Welcome to New Orleans and HFTP/HITEC. We know that just the words New Orleans always brings to mind Mardi Gras and the sounds of Jazz and while this is certainly the heart of New Orleans, there are some other things when visiting New Orleans that are an absolute must! Realizing that HITEC is already action packed with rush, rush and hurry, we have tried to save you a little time and have listed in order of priorities using the time old phrase of "Eat, Drink and Be Merry"!

Data is changing the foundation of hospitality marketing. With personalized content, hoteliers can now engage and nurture their guests like never before. As a result, they have a new way to increase satisfaction and cultivate loyalty to generate profitable revenue growth. In that respect, Marketing departments are realizing that using their own data to compile audiences has become one of their biggest assets. Audience segmentation is the key process that not only makes their data actionable but enables personalization. It allows marketers to change their approach from a pattern of interruption (e.g. TV or radio commercials) to a more efficient engagement strategy that focuses on quality instead of quantity. Below are the steps you need to take to segment your audience and enable true one-to- one marketing.

Bob Post is a successful entrepreneur, investor, tech company executive and the President and CEO of Cloud5 Communications. Earlier this month, Bob shared insights on the trends that are changing how hotels communicate with guests and how user technology is redefining communications strategies and investment for hotels.

Automated transactional emails can be the cornerstone of a hotels' communication strategy – they share details about the transaction, include all reservation information and hotel details to ensure the guest has everything they need. They can also be automated from a number of services such as the hotel PMS or CRM and provide the customer with what they need at the time of booking. Most people believe this is where automation ends and that any other communication will be made once they've checked in, but this is just where it begins.

Datavision Technologies are looking forward to another exciting HITEC, produced by Hospitality Financial & Technology Professionals! HFTP is a global nonprofit hospitality association that uniquely understands the industry's problems and assist members in finding solutions to industry problems more efficiently than any organization with expert networks, research, conferences such as HITEC, and certification programs. Here are over ten twitter accounts to follow while you are at HITEC. Keep up with all the exciting sessions, events and the latest in Technology News.

Guestline, the leading supplier of hospitality software solutions, are delighted to announce a new partnership agreement with Tierney's, a leading independent IT solution provider, to promote and sell their systems across Ireland.

Kaba, the provider of Saflok™ and ILCO™ electronic locks, announced The Townsend Hotel in Birmingham, MI has installed Kaba's Saflok mobile-ready RFID electronic door locks. The Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE)-enabled locks utilize Kaba's System 6000 key card management system and offer the future possibility of enabling guest use of smartphones as keys. For more information on Kaba electronic locks, click here.

Guestline are pleased to unveil the new website they've developed for Tewkesbury Park, a 94 bedroomed hotel in Gloucestershire. Having been a Guestline client for 2 years, the property decided their website needed an overhaul to mirror the quality offered within the hotel and to drive direct bookings following a £4million refurbishment.

Infor, a leading provider of beautiful business applications specialized by industry and built for the cloud, today announced that Pechanga Resort & Casino, the largest casino/resort in California, has entered into an agreement with Infinium Software, Inc., an Infor subsidiary, to implement Infor Hospitality Management Solution (HMS). Infor HMS provides essential tools to manage both front and back-office operations, allowing hoteliers to help run all areas of the business using a single system. Pechanga will benefit from new systems that help build a better guest experience, assist operations to run more smoothly and efficiently, and keep costs under control.

Cendyn, the leader in software solutions for driving sales and marketing performance in the travel and hospitality industry, announced today it has received a growth equity investment from Accel-KKR, a leading technology-focused private equity firm. As a result of the new partnership, Cendyn will accelerate its investments in its existing product portfolio, new product innovation, and market expansion driving more value for its current and future customers. Terms of the investment were not disclosed.