News Briefs

Hotelbeds and the NYU School of Professional Studies (NYU SPS) Jonathan M. Tisch Center of Hospitality have launched a collaboration to explore and inspire the next generation of tech start-ups through the company’s TravelTech Lab initiative and the school’s Innovation Hub (HI Hub) Incubator Program.

The two organizations will work together over the next three years to uncover disruptive ideas to propel the travel and hospitality ecosystems forward through new technologies aimed at improving customer experience.

While the NYU SPS Tisch Center has an established start-up program, which it launched in 2021, to cater to the disparate needs of the industry and companies seeking to build the next generation of travel technology products, Hotelbeds entered the space earlier this year through the launch of its TravelTech Lab in partnership with Telefonica’s innovation arm, Wayra. The initiative aims to reshape the future of travel and support start-ups to explore innovative tech-based solutions to change the way travelers move, connect and explore.

The TravelTech Lab will complement the Hospitality Innovation Hub Incubator Program, which helps NYU-affiliated start-ups plan, launch and manage their businesses by providing support and mentorship to help the owners grow their businesses. The agreement will also open new avenues for collaboration between entrepreneurs in the US and Europe.

“Hotelbeds is a progressive industry innovator whose values and commitment to evolve and reimagine the next generation of global travel technology align with our mission for the Tisch Center and our HI Hub initiative,” said Nicolas Graf, chaired professor and associate dean of the NYU SPS Tisch Center. “With the support of organizations like Hotelbeds, our HI Hub and its Incubator Program will be well-positioned to be the launching pad for companies and technologies that will impact our industry for years to come.”

As part of the new platinum sponsorship agreement, Hotelbeds will host one of the Tisch Center Incubator’s future “Pitch Your Passion & Seal the Deal” competitions at the company’s headquarters in Palma de Mallorca or its TravelTech Lab in Madrid. The competition has been a highlight of recent semesters at the Tisch Center, in which NYU-affiliated hospitality start-ups have the opportunity to develop their businesses and compete for cash prizes.

Nicolas Huss, chief executive officer at Hotelbeds, said: “Innovation has always been part of our DNA and is a key focus on our goal to reduce friction across the travel ecosystem. Bringing our two innovation hubs together is a powerful combination. We’re looking forward to seeing what initiatives the start-ups in the program develop and how we can work together to bring them to market.”

 

Dr. Richie Karaburun, MBA, DPS, clinical assistant professor and director of the HI Hub Incubator Program, said: “This relationship with Hotelbeds will bring significant value to our Incubator Program cohort and their start-ups. Hotelbeds’ industry experience and connections will allow our entrepreneurs to tap into expertise to help build their businesses into true industry players.”

 

José María Pestaña, chief innovation officer, Hotelbeds, added: “Collaborating with the NYU SPS Tisch Center of Hospitality, just two months after launching our TravelTech Lab innovation hub underscores our ambition to identify and implement disruptive ideas to redesign the travel experience. Not only does NYU’s global footprint match our goal for our Lab but this collaboration reinforces our strategy to work closely with like-minded institutions that have a wealth of expertise and knowledge in the hospitality sector to help us take innovation to the next level.

As part of a national effort to raise awareness and offer expert insights, Denny's is kicking off a series of summits focused on how companies and individuals can better manage and improve their mental health and wellness.

The first summit is taking place on April 22 at the HPAC Theater in Spartanburg, S.C. The summit will be free to the public and attendees can participate in-person or virtually.

"Denny's has always been committed to feeding people's bodies, minds, and souls, and this summit series perfectly aligns with our holistic approach to wellness," said Kelli Valade, CEO of Denny's. "The COVID-19 pandemic has placed the topics of mental health and personal well-being front and center. Now is the time to think about how we can bring our whole selves to all facets of our lives, including the workplace."

The summit keynote speaker is Dr. Daniel E. Dawes, Senior Vice President for Global Health and Executive Director of the Institute of Global Health Equity at Meharry Medical College. Dawes will discuss the importance of addressing mental health equity and the path forward to achieving a healthier society. Other nationally recognized panelists include:  

• Dr. Shaneeta Johnson, a surgeon, clinician, educator, and researcher at Morehouse School of Medicine and Senior Fellow in Global Health Equity at the Satcher Health Leadership Institute
• Dr. Monique May, a board-certified and licensed family physician best known as the "Physician in the Kitchen"
• Dr. Bennie L. Harris, Chancellor of the University of South Carolina Upstate
• Sharon Lykins, Denny's Vice President of Product Innovation

"Mental health and wellness significantly impact the quality of life of individuals, families, and communities across the Upstate region and beyond," said USC Upstate Chancellor, Bennie L. Harris, Ph.D. "We are thrilled to join forces with a global leader like Denny's to address one of the most critical public health issues of our time."

Journalist Roland S. Martin will moderate two panels, "Mindful Eating," which will address the connection between food and wellness, and "Wellness at the Workplace," which focuses on mental health at work.

A second mental health summit will be offered on October 10 in Nashville, Tennessee.

MCOMS announced that it signed a global agreement with Accor to provide guest facing solutions and services. This partnership marks a significant milestone for MCOMS and reflects its commitment to delivering innovative and reliable technology solutions to the hospitality industry.

According to MCOMS' CSO Dimitris Petinos, "We are thrilled to partner with Accor and become a certified partner for guest facing solutions and services. This partnership not only demonstrates our strong dedication to the hospitality industry but also highlights our capabilities and expertise in providing exceptional guest experiences."

MCOMS is a provider of technology solutions for the hospitality industry, offering a wide range of services such as IPTV, VOD, Cast, Mobile, Internet and Digital Signage. Its solutions are designed to enhance the guest experience, improve operational efficiency and drive revenue for its clients.

LG Business Solutions USA has introduced a new high-brightness 4K UHD laser projector featuring 21:9 aspect ratio support, maximizing visibility for conferencing apps and presentations in commercial environments where demand is growing for ultra-wide conferencing options. The new 6,000 ANSI lumen LG ProBeam BU60PSM offers a bright, ultra-wide picture that provides more than enough space for hybrid workplace conferences, and it is ideal for today’s most advanced conferencing apps, including Microsoft® Teams Front Row.  

“We increasingly live and work in a world of hybrid spaces, making virtual conferences and presentations more important than ever, and our new 21:9 aspect ratio laser projector enables employees and executives to leverage the latest software tools with full visibility while simplifying side-by-side comparisons and multi-document viewing,” said Tom Carroll, Sales Director at LG Business Solutions. “The ultra-bright picture capabilities and 285-inch diagonal maximum screen size make this new projector ideal for sunlit conference rooms, huddle rooms, board rooms or group meeting spaces.”

The LG ProBeam BU60PSM is capable of presenting a true 4K UHD picture with a 3,840 x 2,160 resolution and a 16:9 aspect ratio, while the user-selectable 21:9 configuration utilizes a 2,560 x 1,080 resolution. Details and text are clear thanks to a 3,000,000:1 contrast ratio. The laser light source is rated to provide up to 20,000 hours of superior performance. 

The LG ProBeam BU60PSM is designed for simple installation with vertical and horizontal lens shift. It has dual 5-watt speakers, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth capability to satisfy various setups, and offers simple wireless options. It includes two HDMI inputs, two USB inputs, two RJ45 ports, HDBaseT support, RS-232 control and a 3.5mm audio out port to ensure connectivity with existing peripherals and control systems.  

The latest generation of conferencing apps are adding features such as multiple live views, in the new Front Row feature in Microsoft Teams. With the ProBeam BU60PSM’s 21:9 ultra-wide picture, attendees can enjoy an intuitive experience where virtual participants are all shown simultaneously across the bottom of the screen, below the main presenter’s image. This can enable greater freedom to showcase documents or images alongside live video, as well as ensuring future compatibility and maximized utilization of new software features.

Chowly, launches its Smart Pricing solution designed to help small and medium-sized (SMB) restaurants maximize digital ordering profitability, allowing them to compete more effectively in the digital ordering and third-party delivery marketplace.

The Right Price at the Right Time

Chowly's Smart Pricing solution equips restaurants of all sizes with the ability to optimize their off-premise ordering and streamline incoming orders with a single click. The solution can look at a multitude of factors, like peak or slow periods as well as weather and holidays, using AI and machine learning to ensure the right price at the right time. These pricing strategies can be focused on specific platforms, like third-party marketplaces, or can be all inclusive of one’s off-premise ordering channels.

As part of the six-month beta testing phase for the Smart Pricing technology, Chowly has restaurant brands seeing a daily increase of 9.4 percent in sales and an increased basket size of $1.11, which represents a 38 percent increase in profit for each order. Since this solution enables restaurant brands to implement the optimal pricing strategy at the right time, one of the restaurant brands is on track to generate an increased annual profit of almost $10K for each store.

SalesAndCatering.com and Visrez, a hotel and venue sales tool used to bring event spaces to life, have strengthened their long-standing partnership by debuting an enhanced integration between Visrez’s Floor Plan Builder and STS Cloud.

Visrez Floor Plan Builder software produces superb photorealistic 3D event plans using exact replicas

of event spaces, furniture, and prop tools. With this enhanced integration, users will automatically generate a 3D Event Plan in Visrez whenever they create a BEO in STS Cloud, with updates automatically reflected to ensure continuity and streamline the event planning process. Planners and sales teams can easily toggle between proposals, contracts, menus, venue maps, and any other element of an upcoming event via a singular Event Dashboard.

“Visrez is a highly respected leader in 3D visualization and has become a valued partner to the

SalesAndCatering.com team since we first joined forces in 2019,” shares Ryan Hamilton, CEO and Co-Founder of SalesAndCatering.com. “Early on, we recognized the value our clients would derive from integrating our products, as 3D room diagramming was not formerly available within the STS

Cloud platform. Now, by licensing SCDC to become an authorized reseller, we can give our customers a more seamless buying experience when purchasing Visrez's Floor Plan Builder as a part of their STS Cloud enhancements.”

The evolution of the partnership between SalesAndCatering.com and Visrez will have a meaningful

impact on the industry standards informing the event and meeting planning process. Using Visrez’s innovative 3D visualization technology, hotel and venue brands can create stunning 3D event and meeting plans using exact replicas of their event spaces and furniture. When combined with STS Cloud, our next-generation, cloud-based Sales and Catering platform, hospitality brands unlock an unparalleled event sales tool in its functionality and ease of use for sales teams and planners alike.

Ryan adds, “People buy what they can see and understand; they don’t buy what they don’t understand. Putting together attractive, thoughtfully laid out proposals with unique and immersive 3D elements ensures planners can truly visualize what their event will look like at your hotel or venue space and better connect with your property and sales team. This integration is a game-changer for hotels and venue spaces eager to win more group business.”

A powerful, multi-property management solution known for its advanced functionality and intuitive

user interface, STS Cloud takes care of all CRM functions, catering needs, document workflows, booking management, lead management, reporting, and so much more. The addition of Visrez to the STS Cloud suite builds upon our platform’s existing suite of powerful features that help hospitality sales teams create more engaging and immersive presentations that convert leads into happy, loyal customers.

“The integration between Visrez and STS Cloud has been a game-changer for our properties,” shares

Dirk Beck, Director of Group Sales & Catering at The Loren Hotels. “Offering guests a truly luxurious, memorable, and immersive experience is a core part of our offering and brand promise. With that in mind, having a sales tool that can seamlessly create immersive, photorealistic event plans has helped us ‘wow’ prospective clients and win more business.”

This integration comes at a perfect time, as hospitality brands seek new ways to engage with

planners effectively in the post-pandemic world. With more businesses skipping site visits in favor of a more cost-conscious and streamlined event planning process, hotels and venues require tools and strategies that help them wow prospective clients from afar.

“Visrez solves the problem of capturing visual assets on-site without needing on-site visits, room

set-ups, or professional photoshoots,” explains Nicky Morrogh, founder of Visrez. “Each account comes with the Visrez library, which contains over seven thousand unique 3D event furniture models. Additional items can be requested through Visrez support, and all new objects are made available to all Visrez users. Our goal is to make the Visrez the industry’s largest 3D event resource of its kind.”

Visrez serves over twelve hundred properties worldwide, with over 10,000 spaces built and a library

of over 7,000 unique event furniture objects which are available to all users. Current STS Cloud and Visrez customers can immediately take advantage of this enhanced integration.