News Briefs

Hapi, the leading hospitality data and connectivity solutions provider, announced an extended partnership with Shiji, the hospitality technology innovator, that will include Infrasys POS, a Shiji product. Hapi is the connectivity layer that allows Infrasys POS to connect to other property management systems (PMS) vendors, making it a friendly and flexible solution for brands that have a mix of PMS platforms across their portfolio. 

Today, many hotel PMS platforms are based on old technology that is expensive to set up, hard to maintain, and difficult to use. By connecting Shiji’s Daylight PMS and Infrasys POS, a cloud-based solution with offline capabilities, Shiji provides a guest-first approach through the hyper-personalization of the guest experience using a single, global guest profile across the entire hotel portfolio. 

Hapi enables the integration of major PMS solutions, including Daylight PMS, to provide visibility into guest, booking, and on-property data from all properties from the brand level, regardless of the PMS platforms they may have.

 “At Hapi, we’ve built an integration and data-sharing platform to drastically and effectively improve the process,  helping hotel operators and technology providers streamline the integrations and data collection processes through simple, cost-effective APIs,” said Jeff Bzdawka, president of Hapi. “This partnership begins with the enablement of POS use cases, with the expectation to enable additional use cases in the future to increase the value provided for our mutual customer base."

“Our partnership with Hapi underscores our commitment to innovation. Through the delivery of a seamless implementation solution, we empower hoteliers with the ability to normalize guest data and analyze it more comprehensively,” said Kevin King, CEO of Shiji International. “By adding connectivity to Infrasys POS, our hospitality clients and their guests will gain full visibility into food and beverage charges, reservation lookup, and post-check out information that will include F&B and room charges.”

Deliverect, a global food tech SaaS company, launched Pulse Sentinel, a powerful feature designed to eliminate unnoticed downtime on delivery platforms. Pulse Sentinel addresses a hidden threat that many restaurant operators overlook—unnoticed downtime that quietly drains revenue and disrupts operations. Through immediate alerts and automatic re-opening options, Pulse Sentinel improves uptime across all delivery apps, effectively boosting restaurant performance, fuelling growth, and protecting guest loyalty. In fact, Deliverect data shows that a restaurant brand with 100 locations will experience an average of 5% downtime during their open hours, resulting in a staggering 322 hours of downtime per week across all stores. That equates to an estimated £50,000 in lost weekly revenue—simply because locations are unknowingly offline.

Brands face two types of downtime on delivery apps: desired and undesired. While desired downtime is intentional and controlled––allowing restaurants to go offline for reasons like inventory management, staff shortages, or maintenance––undesired downtime is unpredictable, caused by technical glitches, system errors, or operational issues. This unexpected downtime disrupts online ordering, leads to missed sales, and negatively impacts the customer experience.

Burger King UK relies on Pulse Sentinel to combat downtime across 321 locations. They have seen a significant sales uplift, and lost sales recovered.

“Downtime used to be a silent killer. Lost revenue, frustrated guests, and missed opportunities to build loyalty were adding up behind the scenes,” said Jon Longobardi, Head of Digital Operations Burger King UK. “It’s not just about saving lost revenue; it’s about protecting our reputation and staying ahead of the competition. Last week alone, Pulse Sentinel brought our restaurants back online 892 times. With Pulse Sentinel, we’re able to drive revenue and deliver exceptional experiences to our guests every single day.”

Additional Burger King UK results include:

• Boosted Sales & Delivery Growth – Automation through Pulse and Pulse Sentinel has driven significant sales uplift, fuelling Burger King UK Home Delivery expansion.
• Near-Perfect Uptime – Restaurant uptime improved to consistently achieving over 99% within just six months.
• Proactive Issue Resolution – Across Burger King's 321 UK locations operating across three delivery platforms, Pulse Sentinel actively keeps restaurants online. In the past week alone, Pulse Sentinel was triggered 892 times, guaranteeing seamless operations.
• Always Online, Always Ready – Pulse Sentinel automatically restores Burger King UK connectivity an average of 4,000 times per month, preventing lost sales.

“Accessing reporting on total downtime was always retrospective. By the time we saw the data, the revenue was already lost. There was nothing we could do about it. With Pulse Sentinel, we can act in real time, addressing downtime in the moment—enabling our restaurants to be online, keep our guests returning to Burger King (UK), whilst maximising our delivery sales every day,” Longobardi added.

Following the launch of Pulse—a powerful platform that optimises store health across third-party apps with features like marketplace visibility and competitive monitoring—Deliverect has seen rapid adoption across global markets. Now, the company is taking the next step with Pulse Sentinel. This new addition gives restaurant operators a single, dedicated map to efficiently manage stores’ status, and identify downtime causes. Automated re-open flows and proactive notifications eliminate the need for constant manual intervention, allowing stores to come back online swiftly and effortlessly guaranteeing maximum uptime and sustained growth. Additionally, the system quantifies the financial impact of downtime at each location, offering data-driven insights to optimises performance.

“Third-party delivery is a lifeline for restaurants, but when storefronts go dark without warning, operators are left in the dark, too,” said Zhong Xu, CEO of Deliverect. “For too long, brands have had no way to combat these outages, which means they’ve been unavoidably losing thousands of pounds in revenue every single week. We built Pulse Sentinel to change that. By providing consistent visibility and automatic re-opening options, we’re putting control back into the hands of restaurant operators. No more guessing, no more missed orders—just continuous operations that keep revenue flowing and customers happy. In an industry where margins are razor-thin, this kind of control is a game changer.”

Sercotel, one of the largest urban hotel chains in Spain and Andorra, is using Oracle OPERA Cloud property management system (PMS) and Oracle Simphony Cloud Point-of-Sale to support its ambitious international growth. Spanning 77 corporate and franchised hotels, with 6,200 rooms, Oracle Cloud is helping Sercotel centralize the management of its hotels, ensuring standardized processes and better integration with its existing reservation and finance systems, and loyalty programs.

“At Sercotel, our goal is to provide the best service to our customers and adapt to their personalized needs,” said Nicolas Lleixa Arnau, senior CTO, Secortel. “With OPERA Cloud and Simphony Cloud, we have made our hotel operations more efficient with centralized reporting and analytics and have a scalable and secure infrastructure that will allow us to grow in a sustainable way into the future.”

With Oracle Cloud, Sercotel now has access to unified guest profiles that include information from hotel stays, on property dining, and loyalty programs, enabling the chain to personalize experiences no matter where a guest chooses to stay. The mobility of OPERA Cloud also frees hotel staff to engage with visitors anywhere on a property and has helped simplify hotel operations, from check-in and check-out to housekeeping and maintenance.

In addition, Sercotel has been able to reduce the system implementation time for new openings thanks to the flexibility in the configuration of the system in terms of rates, OPERA Cloud inventories and even in the loading of existing reservations. For its part, Oracle Simphony Cloud is helping to optimise room service and restaurant operations, improving efficiency and streamlining ordering in the chain’s restaurants.

“Travelers are demanding convenience and high-tech experiences more than ever before, and hoteliers are looking for the technology that will help them stay ahead of the curve,” said Alex Alt, executive vice president and general manager of Oracle Consumer Industries. “Oracle Cloud is helping provide Sercotel with the innovative, scalable, and secure tools they need to continually grow, innovate, and deliver a consistent, memorable to experience to guests across regions and properties.”

A new report has been launched by Expert Market looking at the current state of the accommodation industry - highlighting the tech innovations businesses are using to modernize services and keep challenges, such as staffing, at bay.

The Accommodation Industry Report surveyed more than 400 accommodation businesses on the state of the industry, their biggest upcoming challenges, and how they aim to address them.

Guest communication is a central theme to the industry’s new tech as 12% of accommodation businesses want less reliance on front desk staff for customer support. 

When asked ‘what changes they expect to their establishments in the next five years’, a greater use of mobile phone apps for customer communication was cited as the primary way by 14% of the surveyed businesses. 5% stated that they would like to depend more on AI chatbots for this. 

The report highlights how accommodation businesses are using new technology and software to help streamline some staffing duties during their current staffing crisis, which has the highest industry quit rate since 2022. ‘Hiring and Staffing Levels’ was found to be the investment area that’d been reduced the most by franchise and independent accommodation businesses, 49% and 34% respectively, due to rising business costs. 

When asked what measures had already been taken to alleviate staffing issues, 12% said they’d invested in software solutions. Integration of smart technologies in guest rooms - such as automated lighting, climate control, entertainment systems - was another key way that 14% would like introduced to enhance guest personalisation and experience. 

11% are keen to harness customer data more to tailor services and marketing. By analyzing booking trends, preferences and feedback, accommodation businesses are optimising their offerings to meet evolving guest needs, further enhance operational efficiency, as well as driving profitability through better targeting and personalisation.

Recognising the importance of a strong digital presence for the future, 10% aim to employ dedicated staff to manage their establishment’s digital presence. 

The report also asked the accommodation businesses which technologies they currently used the most, finding that Surveillance and Security Systems were first, followed by Reservation/Booking Software, and Landline Telephones.

Cybersecurity Attacks were highlighted as a significant operational risk by 10%, it’s clear to see why many deem security at the top of their tech list.

Expert Market’s Editor, Chris Maillard, comments:

“As with most other industries in 2025, the accommodation industry is also looking to technology for evolution as well as a solution to the issues currently facing the industry, such as employment gaps and the burdens on staff.

Using technology to improve room facilities and create a better guest experience is hugely welcome. Initiatives such as growing online presence and implementing more data for better targeting and personalisation are essential in today’s competitive market.

While these may help a lot, ultimately it’s people that are still at the heart of the accommodation industry. Effective personnel is a vital part of what creates a great guest experience, so focusing on hiring and retaining great staff should still be paramount.”

Please see the full Accommodation Industry Report findings and business recommendations here: https://www.expertmarket.com/accommodation/industry-trends-key-challenges-and-future-predictions

Lunchbox, the leader in enterprise restaurant catering and off-premise technology, has announced the appointment of James Walker as CEO as the company enters a new era of growth with a clear roadmap to profitability and innovation. With record momentum—including high-profile enterprise brands joining its expanding portfolio, an explosive rise in product adoption, and a sharpened focus on the next generation of restaurant technology—Lunchbox has also announced a funding round led by a strategic investment from Shift4, the leader in integrated payments and commerce technology.

James Walker Appointed as CEO, Nabeel Alamgir Executive Chairman
James Walker and Nabeel Alamgir will work as strategic partners to drive Lunchbox into its next phase of growth. Walker will lead growth and execution, leveraging decades of industry experience, while Alamgir doubles down on AI and automation, ensuring that Lunchbox remains the industry's most advanced, operator-first platform. Together, they're building a Lunchbox that helps operators scale faster, work smarter, and stay ahead leveraging best-in-class technology.

"We're charting a bold new course for restaurant technology," said Nabeel Alamgir, Executive Chairman of Lunchbox. "With James at the helm, Shift4's backing, and our relentless focus on innovation, we're not just building for today—we're designing for tomorrow's restaurant operators."

James Walker Brings Operator Edge, Decades of Experience 
A seasoned industry leader, Walker brings 30+ years of executive experience across QSR, Fast Casual, and Casual Dining, scaling global brands like Subway®, Nathan's Famous®, and Cinnabon®. Before stepping into the CEO role, he has served on Lunchbox's Board of Directors for over x years, playing a key role in securing its investment and partnership with Shift4.

Walker, widely respected in restaurant tech and delivery, combines expertise in enterprise growth, AI strategy, and operations to drive Lunchbox's next phase of growth. He holds an MBA from Duke and has completed executive programs at Harvard, Yale, and MIT, including a focus on AI strategy at MIT.

"Lunchbox is a pioneer in restaurant innovation, and I'm honored to lead the charge alongside Nabeel Alamgir," said James Walker, CEO of Lunchbox. "Restaurants deserve technology that works for them, not against them. My focus is on scaling our solutions to meet the evolving needs of enterprise brands, ensuring they have the tools to compete and succeed in today's digital-first landscape."

Record Growth and a Focus on the Future
Lunchbox has experienced record-breaking growth, with a 340% increase in average deal size since 2022, as it continues moving upmarket with brands like Paris Baguette, Pei Wei, Friendly's, Hawaiian Bros, Biscuitville, and Papa John's. The company's long-standing partners—including Clean Juice and other multi-unit brands—have contributed to 300% growth in product adoption, with the average number of products per client rising from 1 to 4 since 2022.

Strategic Investment Led by Shift4
Fueling this momentum, Lunchbox has secured a new round of funding, led by Shift4, further validating its market leadership and profitability strategy. This funding will accelerate product development, enhance enterprise capabilities, and reinforce Lunchbox's commitment to helping restaurant brands scale seamlessly. With the strategic partnership, Shift4 will prioritize Lunchbox as the enterprise solution for its SkyTab POS system.

"We're excited to partner with Lunchbox as they set the standard for order management and other enterprise restaurant solutions," said Taylor Lauber, President of Shift4. "By integrating their powerful capabilities into SkyTab POS, we're able to enhance our product ecosystem to better serve the needs of enterprise restaurants and deliver a unique differentiator to this customer segment. Our investment reflects our confidence in Lunchbox's vision to continue to transform the restaurant technology landscape."

With a sharpened focus on AI, automation, and the evolving needs of enterprise brands, Lunchbox is redefining what restaurant technology can achieve. Built by operators, for operators, the platform continues to evolve, with its customers having a direct seat at the table in shaping the roadmap.