For operators of hotel casinos, the amount of risk exposure can rise faster than a progressive jackpot on a slot machine. Because guests tend to stay on-site at hotel casinos far longer than guests at any other class of hotel, these venues have a radically different risk profile. Add in an events center, a bar or a live entertainment venue, and the risks multiply. This article takes an in-depth look at four risks on which hotel casinos can't gamble and offers practical tips operators can take to limit their hotel casino's exposure to a potentially devastating financial loss. READ MORE

Robust indoor wireless networks are enabling building owners and managers to employ technology and applications that allow their staff and systems to be more efficient. These applications include automated systems that monitor and control various environments within the building, including security systems, housekeeping and maintenance functions. Citizens Broadband Radio Service spectrum has recently made available by the Federal Communications Commission in a novel shared approach that could prove advantageous for hotels. CBRS spectrum can facilitate private back-of-house communications for staff using private LTE spectrum that has all the advantages of cellular with the ease of deployment that Wi-Fi offers. READ MORE

We are long past the days of one-on-one texting or emails within hospitality organizations; even videoconferencing. Communications have become more complex and more sophisticated. Today's hotel task optimization platforms allow organizations to stay connected in new ways, fully integrated with the onboarding and training process; ongoing operations to include scheduling and keeping track of task fulfillment; and staff evaluation, engagement and recognition. The key in this process is to understand how to customize and implement each function with specific goals and needs in mind. This makes careful comparison of competing technologies an extremely important aspect of staying connected. READ MORE

Is your hotel mobile-ready? Mobile-first? Mobile-native? Well, brace yourself, more changes are coming. Just when you thought that you were getting the hang of using mobile to drive interest and action among guests, your customers have started using mobile in wholly new ways. And these behavioral changes represent "the new, new thing" for mobile marketing and distribution. What is the change? An increasing use of voice among guests when they search and interact with information in mobile situations. Voice already plays a key role in travel sales and marketing. Here's how to make sure voice plays that role for you. READ MORE

Chatbots and voice assistants. Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning. And, Natural Language Processing? What possibly could these have to do with serving guests in a hotel? It's the ultimate Sci-Fi question: can humans and machines not only coexist but blend into a single entity. It's time we take our humanity and cobble on some AI and ML, mix it with a dash of NLP and top it off with some Deep Learning and punch out a robust, not robot, service initiative to enhance guest satisfaction and the bottom line. READ MORE