that belongs to an organization, and is accessible only by the organization's members, employees, or others with authorization. An Intranet's Web sites look and act just like any other Web sites, but the firewall ( a system designed to prevent unauthorized access to or from a private network) surrounding an Intranet fends off unauthorized users. Intranets are used to share information such as human resource policies, employee benefits information, meeting schedules, and information about activities of the corporation.

Once you have finished you should:

Go onto Assignment
or
Go back to Hospitality Automation

E-mail Lenka Hospodka
or call (928) 523-2845 (Lenka Hospodka)