I just returned from HITEC, the hotel industry’s big technology show, which mostly serves as an introduction to new technology, at least as it affects the lodging industry. One thing was for certain, Minneapolis as a venue for a major national show leaves a lot to be desired. There are a limited number of airline seats into this city and despite air travel enjoying its best year in recent history, the city remains difficult for many to travel to. So HITEC’s overall attendance was wanting when there would have been a big turnout had it been held in a major convention city. The big item of interest at this show was HITEC’s version of the guestroom of the future— the future being 2010. This appears to be the year of looking at future guestrooms as HD offered its version in the spring show this year. My take is that if you put these two potential guestrooms together you might have something of major interest to the industry. My comments are not meant to demean either of the two attempts, however the HITEC version had some very interesting, innovative ideas that, because of price, could not be very appealing to hotel owners. They are the ones, after all, who have to foot the bill for expensive innovations. And during this period of monopoly going on in the industry I think we can appreciate that owners are not as interested in building Taj Mahals, but in putting together a practical product that will do until the owners’ “Exit Strategy” kicks in. As far as product is concerned, flat-panel TV’s continue to make major inroads into properties from every segment of the industry, a trend we all witnessed at IH/M&RS last November when long lines of hotel owners appeared at booths showing flat-panel TV’s and looking for more information. No doubt these products will continue to grow significantly in the hotel market, as they are becoming more of a necessity than an amenity. The other category that showed a lot of interest among attendees was VOIP. While the recognition is there that these telephone systems are the wave of the future for hotels, the feeling among most is that it is still questionable in voice quality and too expensive. But with heavyweight suppliers now taking direct interest in hotel sales, the move forward will get underway in the near future, especially with networking becoming more important for owner groups. I would not be surprised to see more activity at the IH/M&RS in the Fall as the need for new telephone systems becomes more apparent. Another point of interest at HITEC was a solar exhibitor from Canada who got decent play. There is little doubt that these systems are going to play a bigger role in energy savings plans as such costs for properties continue to increase. In addition, solar, with its recent advancements, makes so much sense. Another item that had a lot of appeal, especially to hoteliers who do substantial bar business, was a system using RFID-based pour monitoring. It offers savings in the thousands of dollars by preventing bartenders from making generous pours. If you have a large property with big drink business, this is something you should certainly look at immediately. Overall, there is no doubt that technology will continue to play a larger role in lodging in the months and years ahead. How fast it moves will really be in the hands of the now very significant multi-unit owner groups who are being asked to make significant investments in this monopoly game.