ICT plans in Marriott hotel

I choose Marriott hotel because Marriott is one of the largest company in tourism industry. The hotels are available in more than 70 countries and it reaches many market segmentations especially for business travelers.

Marriott develops free mobile application which can make the customers easily get information, make hotel reservations at more than 3,600 hotels and resorts in 70 countries from anywhere anytime, and they also can plan their trips through this mobile application. This application also enables the customers to find the nearest Marriott Hotel with GPS functionality. Marriott has invested in this application in order to grab customers easily because these days everyone has a smart phone so basically the company want to make a practical access for the customer. This mobile service can improve the hotel service because the customers do not have to call the hotel or go to travel agency to get information and make hotel reservations. There are also other features like browsing exciting hotel photo tours, amenities, city guides, maps and more. This mobile application also enables the customers to earn point rewards from the Marriott reward account.

Marriot hotel use this strategic plan to grab more customers because the more the hotel gets customers, the more they can earn more profits. This mobile application also can improve the hotel efficiency and effectiveness.

For further information about this Marriott mobile application you can see on: 

http://www.marriott.com/marriott/mobile-apps/iphone.mi

Strategic elements contained in Qantas ICT plan

The company which I choose to analyze its strategic elements of ICT plan is Qantas. Qantas founded in the Queensland outback in 1920 and it has grown to be Australia's largest domestic and international airline. Qantas is widely regarded as the world's leading long distance airline and one of the strongest brands in Australia. What’s more, it has built a good reputation for excellence in safety, operational reliability, engineering and maintenance, and customer service. Its airline brands operate regional, domestic and international services. The Group's broad portfolio of subsidiary businesses ranges from Qantas Freight Enterprises to Qantas Frequent Flyer.

 

For the strategic elements of Qantas’s ICT plan, I would like to focus on its Mobile Check-in service and to elaborate. This service is available for most Qantas and QantasLink domestic flights between 24 hours and 45 minutes before flight departure. The boarding pass is sent to customers as a 2D barcode via SMS that customers can scan at the boarding gate for their flight. Please see the flowing Mobile Check-in Demo:

The strategic considerations of this Mobile Check-in service can be summarized as:

l        Satisfy consumers – Mobile Check-in service is really ideal for busy people on the move, as it is able to save the time customers would spend in queues at the airport. That means customers can complete the check-in procedure before them arrive at the airport, from the comfort of their own home, between meetings, office, hotel or even on their way to the airport. For those busy passengers, the most important thing is time; the most meaningful thing is saving time, so the Mobile Check-in service is actually useful product to satisfy consumers.

l        Improve quality of services – This is always a crucial strategic aim of organizations’ ICT plans. Mobile Check-in service changes the traditional flight check in model, and makes the services of Qantas more professional. As consumers can check in for flight, confirm flight details and choose their preferred seats all from the mobile phones, no matter the customers are travelling alone or in a group, with or without baggage. With the mobile boarding pass, passengers can move directly to the designated departure gates and use the time they win to pursue more agreeable pastimes: relax in a Lounge, perhaps, enjoy a drink or discover the wide range of shopping opportunities at the airport.

l        Enhance organizational efficiency and effectiveness –When Mobile Check-in service saves the time that consumers would spend in queues at the airport, it actually also reduces workload of the Qantas airport check in counters and makes counter staffs work more efficiently and effectively. On the other hand, comparing with manual check in, the higher accuracy and less human negligence and fatigue of mobile check in system really helps to enhance organizational efficiency and effectiveness.

You can further research more information access: <http://www.qantas.com.au/travel/airlines/home/au/en>

ICT strategies of Agoda

Using the ICT strategies to make Agoda popularity also brought the great convenience for our traveling.

Agoda（www.agoda.com）is an internet company which provides online hotel reservations services for properties focused primarily in the Asia Pacific Region, It now has approximately 600 employees and offers users search availability services in 37 languages, focused on securing and providing the lowest available hotel prices in every destination worldwide. Agoda's reach in the Asia-Pacific region is unmatched, with instant availability at more than 30,000 hotels. And connections are global to offer the lowest prices at 170,000 hotels worldwide. With hundreds of staff operating across the globe, Agoda is uniquely able to combine local knowledge and connections with world class technology to provide the best hotel deals on the web. Guests can make a booking through credit card (Visa, Master Card, AMEX, JCB and Carte Bleue) and PayPal. The company was created by founder Michael Kenny in the late 1990’s, the initial concept was to use the burgeoning power of search engines to fill a perceived void of hotel and travel information.

What makes Agoda unique is the pairing of technology and the human touch. It is negotiating personally and directly with hotels to ensure the best possible value, and then use the latest technology to deliver these bargains to customers. And have 24/7 multi-lingual customer service means assistance is quick at hand when it really counts. The program, launched in 2004, allows customers to earn points automatically, beginning with their first reservation. These points can be used across the site for thousands of hotels, freeing customers from brand-specific loyalty programs and blackout dates. This is the biggest advantage Agoda has over their competitors. You can earn points automatically, from 4% - 7% of your room price. You can either use up those points or save them up for an even bigger discount and free nights.

The benefit of using Agoda doesn’t end there. You can earn an easy 500 reward points for submitting a review of the hotel you stayed in. Agoda heavily relies on guest reviews so they want to give them an incentive. It's easy to submit a review and wouldn't take more than five minutes. You usually get an email from Agoda within 2 weeks after check out, asking for your review. As you can see as a frequent customer of Agoda, your points can quickly add up.

What I like best about Agoda is their ability to quickly confirm room availability. Agoda's reservation systems are always up to date with the latest deals, special prices and of course instant room availability.

Finally don't you hate it when researching a hotel online and you don't know exactly what types of attractions or other hotel options are in the area? Agoda has a great hotel map feature that uses Google Maps to pinpoint your hotel's location and reveal nearby landmarks, attractions and hotel alternatives.

IT strategy of Singapore Airline

Hello every body, my name is Nguyen Thuy Giang, you can call me Teresa.

It is so great that our blog works well. Hope that we can learn from each other from this blog :).

The reason why I chose Singapore Airline (SIA) is that SIA is one of the world’s leading passengers and cargo carries and emphasize on excellence in customer and in- flight service with arrange of strategies on information system.

SIA was established in 1972, growing from a regional airline into one of the most expected travel brands around the world. SIA has won numerous awards such as Best airline to the Far East, Best First class and Best in-flight entertainment, etc. SIA’s success is due to its global strategies that emphasize commitment to technology and training, better fleet and equipment, service quality and innovation as well as strong leadership and management. Moreover, SIA was the first airline which introduced satellite-based in-flight telephones in 1991, and which developed a plan, idea to implement in-flight entertainment system in 2001.

One of the critical success factors for information system of SIA is IT planning and new IT applications to support business objectives and strategies. For example, booking and checking flights online, ipod and iphone connectivity, Priority passengers can check their accumulated mileage as well as perform a real-time update of their personal particulars, flight path gives an amazing view of flight in motion, information is transmitted via satellite transmission on an hourly basis to ensure customers stay on top of the latest news. SIA also supplies many interesting applications such as learn a language program, city guide, culture quest to help customers understand local cultures, sound view executive book summaries to learn about key strategies from today’s top business books.

The second factor is upgrading of infrastructure. In order to achieve this objective, SIA is involved in the continuous process of upgrading its existing hardware, network, and software applications as well as acquiring new hardware, and developing new network applications. For example, audio- video inputs help to connect to customers’ personal portable players on the widescreen, USB connection, in-seat power supply, personal in-seat telephone allow to make calls anywhere in the world via a global satellite network. SIA also provide a numerous of entertainment devices to make flying more enjoyable for its passengers such as active noise canceling headphones, hand set, musics, movies, television programs.

To remain productive, all new employees undergo a compulsory 3-month orientation program to ensure that they understand the different IT systems. SIA ensures that its staff possess the necessary skill level to exploit and to keep up with changing technologies.

Rather than developing in-flight services, SIA also puts in countless efforts to improve the facilities and service at Changi airport with innovative technologies. For example, SIA was the first airline which applied leading edge wireless gate link technology within the airport in order to share data successfully with aircraft, passengers terminals, maintain operations, baggage handling and so on.

To read more information please visit the site: http://www.singaporeair.com/

Or http://dreamboard.wordpress.com/business-strategy-of-singapore-airline/

Information System of Star Cruise

Hello everyone! I'm Gladys. I'm feel glad to join this group!O(∩_∩)O~

The reason I choose Star Cruise is its popularity, and it really influences our contemporary tourism and hospitality.

Star Cruises fleet offers three classes of cruising - the Superstar Series, the Star Series and the Megastar Series. Accommodating to your individual needs of lifestyles and budget. Each ship has its own distinct unique quality which is appealing to various people and has non-stop array of activities for you to take part in. However, our fleets of ships are designed to provide comfort and are fully equipped with facilities such as restaurants, pools, gymnasium, recreation areas, spas, lounges, karaoke rooms, entertainment and other essential amenities, karaoke, library, mahjong, card and games room, cinema and shopping.

  In addition, Star Cruise also has its strict management on the Internet. When you visit its official website, you can check the different ship itineraries and timetable for tourists around the world. Virgo, Libra, Aquarius and Pisces all have their particular routes and services. You can make your choice according to their introductions. Even though you are a lazy man or busy man, you also can get more details in a simple way. You just need to input your data and date of your holiday, and then website will sift automatically a lot of suitable routes and destinations for you. The only thing you can do is to click and book a wonderful holiday. Due to the fame of Star Cruise, it has various cooperated websites, like agencies. So you also can find out the booking service of Star Cruise is considerate, which provides multiple payment methods for your convenience. Besides, you can pay more attentions on its activities, maybe you will be surprised to the promotions and award activities.

  On the other hand, it takes advantage of information system to store customers’ data and make staff adjustment for its human resource department. Further, the business contact of Star Cruise has covered more than half of the earth. There is no doubt intranets are the best ways for communications between branch companies. Emergency events can be informed to remote leaders and be discussed solutions in the shortest time. 

link to Star Cruise: http://www.starcruises.com/newweb/homepage.aspx

Hello everybody!

Strategic Elements in ICT plan for Starbucks

Hi Everyone,
I am glad that this blog is finally working...after few attempts !!
As we all know we have been running behind the time for the assignment 2, we were suppose to be doing stage 2 this week but are in stage one so i request all members to start blogging and make this assignment a success!!
So lets get started people...

The company which i have selected is Starbucks.
You can visit http://www.starbucks.com/about-us/company-information and http://www.studentwebstuff.com/mis/showthread.php?t=8668 for more information.
The reason i relate this company to the tourism industry because this company fits into the largest segment of disposable income spending-- food and beverages. The steady growth in this segment in the 1990's has led to an abundant number of new companies. As demand for convenience has made eating out a normal routine, the demand for speciality food services has increased in recent years. So i place this company under 'Specialty Eatery Industry'.


Starbucks Corporation is known for its world premium coffee. Over the past decades, the company has established a strong brand name, targeting trendy customers using information technology (IT).

To attract trendy customers who are willing to pay premium prices for the high-end coffee and other products, Starbucks has invested heavily on IT. As an example, the company has installed AT&T’s Wi-Fi service over 7,000 locations nationwide. Later, the company has made a “partnership with Apple’s iTunes store to make music available via Wi-Fi hotspots”. In result, the company has attracted the targeted age demographics and established a high-tech image. Additionally, Starbucks has strong relationships with its suppliers and IT played an important role to achieve operational efficiencies. Another example is that the company “had strong real estate, location management and selection systems to help identify demographics”  when the company was expanding. 

But after the decline in 2009 due to the financial crisis Starbucks has adopted new turnaround strategies which will continue to focus on operational excellence more importantly, the company focuses on customer intimacy. Using digital media, the company has communicated with customers continuously to capture the customer needs. Recently, the company has introduced “myStarbucks” and “Starbucks Card Mobile.” While “myStarbucks” enables customers to “find and contact stores, make drinks, and scan nutritional information”, “Starbucks Card Mobile” allow customers to make mobile payments using a “virtual Starbucks card”. The latter service could transform the use of phone devices as financial transactional devices, which has been staggered in the U.S. Starbucks opts for Mobile Payment Systems (2D Barcode Technology) instead of Near feild communication (NFC).

To read more kindly visit the site mentioned above.

Hello everyone

Hi everyone,

  My name is Xie Mingrui, but please call me Terry. Blog is a good way for us to access, contribute and engage in discussion, isn't it? I am looking forward to work with you.

Cheers
Terry