Audience participation during the opening keynote signaled hotel security issues as an industry concern, and innovation was also evident.
“I saw exciting new technologies from established players and in many smaller booths on the outskirts of the main show floor,” said Julie Keyser-Squires, CEO, Softscribe Inc. “Our hotel technology clients are encouraged to see operators looking at short-term buying decisions.”
Squires met separately with Theresa Payton, CEO and president of cybersecurity firm, Fortalice, LLC, after Payton’s opening keynote.
“My favorite quote of Theresa’s was when someone asked if it was safe to upload their guest data to a secure cloud-hosting provider,” Squires paraphrased. “Theresa said, ‘It’s not about being on the cloud – or not or if you will get hacked. It’s a matter of when will you get hacked.’”
Payton recommended attendees download and read “The 2013 Data Breach Investigations Report,” a collaboration between the U.S. Secret Service and Verizon.
A market consulting, branding and PR corporation, Softscribe had many clients exhibit at the show, including Aptech Computer Systems, Flyte Systems, InvoTech Systems, Kaba Lodging, NORTHWIND-Maestro PMS, hotel SystemsPro and NAVIS.
