News Briefs

Concordium announces a global partnership with SONIO to deliver a highly efficient and cost-saving application innovating the travel industry by streamlining the hotel guest registration process.

SONIO, a product of Advanced Living Technologies and a partner of Deutsche Telekom, is a unique platform working as an IDaaS (Identity as a Service) to improve the customer verification process and eliminate the need for lengthy and costly administrative operations. 

By partnering with Concordium, a first mover in Web3 specialized in encrypted identity attributes at the blockchain level, SONIO will be able to use the extensive Concordium Identity Verification [IDV] wallet infrastructure to design the ‘SONIO ID Wallet’ application.

Using the encrypted zero-knowledge proofs of users’ identity attributes that are uniquely embedded in the Concordium chain and wallet, the SONIO ID Wallet will enable guests to control their personal data in a self-sovereign manner and choose to share all or parts of their personal data. The conversion of an ID document, such as a passport, into digital code (zero-knowledge proofs), represents the future of industrial and commercial trust, where parties will instantly and efficiently trust each other while protecting their privacy by not needing to exchange any actual personal information. 

SONIO can ensure access and immediate demand for this application in the travel sector through its existing partnership with AT-VISIONS and its large network of global hotels. SONIO has also established a reseller agreement with Deutsche Telekom, through their TechBoost partnership program, whose salesforce is planning to support the expansion of SONIO’s reach across their own network.

Additionally, Deutsche Telekom and SONIO have already agreed on a full-scale beta test in partnership with Lindner hotels, which will run a proof of product across their travelling guests.

Daniel Schnitzler, Senior Partner Manager at TechBoost (Deutsche Telekom), says: “SONIO, our partner in Deutsche Telekom's TechBoost program has created an exciting product for the travel and hospitality industry with the SONIO Identity Wallet. With the SONIO wallet, Lindner Hotels & Resorts is the first customer in the area of ​​guest identification and reporting. Together with our sales units, we will support the expansion of the product with our customers," 

Dieter Kindl, Chief Business Officer at SONIO, says: “The digitization of processes and the reduction of complexity on the part of our customers will be further advanced by using the SONIO ID wallet. In addition to the hotel industry, promising talks are being held with Deutsche Telekom with interested parties in the area of ​​the car rental and other travel-related companies. The SONIO ID Wallet will thus make travel much easier for travellers throughout their journey.” 

“SONIO ID is advancing self-sovereign identity and the future of practical engagement with blockchain efficiencies and security for end users that Concordium is exactly designed for. We have had a great union so far and fully expect to evolve this partnership into something very special indeed.” says Conor Ringland, Chief of Operations at Concordium. 

Up and coming QSR  Salad and Go  is expanding in Texas with three new locations opening in February in the Houston markets of Katy, Richmond and League City.

The Katy store located opened February 1, the Richmond location at  is set to open February 17, and the League City store plans to open its doors on February 22. These new locations will mark the start of rapid brand expansion across the Greater Houston area.

These suburbs were strategically selected as ideal markets for Salad and Go as some of the fastest growing communities in the region. Conveniently located in some of Houston's most popular suburbs, the new locations will provide fresh, high-quality meals with quick and easy convenience at an affordable price.

As Salad and Go continues growing its national presence with a strong focus on Arizona, Texas, Oklahoma, and Nevada, the brand's expansive growth has it on a positive trajectory to provide fresh and affordable food to communities in more than 125 locations by the end of 2023. Houston is the next step in the brand's expansion across Texas with plans to open additional stores in the market throughout the new year.

Salad and Go's chef-curated menu provides guests with food for any time of the day by offering a variety of delicious and healthy items including salads, wraps, breakfast burritos and soup as well as beverages including hand-crafted lemonades, teas and cold brew coffees.

Salad and Go ensures each meal contains fresh, quality ingredients while keeping prices low by vertically integrating operations and distribution, and sourcing ingredients directly from high-quality local farmers and suppliers whenever possible. The brand's mission to make fresh, nutritious food convenient and affordable for ALL extends beyond its stores and is demonstrated in the work the brand does to donate 4,000 meals every week to those in need, as well as in partnerships with nonprofits to support and fundraise for various worthy causes.

Focus Brands says dual branding is the future of QSR, and the parent company of Auntie Anne’s®, Carvel, Cinnabon, Jamba, McAlister’s Deli, Moe’s Southwest Grill, and Schlotzsky’s, is leading the charge. Today, the Focus Brands portfolio boasts 175-plus open dual branded units with at least 65 more in various stages of development across the country. 

Drive-Thru Convenience

The Focus Brands portfolio brands have signed agreements to open more than 50 dual and tri-brand locations in the coming year, many of which include drive-thrus for added convenience as interest in dual branded franchise opportunities continues to surge.

Flexible Store Formats

Focus Brands is among the brands introducing new store formats, including Krystal, Jack-in-the-Box and Panera Bread, which opened its Panera To Go, solely offering Rapid Pick-Up and Delivery shelves where guests and delivery drivers can easily pick up orders.  

Focus Brands has long pioneered the concept of dual branding, predominately in malls and non-traditional locations with Auntie Anne’s and Cinnabon. Now, the company’s portfolio brands have found new opportunities with streetside dual branded units, which is paving the way for immense franchise growth. 

“Dual branding is the future of our brands, especially on the specialty side of the business,” said Brian Krause, Chief Development Officer at Focus Brands. “There will always be a place in malls, but there is an immense amount of growth opportunity in streetside venues, and, by dual branding, there is more opportunity for enhanced revenue.”

The company invested heavily in consumer research to identify how to create combinations of its iconic brands to resonate with consumers and meet them where they want to be met.

Focus Brands has identified four dual-brand concepts:

• Auntie Anne’s/Cinnabon
• Auntie Anne’s/Cinnabon/Carvel
• Auntie Anne’s/Jamba
• Cinnabon/Carvel – Cinnabon Swirl. 

While key consumer benefits vary by dual-brand combination, one consistent benefit has been convenience. Having these brands together in one location makes them far more accessible than they are individually. This convenience also creates opportunity for franchisees, as co-branding leads to an expansive menu that drives enhanced unit-level volume. 

 

Uniguest, a global provider of digital engagement technology to multiple end markets, announces the release of its next generation Digital Hotel Guest Directory. An interactive tool for hotels to share key information efficiently with guests and leverage revenue generating opportunities. This release includes a new Enterprise Package that offers game changing features and branding control options specifically designed for hotels to enhance their brand programs.  

The Uniguest Digital Hotel Guest Directory is a hub for hotel guests to engage with property communications, amenities, campaigns and services via their personal device, with no app downloads and accessed via a quick scan of a QR code.

This new release offers a completely new and flexible directory editor that delivers comprehensive customization tools, and the power to create the ultimate branded digital companion for guests.

Enterprise hospitality brands also benefit from unrivalled control via centrally managed corporate branded templates. This enables brands to retain overarching control over their guest facing digital content, plus they can set hotel permissions to view or edit content to ensure brand guidelines are always met.

A new dynamic workflow means that any amendments or design changes made to brand-level templates are immediately implemented, eliminating the need for properties to manually update content. This allows both hotels and brands to consistently deliver their communications within brand guidelines.

Finally, this latest update adds additional language support that allows guests to digest content in their preferred language, improving content deliverability, increasing engagement and boosting revenue opportunities.

Steve Keisling Uniguest VP, Key Accounts, said, “As we lead the way in redefining guest engagement, we’re delighted to introduce an upgraded version of our digital, app-less guest directory to our brands and hotels. We’re offering a unique solution for hoteliers which is simple and easy for them to manage and update, while delivering the perfect companion to enhance guest experience.”

Hotel management system RoomRaccoon has partnered with Adyen, the global financial technology platform of choice for leading businesses, to enhance its digital product’s payment capabilities, making payments for hoteliers easier, more affordable and more secure.

The two-way connection between the solutions will seamlessly automate payment processing for hoteliers through the RoomRaccoon booking engine, channel manager and front desk, track payments in real time and reduce the risk of fraud, identity theft, and illicit activities.

With an impressive international reach, the partnership with Adyen will see RoomRaccoon expand its payment offering in 28 markets, including new destinations in Europe and North America.

The partnership will also build on payment methods in RoomRaccoon’s payment platform. With Adyen and RoomRaccoon, hotels can benefit from a well-established system of payment methods, including local payment method preferences, that their guests know and trust.

Frits Beyer, Payments Manager at RoomRaccoon, says: “The modern guest values convenience. They want to see options like alternative payment methods and touch-free experiences woven into their stay. With personalized, flexible payment technology, hotels can create the best payment experience for guests and secure repeat business for their properties. We’re excited to partner with Adyen to enhance our client’s payments offering and deliver five-star experiences for guests.”

Mark Rademaker, Head of Hospitality at Adyen adds, “Adyen’s technology gives hospitality staff an automated solution that unifies front-of-house and online booking systems with information in real-time, meeting the demands of customers. Our financial technology empowers guests with a choice of how to pay upon check out, with the assurance that payments are seamless and secure. We’re excited to support RoomRaccoon with its international growth strategy, accepting global and local payment methods while being compliant with country regulations, so the business can grow at scale.”

- Canary Technologies, a leading hotel guest management system, conducted a survey of 1,000 recent hotel guests and 300 hotel workers to uncover guest tipping behavior in hotels. While tipping in the service industry is a well-established American custom and an essential part of worker wages, tipping in the hotel industry lacks transparency. The survey results show that tipping in hotels is less prevalent than other service industries. partly due to friction in the current tipping process.

The survey found many inconsistencies in reported tipping behavior. While 79% of hotel guests think hotel workers should receive tips, only 59% reported leaving one at their most recent hotel stay. However, hotel workers say that only 30% of guests actually tip staff members. In contrast, 99% of recent hotel guests claim to tip at restaurants when they dine out.

Approximately 70 percent of housekeepers said tips from guests have stayed the same or decreased over the past 5 years. In an increasingly cashless economy, about 60 percent of hotel guests claim to carry less cash than they did just five years ago. Correspondingly, the survey also found that a digital tipping solution would be a welcome tool that guests would like to use to tip hotel workers. More than 70% of hotel guests who did not tip hotel staff at their recent stay would have left a tip if digital tipping was offered.

The hotel industry faces the challenge of Increasing hotel employee wages and attracting labor back to the hospitality industry. Wages have already increased 25% since 2019, outpacing overall wage growth in the US. However, AHLA's 2022 survey found that 87% of hotels are still experiencing a staffing shortage, suggesting further wage increases may be needed to attract enough workers to the industry.

Canary's survey discovered that nearly 80% of current hotel workers say they would be more likely to stay with their current employer if their tips were increased. Additionally, 70% of hotel workers felt that hotel management teams actually have a duty to encourage tips to staff members. Hotel workers reported low pay as the most common reason for leaving the industry.

Other Key Findings

• Generation Z makes for the best hotel guests. They report cleaning up after themselves more frequently and thoroughly before checkout as well as being more likely to tip, with 62.5% leaving a tip at their most recent hotel stay (<12 months).
• However, Boomers tip more when they do tip. Only 56% of Boomers tipped at their most recent stay, but those who did tip left larger amounts than average.
• Business travelers are better tippers than personal travelers, being 15% more likely to tip.

"With no end in sight to the hotel staffing shortage, and clear indication from our survey that both hotel guests and workers desire better tipping options, digital tipping is more relevant than ever," said Bryan Michalis, Vice President of Marketing at Canary Technologies. "Digital tipping is a powerful tool that hotel management teams can deploy quickly and easily to improve staff retention. It also provides guests with a cashless method to do what they overwhelmingly report that they want - express gratitude to the workers who provide them with outstanding service during their stay."

To review the white paper with the report findings, click here.