Revolutionizing Hospitality: Hotel Sogo Unveils First-of-its- Kind AI Tech Concept Rooms in the Philippines

Book Your Stay Now to Enjoy and Experience the Ease and Efficiency of the Sogo AI Tech Concept Rooms in selected locations of Hotel Sogo - Malate, Fairview, Pampanga and Davao.

In a groundbreaking move, Hotel Sogo has introduced the first-ever Internet of Things (IoT) Rooms in the Philippines, redefining the landscape of hospitality. The Sogo AI Tech Concept Rooms offer guests an unparalleled experience, seamlessly integrating cutting-edge technology with the warmth of hospitality.

Imagine a room that responds to your every command, where lights, curtains, and entertainment systems are at your beck and call through simple voice commands. The Sogo AI Tech Concept Room brings this futuristic vision to life, providing guests with an immersive and unique stay that goes beyond traditional hotel experiences.

Why Choose the Sogo AI Tech Concept Rooms at Hotel Sogo?

1. Smart Automation: Experience seamless control over room temperature, lighting, entertainment systems, and more, all through your voice commands.

2. Personalized Comfort: Tailor your stay to perfection by adjusting preferences for lighting, temperature, and entertainment, ensuring a personalized environment that suits your mood and needs.

3. Enhanced Connectivity: Stay effortlessly connected with high-speed Wi-Fi and smart devices, allowing for easy access to information and entertainment throughout your stay.

4. Efficient Functionality: From self-service check-in Kiosk, room guide Autobot, keyless entry using QR code, automated body dryer, and touch-less faucet to smart energy management, every aspect is meticulously designed to streamline your experience and maximize efficiency.

5. Security and Peace of Mind: IoT-powered security features ensure a safe and secure environment, offering guests peace of mind during their stay.

Sogo AI Tech Concept Rooms are like a sneak peek into what hotels of the future might look like. Not just about the gadgets and gizmos, the rooms are also designed to be sleek, stylish, and oh-so-modern. Think minimalist decor, premium materials, and a futuristic vibe that makes you feel like you've stepped into a whole new world.

HOTEL SOGO PIONEERS IoT CONCEPT ROOMS - HOSPITALITY IN THE PHILIPPINES

Hotel Sogo, the country's largest and fastest-growing hotel chain, is unstoppable as the leader in hotel modernization. It recently launched its Sogo AI Tech Concept rooms, in its locations in Fairview, Malate, Pampanga and Davao as the pilot branches of this Innovation. This is the beginning of the hotel's aggressive plan to adopt the technology of Internet of Things (IoT) integration as the hospitality and tourism world moves towards digital spaces.

Hotel Sogo’s self-check-in kiosk is initially designed to partially perform front office tasks to improve the customers' hospitality experience, allowing guests to bypass the traditional check-in process and enjoy a hassle-free arrival experience. With just a few simple steps, guests can check-in, receive their room key via a QR code, and proceed directly to their room, saving valuable time and effort.

Hotel Sogo recognizes that automated staff can never replace its personalized service, which the hotel has been best known for, all these years. The hotel pioneered the 11-Safety Innovation at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. This partially robotized hotel environment is a direction to protect the guests' privacy further and continuously adapt to the safety protocols of the new normal.

Ms. Sue Geminiano, Hotel Sogo's Marketing Head, reiterates, "Our goal has always been to give the best customer service and value for money to our guests. Hotel Sogo is proving to be at the forefront of technological advancement amidst our guests' radically changing times and needs. Social robotics like AI chatbots and Internet of Things amenities are becoming the global trend, and our hotel aims to be the first in this Innovation. However, we will be selective in implementing this in hotel sections as drawing inspiration from the world of automotive design, these rooms combine luxury, functionality, and advanced technology to create a truly immersive and unforgettable stay for guests.”

To find out more about Hotel Sogo, visit its website at www.hotelsogo.com or like and follow us on our Facebook page HotelSogo Official Page, Twitter, and Instagram @hotelsogo, and Youtube account @OfficialHotelSogo.

Microsoft Azure Virtual Hackathon to Create Innovative Solutions using Artificial Intelligence

While avoiding crowded places like schools and workplaces and staying-at-home to avoid coronavirus infection, making innovative projects and solutions can be a unique opportunity at the comfort of your own home.

Technology allows people to connect with each other despite physical distancing and can make lives more comfortable and productive by exactly knowing when the next ride arrives or minimize crop losses in urban farms. Artificial intelligence mimics human behavior and thinking, while cloud computing allows access to system resources and data storage without owning and managing expensive servers. Combining AI with the cloud enables developers and engineers to use and access cutting-edge technologies and resources to solve complex problems affecting people and society.

Microsoft, ride-hailing app Grab, and the United Nations Development Programme partner with AngelHack to bring together talented developers, engineers, designers, technologists, and entrepreneurs to solve real-world business challenges from the Asia-Pacific region. This free "virtual" hackathon enables teams to collaborate online and use Azure technologies like computer vision and natural language processing to create innovative and transformative solutions.
 
"We are teaming up with Microsoft to organize this virtual hackathon to engage our talented developers community across APAC to code for a meaningful cause. We are excited about what our community will innovate," according to Asia-Pacific regional manager Jasmine Nguyen of AngelHack.

Surface tablets, job opportunities, visit to Singapore, and $ 3,000 are waiting for those who will create best applications and solutions.

This virtual hackathon is open for residents in Singapore, Korea, New Zealand, Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Cambodia, Myanmar, Laos, Bangladesh, Maldives, Nepal, or Brunei. Age should be 18 years or older and part of a team up to five participants.

The first phase starts on April 17 until May 17 where ideas has to be formed and, solution design and architecture has to be submitted. Prototypes must be submitted on the second phase on May 25 to June 14 addressing the challenges presented.

Register for free at https://www.msazurevirtualhack.com/ to join the virtual hackathon.

Deadline of registration is on May 17.

This competition is powered by AngelHack. Visit the website at https://angelhack.com/

About AngelHack

AngelHack is an organization founded with the desire to connect the tech-loving community to make new ideas come true. Within 7 years, AngelHack has been a pioneer in innovative promotion programs, co-organized and helped organize hackathons, digital-based competitions, accelerators, meetups, and ideas developed in more than 20 cities worldwide.

With a diverse community of more than 160,000 programmers, designers and entrepreneurs, AngelHack is a trusted bridge for individuals and groups who want to find innovative solutions. Arriving in Vietnam from January 2019, AngelHack Vietnam has successfully organized two Hackathons in Hanoi & Ho Chi Minh City and opened many new and effective ideas and solutions for sponsors and businesses. The goal of 2019-2020 is to focus on building the community, improving the quality of human resources, and working with other businesses to find new solutions.

Biggest OPPO Super Experience Store in the PH Opens in Ayala Malls Manila Bay

PHILIPPINES - January 2020 – Last January 18, 2020, OPPO opened their largest and grandest OPPO Super Experience Store with an area of about 286 square meter in Ayala Malls Manila Bay, in line with their continuous effort to provide Filipinos with an improved customer service experience.

The wide space of the OPPO Experience Store was strategically designed to commit towards the development of the brand’s own line of Internet of Things (IOT) products, as well as to better provide quality customer service.

The newest OPPO Experience Store is also partly inspired by the aesthetics of the OPPO super flagship stores found in China, Singapore, and Thailand. The interior features an expansive mirror ceiling that enhances the lighting effect and also overall feel of the store. The new store also has a lounge area that is fully equipped with VOOC Flash Charging outlets where OPPO customers can lounge around and stay connected while checking the latest OPPO products or waiting for their turn at the customer care.

Another highlight of the grand opening was the OPPO Service Center 3.0 that features a minimalist yet a sophisticated ambiance with an improved service experience for repairs, consultations, and centralized customer care services. The newest service center offers a more transparent service program where customers can observe while the well-trained customer care representative repairs their smartphone.

The grand opening event last January 18 was filled with exciting games, raffles, freebies, and a store tour with local Youtube sensation Mimiyuuuh. Check out the newest OPPO Super Experience Store soon to get a first-hand experience of the world-renowned tech brand’s innovations.

The new OPPO Super Experience Store is located on the 4th floor of Ayala Malls Manila Bay, Macapagal Avenue, Tambo Paranaque City.

To know more about OPPO’s latest news and store openings near you, visit the website www.oppo.com/ph or check the official Facebook page at www.facebook.com/OPPOPH and the official Instagram page at www.instagram.com/oppophilippines.

Impact Hub Manila and Philippines' Largest Hackathon

MAKATI CITY, Philippines. (November 19, 2019) Startup founders, representatives from government agencies and private corporations, top executives and consultants, and hackathon participating teams hailing from 13 cities across the Philippines came together as Impact Hub Manila concludes the Impact Hackathon at the 2050fest - the ultimate pitching event held at The Eye, Green Sun Hotel in Makati City on November 19, 2019.

Mounting the biggest hackathon in the Philippines is no small feat for Impact Hub Manila, even during this era of coding marathons. Not only was it successfully executed, but Impact Hub Manila has welcomed and embraced the best team of coders and IT professionals from various industries to its community as they push forward a common goal: to utilize the untapped potential of the country and create new solutions to the existing social problems of the world. In the same event, the leadership of Impact Hub Manila also announced Impact Hackathon 2020, this time, spanning beyond the Philippines and extending throughout Asia Pacific.

The event featured talks from industry experts, gave what Asec. Kristian Ablan of the Presidential Communications and Operations Office as the "budding innovators" an insight to the public-private department relations in the startup landscape, along with the existing initiatives and programs they could benefit from. Several talks followed which pre-empted the actual pitching were concluded with a session about community building moderated by 18-year-old technologist Audrey Pe of WiTech (Women in Technology) who said that "community-building is not easy." Experts in the field, including the likes of Andrew Wong of E3 Entrepreneur Hub, Robert Reyes of Mozilla Philippines, and Eah Antonio of YFPH all likened it to child-bearing, birthing, and raising - from the labor pains to remembering the why while looking at your child, and just powering through. Wong had said that once the why (mission and vision for startups) is clear, "Nothing is impossible, impossible is nothing."

One of the main highlights of the event were the actual pitching, where 15 of the MVP projects were chosen from the Impact Hackathon and presented before an esteemed panel of jurors.

The finalists included Herbal Plant (Vigan), Kugel Tech (Baguio), Dashwerq (Iligan), Crimera (Bacolod), UPark (Iloilo), MedFind(Batangas), NutriScan(Manila), Help Aid(Davao), iServe (Catbalogan), Hemria (Catbalogan), Agua Meter (Bacolod), Transfarm (Manila), Ayamica (Iloilo), Asboc (Batangas), and Transcash (Metro Manila). The pitching which lasted for approximately two hours, had presenters, ranging from age 9 to beyond 30, showing the judges the workings of their conceptualized solutions in a bid for support. The pitching was shortly followed by deliberations which lasted for some time, and eventually concluded with the announcement of Transfarm as the National Impact Hackathon winner.

Transfarm walked away with 170,000 php (70,000 of which was from winning the Manila leg of the hackathon) in cash prize and a full year incubation program that includes a global membership access to the Impact Hub network, intensive training, access to vast pool of expert mentors, network, and coworking. The year long incubation program is valued at over 1,500,000 pesos.

The top 15 apart from receiving the prizes from winning the student (15,000 php) and professional category (20,000 php) will also be receiving a full year of incubation support from Impact Hub Manila.

The winning IT-based solution, Transfarm, is an end-to-end ecommerce and marketing solution, created in a bid to bridge the gap between the local producers and the large scale business consumers with the goal of enabling farmers to appropriately market their harvest and avoid wastage from oversupply.

The team who made the winning pitch said that they were from different backgrounds, but "from the Hackathon, [we] really did our best to collaborate, deliberate, and build the idea."

Some of the mentors and judges also offered support, starting with PLDT who said that they "don't just provide support" but are also "ready to co-incubate." Jhaze Asuncion of Upscale Innovations Lab and Department of Science and Technology Tech-Business Incubators (DOST-TBI) lauded Impact Hub for the "great opportunity for startups from the regions" and said, "We will be more than happy to support these startups if they will apply to us incubators."

“This is how startups are born. You change everything on the fly." says Rondario of Impact Hub and added, "This event is not the end. This is the beginning. It is Day 0 and the real work starts tomorrow."

After acknowledging the support and presence of this year's event sponsors including Quezon City Government under the leadership of Mayor Joy Belmonte, the Araneta Group, Asian Development Bank, PLDT, Smart, NutriAsia, Unilab, Department of Trade and Industry, Department of Science and Technology PCIEERD, Department of Information and Communication Technology, the Tourism Promotion Board of the DOT, Freidrich Neuman Foundation, Dentsu Aegis Network, The PhilStar Group, Businessworld SparkUp, Microsoft Philippines, ClinkIT, Green Sun Hotel, KMC Solutions, ASEANHR, GIZ Philippines, Forest Foundation Philippines,Mozilla Philippines Community, DevCon Philippines, 2030 Youth Force Philippines, Edukasyon, Canva, Manila Wordpress, Women In Technology, Women Who Code, When In Manila, Alfox Printing Services, Google Developers Philippines, Girls Who Code, Deskera, Pantheon, Manila Angel Investors Network, JobStream Philippines, Global Entrepreneurship Network, Veer Philippines, PhilRobotics, PCI Tech Innovation Center and many more, Rondario also extended an invitation for partnerships for the Impact Hackathon 2020, as they prepare to launch a regional hackathon next year.

ASUS Philippines Leads Educational Advancement Anew, Equips Training Center for Filipino Chinese Cultural and Economic Association (FCCEA)

October 10, 2019 -- ASUS Philipp­ines, together with its long-term partners in ASUS Foundation and the Fil-Chi Love and Care Foundation, showed once more its commitment and might in providing better learning opportunities for educational and career advancement. This time around, ASUS Philippines and its key partners equipped the training facility for the employees of the Filipino Chinese Cultural and Economic Association (FCCEA), with twenty-two (22) units of the ASUS Vivo AiO, an All-in-One PC which is designed to maximize their productivity and intuitive learning.

 “We chose ASUS Philippines and the ASUS Foundation as our partner for this program to ensure that the employees of FCCEA will be provided with the best learning experience,” shares Bella Huang, CEO of Fil-Chi Love and Care Foundation.

“Here, they see ASUS as a great help in bridging digital transformation. ASUS is always on top of our minds, as they are easy to approach, and are always willing to give back to the community in need,” she closed.

Deputy Ambassador James Chu (First row, 3rd from left), Director Herman Chong (First row, 2^nd from left), Dr. Jeffrey Cheng Yu a (Second row, 4^th from left), and  Bella Huang (First row, 5^th from left) together with the members of FCCEA experiencing the ASUS Vivo AiOs in the brand new learning center.

Attended by no less than Taipei Economic & Cultural Office Deputy Ambassador James S. Chu, the grand opening of the newly-quipped learning facility in Binondo, Manila, also highlights the close ties between Taiwan and the Philippines, and how ASUS Philippines continues to be a strong proponent for good international relations between these two neighboring states.

“This partnership with ASUS Philippines and ASUS Foundation is really important. By providing these computers as an instrument, students will learn efficiently. So I think this [CSR] program is one step closer towards a brighter future,” shares TECO Deputy Ambassador James S. Chu.

George Su, Country Manager of ASUS Philippines closes, “We are always driven to stretch our resources to communities in need, of course with the help of our various partners. And as we celebrate our 30^th Anniversary, it is especially relevant for ASUS Philippines to be more active with our CSR programs. Our business is not just about creating innovative products. It is also our business to build a more incredible world for the greater good.”

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About ASUS

ASUS is one of Fortune magazine’s World’s Most Admired Companies, and is dedicated to creating products for today and tomorrow’s smart life. Our comprehensive portfolio includes Zenbo, ZenFone, ZenBook and a range of IT devices and components, along with AR, VR and IoT. ASUS employs more than 16,000 people worldwide and over 5,000 world-class R&D talents. Driven by innovation and committed to quality, the company won 4,511 awards and earned approximately US$13 billion of revenue in 2017.

Impact Hackathon, the WORLD'S BIGGEST HACKATHON – an official Guinness World Records attempt this October 30-31, 2019

Quezon City, Philippines ​–​ The world’s biggest hackathon, “Impact Hackathon”, is set to take place at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City, Philippines, along with more hackathon coding-teams from over 15 nationwide locations simultaneously participating in this 24-hour on-the-spot coding marathon.

With a mindset to be part of Guinness World Records history, Impact Hub Manila is interfacing with programmers, developers, and innovators towards creating sustainable solutions for specific problem statements proposed by the Hub’s multi-stakeholder partners.

The current Guinness World Records (GWR) record-holder is the Hajj Hackathon, a coding event in Saudi Arabia with 2,950 participants. Impact Hackathon is an official attempt by Impact Hub Manila and its partners to break the said record by official GWR standards by activating more than 10,000 participants with 3,500 of them coding from a single venue in Quezon City – at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Future-proofing today, envisioning 2050

The Impact Hackathon teams will create technology-based solutions anchored to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals targeting global issues in Climate Change, Education, Agriculture, Smart Cities, and Health. These themes are specifically highlighted because of their global relevance and the ability of the hackathon participants from this part of the world to offer their own insight to efficiently address these issues.

Described as one of the world’s most ambitious technology events this 2019, the Impact Hackathon also encourages its participants to think bigger and farther out into the future and use technology as a platform for scaling the impact. The main event organizer, Impact Hub Manila, has set the year 2050 as the horizon and viable target for these larger-scale solutions foreseen to roll-out from the hackathon event. 10,000+ Participants, 2,000 teams, and 800 mentors

Everyone’s going to be there!

Besides more than 10,000 hackathon participants, Impact Hackathon brings together the biggest network of personalities representing brands from the technology, startup, and entrepreneurship sectors in the region. The Philippine Government, together with its local government units, and with various international government organizations, will proactively participate to ensure that Impact Hackathon will be a great global moment for incubating solutions and implementing large-scale delivery of these solutions.

As one of the longest-running start-up incubators in the region, Impact Hub Manila is in cooperation and partnership with the following representatives of the government, private, start-up, and corporate sectors, namely: the Asian Development Bank, Dentsu Aegis Network, KMC, GIZ, SparkUP Business World, Forest Foundation, WWF, KumuMedia Technologies, Smart, PLDT, the Department of Science and Technology, the Department of Information and Communications Technology, the Department of Trade and Industry, the League of Cities of the Philippines, Microsoft, Team Bam Aquino, UnionBank, and Gawad Kalinga.

The Impact Hub Manila with some of their partners for Impact Hackathon: KMC, GIZ, Department of Trade and Industry (HQ, EMB, and NCRO), SparkUp BusinessWorld, Forest Foundation, WWF Philippines, Gawad Kalinga, Department of Tourism, Team Bam Aquino, PLDT, UnionBank, Kumu Inc, Smart, and the Department of Energy.

The Philippines as a mega solutions-incubator for the world

“There are so many problems in the Philippines and in the region and where there are problems, there’s opportunity for entrepreneurship to rise. It opens the door for people to think, do, and be better,” says Impact Hub Manila Founder and CEO Ces Rondario. She adds that “this is a time for better thinking and solutions-finding, and the region and the Philippines can lead in this. This is our chance to define our future and the world in 2050. This is our time.”

Impact Hub and Ces Rondario

Impact Hackathon is the second of four installments of the larger Impact2050™ Program, an integrated and innovative multi-year entrepreneurial program that aims to catalyze the impact entrepreneurship ecosystem in the Asia-Pacific. The entire four-phase program–the Elevate National Startup Roadshow, Impact Hackathon, 2050fest, and Incubate 2020–was developed following the natural progression of a successful startup: education, ideation, discovery and networking, and incubation.

The four phases of the Impact2050 Program:

the Elevate National Startup Roadshow, Impact Hackathon, 2050fest, and Incubate 2020 (not in the image as it is a for 2020 onwards)

Impact Hub (Global Community – ​www.impacthub.net​) is the world’s largest network of impact entrepreneurs with more than 17,000 members from more than 100 hubs located in more than 50 countries around the world. Impact Hub’s Global Community headquarters is in Vienna, Austria.

Impact Hub Manila CEO and Founder, Ces Rondario is also the lead of Impact Hub Asia, with hubs in Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Japan, New Zealand, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, and Taiwan.

Impact Hub Asia Pacific Lead and Impact Hub Manila Founder and CEO, Ces Rondario

Highlighting the value of being part of a global community of entrepreneurs, Ces Rondario says: “I have always believed that access to opportunity is the key differentiator between those who make it and those who don't. That's why bringing in the global network of Impact Hub is so important, in that it's a platform for Filipino entrepreneurs to aspire for, helping them scale globally.”

Registration and more information
To be part of the world’s largest impact event for 2019, register at www.impact2050.com/tickets​.

Please visit www.impact2050.com/hackathon for more information about Impact Hackathon.
Or send an email to Camille Lim camille.lim@impacthub.net.
More about
Impact Hub Global Community
Impact Hub Manila
Impact Hackathon
Impact2050
Tickets and registration

www.impacthub.net
www.impacthub.ph
www.impact2050.com/hackathon
www.impact2050.com
www.impact2050.com/tickets

The digital version of this press release and the images in it can be downloaded from: www.impact2050.com/pressOCT8