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This is the second installment of a regular newsletter to HTNG members and other interested parties, to help keep you abreast of our activities.

September was a busy month for HTNG. The property/distribution workgroup was finalized, the new in-room technology workgroup opened for application, and our first workgroup got a shot of reinvigoration. Membership grew 36% in the month and now totals 110, with another 22 applications awaiting payment.

As before, 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

• Among the new members in September were hotel companies The Ginn Company, Hilton International, and Outrigger & OHANA Hotels & Resorts; key technology executives from Peninsula Hotel Group, Mohegan Sun, and Montage Resort & Spa; telephony companies Cisco Systems and Mitel; in-room entertainment and related services companies eTV Interactive, IsRightHere Ltd., LodgeNet Entertainment, and SolutionInc Ltd.; distribution company Sabre Holdings; payments company Shift4 Corporation; consulting companies CeME and Mainzer Consulting Group; and disability consultant AllGoHere.com.
• We are tentatively planning our first general membership meeting, probably for late winter or early spring of 2005. We will be surveying your interest online to help structure this event.

Collaboration Website

• All members whose dues are current should now have access to the collaboration website, hosted by The Open Group, at . If you have any access problems, please let me know. Corporate members can request additional logins for individuals in their employ by sending an e-mail to membership@htng.org.
• Please note that you cannot navigate to the HTNG site from the main page of The Open Group's site; you must use the full URL indicated above.

Workgroup Selection Process

• The most frequent question I get is, "how do I get into the xyz workgroup." The answer is: there are several ways. The easiest way to guarantee yourself a slot is be one of the companies that proposes the workgroup in the first place. If you do that, and if it your workgroup is chartered by the board, then you get to participate. You also get to pick a few other companies as co-sponsors, subject to HTNG approval.
• If you aren't a sponsor then you can still apply for any slot where you meet the criteria (slots are defined in the workgroup charter, published on the website). HTNG follows a written policy that determines which applicants will "win" slots; it's based on when you joined HTNG, when your application is submitted and, if there is a tie, a vote of the workgroup participants who are not involved in the tie. The full selection process is detailed at .
• Once a workgroup has been formed, we basically make it self-governing. it can accept applications from and/or invite other companies to fill vacant slots; it can redefine slots; it can decide to expand or contract the workgroup; and it can do any of these things either temporarily or permanently. We encourage workgroups to involve other members when addressing issues that may not be adequately represented by existing participants, and we encourage all HTNG members to let the workgroup chair know if they feel that their viewpoint is not adequately represented. If you think this isn't happening, please contact me!

Property/Distribution Solution Workgroup

• This workgroup's participants were finalized and announced in mid-September, and all companies joined a pre-planning conference call last week. The workgroup will kick off with a meeting in Dallas on 29 October. This group is charged with sorting out the confused process by which hotel properties create and manage their distribution controls, and the way those distribution controls get propagated into the channels.
• A few last-minute additions rounded this workgroup out with some clear industry leaders and significant, diverse customers. For more details, see .

In-Room Technology Workgroup

• A new workgroup that aims to enable the next generation of guestroom technology was announced to members on 15 September and to the general public on 23 September. Based on preliminary interest, we expect as many as 40 applications for the 10 available participant slots. Several major hotel groups who were not previously active with HTNG have indicated their intention to apply.
• The sponsors of this workgroup are an all-star cast that includes Cisco Systems, Guest-Tek, LodgeNet, Mandarin Oriental, Microsoft Corporation, Paradyne, and Quadriga. For perspectives on this workgroup, see .
• Very important: if you want to apply, make sure to get your application in completely, and before the deadline. Because demand for available slots is very tight, it is very unlikely that we will be able to accommodate anyone who is late, regardless of reason. Submit your application by 6 October to have the best chance of being selected; the final deadline is 15 October.
• Because of the number of expected applicants, it is likely that the tie-breaking process may be needed to select some participants. If this happens, the information you provide about your company, and the individuals you propose as participants, may be critical. It is the other workgroup participants who must decide among competing applications, and the diversity of representation is such that some of them may not know you or your company very well, or even at all. Your application becomes the reference point they will use to compare you to other applicants.
• Because of the high interest in this group, we will be developing a more formal program of communication that will ensure that all interested parties can have input. The format and timing is yet to be decided, but may include certain workgroup meetings that will be open to all members, as well as structured opportunities to submit written comment.
• It is highly probable that once this group determines its initial focus, other workgroups will form around some of the more specific opportunities in guestroom technology. Any HTNG member can propose such a workgroup, so if you see an opportunity that you want to address, talk to us about it! The HTNG board reviews the proposals for relevancy, timing, and structure.

Web Services Workgroup

• The original Microsoft Platform Exploitation workgroup will be meeting in Columbia, Maryland on 28 October to rewrite its charter. While the group believes that its initial charter is still valid, it saw more immediate value in continuing to refine and expand on web services used to control transactional flow that occurs at properties – which is what it undertook as its first deliverable last spring. Most of the original participants intend to continue. There may be a few opportunities for additional participants, especially hotel companies. The workgroup itself will assess its needs and may invite additional companies to the table, or ask HTNG to open it up for application.
• A workgroup with a charter more consistent with the original Microsoft Platform Exploitation workgroup will likely be chartered at a future date.

Certification Program
We are in the early stages of developing a certification program. We are still assessing our needs, but will likely enter into a relationship with an organization that has deep experience in designing and implementing branding and certification programs. We are targeting having this capability ready for use by workgroups in about the third quarter of 2005.

Internship Program
We have hired some students from the Cornell School of Hotel Administration to provide a resource to each workgroup that will be responsible for documenting meetings, proceedings, and decisions. Our thanks to Dick Moore, an HTNG Honorary Fellow, and to Prof. Gabriele Piccoli for their wonderful assistance in putting this together.

Website Update
We have substantially revamped the content, although not the look and feel, of our website at www.htng.org. There is now a section for a summary of workgroup activities, and easier access to press releases. It's still a work in progress, so if you have any specific suggestions or needs that could be met through the site, please drop me a line at exec.director@htng.org.

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

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