News Briefs

IHG Hotels & Resorts (IHG) announced an industry-leading renewable energy offering for IHG hotels in select markets across the United States in collaboration with Ampion, a provider of community solar solutions. IHG is the first hotel company to provide hotels a community solar offering that includes Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs), helping hotels reduce greenhouse gas emissions by accessing renewable energy through solar panel projects built near a hotel’s community.

The electricity generated by solar panel projects is fed into the local power grid, and hotels can subscribe to a portion of the projects and will receive both Green-e® certified RECs and a discount on their regular electricity bill for the clean energy produced. Through this model, enrolled hotels can credibly claim to be powered by renewable energy while supporting the development of new local solar projects that create jobs and improve the air quality in their communities.

This offering is available in states with legislation supporting community solar, contingent on available capacity. IHG’s community solar offer is currently active for hotels across Illinois, Maine and Maryland, with more states to follow soon. Hotels that have signed up or engaged in the enrollment process represent nearly 30 percent of IHG’s hotels’ energy footprint in those three states – the equivalent of replacing the electricity usage of more than 5,700 average U.S. homes with renewable energy.

Catherine Dolton, SVP, Corporate Responsibility & Chief Sustainability Officer, IHG Hotels & Resorts, said: “We are excited to offer IHG-branded hotel owners an innovative solution to help them reduce their carbon emissions at the property level. IHG’s community solar offering, in collaboration with Ampion, is a win-win for hotel owners due to its cost savings, zero capital expenditure and environmental benefits. This offering is just one of the many ways we’re driving progress toward IHG’s sustainability commitments, which includes reducing our energy use and carbon emissions in line with climate science.”

Joshua Lustig, General Manager, Crowne Plaza College Park - Washington, D.C., said: “Our decision to go live with IHG’s community solar offering at our nearly 300-room hotel is two-fold: we are passionate about being a more sustainable hotel and know we can make a positive impact here in Washington, D.C. We are on a journey toward decreasing our environmental impact and we are proud to support our local community through this offering.”

Nate Owen, CEO, Ampion, said: “Ampion is proud to help IHG hotels reduce emissions with clean energy while saving money. We look forward to expanding this offering to more states and helping more hotels enhance their sustainability. The leadership teams of both companies have worked hard to make this innovative community solar offering a reality. Ampion’s mission is to make renewable energy accessible everywhere, for everyone. We’re thrilled to be partnering with a company that shares our commitment to a clean, sustainable future.”

In markets where community solar projects are not available, IHG hotels can act sustainably in other ways, such as purchasing RECs to negate the emissions produced by their energy use or installing solar panels on their roofs, to name a few. For example, the InterContinental Buckhead Atlanta hotel purchased unbundled Green-e® certified solar RECs to cover their estimated emissions from their electricity usage for 2023. Likewise, IHG purchased RECs to offset energy use at its corporate office and Design Center facilities, both located in Atlanta, Ga.

Leveraging renewable energy is just one way IHG is approaching its 46 percent carbon reduction target, which is part of the company’s Journey to Tomorrow (JtT) 10-year responsible business plan. Reducing carbon emissions is not only vital to protecting the world around us but is also critical for the long-term resilience of IHG’s business.

In line with JtT, IHG has established brand standards, launched tools and trainings, and released guidance that help hotels reduce their energy use – from low and no cost behavioral strategies to the adoption of energy conservation measures that require a larger investment. While energy conservation measures typically pay for themselves over time, IHG also supports hotel owners by increasing their awareness of tax incentives and rebates that help reduce the overall cost of these investments.

To learn more about IHG’s commitment to responsible business, please visit www.ihgplc.com/en/responsible-business. 

Panda Express announces the launch of Panda Rewards, its first points-based national rewards program.

It utilizes a personalized points-based system that rewards members with ten Panda Points  for every dollar spent on qualifying purchases. Once 200 Panda Points have been accumulated, guests can start redeeming their favorite Panda menu items. Each month, guests' first qualified purchase will unlock a surprise Good Fortune Gift ranging from bonus points to special discounts or even free food, along with a unique digital fortune cookie message to be collected. Panda Rewards members will also receive a birthday gift of their choice.

"Sharing good fortune is an important value at Panda, and we are delighted to launch our first rewards program nationwide as a heartfelt expression of gratitude towards our loyal guests for their continued support throughout the years," said Andrea Cherng, Chief Brand Officer at Panda Express. "We look forward to engaging our guests in a playful and meaningful journey of good fortune as they collect unique prizes offering exceptional value every time they dine at Panda."  

The more Panda Points members accrue, the better the rewards options. The rewards range from a free upgrade to a premium entrée, a free drink of choice to even a free Family Meal. Guests have a personalized experience to choose their preferred reward from multiple options. What's more, Panda Points do not expire unless there are no qualifying purchases in 12 months.

Panda Rewards members can earn and redeem Panda Points when ordering through the Panda Express mobile app or the PandaExpress.com website, in-store, or the drive-thru. Those ordering online that have logged in as a Panda Rewards member will automatically receive Panda Points for their purchase. For in-store and drive-thru orders, guests can easily access and present a QR code in the mobile app for a Panda associate to scan. Alternatively, guests can also enter a unique rewards code found on their receipt from an in-store order that can be entered in their account up to seven days from purchase in the app or online to earn Panda Points on that purchase.

Wendy's and Google Cloud announced an expanded partnership to pilot an artificial intelligence (AI) solution, Wendy's FreshAI. The technology has the potential to transform Wendy's drive-thru food ordering experience with Google Cloud's generative AI and large language models (LLMs) technology.

Demand for Drive-Thru

With 75 to 80 percent of Wendy's customers choosing the drive-thru as their preferred ordering channel, delivering a seamless ordering experience using AI automation can be difficult due to the complexities of menu options, special requests, and ambient noise. For example, because customers can fully customize their orders and food is prepared when ordered at Wendy's, this presents billions of possible order combinations available on the Wendy's menu, leaving room for miscommunication or incorrect orders. Google Cloud's generative AI capabilities can now bring a new automated ordering experience to the drive-thru that is intended to enhance the experience that customers, employees and franchisees expect from Wendy's. As HT reported last month, one Wendy's franchise, Wenspoke, is expanding its use of AI in the drive-thrus.

"Wendy's introduced the first modern pick-up window in the industry more than 50 years ago, and we're thrilled to continue our work with Google Cloud to bring a new wave of innovation to the drive-thru experience," said Todd Penegor, President and CEO of the Dublin, Ohio-based QSR. "Google Cloud's generative AI technology creates a huge opportunity for us to deliver a truly differentiated, faster and frictionless experience for our customers, and allows our employees to continue focusing on making great food and building relationships with fans that keep them coming back time and again."

Pilot Near HQ

In June, Wendy's plans to launch its first pilot of Google Cloud's AI technology in a Columbus, Ohio-area, Company-operated restaurant, using those learnings to inform future expansions to more Wendy's drive-thrus. The pilot will include new generative AI offerings, such as Vertex AI and more, to have conversations with customers, the ability to understand made-to-order requests and generate responses to frequently asked questions. 

This will all be powered by Google's foundational LLMs that have the data from Wendy's menu, established business rules and logic for conversation guardrails, and integration with restaurant hardware and the Point of Sale system. By leveraging generative AI, Wendy's seeks to take the complexity out of the ordering process so employees can focus on serving up fast, fresh-made, quality food and exceptional service.

Today's update builds upon Google Cloud's and Wendy's long standing partnership to enhance the Wendy's restaurant experience. Since 2021, Wendy's has leveraged Google Cloud's data analytics, AI, machine learning (ML), and hybrid cloud tools to make it faster, easier, and more convenient for customers to access the brand.

Atly, the user-generated social mapping platform purpose-built for discovering places to go and things to do, today announced its official launch with $18 million in funding from Target Global, Tal Ventures, and FKA Brands to offer users seamless, effective, and trustworthy location-based content. In its open beta to date, Atly witnessed thousands of user-created community-based maps, with hundreds of new maps generated organically each month across verticals like food and restaurants, travel, nature and the outdoors, parenting, and more.

Digital search is currently undergoing a massive transformation as people turn to an ever-growing list of resources beyond traditional search engines to decide their next moves. Often, they rely on social media over Google Search and Google Maps for destination, activity, and purchase recommendations that feel authentic, up-to-date, and personally curated for them. But platforms like TikTok and Facebook weren't purpose-built for location-based discovery. Social media users are forced to dig through never-ending streams of stories and posts, whose usefulness counterintuitively dissipates the more information is shared, and are faced with limited location-based search, filtering, and bookmarking capabilities. Meanwhile, creators and businesses suffer limited monetization among an audience not necessarily intent on immediately visiting the places they discover while scrolling aimlessly. As a result, people pay the price of wasted time and effort as well as inferior real-life experiences, and creators and businesses suffer lower ROI.

Atly leverages social media-like user-generated knowledge with mapping and location discovery tools to help people find their new favorite places. In the Atly app, users create and join map-based communities centered around the things they love. Atly creates a go-to source for previously unmapped content and surfaces gems of information from like-minded people that allow users to trust in the authenticity, integrity, and specificity of every recommendation they uncover. In doing so, Atly gives people intent on discovery the confidence that they're sure to enjoy the places they visit, and creators and businesses are met with higher conversion. The funding will allow Atly to invest in state-of-the-art algorithms and overall performance, to release much anticipated product features and updates, and to collaborate with additional creators. The app is available in the App Store or Google Play Store.

Muscogee (Creek) Nation Casinos in Oklahoma have launched the Muscogee Creek Mobile App at all nine locations.

Designed for optimized player engagement, the Everi Mobile App gives casino guests the power of self service and features the operator's branding. Core functions of Everi Mobile include tie-ins to Everi's CashClub Wallet for cashless gaming, extensions of the operator's loyalty program, property content management tools, and marketing opportunities.

"With Everi's mobile platform, our guests have the ability to extend their casino experience along with the benefits of engaging with our loyalty program from their mobile devices," said Andy Langston, Chief Operating Officer, Muscogee (Creek) Nation Casinos.  

• Integration with third-party delivery are driving 29% of restaurants’ POS upgrades,   according to HT's 2023 POS Software Trends report

Phase one of the Muscogee Creek Mobile App rollout includes three main modules, offering opportunities for additional player engagement, mobile marketing, and pushing property content. To further engage Muscogee (Creek) Nation players, the Muscogee Creek Mobile App technology extends loyalty services to players' mobile devices, including for offers, drawings, promos, and event calendars.

The Muscogee Creek Mobile App also helps players find restaurants on the property to make reservations, directs players to other F&B outlets, highlights property entertainment experiences, and displays other hotel amenities.

 

Panera launches Drive-Thru Pick-Up, combining the ease of the digital ordering experience with the comfort and convenience of the drive-thru window.

Guests can now choose the Drive-Thru Pick-Up option when ordering ahead on the Panera app or website to get their favorite Panera order at the Drive-Thru without leaving their vehicle.  

Digital sales at Panera represent more than 50 percent of total system sales, and with more than three million average transactions each week from digital channels including the app, kiosk and web. Panera guests continue to seek their favorite soups, salads, sandwiches and more with the increased convenience, customization, speed and ease that the digital experience enables. Panera bakery-cafes featuring Drive-Thru Pick-Up will still offer the traditional Drive-Thru experience with the ability to order at the Drive-Thru screen. With Drive-Thru Pick-Up, guests who order ahead can simply announce their name at the speaker and pull ahead to the window - which allows for an even faster and more convenient way to pick up their order.

“Panera pioneered the idea of digital ordering in the restaurant industry, and for years, our guests have loved the option to order ahead and pick their items up on the Rapid Pick-Up^® shelf,” said Chris Correnti, SVP, Channels and Guest Experience, Panera Bread. “Now we’re extending that convenience to the drive-thru, giving our guests another fast and convenient way to get their favorite Panera meal.”

Panera has continually invested in the digital guest experience creating new ways to order and receive food, including in-cafe kiosk, Rapid Pick-Up, Contactless Dine-In and now Drive-Thru Pick-Up. The Panera app is one of the top-rated restaurant apps and MyPanera, Panera’s loyalty program that began in 2010, has more than 53 million members.