CHICAGO (June 18, 2009) – Some of the most recognizable names within hospitality technology have agreed to share their unique insights in how to manage major technology changes while at Hotel Technology Next Generation’s (HTNG) second annual Asia-Pacific Members’ Conference in Singapore the 13-15 of July, 2009.

Their sessions will address a number of significant challenges and developments within the hospitality industry. Challenges include implementing green technologies, providing data security, addressing the impact of social media, meeting the demand for technology improvements in a declining economy, managing IT within enormous developments, and preparing for hotel rooms of the future. Members of HTNG will be enriched by some of the best talent in their industry with sessions such as these:

• The Technology Behind the City of Dreams
  The City of Dreams project in Macao is one of the largest casino hotel developments in the world. Roger Seshadri, VP & CIO for Melco Crown Entertainment will show how this massive project came together, and demonstrate how some of the newest technologies are being used.

• Painting the Guest Room Green
  New guestroom devices offer new opportunities for reduced energy consumption while maintaining and even enhancing guest comfort. A panel consisting of experts in lighting, climate control, entertainment systems, and other guestroom technologies will discuss best practices for how to capitalize on these changes, as well as challenges in their implementation.

• A Practical Approach to Data Security
  The large volume of credit-card data and sensitive guest information stored within hotel systems presents numerous data security threats to hotels and their guests. Emöke Bitter, Director of Data Security, Visa Worldwide will share some of practical steps that hotels can take to protect sensitive data. Topics include the payment card industry's data security standards and avoiding common security pitfalls.

• The New World of Social Media
  Should you be more worried about the journalist that walks into your property with a camera crew, or the guest armed with an iPhone or cell phone with a camera? Tony Yeoh, Vice President, Global Technology, Asia Pacific, InterContinental Hotels Group will provide insight on how to deal with this new phenomenon of citizen journalism and social marketing that has no rules.

• The Evolution of our Habitat…and the Role Played by Technology
  The hotel, like the home habitat, is evolving towards a third era: the digital or virtual age. In this age, the distribution of the physical space within a guest room is changing due to changes in technology. Europe’s pre-eminent journalist and editor in the field of hotel innovations and technologies, Richard Barnes, Editor-in-Chief of Cleverdis takes us on a trip to the hotel room of the future as envisioned by some of the world’s top designers and thought leaders.

• TV from the Internet: Where Will We Find the Bandwidth?
  In-room entertainment systems will undergo massive change in coming years as guests increasingly move to on-demand, Internet-based content that will strain any hotel's bandwidth. This panel of experts will review the changes and what the implications of these changes are on a hotel's IP infrastructure that will change the face of hotel TVs forever.

• CIO Perspective on IT Spending in Turbulent Economic Times
  The global economy has put new strains on hotel IT organizations, as declining revenues and stressed balance sheets create severe cost pressures. Meanwhile, increased IT investments are needed to cope with changing guest expectations. The top technologists at a number of prominent brands — Mark Fancourt of Pan Pacific Hotels Group; Shane Izaks of The Peninsula Group; Nick Price of Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group; and Joseph Wong of Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Asia-Pacific — will discuss how hotel companies are dealing with these challenges.

These sessions provide hotel managers and technologists with leading-edge knowledge on technology best practices, improving the guest experience through more accelerated and robust deployment of technology, and increasing the overall effectiveness and efficiency of hotels. As an organization that is bringing industry technologists and their suppliers together, HTNG will also highlight the developments of standards and best practices in property technology, payment systems, guest-room systems, distribution, and architecture. For more details about the conference itself, specifics on the sessions, or registration information, visit http://www.htng.org/asiapac09.

About Hotel Technology Next Generation

The premier technology solutions association in the hospitality industry, HTNG is a self-funded, non-profit organization with members from hotel and hospitality companies, technology vendors to hospitality, and other industry members including consultants, media, and academic experts. HTNG’s members participate in focused workgroups to bring to market open solution sets addressing specific business problems. HTNG fosters the selection and adoption of existing open standards. Where necessary, it also develops new open standards to meet the needs of the global hospitality industry.

Membership in HTNG is open to hotel and hospitality companies, technology vendors to hospitality, consultants, academics, press and others. Currently more than 400 corporate and individual members from across this spectrum, including most of the world’s leading hotel companies and technology vendors, are active HTNG participants. Workgroup proceedings, drafts, and specifications are published for all HTNG members as soon as they are created, encouraging rapid and broad adoption. Specifications are released to the public domain as they are ratified by the workgroup. For more information, visit www.htng.org.