Linchi Kwok, Ph.D.

Cal Poly Pomona students placed second at the STR Student Market Study Competition I was in New York City (NYC) over the Veterans Day weekend for the HX: The Hotel Experience 2019 , one of the most important trade shows in the lodging industry . Similar to last year’s trade show , the HX 2019 also entailed four components, including HX: The Marketplace, HX: The Conference, Boutique Design New York, and the STR (Smith Travel Research) Student Market Study Competition.   STR is the leading data analytics provider for the lodging industry. Since its debut in 2015, the STR Student Market Study Competition (the STR Competition hereafter) has received significant attention from the hospitality programs around the world. This year, over 20 students from the Collins College of Hospitality Management at Cal Poly Pomona traveled to NYC for HX 2019. Moreover, six of them also participated in the STR Competition for the first time. In the end, the Cal Poly Pom...

Facial recognition technology is convenient. Many of us use it numerous times a day to unlock our smartphones. Although people often access their phones with Face ID or fingerprints, many still worry about their privacy when their biometric data are used in the public space. There is a fine line between consensual identity verification and non-consensual surveillance . Here are some examples. More airports are now using facial recognition Delta Airlines opened the nation’s first biometric terminal at Atlanta’s Hartsfield Jackson International Airport (ATL) in November 2018. Travelers can now use their biometric ID (facial image in this case) for check-in, dropping off luggage, and going through TSA (Transportation Security Administration) at ATL. Travelers using biometric ID can enjoy a faster service at ATL as the following: ·       Store their passport information in their frequent flier profile. ·     ...

United Airlines just revealed massive changes to its MileagePlus Program . How much a traveler spends on the tickets is the only thing that matters in the airline’s new frequent flyer program.     Not long ago, United quietly switched from a distance-based reward program to a fare-based frequent flyer program . Since 2015, people earn mileages based on how much they spend on the air tickets instead of how far they fly.  For example, I typically earn about 4,000 reward miles for a round-trip ticket between Los Angeles and Asia, even though the distance of the trip usually ranges from 10,000 to 12,000 miles. Nevertheless, the distance I fly still matters because it will be counted towards the “qualified miles” for elite status.  Now, the airline wants to take a big step further to (only) reward those top-spending travelers as their elite customers.        The terms used in the current MileagePlus Program There ar...

McDonald’s Corporation introduced the world’s first voice-initiated job application process called  McDonald’s Apply Thru . Now, job seekers can initiate the job application process through McDonald’s Apply Thru by taking to either  Alexa  or  Google Assistant . How McDonald’s Apply Thru works The job application process begins with the applicants saying: “ Alexa, help me get a job at McDonald’s. ”  or “Google, help me get a job at McDonald’s.”   Then, the job applicants will need to answer a few basic questions, including their name, job of interest, and the location where they want to work. Afterward, the job applicants will receive a text message with a hyperlink that will take the applicants to continue the rest of the application process.   Where McDonald’s Apply Thru serve McDonald’s Apply Thru is now available in nine countries, including the U.S., U.K., Canada, Australia, France, Germany, Irelan...

Walgreens is now working with Alphabet’s Wing to test drone delivery service . Beginning in October, Walgreens’ pilot program will use drones to deliver on-demand food, beverage, and over-the-counter non-prescription medications to customers within minutes. Currently, Wing’s drones can deliver packages of about three (3) pounds and within a six-mile (6-mile) radius .    Competing in drone delivery Walgreens is not the only retailer who wants to use drones in delivery. Major retailers and courier companies have also responded to consumer demands for faster and more convenient delivery. Amazon, for example, announced in June that the company planned to roll out free one-day drone delivery to its Prime members in North America. Amazon’s delivery drones can carry a package that weighs five (5) pounds or less and fly up to 15 minutes. Using drone delivery, Amazon Prime members can receive their orders within 30 minutes aft...