• Safety and security. Important aspects of safety and security are terrorism, the growing disparity between the haves and have-nots in the world, diminishing financial resources, infrastructure problems, health issues, the stability of governments, and personal security.
• Assets and capital. The issues concerning assets and capital are rationing of private capital and rationing of funds deployed by governments.
• Technology. An example of the growing use of expert systems (a basic form of artificial intelligence) would be making standard operating procedures available online, twenty-four hours a day, and establishing yield management systems designed to make pricing decisions. Other examples include increasing numbers of smart hotel room and communications ports to make virtual office environments for business travelers and the impact of technology on the structure of corporate offices and individual hotels.
• New management. The complex forces of capacity control, safety and security, capital movement, and technology issues will require a future management cadre that is able to adapt to rapid-paced change across all the traditional functions of management.
• Globalization. A number of U.S. and Canadian chains have developed and are continuing to develop hotels around the world. International companies are also investing in the North American hotel industry.
• Consolidation. As the industry matures,