Hotel Technology Next Generation is moving into high gear this month. Coming off the tangible successes of our first workgroup – which many of you were able to see firsthand at HITEC in Dallas – we have some new efforts that are shaping up to be real blockbusters. In an effort to keep members and other interested parties abreast of our activities, I am introducing this periodic newsletter. I’ll try to get it out about twice a month, but the schedule will be irregular. As the new Executive Director of HTNG, I will be making an effort to touch base with each of our member companies individually over coming weeks. I’d like to understand your objectives, needs, and expectations from HTNG. But you don’t need to wait for me to contact you. If you have any questions, concerns, or ideas you would like to share, please pick up the phone and call me, Douglas Rice, at (1) 847.348.1148, or drop me an e-mail at exec.director@htng.org. Membership Update HTNG’s membership roster has been growing in leaps and bounds. Total paid membership is now nearly 100 companies, with another 20 or so who tell us “the check’s in the mail.” A year ago we had just three paid members, so we think we're making progress. More important, we now have enough revenue coming in that we can start ramping up our activities. Property/Distribution Solution Workgroup This workgroup, the charter for which was published in early August, has come together extremely well. We have commitments from multiple, major vendors in each of the primary target application areas. The group will also have five hotel companies, several smaller niche technology vendors, and domain experts from the consulting arena. Names of participating companies will be announced in the next couple of days, and a kickoff conference call scheduled. There is still one open slot for an RFP software vendor. If you’re interested, please contact me right away! This workgroup will be focused on improving the process by which hotels control the availability of their products across the myriad of distribution channels. For those of you who missed the press announcement this summer, HTNG is actively partnering with the OpenTravel Alliance in this effort. Alan Young, the chair of OTA’s adoption subcommittee, will be an active participant in this workgroup. In-Room Technology Workgroup Our next workgroup will be formally announced, and its charter published, within the next several days. This one will focus on the technology of the guest room. Advance interest in this group has been exceptionally intense in both the vendor and hotel communities from around the world. With IP telephony, digital entertainment systems, and wired and wireless high-speed Internet access now going mainstream, there is a crying need for cooperation among guest-room technology providers to make it all work together. With several of the major hotel companies starting to think about how to build the next-generation, all-IP hotel, the time could not be better for an industry-wide forum to facilitate the development of cost-effective solution sets that can meet the business requirements of hotels and their guests. This group will include opportunities for all categories of technology that is used to provision guest rooms, including telephony, entertainment systems, HSIA, HVAC, occupancy detection, lighting management, minibar, door locking, wired network infrastructure, and wireless. Once this workgroup has been announced to members, a 30-day period will commence during which applications for participation can be prepared and submitted. Early indications are that this group will be substantially oversubscribed, so if you want to participate, make sure you get your application submitted early. As a reminder, the schedule for workgroup applications is as follows, starting with the date of announcement:
Other Activities
Contact
Katie Mazzuca
Senior Director of Marketing and Events
United States - Schaumburg, Phone: +1 312 690-5034
Fax: +1 703 814 8555
Email: katie.mazzuca@htng.org
Organization
Hospitality Technology Next Generation (HTNG) - AHLA
www.ahla.com/htng
1250 Eye Street N.W., Suite 1100
USA
- Washington, DC 20005
Phone: 1 202 289 3100
Email: ewilson@ahla.com
Recent News
 HTNG teams with Japan Hospitality Technology Association on Interoperability Standards |
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ShiftGenius by UniFocus Crowned 2021 HTNG TechOvation Award Winner |
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TechOvation Voting Now Open! |
