#just remember we are talking about like disney sueing you specifically because you wrote something gay about one of their characters

[bushy-haired-know-it-all]

But they can't control they timing of world events?? They fundraise every year during October and April, and have done so for years. October is also breast cancer awareness month, are the organizers of race for the cure events also bad people because they held their annual fundraising event?

Also, they are a charity, not a business. No one is making money here, and there is no profit to cut into. Any money they get goes towards their bills. If they get lucky and there is some money left over after everything is paid, they save it. That way, there are funds in case of an emergency, like damaged servers or unexpected lawsuits. Or in case the next fundraiser doesn't bring in enough money to cover the bills! This could happen for a variety of reasons, including economic downturn, a global pandemic, or even the fact that some people are donating to help in Gaza.

can i be real? i think ao3 should die for doing a donation pool for themselves with everything going on

[grelrik-da-bozz]

starco, something to think about...

Ok, so it has been almost a whole week and I’ve been celebrating about this ‘final’ they brought to the horrible curse that was cast on Marco and star almost 4 years ago.

It really is good to see that the one most affected by the curse (Marco) is finally free of that... disgusting situation he was in, but since we are talking about Disney, and considering what we have seen during the third season there is a huge possibility that they will spoil everything and come with a “we loved each other before the curse” scenario, even though there were no signs at all (specially from Marco) that there was anything but friendship between them.

Now about this bad transition we have three direct responsables!

The first one being the curse of the bloodmoon itself as it was the direct thing to affect Marco's personality and interfer with his decisions after being cast on both Marco and star, they both acted differently, slightly at first and almost unnoticeable on star but on Marco it was... quite obvious specially in season 3! But there were times in season 2 when you were all like “wtf? why did he do that?” Running with scissors is a good example. Follow me on this ok? Marco decides he doesn’t want to return back home as he has a different life in Hekapoo’s dimension (making star useless as now the one who has his attention in the ‘adventure cool section’ is H-poo) but then star asks him “What about your parents or your friends... or... me?” we see Marco do something quite particular... that in this last episode (Curse of the Bloodmoon) had a special sound and now everything is different! Marco had decided already, he was a 31 years old man, had made up his mind, but the curse forced him to change it. And I honestly hated that part of the episode! How come star decided to casually forget mentioning Jackie She should have said “What about your parents or your friends... or... Jackie... or me?” (some people have argued that star had feelings towards Marco before the bloodmoon but most of them base that presumption on the book*).

Now, the second direct responsable is star, for not accepting Marco's advice when she decided to go see what Tom had prepared for that party, even though Marco had already been right many times before about things related to the outcome of how bad everything could be if she continued using magic, doing what she considered right, following her own ideas, etc. and that only because of the Mary sue powers they ended up a-okay. (Honestly she should have at least said "Marco has already been right sometimes I should listen to him this one time, I mean, he is my friend.”) But no, she didn't, and do you wanna know why she didn’t listen to him? Because star is a strong independent “warrior” princess and that makes it all fine, right? I mean as long as a girl says that she is a strong and independent woman it doesn’t matter how much damage she broughts to anyone, we have to see it as positive. So yeah, sarcasm aside, a huge chunk of responsability falls on her shoulders**.

Finally the third responsable for how badly the curse developed are both “the plot” and Daron & the team that helped her, we all have heard some couple of things about the show, starting from the fact that Daron was already quite sure of how she wanted the show to be, she had more or less worked on it in her head since she was... how old 14? 13? More or less a teen age for sure, and therefore had been munching on that bone every once in a while for the last 15 years! Also is worthy mentioning that she said a couple of times that she had changed things during the course of the years but the idea was there, as solid as it could be and with steps she wanted to follow, now, following her trajectory so far and knowing a couple of her works we know she, for some reason, liked to add some drama in her stories***. And also she seems to be more or less on board the “social/genres/let’s-break-the-stereotypes train” although that could also be Sabrina Cotungo, who, by the way, got promoted to director for Season 3 (promoted might be a bad term as what actually happened is that the other two guys in charge of directing the show in Season 1 & 2 left after they finished), therefore took care of some of the importante decisions for the third season and apparently is the one to blame for it to be so... shity, Now I wonder if she was in charge of the story boards in the episodes where there was social drama issues...  Anyway, returning to the topic of blamming the horrible development of the bloodcurse and the third group of responsables, Daron (as far as we can asume) had this idea of Marco being a really tough subject for star when love was in the middle, I wouldn’t be surprised if she actually had planned for her to fall in love with Marco but that she would also suffer about it cause he had eyes for other girl! The thing is they developed in more than one episode the story for that to happen, they made Marco a really brilliant co-protagonist and many felt quite nice with him finally getting to get the chick he wanted, many out there celebrated it, of course there were also starco-fans who hated it, but the thing is we can’t deny the way they two got together was good! ponyhead helped Marco and Jackie to break the ice, to finally have him telling her she was his crush, accidentally of course but she did, star helped as well, but at the end of the episode we had a strong hint that she liked Marco, that was only a hint, something that star had not really gave her mind too much time to think about, she wrote in her diary something about Marco, how she felt about him and didn’t want him to read it because obviosly she probably wrote that she felt something strange, like butterflies in her stomach when seeing him. She was more or less oblivious to how strong her feelings where and I feel like the real issue here is that star was never meant to end with Marco, I feel that Daron wanted her to suffer a little for Marco and then turn the page, to return back to Mewni and continue her life, sad, angry with herself, but ready to give her heart another chance to find a good guy to love.

*: For those out there who don’t know about it, every cartoon of the last decade (perhaps even a little more than a decade) has done some thing(s) like that before, bringing something special or that expands the lore and that exist only in a type of merchandise that you have to buy in order to read and know. MLP, Adventure time, etc. It’s not something “new” that SVTFOE has and in all of those mentioned cases they had been clear about one thing: the book/magazine/comic IS CANON but it is a SEPARATE CANON, they are not interconnected, even if the author says so. Lauren Faust for example! She had said before some things about specific ponies, ideas she had or things she had planned for some moment in the story... but the show has pointed at other direction. So yeah, we can respect the book but we can’t really take it as 100% interconnected canon. **Ok, I have to point something else about this star issue, yes, she is not the only one responsable, some could argue that Tom is the ‘main responsable’ there, but to anyone other there wanting to say that I’d like to know your answer to this: Did Tom plan involved star and Marco dancing? The answer is a huge NO, yeah he is the one who wanted to dance with star, something bad cause he would have never told her that her sudden change on feeling about him was due to the curse, but it was something he had thought for what he believed was the best, he had never thought about Marco being his friend at the time nor did he planned for them to have their souls linked. And,  as people suggest star was already a little bit in love with Marco before the curse so, that would explain why those feelings were slowly increasing in her heart for the latino boy, but then there is a little something I wanna talk about.  Star managed to finally overcome her crush on Marco and decided she wanted to start dating Tom once again, after she tried to dress him like Marco, overcame her addiction to his musk, etc. She returned his hoodie and closed the portal... they could have ended it right there, Marco could have returned just casually and for some episodes, fighting Meteora and stuff. ***About the drama that Daron had done in some other projects she did before SVTFOE, we have at least a couple which are the most well-known ones. There is this short animated thingy where the girl is captured by some folks, they take her away and her “boyfriend/husband/lover/whatever” takes it on his shoulders to go and rescue her, when he arrives and is all ready to break the ‘bad guy’ it is revealed it actually is a Bad girl, a MILFy looking bad girl who acts all sassy with him and in a matter of seconds they are kissing right there in front of the “princess”. The short clearly points to the idea of “hey girls, never expect a boy to free you from a dangerous situation, free yourself and punch his face because you are strong and independent”… you probably understand my point, is not a bad lesson but I feel some other Disney princesses did it a lot, lot better. So anyway, the idea is clear, the ‘main character’ who casually  looks quite similar to star. The second short I remember is this one  where this girl is cutting with scissors some pieces of cloth that other two girls pass her, to work, she is pretty much daydreaming and ends up being fired, her dreams are all like stuff from the 70s you know, way too colorful and stuff (this short is all drawn in black and white) which is fine, but the design and others… makes it feel odd. (Personal opinion). The third one is probably the most famous one, this young girl leaves her house after her older sister tells her to stay away while she sees the pictures of her ex, which seems to be dating someone else, the young girl (has a lizard as her pet, she talks and hears the pet talk) enters a pub and drinks some beverage she steals and has some kind of alusination and gets scared, fortunately the older sister’s ex recognizes her and acts as if he had been looking for her to help her out of the situation, taking her back home and… that’s it. As you can see two of these three shorts have things in common, a protagonist daydreaming with what seems to be ‘magic in her imagination’ which is what we know star was going to do  (she didn’t have magic, they suggested Daron to make the magic real minutes before she presented the story board for the pilot)  and secondly there is some naughty thing going on as both the blonde princess and the older sister seem to “like” their couple/ex while they are kissing/dating someone else.

[marcus-white-hotel-group-blog]

The Top 7 Hotel Tech Trends for 2016

How long did it take for your hotel to finally start doing online marketing? Or to finally make your first real software purchase?

I understand. When you think of hospitality, you think of that intimate person-to-person connection that builds a relationship between hotel and guest. How can a computer or software do that?

But here’s the secret: tech isn’t supposed to replace that. In fact, it’s meant to streamline time-consuming processes so that you can do even more relationship building. Plus, in a technology-driven world, not engaging in the benefits of tech can make you look like a hotel that’s falling behind. You don’t want customers turning away because they think you’re out of touch, do you?

Still, it’s hard keeping up with all the latest technology and managing your hotel. And how do you even know if some tech innovation suits the hotel industry anyway? Like, how does wearable tech help you and your customers? (Pssst, it does!)

Not to worry. I’ve done the work for you.

Below, I’ll run through the top hotel tech trends for 2016, explaining not only what they mean, but how they’ll impact the industry.

Let’s go.

1. New Security Measures

Before we get into 2016, we need to talk about 2015. You remember the Hyatt hack? How about Starwood, Hilton, Trump, and Mandarin? You know, just to name a few (or several). Lots of guest data put at risk. And lots of money going out the window.

It’s past time for a change, and 2016 will (hopefully) mark a new initiative in the industry: innovative tech security.

Because breaches are not just embarrassing for a company. They also cost big money. Data breaches in the industry cost around $7 million, with $4 million of that a result of lost sales and reputation fallout. It’s pretty big bucks, especially if you’re a smaller hotel.

So as a move to ramp up defensive measures, hotels will begin (quietly) carrying out new security measures, whether it’s an investment in software solutions like network security or computer security tools, or hiring a chief information security officer (CISO) dedicated to preventing future security scandals.

Hotels will also begin installing new check-in systems that accept chip-based credit cards and debit cards as a way to guarantee secure payment.

“The chip,” cybersecurity expert Brian Krebs states, “encrypts the card data and makes it much more difficult and expensive for thieves to counterfeit cards.” The use of a card with a magnetic stripe alone is risky, considering it holds all of a user’s personal information in plain text.

Similarly, keycards will also be on their way out. And they should be, considering they can be exploited to break into hotel rooms. Starwood has already enabled guests’ smartphones to act as room keys and CADD Emirates began using biometrics almost four years ago to keep burglars at bay.

The question is, though: will all of this be enough?

2. Wearable Tech

Everyone is hopping aboard the wearable tech train. From enterprise businesses offering discount Fitbits in their wellness plans to the slow and steady growth of the Apple Watch, people are beginning to see the possibilities right on their wrists. Including hoteliers.

Imagine: as soon as you arrive at your hotel, you wave your wrist at a kiosk and are immediately checked in. Suffering from jet lag? Just walk right into your hotel’s bar, where you can order your favorite drink with the flick of a wrist. Too tired to drink? Just head up to your room, key card free. Wave your wrist over the door handle like a Jedi and shazaam! Open sesame. No more worries about leaving your keycard behind. It’s always on your wrist.  

Many tourist spots, like Disney’s renowned theme parks, have already introduced wearable tech into their guest experience. Their MagicBands, which operate off their MyMagic+ system,  allow guests to “[book] transportation to a hotel from the airport and choos[e] where to eat. The MagicBand also serves as a room key and ticket for attractions, replacing the need to carry around bulky key cards and folded papers, both of which are lost frequently.”

In addition to the ease, Disney can also analyze their guests preferences and desires through MyMagic+’s gold mine of data, which they then use to further enrich their guest experience. It’s more effective for learning customer preferences than just relying on online guest reviews.

3. Self-Service Check-in

The check-in process is one of the initial ways your hotel can give a good impression. Front desk staff welcome guests with a big grin, inform them of your stunning abundance of amenities, and can make the billing process a breeze.

But what about at the height of hotel season, when that guest lines stretch across the lobby and, despite your staff, the wait time is taxing on impatient guests? It can get frustrating not only for those in line, but those behind the counter as well.

And in a technological world where you can get just about anything at the touch of a button, your guests are going to start expecting the same immediate gratification from your hotel.

“Customers are used to A.T.M.s at the bank instead of tellers, checking in for airplane flights online, and they are now looking for that same efficiency when they arrive at a hotel,” Tyler Craig, vice president and general manager for the NCR Corporation’s travel business told the New York Times. “No one wants to wait in line for the front desk anymore.”

With self-service check-in technology, guests can not only check-in, but also request a specific number of key cards, which are then printed out so they can head up to their rooms accordingly.

However, this technology can do more than just ease your guest experience. Using kiosks for self check-in can “sav[e] money on staffing, increas[e] its revenue[,] and increas[e] customer satisfaction,” says author Julie Weed.

So while a computerized check-in system does take guests away from that person-to-person experience initially, such technology can save money and still give off a great impression. Rather than seeming distant, a hotel that is sleek with tech to cut waiting times can actually get your guests in the door faster and decrease the inevitable frustration that comes with being stuck in line.

4. Cloud Computing (Total or Hybrid)

Hardware is expensive. And I’m not just saying that because I work for a software marketing company. Also, it takes up a lot of space, which is a big commodity in the world of small hotels. So you need to keep it simple. You need to keep all your software tools in one, centralized location that everyone can access.

I’m talking about cloud computing.

For years, hotel industry soothsayers have been lauding the benefits of cloud computing, but many hotels seem hesitant to embrace this tech innovation. And it’s not hard to see why.

Despite some security concerns and the fact that even enterprise tech companies are slow to jump aboard, the cloud is a very beneficial tech innovation for hotels. So beneficial, in fact, that we wrote about it almost three years ago. However, the problem, similar to many of these other trends, is that hotels are slow to adopt it. Because while “nearly half (46%) of hotel executives revealed a marked desire for cloud-based revenue management solutions” in 2013, that desire has failed to translate to concrete action.

But I think this is it. This is the year that cloud computing will take off in the hotel industry.

Why?

Because as hotels are expected to invest in newer technologies to stay ahead of the curve, they also need to find ways to cut costs, and cloud computing has the potential to cut 50% of operational costs. Not to mention, cloud storage constantly backs up data, so network meltdowns or computer crashes won’t be as detrimental. And don’t forget that cloud computing’s flexibility allows its data to be accessed by anyone with the network passcode, meaning a manager can keep track of what’s going on at their hotel remotely, in real time.

However, security concerns still linger in the backs of many minds. And I understand why. Because once someone hacks into your cloud, they can harvest the private data of your guests and even your employees. As a result, many companies employ a hybrid cloud, which can quell fears of sensitive data breaches by only storing some (not all) information on the cloud.

5. Increased Presence on Social Media

For online marketers, this isn’t surprising. But aside from making sure that your hotel’s name gets out there, there’s another benefit to increasing your presence on social media: engaging with customers.

As customers drift to social tech (38% of U.S. travelers use social networks to share their experiences while traveling), this is another stellar opportunity for you to reach out to your guests and even profit off their experiences.

Did a guest post a photo about their awesome time on Instagram? Why not like it and even reach out asking if you could repurpose their content? It’s a great way to show that you not only listen and pay attention to your guests, but it also grounds your reputation with real guest experience, proving that your hotel doesn’t just talk the talk, but also walks the walk.

Furthermore, especially for small hotels, social media has a major impact on whether guests decide to stay at your hotel.

Sue Luraas, owner of Independent Hotel Marketing, breaks down how research through social media can impact a guest’s original travel plans. She found that of guests using sites like Facebook, LinkedIn, and TripAdvisor:

52% changed their original plans

33% changed their hotel

10% changed their resort

7% changed their destination

With numbers like these, it’s clear you need to be on social media to ensure users stay at your hotel rather than your competitors. It’s why we think this trend is something that will be mastered by many hotels in the coming year.

6. Native Mobile Apps

While social media can get your name out there, making a native mobile app is another emerging trend that taps into your guests’ affinity for technology and ease. Mobile apps have already overtaken traditional PC internet usage in the U.S, so why not meet your customers where they are?

Following my prediction that wearable tech will soon infiltrate the hotel space, smartwatches largely depend on these apps to function. However, while smartwatch sales are slowly growing, many guests still depend on their smartphones for internet access and communication. So while it’s important to recognize the growth of wearable tech, it’s equally important not to forget guests who still rely on their smartphones for app access.

As David Cross laid out in April 2015, a hotel’s app offers a variety of services to its guests, “including…the ability to book and edit reservations, order room service, [and] learn about amenities.” However, an app’s capabilities don’t stop there.

Virgin Hotels’ app, for example, “has multiple features that allow guests to interact with its property. Some of these features include allowing guests to adjust the room temperature, stream personal content to their room’s TV, and turn their smartphone into a remote. Other features the apps comes with are providing entertainment recommendations, a chat board where guests can communicate with each other, and the ability to check in and out on their devices through Virgin Hotels’ preference program.”

Not to mention, these mobile apps are a good replacement for key cards, and enable smartphones or smartwatches to act as more secure room keys.

While this tech innovation is standard in some enterprise hotels, it’ll be interesting to see if this trickles down to affect the entire industry and not just a select few.

7. Continued Industry Aversion to Tech

Despite all the benefits hotels can gain from additional technologies, there’s still going to be pushback. I can’t tell you how many times I have browsed through hotel tech studies (some even conducted an entire decade ago) only to see that hotels are still having the same issues.

Sure, maybe some hotels will think about tech in terms of cybersecurity, but that isn’t enough to keep up with the coming tide. Technology has changed many industries, and in one that serves its guests face-to-face, it’s important to keep up with what those guests value. And a growing number of them value technology. It’s a part of their everyday lives.

Some hotels around the world are quick to jump onto the technology train, while others stay on the sidelines. But be prepared if you prefer to stay in the dinosaur age. You may be missing out on all the benefits tech has to offer, including major monetary savings and more satisfied guests.

Others?

I don’t think hotels are quite ready for the Internet of Things (IoT), especially if they still can’t secure their Wi-Fi network, but it’d be nice surprise. There’s been a lot of talk about what networked devices can do for the hospitality industry, but I don’t think hotels are willing to put this into action just yet.

Can you think of other hotel tech trends I might have missed? Think there are some that won’t take off this year? Let me know in the comments below.

Header by Rachel Wille