News Briefs

Consumer privacy and security company ExpressVPN is delighted to announce a partnership with Booking.com for Business, Booking.com’s corporate travel booking product, to offer enhanced digital protection and convenience for business travelers. The collaboration is part of ongoing commitments from both companies to further meet the digital privacy needs of professionals on the move.

To launch the partnership, ExpressVPN is rolling out a special offer: Business travelers who sign up for a 12-month ExpressVPN subscription through Booking.com for Business will receive 4 additional months at no extra cost. Customers who take up this offer will benefit from a significant boost to their digital privacy and security while traveling.

ExpressVPN provides a host of benefits for business travelers:

• Secure Public Wi-Fi: With ExpressVPN, business travelers can confidently connect to public Wi-Fi hotspots safely in the knowledge that their data and privacy are protected.
• Change your virtual location: ExpressVPN allows users to change their IP address, the unique number that identifies your location worldwide. So whether it's accessing company databases or other key resources relevant to work, users can access their digital essentials wherever they are.
• Enhanced Privacy: The VPN service masks your IP address, protecting personal and business communications and data from prying eyes.

Zac Eller, GM, Global Partnerships & Business Development at ExpressVPN, said, "ExpressVPN’s partnership with Booking.com for Business is a testament to our commitment to providing a safer digital experience, especially for those whose work takes them around the globe. We are excited to offer ExpressVPN’s premium privacy solutions to the global network of business travelers facilitated by Booking.com for Business. This partnership not only fortifies the digital privacy of business travelers but also underscores both companies’ commitment to innovation and customer-centric solutions.”

Josh Wood, Director, Business Travel & Head of Booking.com for Business, said, "Our collaboration with ExpressVPN aligns perfectly with our vision to make travel easier for our customers. These robust privacy tools further extend the ways that we help small businesses manage every aspect of their travel needs.”

Lighthouse, a commercial intelligence platform for travel and hospitality, today announced the launch of its Integration API as part of the new Lighthouse Developer Solutions suite. This strategic initiative accelerates innovation in the hospitality tech ecosystem by enabling technology providers to build certified integrations while creating new revenue opportunities.

Industry-wide, the demand for seamless technology integration continues to grow. The Lighthouse Integration API addresses this need by offering a comprehensive framework that goes beyond basic connectivity.

Technology providers – from Property Management Systems (PMS) to Channel Managers – can now develop direct integrations while maintaining control over their development process and timeline.

"Innovation and collaboration are at the core of Lighthouse's DNA," said Sean Fitzpatrick, CEO of Lighthouse. "Our Integration API makes it easier than ever for hospitality tech providers to connect with our platform and create value. Partners can now integrate in weeks, not months, with full support from our team. Importantly, we're aligning our incentives through revenue-sharing opportunities. When our partners succeed, we succeed."

The Integration API delivers a comprehensive development framework including detailed documentation, sandbox environments, and dedicated technical support. Partners can implement either one-way data access or full two-way synchronization, enabling real-time exchange of rates, inventory, and performance metrics.

The platform supports multiple integration types: Business Intelligence for enhanced reporting, Benchmark Insight for competitive positioning, Pricing Manager for revenue optimization, and Channel Manager for streamlined distribution.

For independent hotels' technology providers, the Integration API offers a particularly compelling opportunity to enhance their market position. Partners can leverage Lighthouse's extensive dataset and commercial intelligence capabilities while maintaining their unique value proposition. The program includes:

• A structured certification process with dedicated technical support
• Access to comprehensive documentation and testing environments
• Revenue-sharing opportunities through successful integrations
• Joint marketing initiatives and access to Lighthouse's 70,000+ customer base
• Ability to offer enhanced value to existing customers through deeper integration

Early adopters are seeing clear results - from streamlined operations to new revenue. This marks another step in Lighthouse's commitment to helping hospitality tech providers succeed. "By committing to an open platform, we're not just offering technical integration, we're creating a collaborative ecosystem where partners can grow their business while delivering more value to their hotel customers," added Fitzpatrick. "This is just the beginning of our commitment to empowering hospitality tech providers with world-class developer solutions."

ezCater and Dave’s Hot Chicken, today announced the launch of the fast-casual brand’s first-ever catering program, responding to the increasing demand from workplaces nationwide. The new partnership enables organizations to conveniently order Dave’s Hot Chicken for meetings, events, and employee lunches from over 200 of its locations.

Drawing on ezCater's 18+ years of workplace catering expertise, Dave’s Hot Chicken has crafted a versatile catering menu that includes individually packaged boxes and trays. The menu has been optimized for large-group orders, featuring fan-favorite hot chicken tenders, sliders, and sides.

“Partnering with ezCater allows Dave’s Hot Chicken to tap into high-value workplace customers like never before,” said Jim Bitticks, President and Chief Operations Officer, Dave’s Hot Chicken. “This partnership will help us capitalize on the growing demand in workplace catering while also opening up a new revenue stream for our franchise owners. The average order value for Dave’s Hot Chicken orders on ezCater exceeds $500, and we expect catering to represent as much as 10% of our business within a year.”

Dave’s Hot Chicken will benefit from ezCater’s platform, which is designed to help restaurants get valuable, incremental catering orders and backed by award-winning customer service. A majority of Dave’s Hot Chicken locations also leverage ezDispatch, which supports them with local, reliable delivery partners in their area.

Absolute Hotel Services Group (AHS), one of the fastest-growing hospitality management and branding companies in Asia, has chosen the Oracle OPERA Cloud and Simphony Cloud Point of Sale (POS) platforms for all of its AHS-branded properties worldwide. With connected, intelligent applications running on a common data platform, Absolute will be able to glean the insights it needs to operate more efficiently, enhance guest experiences, and support revenue growth. Absolute began the rollout of the Oracle solutions across 23 properties that account for 3,600 rooms in late 2024, and its remaining locations are expected to be transitioned by early 2026.

“Making this investment in Oracle’s cutting-edge technology is a testament to Absolute’s unwavering commitment to innovation and guest satisfaction,” said Jonathan Wigley, CEO and founder of Absolute Hotel Services Group. “This marks a pivotal moment in our journey toward becoming a global hospitality leader. The Oracle platforms are already helping us refine our operations and assist our staff in delivering exceptional service.”

With the OPERA Cloud property management system (PMS), Absolute is centralizing its guest data and operations to provide management a complete picture of its business, encompassing distribution, sales, customer service interactions, and loyalty programs. Accessible through mobile devices, OPERA Cloud enables staff to make faster, data-driven decisions from anywhere on its properties to better serve guests, handle housekeeping tasks, manage reservations, and more.

With Simphony POS, Absolute will also be able to better understand the dining preferences of its customers to reward guests for their purchases and deliver more relevant offers over time.

“By leveraging OPERA Cloud and Simphony POS, Absolute Hotel Services Group is not only elevating the guest experience, it is reshaping the hospitality industry's landscape in APAC,” said Patrick Andres, Regional Vice President of Hospitality for JAPAC at Oracle. “This digital transition highlights Absolute’s commitment to providing an easy-to-navigate, comprehensive customer experience to guests, while also setting themselves up for success with all the modern tools they need to drive revenue and make their staff’s lives easier.”

Absolute Hotels (AHS) selected Oracle OPERA Cloud in Q1 FY25.

Aptech, a provider of enterprise accounting, business intelligence, financial planning and management solutions for the hospitality industry, announced the launch of its new accounting solution, PVNG Fixed Asset Management (FAM). Designed to meet the unique needs of hotel organizations, properties and groups, PVNG FAM offers an interactive platform for managing, updating and reporting on assets across one or multiple locations.

Empowering Hotel Organizations with Asset Information

PVNG Fixed Asset Management is a dynamic system that helps hotel organizations monitor the full life cycle of their assets, from acquisition through end-of-life. The system’s capabilities allow users to view and update their asset inventory at any time, ensuring that critical information is kept up-to-date. With the ability to log costs against the anticipated and actual life span of assets, hotel management can quickly assess current and potential future savings, optimizing operational efficiencies across all departments.

Key Features of PVNG FAM Include:

• Detailed Reporting: PVNG FAM allows users to generate detailed reports on assets.
• QR Code Scanning: With integrated QR code scanning, users of PVNG FAM can instantly locate assets with their mobile devices and be instantly directed to the relevant asset record, allowing for seamless updates on the go.
• Mobile App Accessibility: Through the convenient PVNG FAM mobile app, users can update and review asset information both online and offline, and synchronize data when reconnected to ensure a fully integrated experience.
• User Access Control: Secure access can be assigned to various users, including staff, engineers and external contractors. Each user has access tailored to their role, ensuring relevant and secure management of assets across single or multiple locations.
• Category Management: With PVNG FAM assets can be categorized and grouped for efficient reporting at a management level. Asset values and depreciation can also be tracked, while identifying when assets nearing the end of their recommended life cycle.

Streamlining Operations Across Multiple Locations

Compatible with all web browsers, PVNG Fixed Asset Management empowers hotel groups to manage assets across multiple properties, providing an all-encompassing view of operations from a single system. With customizable reports, users can compare asset performance across locations and allocate resources effectively, ensuring that budget constraints and maintenance needs are met with ease.

We continuously listen to our clients to develop new products and features to meet their evolving accounting and financial management needs,” said Jill Wilder, Aptech President. “In having these conversations, we identified a need for a robust solution that would allow hotel finance teams to easily track, manage, update and report on their fixed assets across single or multiple properties. PVNG FAM is an ideal enhancement to our PVNG offering for new and existing customers that provides a host of benefits.”

Aptech’s integrated suite of solutions includes PVNG, Execuvue® and Targetvue, which comprise an integrated technology ecosystem designed to help hoteliers at both the corporate and property levels understand their financial and operational data and provide actionable insights. These solutions focus on enterprise accounting, business intelligence, financial planning and management, and are used by more than 3,500 hotel properties across North America.