News Briefs

Revinate released its highly anticipated annual Hospitality Benchmark Report.

The 2025 Hospitality Benchmark Report features data from January 2024 through December 2024, consisting of over 2.4 billion emails, 23 million text messages, 24 million guest reviews, and 5.9 million calls from hotels worldwide.

This is the 10th consecutive edition of the Hospitality Benchmark Report and is Revinate’s third consecutive year of launching a unified report encompassing various guest communication channels — email, text, voice, and web.

In this year’s report, hoteliers will discover the true value of guest records containing email addresses and phone numbers globally and across North America, Europe, the Middle East and Africa, and Asia Pacific. They can also expect to see revenue data benchmarks as they adopt direct booking strategies and shift share away from OTAs.

From the average booking value of reservations made through the voice channel to room nights booked from a cart abandonment campaign or after guests engage with a newsletter, the report guides hoteliers to understand the importance and value of different marketing tactics that result in direct bookings and ancillary revenues.

Key findings

• Globally, hotels added $9.85 in revenue for every correctly captured email address and $8 for every guest phone number. Hotels in North America captured more revenue per email address and phone number.
• 21% of database records around the world contained an OTA-masked email, representing immense opportunities for hoteliers to unmask these guest email addresses and convert guests to direct bookers.
• In 2024, hoteliers globally earned an average of $941 in upsell revenue — marginally more than they did in 2023. Hoteliers in North America pulled the average up by winning $1,208 in upsell revenue, compared to $836 in EMEA and $872 in APAC.
• With the voice channel, hoteliers in North America earned an incremental $1,748 in revenue per room per year from outbound calls.

The report also includes data across hotel room counts, hotel star ratings (where applicable), and different regions within Europe and Asia Pacific. This enables hoteliers to benchmark themselves within their category, which is highly beneficial and provides them with on-point performance metrics in their region.

“Our 2025 Hospitality Benchmark Report was crafted to arm hoteliers with the insights needed to drive direct bookings. They can navigate trends, optimize performance, and exceed guest expectations,” explained Karen Stephens, Chief Marketing Officer at Revinate. “We’re excited to provide hoteliers with detailed metrics and actionable insights to support their ongoing success.”

The report presents an opportunity for hoteliers to translate data into action. Different sections of the report contain customer stories, best practices, and more, enabling hoteliers to unearth successful strategies and get inspiration from their peers. With these insights, hoteliers can adjust their daily business decisions to drive revenue and enhance guest satisfaction.

Lighthouse, a commercial platform for the travel and hospitality industry, announced the launch of its next-generation Data Solutions platform - a powerful, fully rebuilt Data-as-a-Service (DaaS) offering designed to eliminate data friction and bring unmatched clarity to a complex industry.

Tailored for high-impact use across Destination Marketing Organizations (DMOs), Online Travel Agencies (OTAs), bedbanks, hospitality tech companies, and investors, the platform builds upon Lighthouse’s existing Data-as-a-Service offering by unifying hotel, short-term rental and flight datasets into the largest database in the industry all under one comprehensive platform. 

Lighthouse Data Solutions offers greater flexibility and transforms vast amounts of data into actionable intelligence, providing decision-makers across the hospitality ecosystem with unmatched visibility into market dynamics. By combining a large variety of unique public and proprietary datasets, Lighthouse Data Solutions delivers a comprehensive and streamlined view that empowers more informed, strategic decisions.

Lighthouse Data Solutions transforms how organizations consume, interpret, and act on data. With improved processing speeds, dynamic filtering, integrated QA protocols, and scalable delivery methods, the platform simplifies the journey from raw data to real-time insight, all at enterprise scale.

Whether teams need deep historic analysis, forward-looking demand projections, or tailored dashboards, Data Solutions is built to align with how each client actually works. Processing the largest database in the industry (over 140 terabytes daily) allows Lighthouse to deliver global insights on pricing, occupancy and demand allowing users to make better informed decisions.

This includes 1.3 billion flight and hotel searches from top OTAs, 1.8 billion global hotel rates, and thousands of hotels' on-the-books data. Lighthouse Data Solutions delivers this intelligence through flexible, tailored delivery methods designed to address specific business challenges that are unique to DMOs, OTAs, and larger enterprise data teams.

“Too many teams are drowning in data but starving for answers. Access isn’t the problem anymore - it’s actionability and getting immediate access to all the different data points into one comprehensive, flexible platform," said Nir Dupler, SVP of Data Solutions at Lighthouse. “With Lighthouse Data Solutions, we're turning complexity into clarity, helping travel and hospitality leaders win with the right strategy, while giving them the intelligence they need, when they need it, to make faster, smarter decisions.”

Complete market visibility in one platform, including: hotels, short-term rentals, flights, and OTB 

Lighthouse Data Solutions stands apart by offering the most complete view of the travel and hospitality landscape available, with both historical and forward-looking insights. 

The platform's unmatched scope encompasses 16.8 million hotels and short-term rentals profiled daily, 10.5 million events tracked globally, and more than 3,000 destinations monitored for forward-looking traveler searches, empowering customers to proactively make decisions before bookings are made. This comprehensive intelligence combines five years of historical reservation data with 365 days of forward-looking visibility.

Strategic modules address key challenges

The platform features four purpose-built modules addressing distinct business requirements:

• Supply module: Monitor real-time changes in hotel and short-term rental inventory to stay ahead of market shifts.
• Pricing module: Benchmark against competitors with granular rate intelligence to optimize pricing strategies and identify opportunities.
• Demand module: Understand traveler intent before bookings are made - with forward-looking search trends on major OTAs and GDSs by market and source.
• Performance module: Track real-time occupancy, ADR, and RevPAR with predictive, brand-level insights for smarter forecasting.

Purpose-built for industry leaders

Lighthouse Data Solutions serves the diverse needs of travel and hospitality stakeholders including DMOs, OTAs, property managers, and investment firms. Early adopters report significant operational improvements. DMOs have achieved double-digit increases in visitation during traditionally slow periods. OTAs have optimized search results and improved conversion rates by 15-20%. 

"The process of creating new views and building add-ons based on our particular requirements was simple and straightforward,” said Leonid Dubnik, Senior Strategy Manager at Booking.com. “The dashboard is easy to use and we appreciate the support Lighthouse provides in terms of customizations. We can count on Lighthouse when it comes to gaining industry insights."

Flexible delivery for seamless integration

Whether teams prefer dashboards, direct integration, or raw exports, Lighthouse Data Solutions adapts to every workflow:

• Interactive and custom dashboards that meet your business needs
• Automated exports in CSV, JSON, or custom formats
• API access for direct integration
• BigQuery connections for advanced analytics
• Scheduled reports for always-on delivery

Seamless deployment and personalized onboarding ensure teams are up and running quickly - with ongoing support from dedicated client success partners.

Digital display leader LG Electronics USA is introducing a new line of high-brightness displays that feature anti-discoloration™ characteristic technology verified by UL Solutions to help prevent screen yellowing, a common issue for outdoor displays caused by prolonged exposure to sunlight. LG’s innovative anti-discoloration technology simultaneously safeguards display quality and performance stability, ultimately helping extend the lifespan of LG digital signage displays used in outdoor or outdoor-facing environments.

LG is the first in the industry to achieve UL verification for digital signage display anti-discoloration characteristic technology. Using newly developed comprehensive LG testing methodologies and defect-evaluation criteria, UL Solutions independently assessed and verified the new displays. Prior to this, there were no internationally recognized standards or testing methods for measuring a display’s resistance to screen yellowing. In addition to LG’s anti-discoloration technology, the new high-brightness displays all utilize webOS™ Signage 6.1.

“Through extensive research and development, LG has ensured that we deliver the pinnacle of digital signage experiences. This commitment is underscored by our industry-leading products achieving the inaugural UL verification for anti-discoloration characteristic technology,” said Michael Kosla, Senior Vice President, LG Electronics USA. “LG is dedicated to mitigating inconveniences with proven solutions integrated in our digital signage products, continuously enhancing and evolving customer experience and satisfaction.”

High-Brightness Outdoor Display

The LG XE3P Series, available in 49-, 55- and 86-inch screen sizes, is engineered to deliver stunning visual clarity in direct sunlight, with a native resolution of 1,920 by 1,080 (FHD) and brightness of up to 3,500 nits.

The display’s advanced thermal solutions prevent common issues like black circles, ensuring long-lasting performance. The XE3P operates within a wide range of temperatures and features an IP56-rated sealed design for reliable operation, protecting against both water and dust – an essential feature for outdoor applications. It also includes IK10-rated protective glass, tempered and laminated for outdoor extremes, minimizing damage from external impacts to reduce unnecessary LCD module replacements and provide cost-effective maintenance.

Beyond durability, the XE3P Series excels in energy efficiency. Its M+ panel technology delivers the same brightness as traditional RGB panels while consuming significantly less power. An auto-brightness adjustment feature further enhances visibility by adapting to ambient light conditions, reducing energy use in low-light environments.

A standout feature of the XE3P is its comprehensive suite of smart capabilities. Built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth enable seamless wireless content transfer and distribution while minimizing the risk of data hijacking. The series also includes a range of sensors, such as a vandalism alert function and a self-leveler tool, simplifying installation and monitoring.

High-Brightness Window Facing Display

Designed especially for window-facing environments, and providing brilliant brightness and vibrant and dynamic content, the 75-inch Window Facing XS4P has a native resolution of 3,840 by 2,160 (UHD) and brightness of up to 4,000 nits. Alongside anti-discoloration technology, window-facing displays require higher nits, as they are exposed to direct sunlight, and maintaining its impressive brightness, the XS4P Series has a lower power consumption compared to RGB panels at the same brightness level.

With its compact size and slim design, the XS4P integrates smoothly into any store's interior, with a thinner bezel than conventional models, enabling closer installation to windows and offering an improved visual experience for customers. Additionally, standard UHD signage can be attached to the back of the XS4P, allowing it to function as a double-sided display, and the display can be used under a wide range of operating temperatures from 32 degrees Fahrenheit to 104 degrees Fahrenheit. As with the XE3P, conformal coating helps shield the circuit board and power board against water vapor and solid debris, while the self-leveler tool allows for precise display installation.

The XS4P features LAN daisy chain functionality, enabling the control of multiple displays with a single master remote, offering significant convenience. Moreover, with Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and beacon capabilities, content and software can be distributed to the XS4P, allowing store managers to effortlessly provide coupons and information to multiple devices in real-time. Finally, the XS4P addresses concerns about display noise, with an upgraded quiet mode that operates at 2,500 nits with minimal fan noise.

High-Brightness Open-Frame Display

The 86XF3SK 86-inch open-frame ultra-high-resolution display, with a native resolution of 3,840 by 2,160 (UHD) and brightness of up to 3,300 nits, delivers visual clarity even in direct sunlight. As an open-frame type, this versatile product enables customers to customize its casing for various applications, making it an ideal solution for large-scale advertising spaces such as bus stops.

In addition to its advanced display capabilities, the 86XF3SK offers enhanced user convenience with an intuitive user interface and supports app development through compatibility with programming interfaces such as HTML, JavaScript, and CSS. The integrated Control Manager, a web-based monitoring solution, allows users to remotely monitor and control displays from their mobile devices or PCs, ensuring efficient management across locations. Designed for diverse outdoor environments, the 86XF3SK is engineered to operate efficiently under a wide range of temperatures, including those typically experienced in direct sunlight.

ABB Robotics is serving up the future of fast food with BurgerBots – a groundbreaking new restaurant concept launched in Los Gatos, California. Designed to deliver perfectly cooked, made-to-order burgers every time, the automated kitchen uses ABB’s IRB 360 FlexPicker^® and YuMi^® collaborative robot to assemble meals with precision and speed, while accurately monitoring stock levels and freeing staff to focus on customer experience.

“Integrating ABB robots with the BurgerBots restaurant concept demonstrates the incredible potential for automation beyond the factory floor,” said Marc Segura, President of ABB Robotics Division. “The food service industry is dynamic and demanding, and our technology brings industrial-grade consistency, efficiency and reliability to this space. When we asked the hospitality industry, 89% of managers and 73% of workers said they are open to the integration of robotics to automate tasks within their operations.² By taking over repetitive and time-consuming tasks, robots allow staff to focus on what matters most – creating memorable dining experiences.”

The compact robotic cell is a food automation first, seamlessly integrating two types of robots with an intelligent inventory monitoring system. As each order is received, a freshly cooked burger patty is placed onto a bun inside a burger box. This box is then positioned on a conveyor shuttle, which is tagged with a QR code. As it moves along the conveyor, the IRB 360 FlexPicker hygienically performs high-speed topping selection, guided by the data stored in the QR code. Next, the YuMi steps in to collaborate on the final assembly of the burger. The entire process takes just 27 seconds per burger.

ABB’s robot controller also integrates seamlessly with non-robotic systems, enabling real-time ingredient inventory tracking – onions, tomatoes, lettuce and condiments – ensuring smooth operations and efficient kitchen management.

One of the greatest challenges facing restaurant owners today is attracting and retaining staff.³ High turnover, rising labor costs, and the repetitive nature of back-of-house roles continue to put pressure on hospitality businesses. Automation presents an opportunity not just to fill labor gaps, but to make foodservice jobs more sustainable and appealing by reducing tedious tasks and improving workflows.

Supporting this shift in mindset, a recent survey commissioned by ABB Robotics found that 67 per cent of hospitality workers agreed that robotics and automation should be used to reduce the amount of dull, dirty, dangerous work humans are doing in the hospitality industry⁴. While 63 per cent agreed that the idea of robotics making their job easier is exciting, 65 per cent agreed that they would welcome robots in their workplace if it meant a safer work environment.

BurgerBots is the brainchild of entrepreneur Elizabeth Truong, who sees the Los Gatos location as the first step in a broader commercial rollout. “The vision was to bring consistency, transparency, and efficiency to food service. For restaurant owners, it means better visibility of food costs, more accurate forecasting and – ultimately – better decision making. In the next five years, I believe that most restaurants will have some form of robotic automation, whether it’s back-of-house preparation, assembly, or even front-of-house service. It will become less of a novelty and more of a necessity.”

BurgerBots is the latest in a number of innovations in the food service industry supported by robotic technology. ABB’s collaboration with RoboEatz on ARK – an autonomous robotic kitchen capable of preparing hundreds of meals with minimal human intervention – showcases the potential for high-efficiency, hygienic, and customizable food prep. Meanwhile, ABB is powering Makr Shakr’s robotic bartenders, that will soon be expertly mixing drinks in venues around the world. Together, these applications demonstrate how robotics is transforming hospitality with speed and consistency.

The first BurgerBots cell is now open and operating at the chic Breaking Dawn/First Born restaurant in downtown Los Gatos, California. For more information, visit www.burgerbots.com.

1 Survey of 750 US hospitality managers and 1,250 hospitality workers, conducted by Censuswide for ABB (April 2025).

2 Survey of 750 US hospitality managers and 1,250 hospitality workers, conducted by Censuswide for ABB (April 2025).

3 The National Restaurant Association reported in 2024 that three out of four employees leave their roles within a year.

4 Survey of 750 US hospitality managers and 1,250 hospitality workers, conducted by Censuswide for ABB (April 2025).

Yelp Inc., the company that connects people with great local businesses, today announced its Spring Product Release, introducing new features and updates that help restaurants manage front-of-house operations. New updates include new tools for Yelp Guest Manager, the company’s comprehensive restaurant front-of-house solution, to provide deeper insights and help hosts manage diner flow more effectively. The new updates include Guest Experience Surveys, enhanced analytics, and a redesigned party management interface. In addition, guaranteed seating areas make it easier for diners to choose where they’ll be seated.

A Smoother Dining Experience for Restaurants and Diners

Yelp is introducing new updates to Yelp Guest Manager designed to help restaurant staff improve front-of-house operations and manage diner flow and communication more efficiently. New reservation and waitlist updates also provide diners greater visibility into their seating and table status.

• Guest Experience Survey: Direct diner feedback is critical to running a restaurant—new Guest Experience Surveys make collecting that feedback easier. These short, automated surveys provide daily results in a dedicated dashboard within the Business Owner Account. The dashboard highlights ratings across various aspects of the dining experience, such as food, drinks, and service, along with staff-specific feedback and net promoter scores. The tool supports point of sale integrations for deeper operational insights and is available as an add-on for Yelp Guest Manager Plus and Enterprise customers, with AI-powered analytics coming soon to help surface trends over time.
• Traffic Attribution Dashboard and booking links: To help restaurants better understand guest sources and optimize reservation and waitlist strategies, Yelp Guest Manager now includes an enhanced Traffic Attribution Dashboard that breaks down covers by source, time, and day of the week. Restaurants can also generate custom booking links for social platforms, with traffic from these links tracked directly in the dashboard.
• Redesigned party management and front-of-house tools: Yelp introduced a series of updates to help restaurants manage guest flow and staffing more efficiently. Enhancements include a redesigned party management interface with clearer status indicators and quick actions, automated waitlist removal for unresponsive parties, and new shift scheduling tools such as a calendar view and shift duplication, with multi-section server assignments coming soon.
• Guaranteed seating areas: Diners can now reserve specific seating areas—such as the bar, patio, or dining room—when booking reservations through Yelp, providing more transparency and control over their visit. Restaurants can define and manage these areas in the floor plan editor within the Business Owner Account.

"We used to use physical comment cards, and now that Yelp has an integrated guest feedback system, it has streamlined our operations and made our life easier by keeping everything in an all-in-one portal for easy access,” said Kevin D. Bethyo, vice president of Wildberry Pancakes and Cafe. “We use this as a way to keep our staff progressing and to get valuable feedback on our guest experience to help us make necessary changes to enhance their experience."

Soon, Yelp will begin testing new AI-powered call answering services for restaurants, designed to help businesses stay connected when they’re busy or unavailable. The call answering service will be fully integrated into Yelp's platform with customizable features and the ability to answer general questions, filter spam, transfer calls when needed, and capture messages. The solution will book reservations, add guests to the waitlist, and seamlessly integrate into Yelp Guest Manager, with access to call analytics.

Square announced the new Square Point of Sale app – its next-generation software that brings Square’s deep vertical-specific commerce and payments functionality into a single, unified app that sellers can personalize to meet the complex needs of their business today, while supporting their business growth and evolution into the future.

Sixteen years ago, Square launched its very first mobile card reader and point of sale app to enable any seller to accept digital payments – beginning a journey to empower businesses to thrive in the economy. Through the years, Square partnered with sellers and offered industry-specific software products – Square for Restaurants, Square for Retail, Square Appointments, and Square Invoices – to not only sell from anywhere, but eliminate the many points of friction that come with managing and expanding a business – from creating complex restaurant menus to managing inventory to offering service waitlists, and much more.

Today, the business world has changed, and Square's sellers continue to evolve. More than four million sellers now trust Square to run every aspect of their business, enabling them to grow while keeping focus on their craft. They're diversifying their business to reach new customers, create new revenue streams, and connect to their communities in entirely new ways. Breweries are becoming full service restaurants and retailers. Spas are selling home goods and subscription services. With the new Square Point of Sale, all of Square’s power and innovation is now available in one single app – making it easier for sellers to discover the tools that are right for their business and expand their features as they grow. From our testing, we found that feature discovery and usage among new sellers grew nearly 80% from the rate on the previous Square POS experience.

"We opened two weeks before the pandemic began in 2020, and we've been pivoting and expanding ever since. We started as a plant retailer, expanded into home goods, then added the cafe and the barbershop, and now also host workshops and events," said Lorena Cortez, founder and co-owner of The Mellow, a mercantile, cafe, barbershop, and events space with locations in San Francisco's Mission, Haight, and Union Square districts. "The new Square Point of Sale makes it easy to manage it all, flow between operations, and deliver a great experience. We have a lot of inventory to manage, and Square makes it easy so our team can receive shipment and expedite our ability to get product on the floor. When it comes to selling, whether a customer is getting a beverage or a haircut or a plant, using Square tools lets us focus on the conversation and building a connection."

The power and ease of Square Point of Sale resides in its modes – easy-to-understand feature sets, purpose-built for each industry, to give sellers a personalized POS experience that instantly sets them up with the right tools for their business. Sellers can easily add modes to expand their sales capabilities with no limitations on growth, while Square can now ship new features to more sellers at a faster rate. There are currently seven modes available on Square’s platform, offering unique technology and feature needs even within verticals:

• Three Food & Beverage modes let sellers choose highly tailored solutions for their needs:
• Quick Service mode: Accelerates counter-service operations through intuitive modifier workflows and multi-channel menu management, ensuring swift and accurate order fulfillment at high-volume establishments.
• Full Service mode: Streamlines complex dining operations with intelligent check management, sophisticated coursing capabilities, and customizable floor plans.
• Bar mode: Combines smart pre-authorization features with conversational modifier inputs to keep drinks flowing and tabs properly managed throughout busy nights.
• Retail mode: Handles complex inventory management, varied pricing structures, and multi-location operations to power modern retail businesses.
• Bookings mode: Seamlessly integrates scheduling, client management, and payment processing into one intuitive system for beauty and wellness businesses.
• Services mode: Simplifies invoice management, estimates, and on-the-go payments for businesses that operate beyond traditional storefronts, like catering and home repair.
• Standard mode: Square's classic point-of-sale experience offers ultimate flexibility through its personalizable interface and versatile features.

“Square Point of Sale is an all-in-one product that recognizes sellers’ needs are not one-size-fits-all,” said Willem Ave, Head of Product for Square. “Businesses today have to be resilient, and able to adapt when new challenges – and opportunities – present themselves. With our new app, sellers can do just that – they don’t have to choose between breadth or depth; they can have both with Square. We’re also able to build innovative new features for sellers of all types and sizes even faster, with less overhead than required for maintaining many separate tools. We can deliver specialized software experiences for unique use cases and complex industries, while maintaining the ease-of-use sellers, their employees, and their customers expect from Square. Running a business is complex, and we make it streamlined and simple, so sellers can spend more time focused on their craft, customers, and communities.”

Already, Square is showing how seamlessly it can add additional features and value to its Point of Sale app; it will introduce new platform enhancements and modes features in the inaugural Square Releases on May 13.