htms has moved back to blogger

Here’s the deal…

A few months back I switched this blog to WordPress from Blogger. I felt the UI for WordPress was better as well as some of the other stuff they offered. What I did not account for was my free blog was no longer free if I wanted to republish the layout with some customizations. For that I had to purchase WordPress CSS editor…LAME!  So I’m back to Blogger with a new layout and new RSS feed. For the 5 of you that actually read this blog sorry for the confusion. But you can now go here to read my blog and I promise I’m there to stay.

my reason for lagging on posts

I have been seriously lagging on getting weekly content to htms in the past two weeks, but I have a pretty good reason. That reason is this picture. Yesterday morning at 9:51 AM we welcomed her into the world. You can get the full story at k.sturm blog.Oh, and keep watching because there are some good topics pending in the coming weeks.

i will be speaking at the "HOT Conference"

This week (March 14th and 15th) I will be speaking as a panelist on Business Intelligence at the Hospitality Operations and Technology (HOT) Conference in Dallas, TX. I was thrilled when Jon Inge asked if I would be willing to participate (like shock and awe thrilled) and am looking forward to the event. I have never attended the HOT show but I hear it is always a wonderful event!
If by a very random chance you read this blog and will be there make sure to flag me down and say hello. I would love to meet you!

posting a bit late

If you are wondering where the normal Thursday post is, I am enjoying
some snow and sun in Mammoth.

I’ll get two posts up next week to make up for it. Thanks for reading.

they finally fixed the bug

As with all software companies there are bugs, or “undocumented features” to my fellow product management type in the software world. For a long time I had put up with a “stretch layout” bug in blogger that made my custom header shrink to the standard 640px wide size. But as you can see by looking at my new header, as of this week blogger must have fixed it. HOORAY!

Thanks blogger for finally taking care of this!

don’t steal my stuff

hospitality technology made simple (htms) Legal Mumbo Jumbo
hospitality technology made simple subscribes to and supports Creative Commons for Internet work. If you want to use anything from hospitality technology made simple (htms) or kevin sturm Consulting for your print article or white paper I would be flattered. All that I ask is that you give credit were credit is due and email me to let me know. It is actually for the benefit of both of us so that I can plug your magazine and my work in a post. If you want to use anything for your website or blog please abide by the normal rules of Creative Commons and give me credit with a link back to www.hospitalitytechnologymadesimple.com.

hospitality technology made simple by
http://www.hospitalitytechnologymadesimple.com is licensed under a
Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

Disclaimer and Warranty
hospitality technology made simple (htms) makes every effort to be accurate with information provided, but unfortunately I’m not perfect and may make accidental errors or omissions in any information on the website. What I write is based on my experience, but no information in this blog comes with a warranty, express or implied. In addition I will always give credit to any information or thought that is not my own via link or normal quoted method. If you find an error please send me an email or post a comment. I will fix it post haste

If you use the advice or contact a vendor that I reference and things do not work out like you hope, I cannot really be held liable for that based on links or information provided in the blog. If you do run into problems I would be happy to assist in helping you get your project back on track. Also, I may change my philosophy or principals as I learn, which means that I may change a post based on new information or experience. However, if I do change my mind on something I may neveer update a historical post that contradicts my new knowledge.

htms is an open forum for public posting, and as such, I cannot be held responsible for comments made that are dumb. I ask and expect that people not make dumb comments, but obviously cannot control that.

General Privacy Policy Statement
htms and kevin sturm Consulting are dedicated to the fundamentals of protecting privacy on the Internet and support Creative Commons Licensing.

Gathering and Use of Information
htms collects personal information from visitors only on a voluntary basis. I do not require this information for visitors to obtain access to any area of the site. Except as explained below, personal information received from any visitor will only be used for internal marketing and will not be sold or provided to third parties.

Users who voluntarily register must allow a cookie to be placed on their computer to utilize all functions and privileges of a registered user.

The IP address of anyone posting on hospitality technology made simple is logged and tracked. To learn more about this visit ClusterMaps.

Links
The htms website may contain links to other sites. I make every effort only to link to websites that share high standards of decency, fairness, integrity, and support Creative Commons. I try my best to ensure that these links are safe for visitors, but the privacy and data collection practices on any linked websites are entirely separate from htms so I cannot be held responsible for them.

htms is not be responsible for any failure on the part of any linked websites to comply with any privacy policy posted on this website, or any contractual or other legal obligations to which the operators of such website may be subject. I will always attempt to remove comments which dumb people link to websites which may contain material not suitable for minors (or adults). If for some reason I do not catch one quickly email me, call me, or comment and I will remove it post haste.

Changes and Updates to Legal Mumbo Jumbo
htms content and features may be updated, revised, modified and supplemented. I reserve the right to change the information, features, policies, promotions, disclosures and disclaimers at any time. Changes to this Legal Mumbo Jumbo will be posted on htms with a date in the post. Please check Don’t Steal My Stuff periodically for changes. At the end of this Legal Mumbo Jumbo I indicate the date of an update. If you continue to use htms following the posting of changes to this Privacy Policy it means you accept the changes.

Summary
hospitality technology made simple approaches our communications on the Internet with respect for, and commitment to, individual privacy rights, concern, and respect for our visitors.

Updated February 29, 2008

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tools

Coming Soon!

This section will link to different template documents and tools for consultants and venues working on technology projects. Keep checking back for updates!

about the blog

The purpose of this blog is to share recent trends in the industry, how to effectively select hospitality technology systems, and to provide a forum for consultants and venue managers to share with each other how to be successful. This blog is not about marketing which venue selected which system, as that is sufficiently covered in multiple places on the web and print media.

After forming kevin sturm Consulting and looking for online information on hospitality technology I discovered that nearly all the true free content on trends in the industry, informational interviews with leaders in hospitality technology, and tips on evaluating and selecting hospitality technology solutions were only in traditional print media. These organizations (Hospitality Technology, Hospitality Upgrade, Hospitality Net, among others) do a great job in publishing this information, but the majority of it is in their print publications. There are a few blogs out there that summarize topic articles from these publications but do not directly address topics through industry experience.

In the absence of the type of information I was looking for (and to shamelessly market my company) I created hospitality technology made simple. I came up with the name as it was the tag line for my company, and communicated what I felt was a problem in the industry – complexity. My initiative as a consultant is to take the difficulty out of a technology decision by helping venues translate their needs and wants into descriptive features, and match those with the appropriate technology provider. Technology doesn’t have to be complex nor does selecting and implementing a new system.

I encourage comments and will attempt to respond to every question asked. If the answer is useful for everyone I will publish a post in response to the comment. If it is a very specific question I will email you directly.

For more information about kevin sturm Consulting please visit my website.

Thanks for reading!

-Kevin

about the author

Kevin Sturm (me) is Owner and Principal Consultant of kevin sturm Consulting. But, that really says nothing of who I am. What my business is makes up only a small portion of who I am. I am blessed to be a husband to Chrystal, father to Brody and Mianna, and I hope a good, caring and loyal friend to many. I am an entrepreneur, regular blogger, public speaker, information sharer, avid reader, TV watcher (too much probably), average athlete, and lover of life and people. I think it is important to do well in life, but know it is much more important to do good!

I am a technology evangelist and love that technology will continue to change the world at a increasing pace. I love gadgets, and if you meet me it is apparent based on the slew of them in my laptop bag. But, I also believe the need for technology and immediate information has created a modern society where self introspection and time for quite thought is of less importance than it should be. New and good ideas are generated from taking time to notice the world around us, and then thinking clearly in order to discuss and take action on ways to improve it – both technically and socially.

Being a consultant, especially a hospitality technology consultant, was not what I had planned for my life. My journey to this career often seems accidental, but God obviously had a plan. I attended Westmont College, a small liberal arts school, receiving a BS in Biology with an emphasis in pre-medicine. Early in life I knew I wanted to be a doctor. I focused my studies on science through my entire education and graduated college never taking a business course (which I regret now in reflection). After college while working through the medical school application process I took what was to be a temporary job at InfoGenesis, a small software company with a point of sale (POS) product. Little did a know the influence this company would have on my life.

Fast forward six months and much to my surprise and disappointment I was not accepted to medical school. Fast forward another six months and while in the reapplication process I began to have doubts about being a doctor. I chose to hold off on my reapplication for a year and see what God had in store. It was then I inquired about a job performing installations for InfoGenesis’ clients. At 24 it seemed the ideal job – travel the world and get paid. It was in this career move I discovered two things about myself. First, I loved business and found it more enjoyable then any position within the medical field I had held (there were a few). Second, I discovered I was very good at helping hospitality venues implement technology solutions so it improved their business. (It was also in this position that I met my beautiful and wonderful wife. I was managing the POS and inventory solution installation at America Airlines Center where Chrystal was the Luxury Suites Supervisor. We got married one year later.)

I also found a mentor at InfoGenesis in Karl Willig. The company he built encouraged me to stay and his advice seemed never ending. I quickly moved into a management position and was charged with growing the implementation and project management team during InfoGenesis’ growing years. I had the opportunity and pleasure of working with almost every InfoGenesis customer. Our success was based on hiring great people that wanted to accomplish great things. It was in this role that I gained an appreciation for the value of good project management and became passionate about how technology can have a hugely beneficial impact on hospitality venues. During my tenure I directly managed over 100 projects for technology applications with management direction of more than 600 additional projects. My experience includes the architecture design and implementation oversight of the four largest POS enterprise deployments in the world.

After two acquisitions and a few title changes I made the decision to venture out on my own and build a consulting firm providing evaluation, selection, and implementation services to hospitality venue’s technology projects. With extensive experience in small and large technology deployments my firm specializes in selecting and implementing systems so a venue can effectively manage the experience of it’s guests. Managing the guest experience may be working with a client to implement the most technologically advanced guest-interactive solution or to implement a solution so the guest never directly experiences the technology, rather just experiences the benefits of it.

I can honestly say I love what I do, which is rare I think. I built my reputation on being knowledgeable and extremely honest with clients, always. I believe that if your intention is always to help your client be more successful you will always have enough business. So far that has held true.

If you have a specific question or topic you would like addressed on this blog you can post a comment or email Me. To learn more about kevin sturm Consulting visit my website.

Aside from spending time with my family, friends, and business I am passionate about the concept and reality of social entrepreneurship and micro-finance lending. I have been blessed with love, success, confidence, and the opportunity to access almost every convenience in life. My goal is in turn to help others have access to these same blessings. Over half the world’s population live in extreme poverty earning less than $2.00 a day. My generation is the first to reach the work force and be able to say we can realistically see the end to extreme poverty. I can think of no greater calling to use our resources to spread God’s love and help to serve those in need.

You can check out a brief bio of my company here and a speaker bio here. If you want to learn more about me check out k.sturm blog and Next Gen Dads. Thanks for reading!

Kevin

Kevin Sturm Speaker Bio

Kevin Sturm is Owner and Principal Consultant for kevin sturm Consulting, a firm providing technology consulting services to hospitality venues. Kevin’s experience in hospitality technology projects includes the architecture, design and implementation oversight of the four largest POS enterprise deployments in the world. He has directly managed over 100 implementation projects for hospitality technology applications, with management direction of more than 600 additional projects. Prior to forming kevin sturm Consulting Kevin held multiple positions in finance, operations, and marketing at InfoGenesis, a global provider of technology solutions. Kevin regularly speaks on hospitality technology solutions, is a frequent guest lecturer to local colleges on project management and business ethics, and is the author of hospitality technology made simple, a blog providing technology trends and tips on successfully implementing technology solutions.