Friday, January 14, 2011

Bizmology

Bizmology

Hyatt is adding an email box to the load for bellhops

Posted: 14 Jan 2011 10:04 AM PST

By their very nature – a temporary home for strangers – hotels are places that can be unstable. Unusual situations can and do arise in them. So wouldn't it be a good idea to equip those who are often the first responders in these situations, bellhops and housekeepers, with instant communication capabilities?

That's why @hyatt.com is going to get pretty crowded. The e-mail box will soon be sending and receiving messages not only to and from Hyatt's 17,000 "tethered" employees, or those in office suites, but also to the chain's 40,000 "desk-less" associates, or the bellhops, housekeepers, front-desk workers, and other employees who provide direct guest services. Hyatt recently reported that it will use Microsoft's Business Productivity Online Suite cloud-computing product to provide email addresses for desk-less workers at its 400-plus hotels in more than 40 countries.

The advantages of instant communication for the hotel rank and file probably don't need to be enumerated, and Hyatt CIO Mike Blake says he doesn't know what they may be yet. “In truth, I don't know everything that it's going to do, but it's sure nice to have it rather than not," Blake told Hospitality Technology.

Instant communication capabilities for desk-less workers could become even more important as the hospitality industry becomes more technologically advanced. For one thing, Blake hopes that technology will soon allow hotels to end check-ins. He told Hospitality Technology that credit cards with RFID capabilities may obviate the need to get a key card at the front desk. All the guest would need is an email with the room number.

If guests don't have contact with the front desk and if there is a problem, their most immediate recourse may be to approach a bellhop or housekeeper, and one with instant communication capabilities may be able to help a distressed guest more efficiently.

Hyatt isn't the only company and hospitality isn't the only industry outfitting its workers with instant communication capabilities.

Walgreens, for one, recently announced plans to test touch devices for employees that will serve as phones, scanners, and point-of-sale stations. Walgreens’ CIO Tim Theriault told a meeting of retailers recently, "We have 14 phones in the store and when it rings you have to go answer it. That's not a great way to think about how employees should be engaged. We want to give them what they need right on their belt."

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Picture by Ricardo Liberato, used under a CC-Share Alike license.

Hallibuton’s response to Oil Spill commission. Don’t blame us.

Posted: 14 Jan 2011 09:01 AM PST

 

The National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill released a report on January 11, 2011 that spread the blame for the oil spill disaster beyond BP to include operating partners Transocean and Halliburton, and the government itself.

Halliburton's response? Don't blame us.

The company, which was contracted to conduct well cementing activities on the doomed rig, refutes the report's characterization that its February and April foam stability tests related to the cement pumped into the Macondo well were faulty and or/incomplete. These tests were cited by the commission as part of the chain of missteps and human error that led up to the disaster.

Halliburton also claims that the National Commission selectively omitted information provided by the company which challenged the commission's assessment of the cement tests and which placed them in a more positive light.

Finally, Halliburton believes that regardless of the cement testing, BP had final, legal responsibility and liability for the well operations on the Deepwater Horizon.

As legal challenges hang over the culprits of the largest-ever US oil spill, and with future lucrative offshore drilling contracts at stake, Halliburton wants to be on the record that it is not to blame.

History, and the courts, are yet to decide guilt or innocence for the parties involved.

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Photo by NASA Goddard Space Flight Center used under a Creative Commons license.
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