AUSTIN, TEXAS, USA (June 11, 2009) – A group of senior-level industry leaders and related hospitality travel associations recently gathered at the Club Managers Association of America's (CMAA) headquarters in Alexandria, Va. to form a new council focused on the future of hospitality technology. The Hospitality Technology Strategic Initiatives Council (HTSIC) — spearheaded by Hospitality Financial and Technology Professionals (HFTP) and Hotel Technology Next Generation (HTNG) — addresses pressing industry needs as they relate to hospitality technology. The council works to identify industry initiatives, find the best possible homes for these initiatives and reduce duplicated efforts.

"Technological evolution is broad and wide-ranging, making it difficult to direct changes in a way that benefits the hospitality industry as a whole," said Frank Wolfe, CAE, CEO of HFTP. "The council hopes to consolidate efforts and feedback from multiple resources so that we can address these changes in an organized fashion that benefits the industry."

“The associations represented on the council rely entirely on voluntary contributions of time and expertise from our members,” said Douglas Rice, CEO of HTNG.  “Coordinating through the council will help us ensure that all of the associations can leverage each others’ efforts, providing a greater ROI to the industry from our members’ efforts, and with less duplication."

Council members include:

• American Hotel and Lodging Association (AH&LA)
• American Resort Development Association (ARDA)
• Hospitality Financial and Technology Professionals (HFTP)
• Hospitality Information Technology Association (HITA)
• Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International (HSMAI)
• Hotel Electronic Distribution Network Association (HEDNA)
• Hotel Technology Next Generation (HTNG)
• OpenTravel Alliance

The council has a special pavilion on the show floor of the 2009 Hospitality Industry Technology Exposition and Conference (HITEC®). Representatives from the council will be on hand at HITEC booth #1180 to discuss future initiatives and gather input from attendees. The conference offers attendees a one-stop shop for essential education, access to experts and hospitality technology vendors, networking with top leaders in the industry and the resources to find cost-effective ways to improve company bottom lines. Registration and the full conference schedule are available online at www.hitec.org.

For more information about the HTSIC, visit www.htsic.org. For more information about HITEC, visit www.hitec.org or contact the HFTP Meetings & Special Events Department at [email protected], (800) 646-4387 or +1 (512) 249-5333.

Katy Walterscheidt | Media/Public Relations Specialist
Hospitality Financial and Technology Professionals (HFTP)
11709 Boulder Ln, Ste 110
Austin, TX USA 78726-1832
Ph: +1 (512) 249-5333 | (800) 646-4387 (US) x27
Fx: +1 (512) 249-1533
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