Exclusive video snippets of the Sheraton G.O.O.D (Global Out of Office Day) launch on Monday.



Official Release: Fortune 500 Company Relocates Headquarters to Central Park as Sheraton Hotels Hosts First-Ever "Global Out of the Office Day" on Monday, Sept. 15: Hundreds of New Yorkers Ditch their Desks to Join More than 600 Starwood Hotels Associates Working in Central Park at 34,000 Square Foot "Link@Sheraton" Technology Lounge Sheraton Announces Free Wi-Fi in Sheep Meadow for Month of September and Summer 2009 Sheraton Work-Life Study Reveals 87% of Workplace Professionals Take PDA to Bed

Are PDA’S Replacing Pillow Talk? 87% of Workplace Professionals Take Their PDA to Bed, According to Work-Life Study
85% Say New Technology Means We’re Never Off the Clock, but 84% Say it Means More Quality Time with Family and Friends
WHITE PLAINS, NY – September 15, 2008 – Technology-addicted professionals just can’t keep their hands off their personal digital assistants (PDA’s), as new technology continues to transform the way we live and work. In a new work-life study from Sheraton Hotels & Resorts today, 85% of U.S. professionals surveyed said that because of modern technology, they feel compelled to be connected to work 24/7 and 81% say they work harder now than they did five years ago.

Google has just announced the Beta release of its long awaited open-source browser, called "Google Chrome". Just downloaded it ...it features a very Apple / Safari style look and it was built on the same development platform. Love the dazzling speed and general feel of the browser! Google's official line on the new software: "Google Chrome is a browser that combines a minimal design with sophisticated technology to make the web faster, safer, and easier."

Market-leading revenue-management software for hospitality sector expands SAS’ portfolio of industry-specific solutions. CARY, NC (Aug. 04, 2008) – SAS, the leader in business intelligence and analytics, has acquired IDeaS Revenue Optimization, the premier provider of advanced revenue-management software for the hospitality industry.

With its existing broad and powerful portfolio of market-leading advanced analytics, business intelligence and industry-specific solutions, SAS now has the leading revenue-management offering designed specifically for the travel and hospitality industries. IDeaS customers will benefit from the global resources of SAS, a $2 billion company.

Sheraton Hotels & Resorts and Microsoft Corp. announced today a partnership to implement products and services at the “Link @ Sheraton,” its signature communications hub rolling out in Sheraton lobbies this year. Under the agreement, Sheraton will also co-brand and rename the space “The Link @ Sheraton experienced with Microsoft.” The partnership is one component of a comprehensive effort to enhance and differentiate the guest experience at Sheraton's 408 hotels across 75 countries, currently rolling out globally.

Westin Hotels becomes the First to Adopt Nintendo's Specially Designed Wii Console for Hospitality Industry; Announces Plans for Integration of Wii Fit



Tennis, anyone? Nintendo and Westin Hotels & Resorts announce a partnership today that will allow guests to experience the Wii™ sensation with a special version of the console ideally suited for use in the hotel environment. Westin Hotels is the first hotel company to partner with Nintendo for its Wii console and will feature this specially designed console as part of the brand's WestinWORKOUT program at 10 hotels across the United States. The special game console is pre-loaded with many popular games, including the groundbreaking Wii Sports™ game, and today debuts at WestinWORKOUT fitness centers at The Westin Times Square in New York City and The Westin Bellevue in Washington state.

Guests Can Use Free Wi-Fi to Instantly Access Essential Local Information and Relevant News

CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Hyatt Place today announced the hotel industry’s first customized webpage populated with location-specific content using iGoogle1. This marks the first time a hotel brand is providing guests with the ability to immediately view relevant, local online content to assist them during their stay.

"Scene @ Sheraton" to Provide Guests with Unique Access to Highly Acclaimed Content Through Partnerships with Coveted Entertainment Brands, Including Showtime and Sony BMG Music Entertainment

Sheraton Hotels & Resorts is announcing a new in-room entertainment initiative, entitled "Scene @ Sheraton," that will offer guests special access to a wide variety of entertainment content. The program is one component of a comprehensive effort to enhance the guest experience at Sheraton's 398 hotels across 75 countries, currently rolling out in key cities nationwide. Through "Scene @ Sheraton," Starwood's most global brand is taking a leadership position in the hotel category by forging exclusive partnerships with coveted entertainment brands, including Showtime and Sony BMG Music Entertainment. These alliances enable Sheraton to provide unique access to content that is highly acclaimed, popular among guests and, in some cases, exclusive to Sheraton.

To cater to India’s fast growing hotel and travel industry, Dynamic Vertical Solutions (DVS) launched Cenium - a cohesive secure system with single database and a standardized user interface. Cenium is a system built directly on the Microsoft DynamicsTM platform, one of the most widely used financial and ERP-systems in the world. The software provides the industry with a one-stop business solution in terms of a hospitality front office together with an accounting back office. Cenium solutions have been deployed by hotel chains like Choice Group of Hotels and the Clarion Collection; one the largest chain of business/leisure hotels in Scandinavia.

The Sheraton Doha Resort & Convention Hotel is the first Sheraton hotel in the Middle East to launch the Link@Sheraton, a new brand standard intended to create a lively experience for guests while working online.

The opening ceremony and ribbon cutting was honored by the presence of Roeland Vos, President Europe, Africa and the Middle East for Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide, Gerhard Foltin, General Manager of the Sheraton Doha in addition to high profile Executives, celebrating the launch of a new distinguished facility.

The Microsoft Surface Teaser Video

What is MS Surface? Microsoft Surface (Codename: Milan), is a forthcoming product from Microsoft which is developed as a software and hardware combination technology that allows a user, or multiple users, to manipulate digital content by the use of natural motions, hand gestures, or physical objects. It was announced on May 30, 2007 at D5, and is expected to be released by commercial partners in November 2007. Initial customers will be in the hospitality businesses, such as restaurants, hotels, retail, and public entertainment venues.

A video demo from the Conference Fall 2006 San Diego. GrandCentral's CEO, Craig Walker, presents GrandCentral.com.

Google has announced the purchase of Grand Central, which offers an innovative solution to managing your phone numbers and voice mailboxes. A highlight from the Google Blog post:

GrandCentral offers many features that complement the phone services you already use. If you have multiple phone numbers (e.g., home, work, cell), you get one phone number that you can set to ring all, some, or none of your phones, based on who's calling. This way, your phone number is tied to you, and not your location or job. The service also gives you one central voice mailbox. You can listen to your voicemails online or from any phone, forward them to anybody, add the caller to your address book, block a caller as spam, and a lot more. You can even listen in on voicemail messages from your phone while they are being recorded, or switch a call from your cell phone to your desk phone and back again. All in all, you'll have a lot more control over your phones.

TIME Magazine recently released an article, titled “25 Sites We Can’t Live Without” - some obvious choices and great finds in there, no doubt, however again a little disappointing since some of the choices are very USA focused. The rest of the world seems to be on the backburner again… in response here is a list of Top 20 websites that are making waves in the United Arab Emirates and the Middle East, based on traffic and popularity:



Yahoo!
www.yahoo.com
According to web traffic analysis companies (including Alexa Internet and Netcraft), Yahoo! has been the most visited website on the Internet, with more than 412 million unique users. Yahoo provides a wide array of internet services that cater to most online activities. It operates the web portal http://www.yahoo.com which provides contents including the latest news, Yahoo Finance and gives users quick access to other Yahoo services like Yahoo! Mail, Yahoo Maps, Yahoo! Groups and Yahoo! Messenger. Over 50% of the users on network visit to use their Yahoo! email. View the complete list of products and services offered by Yahoo!
Traffic Rank: 1 | Sites that Link here: 76,894 | Speed: Average (2.2 seconds) | Online Since: 18-Jan-1995

Read the full Top 20 UAE (Middle East) Website list here

Sheraton Brand to Demo New Surface Computing Product To Enhance the Guest Experience Through Interactive Access to Photos, Music, Maps and More

Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. announced today that it will be the first in the hospitality industry to debut Microsoft Surface, Microsoft's easy-to-use, surface computing product that breaks down the traditional barriers between people and technology, providing effortless interaction with digital content. Starwood will initially launch Surface at Sheraton Hotels & Resorts, Starwood's largest and most global brand, where it will help bring interaction, connectivity and play to the Sheraton brand's new lobby experience, currently rolling out in key cities nationwide. With Surface's ability to provide guests with greater service, unique experiences and new forms of entertainment, Sheraton views it as a key component of its lobby transformation.

I came across this article in the Times technology section advocating the use of multimedia technology to encourage visitors in Venice to venture into less touristy neighbourhoods. In the trial visitors were offered a mulitmedia two hour walking tour. Armed with PDAs loaded with flash animation, video clips and maps, they set out of their tour of discovery. Feedback from the trial was very postive.