GOING MOBILE
In October, at LodgeNet’s Customer Technology Symposium, the leading pay-per-view provider announced plans to launch a mobile application next year that would transform a guest’s smartphone into a TV remote. It also joined 75 other companies to offer UltraViolet, an open cloud-based system allowing consumers to collect and then enjoy video entertainment across all platforms. Consumers will be able to create a digital library in the cloud with movies and TV shows they’ve purchased and then access them at home, in hotels and on the go across smartphones or tablets. So now guests will be able to buy an in-room movie, and take it with them.

What can’t you do with a smartphone? Very little, said Rob Torres, Google’s managing director of travel, at the same event. Google continues to work on its “electronic wallet” concept, which Torres says still has a ways to go, but the idea is smartphone will store information from credit cards, driver’s licenses, loyalty programs and more. Through Near Field Communication technology the phones will communicate that information—in essence be scanned—so the consumer can use the phone for purchases and other transactions.

MOLD PATROL
Issue with mold, both its prevention and eradication, have been out of the lodging news recently, but it doesn’t mean those problems have gone away. According to local news reports, a Fairfield Inn in southern Louisiana was closed by local officials for, among other reasons, the discovery of black mold at the property. Mold issues in a climate like Louisiana’s isn’t a surprise but it can happen anywhere.

In a recent guest column on the Lodging Hospitality website, mold expert David Conner reported a rise in litigation over the discovery of mold in lodging properties. His sound advice is for hotel operators to be proactive in preventing mold at their properties. As he pointed out, moisture is one of three conditions (the others are stagnant air and high humidity) that lead to the development of mold spores. Using a certified mold inspector to review possible problems is a good first step to prevention, he advises.