News Briefs

LG Business Solutions USA is demonstrating how its broad range of powerful display technologies, service robots and computing devices can improve hospitality guest experiences throughout hotel rooms, lobbies, business centers, meeting spaces and even restaurants at HITEC 2023 in Booth 1809 in the Metro Toronto Convention Centre.

Visitors to LG’s booth in Toronto this week can see how the latest displays enable upgraded experiences and capabilities for specific hospitality scenarios, with booth areas designated to present technologies for Lobbies, Retail, Reception, Meeting Rooms, Business Centers, Smart Rooms, Suite Rooms, Presidential Suite Rooms and Public Solutions including restaurants and bars. LG is also highlighting the LG CLOi ServeBot robot assistant and an EV charging station that includes a 55-inch LG digital signage display with an integrated revenue-generating ad placement service.

Starting in the Lobby zone, a 65-inch 4K display shows how hotels can integrate digital art canvases and features live content provided by Blackdove and Apollo, a digital art subscription service and LG partner. The Retail zone highlights the unique atmosphere offered by LG’s cutting-edge transparent 55-inch 4K OLED display and Transparent LED Film that can be applied to any glass surface, including windows.

•  LG to Bring Apple AirPlay to Hotel Room TVs

In the Reception Zone, visitors can experience the “wow factor” and power of LG’s 136-inch All-in-One Smart Series 1.5mm pixel pitch DVLED display that includes an embedded controller, an on-board speaker, optional rolling floor stand and the option to add simple screen sharing through the LG One:Quick Share accessory solution. 

The booth’s two Meeting Room zones exhibit how simple it can be to enhance a meeting room with smart conferencing capabilities, utilizing the LG CreateBoard, a 75-inch interactive digital board that offers 40-point multitouch, 4K resolution, dual 15-watt speakers and simple screen sharing through the LG CreateBoard Share app.

Also featured at HITEC 2023 is a demonstration of the popular LG CLOi ServeBot robotic assistant that can carry food and beverages in service settings, as well as a advanced EV charging station that features a 55-inch LG digital signage display with integrated BroadSign software to enable new revenue streams for hotel operators through automated ad sales. Flanking the exhibits are a variety of guestroom 65-inch TV models, including OLED models that present upgrade options for guest rooms.

For more information about LG’s hospitality-focused products shown at HITEC 2023, click here. 

Shiji, a global hospitality technology innovator, has partnered with IPORT, an award-winning manufacturer known for enhancing the usability of iPads and iPhones, to introduce an all-in-one software solution for hotel restaurants. This collaboration will provide hoteliers with a seamless combination of a tablet and payment device to maximize their F&B operations.

The integrated iOS and payment device solution simplifies guest service for hotel restaurant servers, providing them with an effortless tool to cater to their guests' needs. As a certified Apple partner, Shiji and IPORT guarantee exceptional performance and reliability. Hoteliers can choose from multiple device options, including iPad Pro, iPad Mini, and iPhone, ensuring flexibility and compatibility with their operations.

“IPORT products are built around modularity and flexibility that empower our hospitality customers to do more with the iOS platform. We are thrilled to partner with a leading iPad and iPhone cloud PMS and POS platform provider like Shiji,” said Chris Lawson, Head of Partnerships, IPORT. “We look forward to innovating with Shiji in disrupting legacy, monolithic providers who have limited the industry from harnessing the power of iOS and mobility. The future is bright, and the possibilities are endless with IPORT, iOS, and Shiji.”

"The partnership with IPORT is a significant milestone for Shiji in our commitment to provide innovative technology solutions for the hospitality industry," said Ryan King, Senior Vice President of Shiji in the Americas. "By combining our expertise with IPORT’s hardware solutions, we empower hoteliers to streamline restaurant operations and deliver exceptional guest experiences. This collaboration represents another step forward in our dedication to driving success in the Americas, and globally."

The tablet and payment device solution seamlessly integrates with multiple payment gateways, allowing hoteliers to choose the system that best suits their needs. By simplifying the payment process, it reduces operational complexities, minimizes errors, and saves valuable time and resources for hoteliers.

Steak n Shake will offer PopID Check In and PopPay on its self-ordering kiosks in select locations in the Orlando market, with plans to expand to more than 300 corporate locations. PopID Check In is an opt-in service that enables consumers to scan their face to automatically sign into their loyalty reward account and see their past orders, making the ordering process as convenient as possible. When a guest checks in with PopID, they also have the option to use PopPay to automatically complete their payment.

• 57% of respondents say enabling new payment options is a  top business driver impacting POS upgrade decisions, according to HT’s2 2023 POS Software Trends Report.

“Our partnership with PopID is a key part of our effort to provide guests with a fast and seamless ordering experience," said Keith Correia, Chief Information Officer. "When using PopID Check In, a guest does not need to use their phone or take out their wallet as part of the ordering process. They will automatically be checked in for loyalty rewards, and they can choose to make an automated payment with PopPay. A guest can even see their past orders and quickly reorder their favorite menu items. Ordering at Steak n Shake has never been easier or more convenient.”

In addition to enhancing the guest experience and improving order throughput, PopPay helps to reduce fraud and offers lower payment processing fees.

For electric vehicle owners in British Columbia, Tim Hortons is now fueling road trips in more ways than one.  The company has announced the expansion of its electric vehicle charging station pilot launched earlier this year in Oakville, Ontario, by unveiling six new charging stations at restaurants throughout  British Columbia.

Tim Hortons announced the pilot in February in an effort to study the technology, its usage and opportunities.

"We have been thrilled with the results of the pilot so far.  Usage of the charging station in Oakville has surpassed our expectations and we received many calls with requests to expand the pilot," said Paulo Ferreira, Senior Director, International Strategic Restaurant Design and Building Standards, Tim Hortons. "With more than 3,300 eligible restaurants across the country, we continue to look for opportunities to expand the pilot and contribute to the EV infrastructure."

The BC expansion, supported by the Province of BC's Community Charging Infrastructure Fund and Koben Systems Inc. (KSI), placed charging stations strategically in Nanaimo, Langford, North Vancouver, Burnaby, Abbotsford and Coquitlam to create paths within the province, allowing guests to travel from restaurant to restaurant strictly on electric power.

Tim Hortons offers charging stations as a courtesy to guests at six locations.  As of March 31st, 2013, Tim Hortons had 4,288 system-wide restaurants, including 3,453 in Canada, 808 in the United States and 27 in the Gulf Cooperation Council. 

Infor  announced a new partnership with TipQwik to offer hoteliers the ability to provide guests more flexible tipping options. Through this advanced integration, Infor Hospitality Management System (HMS) customers can instantly offer guests the ability to securely and efficiently give gratuities to select staff departments. Hotel guests access the gratuity function via the HMS Mobile Guest Experience, providing a quick and convenient way to manage gratuities. Gratuities can be posted and processed via a credit card on file or posted directly to a guest’s hotel account for seamless integration to the Infor HMS property management system.

TipQwik is a mobile tipping application created to allow customers and guests to provide gratuity payments to people in hospitality and service industries directly from their mobile devices, letting them leave a tip from anywhere in the world. TipQwik integrates with existing systems, such as property management, to communicate with guests and customers to make tipping as convenient as possible.

“The numbers of people carrying paper currency on them every day continue to decline due to the rise of credit cards, e-commerce, digital currency and even the pandemic,” said Matt Tuchband, co-founder of TipQwik. “The ability to tip with a smartphone throughout a property is important for two reasons. The first, reduced turnover through retention and reduced hiring costs for staff that normally do not get tips included on a bill such as housekeeping, porters, etc. And two, it provides a simple option for guests to show their appreciation at any time without fumbling for cash.”

“Partnering with Infor, a leading hospitality technology provider, allows us to provide their HMS customers with another extension to help hotel properties increase bottom-line results, employee happiness and the overall guest experience,” Tuchband added.

• Digital Tip Platform Raises $4M

Specifically, TipQwik Mobile Tipping integrates with Infor HMS Mobile Guest Experience. Upon check-in, the guest can access the application allowing them to make gratuity payments to the hotel staff throughout their stay directly from their mobile device and finalize payment at the end of the stay via their hotel room account or via one-click payment options such as ApplePay, GooglePay and saved credit card while maintaining the highest levels of PCI compliance.

Infor HMS provides enhanced property management functionality that enables hoteliers to serve guests more efficiently, with speed and agility. By adding this strong, easily integrated gratuity component, the solution will deliver more tools to help hoteliers improve the guest experience, get more repeat business, and improve reporting with greater visibility around total employee compensation.

“Infor remains committed to always evolving its HMS software as industry needs dictate new challenges,” said Joe Vargas, Infor senior vice president for hospitality. “Partnering with TipQwik to offer enhanced options to changing guest preferences, such as offering solutions for those who prefer to operate in a cashless society yet still want to support hospitality workers reliant on tips as part of their income, was the right step in keeping our customers competitive.”

For more information, visit Infor Hospitality. 

MarginEdge, a restaurant management and bill payment platform,   announced the official launch of an innovative new finance tool, [me] finance, an accounts payable automation solution built exclusively for restaurant accountants and bookkeepers.

Designed to automate manual processes and simplify workflows, [me] finance eliminates the need for data entry and turns invoice and sales data into powerful reports to help accounting professionals track and manage everything coming into a client's restaurant.

Designed to automate manual processes and simplify workflows, [me] finance eliminates the need for data entry and turns invoice and sales data into powerful reports to help accounting professionals track and manage everything coming into a client's restaurant.

 

Among the key benefits of [me] finance, accountants and bookkeepers can access:

• Automated Invoice Processing - Simply scan, email or take a photo of an invoice and the details will be captured and digitized in less than 48 hours to give an up-to-date picture of food costs.
• Robust Financial Reporting - Visual budget tracking, controllable P&L statements, category reports and sales data help make for more informed financial decisions, such as investing in profitable segments of the restaurant or cutting back on underperforming ones.
• Back-Office Efficiencies - Pay or schedule an unlimited amount of payments so they are always on time. Invoices can move from "approved" to "paid" in as little as two business days – automatically syncing to the accounting system and providing consistent proof of payment. Know which invoices have been paid and which are still outstanding – helping the prioritization of payments and more visibility into cash flow.
• Flexible Payment Options - Customers have the option to pick from our vast network of over 55,000 industry-specific vendors or enroll their own vendors in electronic payments. [me] finance also takes care of the check writing, stuffing and sending  – all for one flat rate, no additional fees or cost per invoice.
• Automatic Vendor Credit Tracking - The first AP automation provider to track credits, making sure restaurants never pay a cent more than what they owe.
• Multi-Unit Management - Streamline multi-unit management and ensure consistency across locations with one centralized platform for standardized payments.
• POS and Accounting Integrations - Sales data is pulled nightly from a restaurant's POS along with bills marked as "Paid" and instantly exported to accounting software like QuickBooks, making it easy to reconcile  payments and keep books up-to-date.

The new product is available exclusively to bookkeeping and accounting firms for a flat fee of $100 per month per restaurant client based on an annual subscription.