News Briefs

In the midst of a busy summer travel season, Carnival Cruise Line continues to expand the use of facial biometric technology to expedite the debarkation process and its partnership with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has already improved the experience for more than three million Carnival guests.

Nine of Carnival’s 14 U.S. homeports are using this secure, streamlined technology, including Miami, Port Canaveral, Tampa, Jacksonville, New York, Baltimore, Mobile, Galveston and Long Beach. Across the homeports where facial biometrics is being used, the debarkation process has been expedited by an average of 30 percent in the largest deployment of the technology in the cruise industry.

“Expanding this technology at our U.S. homeports ensures we’re doing everything we can to make the debarkation process as simple as possible for our guests,” said Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Line. “Thanks to our partnership with CBP, these technology solutions make the process more efficient, while giving guests a sense of safety and security, knowing their information is protected.”

The enhanced and innovative process is simple. Guests debarking the ships at the end of a closed loop cruise pause at a kiosk with a camera and take a photo. Within seconds, the image is biometrically compared to their passport or visa photo to verify the guest’s identity with over 98 percent accuracy.

“CBP is excited to expand the use of facial biometrics in the debarkation process to further secure and streamline the passenger experience through public/private partnerships with the cruise industry,” said Diane J. Sabatino, Deputy Executive Assistant Commissioner, Office of Field Operations, U.S. Customs and Border Protection. “Through our partnership with Carnival Cruise Line, we will continue to transform cruise operations by leveraging technology and enhanced processes while also strengthening our data sharing agreement to further secure U.S. seaports.”

U.S. travelers and select foreign nationals who prefer to opt out of the facial biometric process can simply request a manual document check from a CBP Officer, consistent with existing requirements for admission into the United States.

For additional information on Carnival Cruise Line and to book a cruise vacation on Carnival, call 1-800-CARNIVAL, visit http://www.carnival.com, or contact your favorite travel advisor or online travel site. For more information on CBP’s efforts to expand facial biometrics in the entry and exit process for travel to and from the United States, please go to http://www.cbp.gov/biometrics.

Shiji, a global hospitality technology innovator, has partnered with IPORT, an award-winning manufacturer known for enhancing the usability of iPads and iPhones, to introduce an all-in-one software solution for hotel restaurants. This collaboration will provide hoteliers with a seamless combination of a tablet and payment device to maximize their F&B operations.

The integrated iOS and payment device solution simplifies guest service for hotel restaurant servers, providing them with an effortless tool to cater to their guests' needs. As a certified Apple partner, Shiji and IPORT guarantee exceptional performance and reliability. Hoteliers can choose from multiple device options, including iPad Pro, iPad Mini, and iPhone, ensuring flexibility and compatibility with their operations.

“IPORT products are built around modularity and flexibility that empower our hospitality customers to do more with the iOS platform. We are thrilled to partner with a leading iPad and iPhone cloud PMS and POS platform provider like Shiji,” said Chris Lawson, Head of Partnerships, IPORT. “We look forward to innovating with Shiji in disrupting legacy, monolithic providers who have limited the industry from harnessing the power of iOS and mobility. The future is bright, and the possibilities are endless with IPORT, iOS, and Shiji.”

"The partnership with IPORT is a significant milestone for Shiji in our commitment to provide innovative technology solutions for the hospitality industry," said Ryan King, Senior Vice President of Shiji in the Americas. "By combining our expertise with IPORT’s hardware solutions, we empower hoteliers to streamline restaurant operations and deliver exceptional guest experiences. This collaboration represents another step forward in our dedication to driving success in the Americas, and globally."

The tablet and payment device solution seamlessly integrates with multiple payment gateways, allowing hoteliers to choose the system that best suits their needs. By simplifying the payment process, it reduces operational complexities, minimizes errors, and saves valuable time and resources for hoteliers.

Steak n Shake will offer PopID Check In and PopPay on its self-ordering kiosks in select locations in the Orlando market, with plans to expand to more than 300 corporate locations. PopID Check In is an opt-in service that enables consumers to scan their face to automatically sign into their loyalty reward account and see their past orders, making the ordering process as convenient as possible. When a guest checks in with PopID, they also have the option to use PopPay to automatically complete their payment.

• 57% of respondents say enabling new payment options is a  top business driver impacting POS upgrade decisions, according to HT’s2 2023 POS Software Trends Report.

“Our partnership with PopID is a key part of our effort to provide guests with a fast and seamless ordering experience," said Keith Correia, Chief Information Officer. "When using PopID Check In, a guest does not need to use their phone or take out their wallet as part of the ordering process. They will automatically be checked in for loyalty rewards, and they can choose to make an automated payment with PopPay. A guest can even see their past orders and quickly reorder their favorite menu items. Ordering at Steak n Shake has never been easier or more convenient.”

In addition to enhancing the guest experience and improving order throughput, PopPay helps to reduce fraud and offers lower payment processing fees.

Paytronix announced that industry veteran and current Paytronix Board member Jeff Hindman has been appointed company Chief Executive Officer, and that founder and current CEO Andrew Robbins will assume the new role of Executive Chairman. These moves will help position Paytronix to accelerate its growth and expand the footprint of its digital guest engagement platform to help customers around the world excel as the industry evolves.

Hindman’s appointment is part of the company’s long-term vision to position Paytronix for the future. Over the past few years, the company has continued to add senior talent, including Chief Customer Officer Andrea Mulligan, Chief Revenue Officer Charles Gray, and Chief Marketing Officer Pamela Robertson. 

• Paytronix Partners with Voicify to Bring Voice-Based Ordering to Restaurants

Hindman joined the Paytronix Board of Directors in 2022. He is an expert in go-to-market strategy and has led such efforts at several companies, including at NCR, where he headed the hosted solutions team. In his role as Chief Revenue Officer at Snap One, Hindman was a vital part of the team that led the company to a successful initial public offering. He also has deep expertise guiding technology companies in building channel partnerships that open new markets.

In his role as executive chairman, Robbins will continue to play an important role in the future of the company, as he will be intensely involved with the Paytronix executive team. He’ll remain active within the organization, focusing his vast experience on strategic initiatives, customer and partner relationships, and product strategy.

Duetto, the hospitality industry’s #1 Revenue Management Software (RMS), has released its latest look at the global hotel market, reporting positive signals in all metrics through to year-end.

Globally, Duetto data shows that room nights for this year are up 14%, ADR is up 9%, and rooms revenue is up 19% versus STLY.

For North America, all segments are enjoying a 6% uptick in room nights for 2023, a 3% gain on ADR, and an 11% lift in room revenue for this year compared with 2022 figures.

Focusing on Q4 2023, Duetto data shows a promising year-end for hoteliers.

Globally, room nights for Q4 2023 are up 20%, ADR is up 14%, and room revenue is up 23% versus STLY. For North American properties, Q4 2023 is trending up 6% on room nights, up 5% on ADR, and up 17% on room revenue versus STLY.

“These figures show us that business levels continue to normalize, as booking patterns and demand levels fall back in line with, or in some cases exceed, 2019 figures. This continued growth is a testament to the resilience of the global hotel industry, which has consistently looked for new opportunities and better ways to do business in recent years,” said Chris Crowley, Chief Revenue Officer, Duetto.

Business Returns for Convention Center Hotels

Convention Center hotels are seeing huge gains over STLY. Duetto data for Q4 2023 shows a 240% increase in room nights and a 283% growth in room revenue for properties in North America.

In North America, the Extended Stay model is also performing well, with Q4 2023 showing a 19% increase in room nights booked and an 8% increase in ADR, compared to the same time last year (STLY).

Full Service hotels in North America are showing a 14% increase in room nights for Q4 and a 3% increase in ADR versus STLY.

Splunk Inc., a cybersecurity and observability leader, announced Carnival Corporation & plc, the world's largest cruise company, is using Splunk software to help provide a secure and seamless customer experience to 300,000+ guests and crew every day worldwide. A collection of floating cities, Carnival Corporation's fleet relies on its systems running securely to offer the best guest experience possible and it requires visibility into all systems to ensure around-the-clock maritime operations and safety, where Splunk plays a critical role. 

"Our mission is to deliver unforgettable happiness to our guests by providing extraordinary cruise vacations and having a resilient system security posture is the foundation that allows us to do that," said Devon Bryon, Global CIO, Carnival Corporation. "Serving millions of guests each year sailing aboard 90+ ships, we work hand in hand with teams across our nine world-class brands to ensure our guests, crew and business are safe and protected. Splunk’s platform offers us the scale and flexibility to protect our company from ever-changing threats." 

Carnival Corporation teams worldwide use Splunk products to get real-time visibility across all applications, services, and security infrastructure. As a result, the company’s IT security teams can gauge the severity of system security issues, see all alerts in one place and reduce mean time to respond (MTTR) substantially by as much as 98% to mere hours in some cases. Carnival Corporation must be confident that its environment is secure because then it can focus on its primary function, ensuring the guests have a memorable cruise vacation experience. 

“As the largest global cruise company, Carnival Corporation's nine cruise line brands operate 24 hours a day, all around the world and they require a technology partner that can help them be secure in a world where access to data becomes more and more desired,” said Toni Pavlovich, Chief Customer Officer, Splunk. “As the threat landscape continues to evolve, it is more important than ever that companies have a cybersecurity strategy that enables them to remain resilient and performant, and Carnival Corporation is doing just that.” 

The company’s largest brand, Carnival Cruise Line, uses Splunk products to ensure its guest experience is seamless and secure. The digital experience begins when prospective guests first access Carnival.com to book their cruise. It continues as they leverage the Carnival HubApp to complete online check-in, book shore excursions and restaurant reservations, formally check-out, and more. Leveraging Splunk products, Carnival Cruise Line can quickly spot unexpected glitches on the website or the HubApp then move immediately to triage and resolve the issue before it affects the guest experience. 

Carnival Corporation and Carnival Cruise Line are participating in the keynote at Splunk’s 14th annual user conference, .conf23, featuring key insights and learnings from Michelle Garcia, Director, Information Security and Compliance, Carnival Cruise Line; Alex Tabares, Senior Director, Threat Intelligence, Carnival Corporation & plc; and Ruel Waite, Senior Manager, Site Reliability Engineering, Carnival Cruise Line. To learn more about how Splunk is helping build a safer and more resilient digital world with our leading security and observability solutions, please visit https://www.splunk.com/.