World Widelink in Hospitality

The hospitality industry is a $61 billion dollar industry that is fueled by an ongoing need for nourishment. It consisits of multiple groups including management, housekeepers, kitchen workers and servers. Each play a very important role in the operation of a food-service/hospitality establishment. The hospitality industry consists budget, limited service, full-service and luxury resort properties throughout the world. This industry strives on achieving the highest Average Daily Rate and Occupancy to maximize revenue and reduce operating costs to improve net income.

WHL started in 2002 as a project of the Mekong Private Sector Development Facility (MPDF)^[1] which is the technical advisory services arm of the International Finance Corporation (IFC, part of the World Bank Group) in the region covering Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos. Given the skills gaps, language difficulties and Internet access problems facing travel service providers in destinations in the developing world, a new online accommodation booking model was needed which bridged the last mile and allowed locally owned travel product to be connected and sold to the global market.The approach adopted by the WHL project team was to separate all those things that needed to be done locally (i.e. identifying and negotiating contracts with the local travel service providers or processing the booking) from those best done centrally and which the WHL team managed. Local partners, called e-marketplace operators (MPOs), became responsible for collecting and loading local digital content onto the web and keeping it up to date, as well as acting as the interface between travellers and accommodation providers when questions were asked, bookings made etc. The WHL team focused on the technology platform for content management and booking management, as well as global Internet marketing, provision of payment gateways, and management and technical support.

The first pilot site was established in 2002 in Siem Reap, Cambodia, site of the famous Angkor Wat temple complex. The pilot was done with the cooperation of the Siem Reap Angkor Hotel & Guesthouse Association^[2] and early success in Siem Reap led to requests for replication from hotel associations, first in Phnom Penh and then in Vientiane, Lao PDR. Sites were also established in Vietnam and, in 2005, WHL started adding destinations outside the Mekong, in Vanuatu, Samoa and Fiji to test the model in other environments. After successful pilots in these countries it was decided to spin the project off from the IFC to allow the model to be moved to the global market. On March 31st, 2006, Worldhotel-link.com Limited was officially made a private company.The interesting point of departure for WHL from more traditional online tourism bookings businesses is the unique online/offline franchise business model that has been developed out of necessity in order to service the business. The MPO not only owns and operates that actual online booking business in their country, but also has the opportunity to network with other like-minded tourism professionals in other destinations around the world. This local connection network creates a space where an interesting confluence of social networking and business development come together to share best business practices with previously disparate colleagues.

Current Status

After spinning off from the IFC, WHL added tour bookings to the accommodation booking functionality, as well as instant bookings (booking from allotment), last-minute bookings and packaged accommodations and tours. At the end of 2008 WHL had 150 destination sites live in 60 countries. Projections are that by end March 2009 there will be 200 destinations live in 83 countries^[3]. WHL continues to work closely with development agencies such as the IFC, World Bank, IADB and USAID in launching destinations sites in many poor and conflict-affected countries/regions around the world.To undertake consulting and training work associated with tourism development in developing countries WHL launched a consulting business, WHL Consulting, in July 2008 in a joint venture with Geosavvy Development LLC in the USA. WHL has also developed a program called Caring for the Destination as a means to encourage the adoption of sustainable tourism by accommodation and tour providers.

hotel

HOTEL
A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. The provision of basic accommodation, in times past, consisting only of a room with a bed, a cupboard, a small table and a washstand has largely been replaced by rooms with modern facilities, including en-suite bathrooms and air conditioning or climate control. Additional common features found in hotel rooms are a telephone, an alarm clock, a television, and Internet connectivity; snack foods and drinks may be supplied in a mini-bar, and facilities for making hot drinks. Larger hotels may provide a number of additional guest facilities such as a restaurant, a swimming pool or childcare, and have conference and social function services
Some hotels have gained their renown through tradition, by hosting significant events or persons, such as Schloss Cecilienhof in Potsdam, Germany, which derives its fame from the Potsdam Conference of the World War II allies Winston Churchill, Harry Truman and Joseph Stalin in 1945. The Taj Mahal Palace & Tower in Mumbai is one of India's most famous and historic hotels because of its association with the Indian independence movement. Some establishments have given name to a particular meal or beverage, as is the case with the Waldorf Astoria in New York City, United States where the Waldorf Salad was first created or the Hotel Sacher in Vienna, Austria, home of the Sachertorte. Others have achieved fame by association with dishes or cocktails created on their premises, such as the Hotel de Paris where the crêpe Suzette was invented or the Raffles Hotel in Singapore, where the Singapore Sling cocktail was devised.

Hôtel Ritz in Paris

A number of hotels have entered the public consciousness through popular culture, such as the Ritz Hotel in London, UK, through its association with Irving Berlin's song, 'Puttin' on the Ritz'. The Algonquin Hotel in New York City is famed as the meeting place of the literary group, the Algonquin Round Table, and Hotel Chelsea, also in New York City, has been the subject of a number of songs and the scene of the stabbing of Nancy Spungen (allegedly by her boyfriend Sid Vicious). The luxurious Grand Hotel Europe in Saint Petersburg, Russia achieved fame with its inclusion in the James Bond film GoldenEye.

Treehouse hotels

Some hotels are built with living trees as structural elements, for example the Costa Rica Tree House in the Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge, Costa Rica; the Treetops Hotel in Aberdare National Park, Kenya; the Ariau Towers near Manaus, Brazil, on the Rio Negro in the Amazon; and Bayram's Tree Houses in Olympos, Turkey.

Cave hotels

Desert Cave Hotel in Coober Pedy, South Australia and the Cuevas Pedro Antonio de Alarcón (named after the author) in Guadix, Spain, as well as several hotels in Cappadocia, Turkey, are notable for being built into natural cave formations, some with rooms underground.

Capsule hotels

Capsule hotels are a type of economical hotel that are found in Japan.

Ice and snow hotels

The Ice Hotel in Jukkasjärvi, Sweden, and the Hotel de Glace in Duschenay,­ Canada, melt every spring and are rebuilt each winter; the Mammut Snow Hotel in Finland is located within the walls of the Kemi snow castle; and the Lainio Snow Hotel is part of a snow village near Ylläs, Finland.Garden hotels

Garden hotels, famous for their gardens before they became hotels, include Gravetye Manor, the home of garden designer William Robinson, and Cliveden, designed by Charles Barry with a rose garden by Geoffrey Jellicoe.

Underwater hotels

Some hotels have accommodation underwater, such as Utter Inn in Lake Mälaren, Sweden. Hydropolis, under construction in Dubai, will have suites on the bottom of the Persian Gulf, and Jules Undersea Lodge in Key Largo, Florida requires scuba diving to access its rooms.

Other unusual hotels

• The Library Hotel in New York City is unique in that each of its ten floors are assigned one category from the Dewey Decimal System.
• The Burj al-Arab hotel in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, built on an artificial island, is structured in the shape of a boat's sail.
• The former ocean liner RMS Queen Mary in Long Beach, California uses its first-class staterooms as a hotel.
• The Jailhotel Löwengraben in Lucerne, Switzerland is a converted prison now used as a hotel.
• The Luxor, a hotel and casino on The Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada, United States due to its pyramidal structure.
• The Liberty Hotel in Boston used to be the Charles Street Jail.

A motel (motor-ist's hotel) is a hotel which is for a short stay, usually for a night, whilst you are on a long journey. Has direct access from your room to your vehicle so you can go on.

E-goverment

E-goverment

Nepal the Himalayan kingdom lies between India and China. It has covered 147.181 sq. km. Land of the world. The country is divided administratively into 5 development regions and 75 districts. 3915 Village Development Committees (VDCs) and 58 Municipalities are the lowest administrative local level units. Ecologically it is divided into three ecological regions called Mountains, Hills and Tarai. Total population of the country is 22,736,934. Those of them 1,585,092 lies in Himalayan region, 9,996,975 lies in Hill region and 11,154,867 lies in Tarai region. Only 65.2% are educated in country (CBS, 2001). Those of them very few are aware with benefit of the Information Technology.
His Majesties Government, in 1971, introduced Information Technology to process the National population census data. National Computer Center was established in 1974 with the objective of providing IT training within Nepal. NCC, developed software for various government agencies, processed examination results for SLC Board and Tribhuvan University. It also conducted regular training courses on Computer Literacy and software applications. NCC was dissolved in 1998 and currently there is an absence of a computer-training institution in the government sector.
Private sector began its activity in early eighties after the introduction of Personal computers. In 1992 Mercantile Communication Pvt. Ltd. (MCPL) started commercial E-mail through Internet and in 1995 it was formally registered with HMG/N as first Internet Service Provider (ISP). Since 1999 Government has liberalized its policy to use own VSAT. Since then the number of ISPs are increased and so the price of Internet service is decreasing in country. Now here are more then 15 ISPs and around 115,000 Internet users (NPC, 2002).
There are about forty software development companies, two hundred plus companies are involved in IT trading and more than five hundred training institutes are taking part in operation training at different levels. Government and public sector has recently started academic IT courses in their respective Institutions. There are few computers in different government Institutions and most of them are used for word-processing purposes. Computerization and IT applications implementation in the government is very low. In 2000 HMG/N has declared Information Technology Policy, B.S. 2057 (2000) with Key strength of HRDa. Recently Started to produce manpower therefore could incorporate changes in the system to produce manpower as per the requirements of the market. b. Policy makers are aware of importance of IT application for the Development of the nation. c. New Institutions are emerging to fulfill the IT human resources. d. In IT Policy 2000 Government has declared A long-term program with a slogan "Computer education to all by 2010 A.D." Institutional and legal framework of IT in GovernmentAlready, Ministry of Science and Technology has established the concept of IT park is developed and going ahead. Cyber laws formulation is in progress. Some sectors in government are using IT applications, generally speaking not enough Utilization of IT in the government. The Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST) has recently installed a VSAT to give Internet connections and develop government network between the government Ministries and Departments. With minor upgrading it will be able to provide access to rural areas up to Village development committee level. Mainly there are two high-level legal government committees, The National Information Technology Development Council (NITDC) and National Information Technology Co-ordination Committee (NITCC) are responsible for making IT plan and strategy in Nepal.
International and National projects activities

Specially, Financial Management Project (FMP), and Rural-Urban Partnership Program (RUPP) are dedicated to bring the concept of implementing E-Governance in Nepal. FMP is a joint venture project of DFID and HMG/N. It works for financial management sector since 9 years. The project is one of the highly successful project in the ranking of DFID and has provided major impact on enhanced cash flows, improved transparency and disbursement rates, reduced time in budget formulation, authorization and release, immediate financial management information for HMG/N and Donor, improved macro and micro economic management.
Bharatpur Municipality, being the first municipality to launch E-Governance in Nepal with support from RUPP/UNDP. After realizing the successful implementation of E-Governance in Bharatpur, RUPP is supporting remaining partner municipalities to replicate the model of E-Governance of Bharatpur. Municipalities where ISPs are available at the present situation have shown their keen interest in implementing E-Governance and have vigorously started the awareness on E-Governance in respective municipalities through the community mobilization process of RUPP. Most of these municipalities have completed the development of E-Governance portal as well. RUPP has supported all 12-partner municipalities to establish an Urban Information Center with well-trained staff permanently deputed to the Center. The staff was trained in line with the Municipality?s commitment to e-governance. Staffs have been deputed to operationalize the E-Governance unit of the municipality. Similarly, RUPP has also established a well-set Human Resource Development Center (HRDC), which, presently, has been strengthening to cater training and orientation regarding good governance and poverty alleviation.

Private sector activities

More than 500 Private training Institutes exist in operation but the quality and standard varies drastically. There are more than fifty private firms involved in the development of software for domestic market as well as foreign market for the last few years. Recently a number of foreign firms have started outsourcing their work into Nepal.
AssociationComputer Association of Nepal (CAN) was established in December 1992. The association has been formed as an autonomous, non-political, non-profit making service oriented organization with the involvement of professionals, specialists, vendors, software developers, manufacturers and information technology experts within the country. Telephone and Internet Infrastructure

Without telephone or Internet no one can imagine E-governance mechanism. Telephone service is available to all the headquarters of the 75 districts. More then 15 ISPs are operating in main cities of the country. Average internet connection speed available to consumer are 33.6 kbps to 56kbps. The current international bandwidth (b/w) of Nepal for Internet is 12 Mbps downlink and 5Mbps uplink. Nepal Telephone Corporation is providing 9.6Kbps to 2048Kbps of leased line connectivity. ISPs of Nepal are providing e-mail, web designing, domain registration, web Hosting, Fax to Fax, GIS, e-commerce etc

Banking Industry

The Banking Industry
If there is one industry that has the stigma of being old and boring, it would have to be banking; however, a global trend of deregulation has opened up many new businesses to the banks. Coupling that with technological developments like internet banking and ATMs, the banking industry is obviously trying its hardest to shed its lackluster image.
There is no question that bank stocks are among the hardest to analyze. Many banks hold billions of dollars in assets and have several subsidiaries in different industries. A perfect example of what makes analyzing a bank stock so difficult is the length of their financials - they are typically well over 100 pages. While it would take an entire textbook to explain all the ins and outs of the banking industry, here we'll shed some light on the more important areas to look at when analyzing a bank as an investment. (For background reading, see Analyzing A Bank's Financial Statements.)There are two major types of banks in North America:
Regional (and Thrift) Banks - These are the smaller financial institutions, which primarily focus on one geographical area within a country. In the U.S., there are six regions: Southeast, Northeast, Central, etc. Providing depository and lending services is the primary line of business for regional banks.
Major (Mega) Banks - While these banks might maintain local branches, their main scope is in financial centers like New York, where they get involved with international transactions and underwriting. Could you imagine a world without banks? At first, this might sound like a great thought! But banks (and financial institutions) have become cornerstones of our economy for several reasons. They transfer risk, provide liquidity, facilitate both major and minor transactions and provide financial information for both individuals and businesses. Running a bank is just as difficult as analyzing it for investment purposes. A bank's management must look at the following criteria before it decides how many loans to extend, to whom the loans can be given, what rates to set, and so on:
Capital Adequacy and the Role of Capital
Asset and Liability Management - There is a happy medium between banks overextending themselves (lending too much) and lending enough to make a profit.
Interest Rate Risk - This indicates how changes in interest rates affect profitability.
Liquidity - This is formulated as the proportion of outstanding loans to total assets. If more than 60-70% of total assets are loaned out, the bank is considered to be highly illiquid.
Asset Quality - What is the likelihood of default?
Profitability - This is earnings and revenue growth.

Threat of New Entrants

The average person can't come along and start up a bank, but there are services, such as internet bill payment, on which entrepreneurs can capitalize. Banks are fearful of being squeezed out of the payments business, because it is a good source of fee-based revenue. Another trend that poses a threat is companies offering other financial services. What would it take for an insurance company to start offering mortgage and loan services? Not much. Also, when analyzing a regional bank, remember that the possibility of a mega bank entering into the market poses a real threat.
Power of Suppliers.

The suppliers of capital might not pose a big threat, but the threat of suppliers luring away human capital does. If a talented individual is working in a smaller regional bank, there is the chance that person will be enticed away by bigger banks, investment firms, etc.
Power of Buyers.

The individual doesn't pose much of a threat to the banking industry, but one major factor affecting the power of buyers is relatively high switching costs. If a person has a mortgage, car loan, credit card, checking account and mutual funds with one particular bank, it can be extremely tough for that person to switch to another bank. In an attempt to lure in customers, banks try to lower the price of switching, but many people would still rather stick with their current bank. On the other hand, large corporate clients have banks wrapped around their little fingers. Financial institutions - by offering better exchange rates, more services, and exposure to foreign capital markets - work extremely hard to get high-margin corporate clients.
Availability of Substitutes.

As you can probably imagine, there are plenty of substitutes in the banking industry. Banks offer a suite of services over and above taking deposits and lending money, but whether it is insurance, mutual funds or fixed income securities, chances are there is a non-banking financial services company that can offer similar services. On the lending side of the business, banks are seeing competition rise from unconventional companies. Sony (NYSE: SNE), General Motors (NYSE:GM) and Microsoft (Nasdaq:MSFT) all offer preferred financing to customers who buy big ticket items. If car companies are offering 0% financing, why would anyone want to get a car loan from the bank and pay 5-10% interest?

The Airline Industry

The Airline Industry
Few inventions have changed how people live and experience the world as much as the invention of the airplane. During both World Wars, government subsidies and demands for new airplanes vastly improved techniques for their design and construction. Following the World War II, the first commercial airplane routes were set up in Europe. Over time, air travel has become so commonplace that it would be hard to imagine life without it. The airline industry, therefore, certainly has progressed. It has also altered the way in which people live and conduct business by shortening travel time and altering our concept of distance, making it possible for us to visit and conduct business in places once considered remote.
The airline industry exists in an intensely competitive market. In recent years, there has been an industry-wide shakedown, which will have far-reaching effects on the industry's trend towards expanding domestic and international services. In the past, the airline industry was at least partly government owned. This is still true in many countries, but in the U.S. all major airlines have come to be privately held. The airline industry can be separated into four categories by the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT):
International - 130+ seat planes that have the ability to take passengers just about anywhere in the world. Companies in this category typically have annual revenue of $1 billion or more.
National - Usually these airlines seat 100-150 people and have revenues between $100 million and $1 billion.
Regional - Companies with revenues less than $100 million that focus on short-haul flights.
Cargo - These are airlines generally transport goods. Airport capacity, route structures, technology and costs to lease or buy the physical aircraft are significant in the airline industry. Other large issues are:
Weather - Weather is variable and unpredictable. Extreme heat, cold, fog and snow can shut down airports and cancel flights, which costs an airline money.
Fuel Cost - According to the Air Transportation Association (ATA), fuel is an airline's second largest expense. Fuel makes up a significant portion of an airline's total costs, although efficiency among different carriers can vary widely. Short haul airlines typically get lower fuel efficiency because take-offs and landings consume high amounts of jet fuel.
Labor - According to the ATA, labor is the an airline's No.1 cost; airlines must pay pilots, flight attendants, baggage handlers, dispatchers, customer service and others.

Air Traffic Liability (ATL):

An estimate of the amount of money already received for passenger ticket sales and cargo transportation that is yet to be provided. It is important to find out this figure so you can remove it from quoted revenue figures (unless they specifically state that ATL was excluded). Load Factor: This indicator, compiled monthly by the Air Transport Association (ATA), measures the percentage of available seating capacity that is filled with passengers. Analysts state that once the airline load factor exceeds its break-even point, then more and more revenue will trickle down to the bottom line. Keep in mind that during holidays and summer vacations load factor can be significantly higher, therefore, it is important to compare the figures against the same period from the previous year. Analyst Insight Airlines also earn revenue from transporting cargo, selling frequent flier miles to other companies and up-selling in flight services. But the largest proportion of revenue is derived from regular and business passengers. For this reason, it is important that you take consumer and business confidence into account on top of the regular factors that one should consider like earnings growth and debt load. Business travelers are important to airlines because they are more likely to travel several times throughout the year and they tend to purchase the upgraded services that have higher margins for the airline. On the other hand, leisure travelers are less likely to purchase these premium services and are typically very price sensitive. In times of economic uncertainty or sharp decline in consumer confidence, you can expect the number of leisure travelers to decline. It is also important to look at the geographic areas that an airline targets. Obviously, more market share is better for a particular market, but it is also important to stay diversified. Try to find out the destination to which the majority of an airline's flights are traveling. For example, an airline that sends a high number of flights to the Caribbean might see a dramatic drop in profits if the outlook for leisure travelers looks poor. A final key area to keep a close eye on is costs. The airline industry is extremely sensitive to costs such as fuel, labor and borrowing costs. If you notice a trend of rising fuel costs, you should factor that into your analysis of a company. Fuel prices tend to fluctuate on a monthly basis, so paying close attention to these costs is crucial.

Having home,auto,health insurance

Insurance

Everyone knows that insurance premiums can be affected by your credit history or perhaps a spotty driving record in the case of auto insurance. But few people realize that an insurance company's loss experience is one of the biggest factors for determining how much they will pay for coverage. How so? Well, say for example an insurance company paid out a large amount of homeowner insurance claims due to a particularly catastrophic year of floods and fire damage. The same insurance company may also provide auto insurance coverage. To compensate for the losses experienced under their home owner insurance division, they may raise premiums for their car insurance customers even if they had no accidents or tickets. Or, they could simply increase the insurance prices for house insurance policyholders in another state.
Insurance is a business, and like any other business it needs to generate profit. Monetary losses from an excessive amount of insurance claims are usually shifted to the consumer in the package of higher insurance premiums. If the insurance company had an extremely profitable year, they may lower rates to attract more customers and increase the number of policyholders they have. For this reason, insurance rates vary greatly from one company to another.
Health and life insurance rates are very low right now in this competitive insurance industry. However, some health and life insurance companies offer low initial rates to gain insurance customers and then gradually increase these teaser insurance rates over time. The best way to ensure you are getting the best price for your insurance needs is to review your policy rates regularly and compare them against what other competing insurance companies are offering. You can do this by requesting insurance quotes from multiple insurance companies.
Use Technology to Find an Affordable Coverage
In the past, obtaining insurance quotes was a time consuming affair that involved hours on the phone or lengthy meetings with individual insurance agents. With the technology advancements of today, you can request insurance quotes quickly and efficiently. It only takes about two minutes to fill out the online insurance questionnaire provided on 2insure4less.com. Our cutting edge technology allows you to instantly compare insurance coverage and premium quotes from multiple competing companies. The best part is you only have to enter your information once instead of traveling from website to website. We are not an insurance company, but we offer tips on how to determine the amount of insurance coverage you need.
So, whether you are looking for a cheaper auto insurance rate for an expiring car insurance policy, or you simply want to make sure you are getting the best deal on house, renters, disability, long term care, cancer, burial (final expense), life insurance, and annuity, 2insure4less is here to help both men and women find affordable insurance coverage. Why not see if you can save a little extra money on your health insurance premiums? You have the option of comparing cheap insurance coverage quotes online or speaking with a qualified insurance agent licensed in your state.
Learn How to Get a Discount from Insurance Companies
Our learning center is dedicated to helping insurance consumers become educated on their insurance needs. Our library of educational material, insurance guides and coverage calculating tools will help you in a variety of insurance situations. The next time you have an accident or need to file an insurance claim you can be prepared. We'll also tell you about what to do when a claim is denied and your rights as a policyholder. You'll also learn how to understand your insurance policy and of course, there are many tips on how to save money on insurance.
Don't pay more for insurance than you have to. Take time to compare your current insurance rates with comparable coverage from other insurance competitors. It only takes a few minutes to select the type of coverage you are interested in, and you'll be on your way to comparing insurance quotes and saving money!