News Briefs

PopID and Steak n Shake announced today that all Steak n Shake locations in the United States now accept PopID Check In (to review favorite orders and loyalty points) and PopPay for checkout. With more than 300 locations, Steak n Shake is the first national restaurant brand in the United States to adopt biometric check-in and checkout nationwide. PopID’s biometric check-in feature makes kiosk ordering faster, easier, and more personalized.

The implementation of PopID in every Steak n Shake location was accomplished rapidly and at low cost through a partnership between PopID and ACRELEC, a leading supplier of kiosk-ordering hardware and drive-through products. Cameras were shipped to every restaurant for attachment to the existing ACRELEC kiosks. “As explained in our recent publication, ACRELEC believes that our integrated biometric solution provides various benefits to restaurant operators related to throughput, ticket size, and loyalty engagement,” says Bruno Lo-Re, President of ACRELEC America.

“We are thrilled about our partnership with PopID and to be on the edge of biometric technology for the benefit of our customers. Our guests now have the option to use biometrics for a faster and more seamless experience,” says Sardar Biglari, Chairman of Biglari Holdings, the parent company of Steak n Shake.

Now that biometrics are enabled for all ordering and payment inside Steak n Shake restaurants, PopID and Steak n Shake will begin implementing biometric check-in and checkout at the restaurant’s drive-through units. “Similar to the kiosks, biometric check in can increase loyalty participation and revenue at the drive thru while also reducing payment processing costs,” says John Miller, CEO of PopID and Chairman of Cali Group. “Additionally, biometric payment at the order confirmation screen enables staff members to work on tasks other than taking payments by card and phone at the order pick-up window.”

Forwrd.ai, pioneering data-science automation platform tailored for RevOps leaders, announced today that the company acquired LoudnClear.ai to broaden its product offering of no code data science automation for RevOps. The acquisition of LoudnClear.ai, a multi-layered conversational AI platform for customer service teams, marks a strategic step for Forwrd.ai, adding data enrichment capabilities that unlock new customer signals to fuel its predictive models to support customer success and support use-cases.

With the acquisition, Forwrd.ai adds new integrations to customer support platforms such as Salesforce Service Cloud, Zendesk, Intercom and others. Using LoudnClear.ai’s technology, Forwrd.ai will allow RevOps executives to build no-code models which connect the dots between marketing, sales and support data and patterns. Allowing RevOps managers to analyze, predict and act upon growth trends effectively. 

“Our technology enables RevOps leaders to create and deploy predictive models seamlessly, without depending on data science teams, to drive operational efficiency and proactive business strategies,” said Kobi Stok, CEO and Founder of Forwrd.ai.

Forwrd.ai already has native integrations with Salesforce, Hubspot, Snowflake, Mixpanel, Oracle Eloqua, Marketo, Redshift, Big Query and others, and is accelerating the transition from traditional BI to AI driven predictive analytics. “With Forwrd.ai, we were able to rapidly build and operate an AI-based, predictive lead scoring model,” states Claas Wallrodt, Senior Director, Marketing Operations, Deltek, Inc.

In 2024, AI is "eating the world" and emerging as a pivotal force for predictive analytics among other fields of revenue operations. The maturation of AI and machine learning technologies, and the increasing availability of big data, is influencing companies to actively seek sophisticated predictive modeling and broaden their customer data infrastructure, learnings, and data science teams. These advances are not without cost - while data science is key for growth & operational efficiency, the complexities in building a data science team are both expensive and require recruitment of qualified talent leading to 87% of data science projects to fail.

Forwrd.ai provides organizations an AI-based data science platform that does not require a “full-on” data science team, and saves time and resources - solving a problem which costed organizations $104 Billion in 2023, and is forecasted to grow to $776 Billion by 2032.

“We are extremely proud to join Forwrd.ai’s team. The acquisition will allow LoudnClear.ai to continue building on its vision of enabling revenue operations and business teams to easily analyze unstructured data and better understand customer sentiment using NLP, machine learning and AI,” says Shaked Izrael, CEO & co-founder of LoudnClear.ai.

Tock, a reservation, experiences, and events platform for the hospitality industry, announced its partnership today with Curator Hotel & Resort Collection. The collaboration will offer Curator member hotels and resorts access to Tock’s solutions suite, which will enhance its food and beverage operations and provide additional experiential amenities to their guests.

As Curator's newest platform partner, Tock will empower member hotels and resorts to streamline their operations, drive ancillary revenue, and elevate guest experiences all on one system. Through its integrated suite of reservation, event, and guest relationship management tools, Tock delivers seamless, innovative solutions for the hospitality industry.

"Tock provides a holistic solution that empowers our customers and we're thrilled to bring that to Curator's elite network of independent hotels and resorts," says Patrick Venn, Head of Hotels and Enterprise at Tock. "This partnership aligns with our mission to empower hotels of all sizes with forward-thinking technology focused on revenue management. Together, we aim to help these properties not only in navigating today's competitive landscape, but also setting new standards in delivering extraordinary guest experiences."

Tock’s unique and innovative platform has capabilities that can be tailored specifically for hotel operators. Curator member properties can transform guest experiences far beyond simple dining reservations by monetizing underutilized spaces and selling diverse experiences such as brunch buffets, fire pit gatherings, seasonal activations, afternoon tea, cabana rentals, and more. The collaboration will also provide member hotels access to unique features like Tock’s Concierge Program to book reservations on behalf of their guests, and strategic integrations for CRM, reporting systems, point-of-sale systems, and loyalty programs to help operators deliver better hospitality and increase sales.

"By partnering with Tock, we are supporting our member properties with a world-class reservation platform built to improve their bottom line,” says Brent Hayhurst, Vice President of Program Development at Curator. “Tock’s incredibly powerful suite of tools will be instrumental in helping our members who are looking to enhance their guest reservation capabilities and confidently deliver more innovative dining and event offerings.”

To learn more about how Tock is powering hotel food and beverage operators, from streamlining reservations to creating unique guest experiences, please visit exploretock.com/join/hotel-restaurant-reservations/.

Trip Affiliates Network has announced the launch of Hotel Switch, an advanced connectivity tool designed to provide seamless access to a broad network of hotel affiliates. Hotel Switch significantly enhances travel agents' ability to offer a wide range of accommodation, manage bookings efficiently and improve overall customer satisfaction. Hotel Switch integrates multiple features including access to static and dynamic room rates, instant booking and confirmation, and complimentary VCC payment support.

Seamless Connectivity and Broad Network Access

Hotel Switch maps to over two hundred thousand hotels linked to the Trip Affiliates Network, offering travel operators access to diverse regional and global hotel inventories through TA Network’s booking solutions. This instant connectivity allows agents to provide clients with a wide range of accommodation options, catering to different preferences and budgets.

Static and Dynamic Contracts

Real-time updates on allotments and/or blackouts when rooms are unavailable are automated, ensuring that agents have access to the best available rates 24/7.

• Efficient Management of Room Allotments: Automates updates to prevent overbooking or blackout issues.

• Real-Time Rate Access: Provides flexibility to access the best static and dynamic rates anytime.

• Maximized Profitability and Customer Satisfaction: Ensures competitive pricing and availability, enhancing customer satisfaction and boosting agent commissions.

Tactical Hotel/Package Promotions

Enables agents to earn higher commissions like OTAs and offer competitive deals and promotions.

• Increased Sales: Attracts more customers through appealing promotions.

• Higher Commissions: Like those earned by OTAs, enhancing agent profitability.

Instant Booking and Confirmation

This automated 24/7 feature streamlines the booking process.

• Immediate Confirmations: Ensures clients receive instant booking confirmations, reducing wait times and enhancing customer experience.

• Reduced Workload: Automates the booking process, allowing agents to focus on other tasks and improve productivity.

Direct Hotel Bookings

Book directly with hotels instead of using third-party online hotel suppliers.

• Elimination of Check-In Issues: Avoids common problems associated with third-party bookings, such as check-in discrepancies.

• Enhanced Customer Experience: Provides a smoother, more reliable booking experience for clients.

Comprehensive Suite of Benefits

The Hotel Switch tool is designed to significantly enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of travel agents. By leveraging these solutions, agents can:

• Increase Inventory: Access a broad network of hotel affiliates, offering more options to clients.

• Boost Sales and Commissions: Utilize tactical promotions and direct bookings to enhance profitability.

• Improve Productivity: Automate booking processes and manage room allotments efficiently.

• Reduce Errors: Minimize overbooking and blackout issues through automated updates.

• Deliver Superior Customer Service: Ensure instant booking confirmations and avoid third-party booking pitfalls, leading to higher customer satisfaction.

TA Network’s Managing Partner, Josef Foo, said: “Hotel Switch has been built by our technical team and we are thrilled to announce this new service. Hotel Switch is a vital tool for travel agents aiming to stay competitive and meet the evolving demands of their clients. By providing seamless connectivity, real-time rate access, and automated booking features, this tool enhances agents' ability to manage their operations efficiently and deliver exceptional customer service. With the comprehensive suite of benefits offered by Hotel Switch, travel agents can significantly improve their productivity and profitability.”

Spectrum Enterprise, a part of Charter Communications, Inc., today announced the completion of a fiber network expansion and technology upgrade at the Wilderness Resort in Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin. The initiative will improve the resort’s guest experience by providing high-speed managed WiFi access throughout its 600-acre property along with enhanced TV options for the resort’s 1,174 lodging options that include hotel rooms, condos and cabins.

“We’re focused on meeting and exceeding expectations, and today’s guests expect to connect to their personal devices from any of our resort locations—whether in the guestroom, at one of the restaurants or while enjoying the waterparks,” said Joe Eck, Chief Operating Officer at Wilderness Resort. “Providing visitors with five-star WiFi service is key for us and handing over the management of that service to Spectrum Enterprise has freed up our internal teams to focus on elevating other customer service experiences.”

Wilderness Resort has experienced continual growth and now encompasses four indoor and four outdoor waterparks, five restaurants, an award-winning golf course and numerous nature paths. Because of the scale of the property and terrain, guests sometimes had trouble accessing WiFi in certain areas. To improve overall connectivity, Spectrum Enterprise installed 1,400 WiFi access points and increased the resort’s internet bandwidth with download speeds up to 10 Gbps (gigabits per second), enabling Wilderness Resort’s guests and staff, which can be as many as 10,000 people, to access fast, reliable WiFi wherever and whenever needed. Spectrum Enterprise also manages each WiFi access point with 24/7/365 customer support as part of a managed WiFi solution so resort employees can focus on other business priorities.

“Seamless WiFi and diverse TV entertainment are not just amenities—they are essential to the guest experience and driving repeat customers,” said Rajat Mukherji, Vice President, Vertical Markets for Spectrum Enterprise. “We’ve partnered with Wilderness Resort to implement new solutions that not only address the current needs of their visitors but can flex and scale to support future business growth.”

In addition to benefiting from enhanced connectivity throughout the resort property with Spectrum Enterprise Fiber Internet Access and Managed WiFi solutions, guests this year will enjoy more in-room entertainment options. All hotel guest rooms, condos and cabins are now using Spectrum Enterprise Fiber Connect Plus TV, which provides high-definition TV viewing with more than 120 channels. With no equipment to purchase, the video experience is delivered through a private and dedicated fiber connection, which reduces maintenance costs for the resort.

More information can be found at Spectrum Enterprise Case Studies: Wilderness Resort.

Photo Credit: Wilderness Resort