News Briefs

Anthony's Coal Fired Pizza & Wings is doing away with its automated phone answering system. From now on, customers will have a real person at the restaurant taking calls for their orders. 

"Our guests have told us loud and clear that they want to speak with a human when placing orders," said Carl Bachmann, Chief Executive Officer of BurgerFi. "Technology is critical for innovation, but AI for guest service was not providing an exceptional experience for our guests. Becky – our AI – has been removed. It's time for her to go, so we're saying ciao, baby! We want our guests to know we welcome them back – and their calls!"

As the rest of the world moves toward AI, Anthony's, owned by BurgerFi International Inc., is keeping it real and priority is doing what's best for the guest. The company will no longer use an automated answering system and instead will have humans operating their phones. Customers will get to chat with a live person instead of an AI. "Everyone at Anthony's must be serving a guest or someone who is," said Bachmann." It must be a win for the guests, a win for the team members and a win for our stakeholders."

Domino's Pizza Inc. introduces its new and improved loyalty program. 

Domino's Rewards offers loyalty members even more opportunities to earn and redeem points across its corporate and franchise store locations. Domino's enhanced rewards program allows customers to:

• Earn points for less
  • Loyalty members will now earn 10 points on every order of $5 or more
• Redeem points for even more menu items – and earn free Domino's after just two orders
  • Members can redeem a variety of points for more menu items:
    • 20 points: A free dipping cup, a 16-piece order of Parmesan Bread Bites or a 20 oz. drink
    • 40 points: An order of Bread Twists or Stuffed Cheesy Bread
    • 60 points: A medium, two-topping pizza; pasta; Oven-Baked Sandwich; or a 3-piece order of Chocolate Lava Crunch Cakes
• Earn more rewards
  • Loyalty perks are now even better, as members will have exclusive access to member-only deals, special discounts and opportunities to earn bonus points!

"We are thrilled to give the brand's loyal customers additional ways to earn free Domino's items more often," said Mark Messing, Domino's vice president of digital experience and loyalty. "At a time when most brands are scaling back their loyalty programs and making it more difficult to earn and redeem points, Domino's is doing the opposite. We want to make it easier to reward our customers and give them more options so they can get rewarded faster."

Marketing a LTO 

From now until Oct. 22, 2023, rewards members can take advantage of a limited time offer to redeem 20 points for a free order of Domino's new Pepperoni Stuffed Cheesy Bread, which is normally a 40-point redemption, in celebration of the product's recent launch. 

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.

Key takeaways

• Travel providers are leveraging next-gen technology to alleviate workforce constraints: Nearly all airports and half of hotels surveyed are adopting new technology to bridge the labor gap.
• Despite increased reliance on automation, only one-third of those surveyed expect it to reduce the size of their staff in the next five years, and most expect technology to improve the work experience and create new opportunities for frontline workers.
• Technology is creating demand to enhance and augment the frontline workforce with new skills and capabilities. Nearly half of all respondents cite reskilling workers for new technology as one of their top three workforce concerns.
• The traveler’s experience may also be impacted by new technology. Many (74% of airport managers, 56% of hotel general managers) expect automation to boost the bottom line due to a better guest experience.

Why this matters

Although air travel passenger volumes and hotel occupancy rates continue to rebound from pandemic lows, the travel industry continues to face a shortage of frontline workers. At the same time, a shift toward greater automation and technology integration is set to fundamentally alter the travel experience and work environment. Deloitte’s new report, “Toward Travel’s Frictionless Frontline: Integrating Technology and Workforce,” examines how leaders across aviation and hospitality are evaluating investments in both technology and people to help make an immediate and lasting impact.

Airline and hospitality leaders steer towards tech to navigate labor woes

More than half (53%) of hotel respondents say they are at 25-74% of their pre-pandemic workforce and nearly two-thirds (62%) of aviation respondents say their workforce is half its pre-pandemic size or smaller. Leaders are turning to technology to address labor challenges. Looking ahead, many expect ongoing advancements in next-gen technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) and cloud to not only help address existing labor issues but improve performance within five years and create competitive differentiation.

• While hotels and airports are confident staffing levels will keep climbing, most do not expect a return to pre-pandemic levels anytime soon. Fewer than 1 in 10 expect to reach 2019 staffing levels by the end of 2023, and 38% of hotel managers and only 3% of airport executives expect to be there any time in 2024.
• Many hope technology will ease labor challenges. Nearly all airports are adopting new technology (99%), upgrading existing technology (96%) or automating repetitive tasks (93%) to bridge the labor gap. Hotels are employing these strategies as well but at a lower rate, adopting new technology (50%), automating repetitive tasks (43%) or upgrading existing technology (39%).
• Seven in 10 surveyed airports invested in at least three new technology types, compared to 57% of hotels, a differentiator likely due to the structure of the respective industries.
• Some leaders do not feel current options are strong enough to address current needs: For the hospitality industry in particular, leading tech adopters surveyed were nearly twice as likely (54%) as others (29%) to say existing “technology is not advanced enough.”

Opportunity for frontline workers still set to take off

As technology proliferates, helping ensure workers have the skills to operate effectively is key — and challenging. While hotels largely struggle with a mismatch of needs with skills of available workers (51%), aviation executives are challenged with redesigning work for new technology (71%). Still, executives across the travel industry see these challenges ease with time and technology implementation, alongside added benefits such as cost reduction.

• Nearly half of leading tech adopters among airport (57%) and hotel (43%) leaders expect automation to decrease labor costs.
• Reskilling to address technology’s impact is top-of-mind, as about half of airport managers (48%) and 4 in 10 hotel general managers (GMs) place it among their top three workforce challenges.
• Leaders are seeing technology enhance recruitment and training practices. Nearly all airports (94%) and almost two-thirds (62%) of hotels say they are increasing their use of virtual reality in training.
• Overall, most survey respondents positively expect automation to create new opportunities for workers (95% of airports, 64% of hotels) and improve the work environment (88% of airports, 58% of hotels).

Automation packs promise for the guest experience

Staffing challenges impacted what it is like to be a traveler, just as much as it impacted being a travel industry employee. Just as solutions to the labor gap present opportunity to change the workday for the gate agent or hotel restaurant manager, leaders hope to see it enhance guest experiences as well.

• Labor challenges affected the travel experience: 84% of airport respondents and 70% of hotel respondents reduced or eliminated amenities and services in response to staffing shortfalls.
• Most airports (90%) are creating self-service offerings for guests, but only 36% of hotels are doing the same.
• Leaders are encouraged by the expected impact of automation for guests and travelers. Seventy-two percent of airport leaders and 60% of hotel leaders expect automation to improve the guest experience.
• AI stands out for its potential to improve guest experiences for airports in particular. Within five years, they expect to see it enhance guest processing (100%), strengthen personalized recommendations and services (100%), and improve the customer experience (98%).
• Hotels, on the other hand, see most value coming from cloud computing in processing guests (29%), managing bookings (26%), and offering personalized recommendations and services (23%) in the next five years.

Key quote

“Travel leaders have been battling labor shortages and other frontline challenges for the past several years. The rapid ascension of automation and other emerging technologies presents an opportunity to address this disruption while still helping ensure the travel experience remains front-and-center. Companies who simultaneously invest in the technology and the people behind it — helping ensure employees are well-equipped and appropriately trained — should be well-positioned to navigate the shifting dynamics of the industry, while unlocking future growth and unprecedented opportunity.”

—  Danielle Hawkins, principal, Deloitte Consulting LLP, and hospitality, transportation and services human capital leader

“Toward A Frictionless Frontline” is based on a survey of 240 travel executives in the U.S. (120 airport managers and 120 hotel general managers), fielded from July 12 to Aug. 7, 2023. Interviews with executives from leading hotel brands and airlines further guided the study.

Valor Hospitality Partners (Valor), announced a partnership with InnSight Advisory –a hospitality advisory company with clients across Africa. Valor maintains an existing presence in the United States, the United Kingdom, South Africa, and Dubai. In celebration of Valor’s 10th year in Africa, this collaboration will enable the brand to expand its top-tier services in the destination, the Middle East, and Indian Ocean islands.  

Valor Hospitality is a globally recognized fully integrated management and operations solution, with expertise in hotel management, operations, development, and asset management. The partnership with InnSight Advisory will allow the two companies to leverage one another's complementary strengths to provide expanded and enhanced comprehensive hospitality services to clients. 

"We are excited to welcome InnSight Advisory to the Valor family," said Euan McGlashan, CEO of Valor. "Their expertise and reputation in the African hospitality industry will be a great asset to our growing global team, and we look forward to collaborating with them to provide exceptional service to our clients. We are mutually driven to grow our footprint throughout Africa with renowned international hospitality companies and their respective brands, and InnSight will help provide that support.”  

InnSight Advisory has rebranded to Valor Advisory and provide a full suite of advisory services to hotels, resorts, restaurants, and other hospitality sectors. The services will include turnkey development project management, asset management, operations consulting, strategic planning, branding and bespoke marketing services, sales representation, profit improvement plans, food and beverage consulting and conceptualization, and more. 

"We are thrilled to partner with Valor Hospitality and take our company to the next level," said Mark Jakins, Executive Director of InnSight Advisory. "By combining our expertise with Valor’s global resources, we are able to offer a bespoke and comprehensive hospitality advisory service that will drive growth and profitability for all parties - as well as a strategic Valor business development division led by InnSight co-founder, Mike Devereux." 

The partnership and rebranding will take place effective immediately. Clients can expect the same exceptional service and attention to detail they have come to expect from Valor Hospitality and InnSight Advisory, with the added benefit of an enhanced global network and resources. 

North American Bancard, LLC, (NAB) a U.S.-based leader in fintech solutions, is now giving business owners another way to accept in-person contactless payments with the launch of Tap to Pay on iPhone, available now on its Payanywhere iOS app.

Tap to Pay on iPhone allows business owners to accept in-person contactless payments right on their iPhone with no extra hardware needed. Tap to Pay on iPhone accepts all forms of contactless payments, including contactless credit and debit cards, Apple Pay, and other digital wallets.

At checkout, the merchant will simply prompt the customer to hold their iPhone or Apple Watch to pay with Apple Pay, their contactless credit or debit card, or other digital wallet near the merchant’s iPhone, and the payment will be securely completed using NFC technology. Apple’s Tap to Pay on iPhone technology uses the built-in features of iPhone to keep the business’ and customers’ data private and secure. When a payment is processed, Apple doesn’t store card numbers on the device or on Apple servers.

This easy, secure, and private transaction simplifies in-person payments by removing the dependence on additional hardware while still allowing for customers to pay the way they want.

“We are thrilled to add Tap to Pay on iPhone to our Payanywhere app features,” said Jim Parkinson, Chief Experience Officer at NAB. “The payments landscape is constantly evolving and we are proud to be at the forefront of change to ensure that we give businesses and their customers all the tools they need to pay efficiently and safely.”

Following our recent pilot period, the integration of Tap to Pay on iPhone on the Payanywhere app will bring several key benefits to NAB customers.

• Business owners are equipped with a simple solution for in-person payments that complements Apple Pay on iPhone and Apple Watch, digital wallet and payment services, and contactless debit and credit cards.

• Customers who use this feature with their iPhones oftentimes experience a faster and more efficient checkout, leading to a better shopping journey overall.

• Most business owners and consumers are given peace of mind during the checkout process, as all transactions are encrypted and data is protected and private. 

Merchants are able to access these key benefits of Tap to Pay on iPhone through the Payanywhere iOS app, running the latest version of iOS. To get started, merchants can simply download the Payanywhere app from the Apple App Store and sign up to become an NAB customer to start accepting contactless payments within minutes right from their iPhone. 

NAB is proud to offer a wide range of hardware and software options and notes that the addition of Tap to Pay on iPhone is an important step in equipping their merchants with the latest in payment technology, ensuring that payments can be accepted any way, anywhere.