A panel of industry experts awarded ALICE the top honor at the third annual HX TECHPitch - a tech innovation competition held during HX: The Hotel Experience - here in New York City last week, November 12-13.

For hoteliers, the rapid ascent of OTAs and sharing economy models threaten to dilute even the strongest brands. But the rapid technology evolution doesn’t have to leave brand loyalty behind, writes Infor’s Michael Schubach. One need only look at the immediacy and convenience of making an Amazon purchase to see why today’s consumers are expecting that same personalized experience from all of their buying transactions. By embracing digital disruption, he says, hoteliers can lead the way, even in the age of Amazon.

Why is hospitality such a data rich industry? The hospitality industry caters to millions of people daily. It is a data rich field capturing massive volumes of information, all generated from different systems like bookings, POS, PMS and loyalty. It's now possible to add public social media data, online review data, and other sources of guest information like service requests and post-stay feedback to the mix.

Following its expansion into Ireland earlier this year, the leading hospitality software business Guestline is continuing its investment in the Irish market as it joins other industry representatives at the Munster 2017 GDPR Conference. Taking place at The Brehon Hotel in Killarney on 27 November 2017, the event is packed with advice and best practise ahead of major changes impacting the hospitality sector next year.

PITTSBURGH –  Aptech Computer Systems announced Milestone Hospitality Management and Bellstar Hotels & Resorts implemented the PVNG enterprise accounting system. PVNG is Aptech's next generation enterprise accounting hotel software solution that is deployed in the cloud. Aptech is the leading provider of hospitality enterprise accounting, budgeting and forecasting, and business intelligence hotel software systems. Click here for more on Aptech's products and services.

Hotel guests want a personalized guest experience. When guests feel welcome, they value their stay, become loyal clients, and generate additional revenue. As dormakaba’s Joey Yanire explains, most properties have the ability to provide a personalized experience if they simply unify the data at their fingertips and put it to work. “Guest service convergence” is the process of unifying data from emerging and existing technologies into actionable insights that enable hoteliers to provide guests with a memorable, highly personal property experience. How prepared is your property for tomorrow’s guest service convergence?

When one thinks about the word "personalization," many images can be conjured. Perhaps it's a monogram or engraving to signify ownership of an object. Or maybe it's home decor: the artwork and memorabilia that make the space your own. Some people might be reminded of their desk at work, loaded with little time-killer toys to amuse oneself during those occasional hiatuses of inactivity. What may not have made your list of highly personalized experiences is a hotel room - or even a hotel stay. Odd, isn't it? Especially now that the hospitality industry's newest, most popular mission is to provide not just the bed and the bath but the "beyond" - the unique guest experience.

Data is the core of an intelligent business strategy, writes Mike Chuma, and it drives the decision-making process. Hotel organizations need to prioritize data that provides meaningful insights and action. The ability to understand, organize and track this data is essential, he says.

ALICE, the hospitality industry's leading operations technology, welcomes travel technology sales leader and digital marketing professional Leigh Sansone as Senior Sales Executive for the Midwest and Toronto.

RateGain announces the launch of AirGain, a real-time airline pricing intelligence solution that collects and analyzes airline fares for diverse categories and attributes across multiple distribution channels. With AirGain, an airline aims to solve such critical business challenges as inaccurate/delayed pricing, understanding ancillaries pricing, and tackling the airline rate parity issues.