News Briefs

Cendyn, a global hospitality cloud-based technology company, has acquired Knowland, the US-based leader in data-as-a-service intelligence on meetings and events for hospitality. The strategic acquisition presents an opportunity to enhance sales prospecting by yielding greater bookings in the MICE (meetings, incentives, conferences, and events) space.

Knowland’s platform includes extensive market intelligence data on meetings and events gathered from over 7,500 hotels across the USA and a select handful of international markets. Knowland’s products connect hoteliers with market insights to drive more revenue, accelerate the sales cycle, and optimize processes to achieve group sales goals.

Alongside Cendyn’s current investors, earlier this year Cendyn welcomed Austin-based Haveli Investments to its private equity portfolio. With their focus on high-quality technology companies, the backing by Haveli Investments along with Accel-KKR puts Cendyn on a strong path to deliver innovation for the hospitality industry. The pairing of Knowland’s meeting and event data with Cendyn’s Sales CRM, Proposals, and Grouprev platforms highlights the opportunity this acquisition brings to their customers, empowering them to find and drive group bookings with a complete and single solution.

“To effectively sell group business, hoteliers need immediate access to data, and Knowland’s event intelligence platform is undoubtedly the market leader in this area. Its sales intelligence complements our Sales CRM, helping hoteliers find their target audience. Then, using our Proposals and Grouprev platforms, hoteliers can complete the booking process. It’s the perfect fit with our commitment to helping hoteliers ‘Find, Book, and Grow’ their business. With Haveli Investments’ dedication and expertise in technology joining our expansion, we’re poised to deliver a bright future for Cendyn’s customers,” said Jack Blaha, CEO at Cendyn. 

“Salespeople thrive on information, and over the past 20 years, Knowland has provided them with essential data to help target new business efforts and hone in on genuine leads,” said Jeff Bzdawka, CEO at Knowland. “This exciting new era furthers our commitment to improving the working lives of hotel sales teams and helps shift the needle towards a proactive sales approach to group business.”

According to the US Travel Association, after a slow recovery, business travel is expected to regain 95% of its 2019 peak in 2024. The acquisition provides Cendyn with the opportunity to equip its customers with a combined event intelligence and B2B prospecting solution, simplifying and automating the sales process to ease the management and success of sales outreach.

“We are excited to partner with Cendyn, its leadership team, and all of its shareholders, including Accel-KKR to capitalize on the growth opportunities that lie ahead,” said Ian Loring, Senior Managing Director and Executive Chair at Haveli Investments. “We believe Cendyn’s broad portfolio of hospitality solutions uniquely positions it to help continue capturing market share, expanding into new markets, and driving value for its customers.”

Mark Shambura has joined Panera Bread as Chief Marketing Officer. Shambura will lead all aspects of marketing at Panera, including Brand Building, Digital & Loyalty, Product Strategy & Consumer Insights. An accomplished marketing leader with broad expertise in the restaurant industry, Mr. Shambura has previously held marketing leadership roles during pivotal growth periods for top brands including Chipotle, MOD Pizza, and most recently Papa Johns.

"Mark brings an impressive background building brands and leading marketing teams for fast-casual restaurants, and we’re thrilled to welcome him to Panera Bread,” said José Alberto Dueñas, Chief Executive Officer. “As Panera continues to evolve our brand, guided by listening to our guests, Mark’s depth of experience and ability will help drive our growth as a brand that serves great food you feel good about eating.”

Shambura previously served as CMO at Papa Johns, where he led a revitalization of the brand by enhancing its iconic “Better Ingredients, Better Pizza” platform, and developing a more modern, innovative omnichannel approach to transform how Papa Johns appealed to both new and loyal consumers. As Executive Director at Chipotle, Mr. Shambura guided the marketing function through periods of both sustained growth and transition, providing leadership over brand strategy, advertising, digital, social, events/sponsorships, promotions, and field marketing, including playing a key role in spearheading its “Real Ingredients” brand strategy.

“I’m proud to join the Panera Bread team and excited to build on the momentum of the brand's transformation as it continues to evolve in service of our guests,” Mr. Shambura said. “Panera propelled and cemented its position at the top of the fast casual restaurant segment through its promise of high-quality ingredients and freshly prepared food, and I’m thrilled to join a highly talented team to help shape its next chapter.”

Prior to his tenure in the restaurant industry, Mr. Shambura gained extensive marketing agency experience, working with a broad array of top global consumer brands for over a decade. Shambura will report directly to José Alberto Dueñas, Chief Executive Officer, and officially assumed the role of Chief Marketing Officer on July 29, 2024.

TRAY, a global provider of cloud-native enterprise-class POS systems, has expanded its existing partnership with Alraedah Finance, a financial and digital solutions provider based in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. 

Alraedah has made a significant financial investment in TRAY further empowering the technology provider to develop its cutting-edge POS system and support its Enterprise customers. Alraedah Digital Solutions, a division of Alraedah Finance, will provide additional resources and expertise in data analytics, product development, and third-party integrations. The two parties launched an exclusive reseller agreement in 2023 to power small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), as well as larger Enterprise customers across various industries in the Middle East & North Africa region with cutting-edge POS Solutions, sometimes referred to as Electronic Cash Register (ECR) Solutions in the region.

As the exclusive reseller of TRAY POS in the MENA Region, Alraedah resells, configures, and supports the TRAY solution, which is available in English as well as the local language and currency, making the solution accessible and turn-key for end customers. TRAY-branded financial products are also slated for development including TRAY Capital and TRAY Pay. Given the flexible technology TRAY offers, the same can be done in other international markets with ease.

"We’re appreciative of the partnership and investment from Alraedah,” said Peter Kellis, Chief Executive Officer of TRAY. “Their support and vision are instrumental in propelling our mission to revolutionize the restaurant POS industry. This collaboration not only strengthens our global presence but also enhances our ability to deliver innovative solutions that meet the evolving needs of our clients.”

caption: Peter Kellis, Chief Executive Officer of TRAY, pictured left, with Paul Melotto, CEO of Alraedah Digital Group, pictured right. 

Over the last year, TRAY's state-of-the-art POS system has enabled Alraedah Digital Solutions to provide customers in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia with easy-to-use and reliable solutions that optimize business operations and enhance customer experiences. The new financial support provided bolsters TRAY’s ability to expand international reach and enhance service for existing US and Canada customers.

“TRAY has proven to be an indispensable tool for hospitality businesses in our region,” stated Paul Melotto, CEO of Alraedah Digital Group. "This growing engagement deepens both party’s ability to support businesses on an international scale. Together, we are poised to set new standards in the industry and drive meaningful growth. We look forward to the continued success of this partnership and the exciting opportunities it will bring."

Hospitality operators in food and beverage, cafes and lounges around the MENA Region have growing access to an efficient, reliable and scalable POS solution that can optimize business operations and enhance in-store consumer experiences through the partnership between Alraedah and TRAY. TRAY’s extensive experience in delivering POS solutions to businesses worldwide, coupled with Alraedah's commitment to championing growth for independent and fast-growing brands, will further empower and enhance existing service offerings such as POS financing, and also contribute to the overall development of the SME sector in Saudi Arabia.     

ParTech Inc. announced the Q4 2024 launch of the PAR POS Fall Release, introducing significant advancements in point-of-sale technology. This update brings a next-generation platform, and cutting-edge features designed to enhance operational efficiency, boost customer satisfaction, and future-proof restaurants in an ever-changing landscape.

From contactless payment options to multi-lane drive-thru innovations, the Fall Release sets a new benchmark for restaurants aiming to meet modern demand with speed, reliability, and flexibility.

"With this release, we’re pushing the boundaries of what restaurant technology can achieve," said Savneet Singh, CEO of PAR Technology. "The PAR POS Fall Release brings forth impactful solutions, like QR code payments, native digital wallets, and new order modes, transforming how restaurants engage with their customers. Our evolved architecture ensures restaurants are equipped to stay ahead of industry and business demands, enhancing every facet of their service delivery."

84% of survey participants plan to add new functionality, features, or modules to their current POS software, according to HT's 2024 POS Software Trends Survey

Key Features 

• Pay-at-the-Table via QR Code with PAR Pay and CheckPlease
  Contactless payments are transforming how restaurants operate. Through its partnership with CheckPlease, PAR Pay now allows guests to settle checks instantly via QR codes on their mobile devices. Perfect for table service, drive-thru, and to-go orders, this solution delivers a frictionless checkout experience with flexible payment options. It helps speed up table turnover, boosts average tips by 16%, and allows staff to focus on delivering exceptional service.
   
• Platform Extensibility and More Control Over Your Data
  Restaurants will be able to integrate kiosks, menu boards, and other external systems directly within the restaurant via local RESTful API endpoints. This in-store integration bolsters independence from the cloud, further strengthening in-store reliability, even during internet outages. Guests will enjoy faster, more responsive ordering experiences since the data is processed locally. Additionally, with this release, PAR POS strengthens restaurant data management by allowing restaurants to organize and categorize information with custom labels, identifiers, and brand-specific terms, making data easier to find, analyze, and export to third-party platforms. This extends data consistency across systems and enables more targeted, informative reporting.
   
• Faster, More Accurate Ordering
  With Rapid Promo Entry, restaurants can now automatically apply promotion items to orders with a simple promo code, speeding up transactions and reducing errors. This streamlined approach ensures both ease and accuracy at the point of sale. Additionally, the new On the Fly, One Behind Ordering feature allows for natural guest ordering by holding items back from the kitchen display until the next one is started. This gives time to finalize modifiers, preventing early preparation, reducing errors, and cutting down on food waste. It’s designed to enhance kitchen efficiency and improve both speed and service quality.
   
• Multi-Lane Drive-Thru Enhancements
  The new Multi-Lane Drive-Thru Enhancements allow a default register to be assigned to an Order Confirmation Board (OCB), persisting day-to-day to eliminate the need for repeated setup. An indicator on the register shows the assigned OCB, improving visibility and order accuracy while reducing labor effort and staff frustration. This feature builds on earlier innovations, including larger order preview panels and drag-and-drop order re-sequencing in-lane and on the kitchen display system (KDS).

Redefining Restaurant Success

The PAR POS Fall Release reflects PAR’s ongoing commitment to evolving technology for the restaurant industry. Its modular architecture delivers faster updates and enhanced in-store performance, ensuring flexibility to meet future challenges.

The Future of Restaurant Management Starts Now

The rollout of the latest version of PAR POS begins in Q4 2024,

Aimbridge Hospitality, a leading, global hotel management company and the world’s largest third-party hotel operator, is strengthening its technology leadership in the industry with a newly developed proprietary data reporting platform called Aimbridge Intelligence, built to provide greater transparency and collaboration with owners.

Housed in OwnView, a dedicated portal exclusively available to Aimbridge owners, Aimbridge Intelligence creates new opportunities for owners with seamless access to information, including key performance data intended to offer greater flexibility and self-service capabilities to complement the work of property support teams.

“We are constantly striving to be the most trusted hotel operator in the industry, and we are committed to solving challenges and celebrating successes with our owner partners, which led to the creation of OwnView and Aimbridge Intelligence to further prioritize their needs,” said Craig S. Smith, Aimbridge CEO. “This technology offering is another important step we are taking as part of a new chapter at Aimbridge, providing transparent, collaborative solutions for our owners while holding ourselves accountable in our performance-driven culture.”

Built on Power BI to automate data integration and updates, Aimbridge Intelligence gives owners near real-time access to STR performance, RevPAR Index, profitability, guest service, and turnover data. Through this data tool, owners can view the metrics associated with their individual hotels or an entire portfolio, allowing for expedited implementation of relevant strategies to address areas of opportunity.

Today marks a first-generation edition of Aimbridge Intelligence, and future features will incorporate AI and machine learning for demand forecasting, with other possible expansions of functionality to include more comprehensive data sets for deeper comparisons and trend tracking.

“We set out to build a groundbreaking data product that would solve our long-standing desire to provide owners this information and data in this format, enhancing their understanding of hotel performance, profitability, and services, with an elevated level of transparency,” said Keryn McNamara, Aimbridge Chief Information Officer. “With Aimbridge Intelligence, owners have direct access to the data they’ve been seeking, allowing for deeper analysis along with increased efficiency and speed in accessing relevant information. We are proud of our teams for developing this transformational tool intended to better serve our owners and enhance data accessibility.”