News Briefs

Internationally recognized culinary innovator, author, educator, and humanitarian José Andrés has been announced as the opening keynote-session speaker for the second iteration of The Hospitality Show, produced by Questex and the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA). Additional speakers and programming updates will be announced in the coming months.

In this lively discussion on Monday, Oct. 28 titled “Changing the World Through the Power of Food,” Andrés will share his passion for affecting positive change, along with his belief in the principle that “food is a basic human right.”

Andrés is a committed advocate of food and hunger issues and has championed the role of chefs in the national debate on food policy. In 2010, Andrés formed World Central Kitchen, a non-profit specializing in delivering food relief in the wake of natural and humanitarian disasters. The organization has since delivered over 350 million meals worldwide.

In his culinary pursuits, Andrés is known for being a pioneer of Spanish tapas in the United States, as well as his groundbreaking avant-garde cuisine. He created the award-winning group of nearly three dozen restaurant concepts, José Andrés Group, which includes the two-Michelin-starred minibar by José Andrés in Washington, DC, the acclaimed New York City food hall Mercado Little Spain, and multiple locations of the Bazaar by José Andrés.

Andrés has been named one of Time’s “100 Most Influential People” in both 2012 and 2018, was a recipient of the 2015 National Humanities Medal, and has been celebrated by the James Beard Foundation as both an “Outstanding Chef” and "Humanitarian of the Year." As a naturalized citizen originally from Spain, Andrés was named by President Barack Obama as the 2014 “Outstanding American by Choice” for his tireless advocacy supporting immigration reform.

Through The Hospitality Show’s 2024 conference program, attendees will learn from over 100 industry heavyweights, who will provide attendees with tangible takeaways for more profitable and efficient operations. Industry professionals can customize their learning experience across three stages, each supplying various insights into the most pressing issues hoteliers are facing, including:

·        Shifting customer expectations

·        Increasing profitability through sustainability

·        Brand differentiation best practices

·        Workforce and stakeholder alignment

·        Franchising

·        The latest in technology disruption, and more

In addition to a robust conference program, The Hospitality Show will feature an expo floor filled with over 400 vendors offering the latest operations and technology solutions to streamline performance and drive profitability.

The Hospitality Show will take place October 28-30 in San Antonio, Texas. For more information and to register, visit the website at www.thehospitalityshow.com. For program updates as they are announced, sign up here to receive the show newsletter, and follow on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and X.

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.”

Hotelbeds has formalized a new strategic partnership with Palladium Hotel Group to enhance the distribution of their properties across Europe.

This strategic partnership will provide travel professionals with access to a curated selection of Palladium Hotel Group most sought-after accommodations, ensuring exceptional experiences for travelers in Europe.

Under this strategic partnership, Hotelbeds will offer its B2B clients a portfolio of properties across Europe, including iconic destinations such as the Costa del Sol, Ibiza, Menorca, Sicily and Tenerife.

“This agreement with Palladium Hotel Group marks a significant milestone in our continuing partnership” said Carlos Muñoz, Chief Commercial Officer at HBX Group. “We are proud to deepen our relationship with them and enhance our commitment to delivering exceptional value and service to our B2B clients and their customers.”

“We are deeply satisfied to continue our long-standing partnership with HBX Group. This new agreement represents an exciting opportunity to take this relationship to the next level and generate additional value for our hotels across Europe”, stated Rafa Rubi, Regional Sales & MKT Sr. Director EMEA+A at Palladium Hotel Group.

Stayntouch, a provider of cloud hotel property management systems (PMS) and guest-centric technology, unveiled UpsellPRO, an advanced upselling tool designed to expand and maximize revenue opportunities for hotels. Powered by Attribute-Based Selling (ABS) and dynamic pricing, UpsellPRO enables hotels to unbundle room reservations and market individual room features to guests during the booking process. UpsellPRO is available as a built-in product within the Stayntouch PMS, dramatically building on the company’s existing upselling capabilities. 

Hotel guests continue to be challenged and hampered by rising costs and the limitations of legacy technologies, which limit control over their room purchases and bookings. According to a 2021 joint report released by Stayntouch and the NYU Tisch Center of Hospitality, 68 percent of travelers believe ABS would provide clarity when booking a hotel, with 46 percent willing to pay more to select their preferred room attributes. In addition to delivering ABS without fundamentally altering the existing hotel distribution model, UpsellPRO provides the functionality for travelers to pick and choose their preferred features and services during their stay while also offering hotels new avenues to drive ancillary and room revenue. 

Additional features and benefits include:

• Instant availability, dynamic pricing, and easy onboarding and deployment—UpsellPRO automatically prices features to maximize conversions, so hotels do not need to set prices manually. Once easily activated within the Stayntouch PMS, UpsellPRO operates within a hotel’s existing room category-centric inventory model. 
• Increased revenue and conversions—ABS drives up to a 23-percent increase in upsell revenue through attractive upsell options at a variety of price points, empowering guests to personalize their stay and maximizing revenue for hotels within each room category. Attribute-based upsell options may include features such as ocean views, hardwood floors or special check-in services. Prices are automated and vary based on demand.
• A hyper-personalized guest experience—Allows guests to choose room setup, add ancillary services and opt for early check-in or an extended stay to tailor their on-property experience. Using existing room categories and hotel inventory models, hotel operators can implement ABS strategies without additional technology investments. 
• Automated mobile and kiosk-based upsell and cross-sell offers—Delivers automated offers for room upgrades, amenities and monetized early check-in/late check-out directly accessible via a guest’s smartphone or the hotel’s welcome kiosk.
• Real-time consumer and performance data—Provides nuanced information about guests’ room preferences and price sensitivity. Hotels can use ABS data to further analyze their performance over time and understand the value and demand behind each of their attributes, services or amenities.

Dan Hogan, chief product officer, Stayntouch, said: “We are excited to unveil Stayntouch UpsellPRO to the hospitality industry as the latest in our suite of defining technology. ABS will change how travelers interact with hotels and will contribute to the evolution of our industry by giving guests more control, a greater variety of options, and improved visibility over their stay before they finish booking. For our hotel partners, ABS will drive new revenue opportunities as it perfectly suits properties with diverse offerings and helps support seamless operations. UpsellPRO further establishes Stayntouch as the most flexible, scalable and easy-to-use technology suite.”

Stayntouch will demonstrate UpsellPRO at HITEC 2024 in Charlotte, N.C., from June 24-27. Event attendees can book a meeting with Stayntouch at Booth #451 to learn more about UpsellPRO and Stayntouch PMS.

Continued inflation is driving consumers to seek out more promotions, discounts and loyalty programs to manage costs associated with dining out, acccoing to the Givex 2024 Restaurant and Dining Trends Survey.

The Givex 2024 Restaurant and Dining Trends Survey draws from responses of over 1,000 Americans, offering a detailed look into evolving consumer behaviors as the economic landscape shifts.

According to the survey, 86% of Americans cite promotions as a major incentive to dine out, closely followed by coupons and discounts at 81%. Additionally, 65% of respondents find value in loyalty programs, and nearly half (47%) are attracted to Happy Hour deals. This shows a clear trend of consumers seeking ways to maximize value in response to rising menu prices and the ongoing impacts of inflation. 

"The ongoing economic challenges have understandably altered the way people approach dining out," said Givex’s Chief Commercial Officer, Mo Chaar. "Our survey indicates that while price sensitivity has increased, so has the appreciation for value-added services like loyalty programs and promotional offers, which can help restaurants maintain customer engagement during these challenging times."

Other key insights include:

• Inflation Impact: A notable 78% of Americans agree that higher menu prices have made dining out more challenging over the past year.

• Shifts in Dining and Delivery: Some 41% of respondents are dining out less frequently, while 45% have reduced their food delivery orders compared to last year. Meanwhile, 60% report cooking more at home.

• Loyalty Programs: Nearly half of all Americans prioritize grocery loyalty programs, with 49% rating them as most important. Overall, 87% of Americans participate in at least one loyalty program. 
  
  When asked what they really want from loyalty programs, 78% of customers surveyed want discounts, according to HTs 12^th annual 2023 Customer Engagement Technology Study.  

• Technology Adoption: There's a growing acceptance of AI — specifically conversational AI-driven product recommendation technology — in the restaurant industry, with 52% of Americans comfortable with its implementation. In Hospitality Technology's 2024 Restaurant Technology Study co-sponsored by Givex, 63% of restaurant operators surveyed said they are planning to use or add AI or automation/robotics into their operations. Both data sets underscore the growing demand for emerging technology to enhance the customer experience and restaurant operations.

"As we navigate a period marked by economic adjustment, understanding consumer priorities is essential for businesses aiming to enhance customer experiences and drive sales," said Chaar. "The insights from our 2024 survey provide critical data that can help restaurant owners and operators make strategic decisions that align with customer preferences."

For more information about the technology solutions offered by Givex, visit givex.com.

• Nearly 75% of respondents ranked pools and hot tubs as one of the top three most important amenities when booking a hotel or resort room  
• Only ‘complimentary breakfast’ surpassed ‘pools/hot tubs’ as the most important amenity   
• More than 95% of respondents expect that public pools and hot tubs are sanitary and clean 
• Only 10.5% of respondents are not concerned at all about chlorine levels and bacteria in commercial pools and hot tubs  
• More than 50% of respondents have had a pool or hot tub close during their stay at a hotel or resort  
• More than 68% of respondents have never been provided with upfront information regarding water sanitation and safety measures when visiting a hotel or resort