Travel Industry

Philip Bowman, chief executive of Smiths Group in London, has begun publicly complaining about the long security lines at European airports he frequents. In a speech in Brussels last week, he told his audience, “Sometimes I wonder whether the same energy and elan is always applied to relieving restrictions as is usually shown – for very good and understandable reasons – in imposing them.”

no liquids or gels

OK, so one of the divisions in his company designs and manufactures equipment to detect and identify explosives, weapons and contraband. And it just so happens the Department of Homeland Security is one of its major U.S. stakeholders. And he made headlines in the U.K. last year when he negotiated “first class where available” perks into his contract, a $10,000 pound car allowance and $336,000 pound pension every year in addition to his salary and bonuses.

Still, as self-serving as it may seem to advocate more countries adopt scanning technology at the airports, folks passing through Helena Regional Airport in Montana likely agree.

Late last week, it rolled out a CT-80 baggage screening machine by Reveal Imaging Technologies Inc. — equipment that can screen 225 bags per hour in an airport that typically serves just 350 passengers a day. The CT-80 works like an MRI machine does for medical purposes, scanning bags for explosives and other no-nos.

“Now, we’re light years ahead of most Montana airports,” said Philip Stuczynski, the Transportation Security Administration’s screening manager at Helena. No, Mr. Stuczynski, apparently you are ahead of the many world airports Philip Bowman frequents.

Photography: Fabio Mascarenhas (Flickr)

mobile computing heaven

The race is on.

The Westin St. Francis in San Francisco’s Union Square is among the first hoteliers to sign up with LodgeNet Interactive Corporation to implement its Mobile Internet Devices and integrate them into their own hospitality system.

In English, this means Westin guests can order in-room dining, book a spa appointment, make golf reservations, sign up for their reward program points and even change the in-room temperature and electricity controls through their iPhones and Blackberries. Basically, guests’ smart phones replace the concierge function, which will no doubt trigger a rebuttal from the National Concierge Association. But let’s face it: the name of the game has always been “be relevant or be run over.”

The project is in the pilot stages this summer; LodgeNet says it should roll out more test markets between now and the end of 2009. Anyone who wants to see this technology in action can stop by the company’s booth at HITEC at the Anaheim Convention Center June 23 – 25.

It’s a smart move for anyone who read the American Hotel and Lodging Association’s 2008 study on customer satisfaction. A whopping 82 percent of guests say they care most about their wi-fi services, even over in-room entertainment systems and airline check-in kiosks.

Which could explain why Omni Hotels — the first luxury hotel brand to give guests free wireless access in their rooms — is focusing more on the basics. It signed with BelAir Networks to upgrade its network design to accommodate mobile computing. “With nearly 50 percent of our guests using wi-fi and their bandwidth demands continuing to accelerate, we sought a high-performance network partner” says Richard Tudgay, Omni’s IT veep.

Photography: Westin St. Francis