News Briefs

Lutron Electronics, a provider of smart lighting and shading, introduced the Lutron hospitality solution, featuring myRoom XC, an enhanced guestroom system. The cloud-connected hospitality solution allows integrated management of all areas of the property – guestrooms, public areas, event spaces, and private residences – via a single dashboard.

The launch of the myRoom XC system elevates lighting as a business amenity and demonstrates Lutron’s ongoing commitment to innovation and support in the hospitality industry. In 2015, Lutron introduced its myRoom guestroom system for personalized control of lights, shades, and temperature.  As a key part of the new Lutron hospitality solution, the enhanced myRoom XC system ushers in a comprehensive approach to guestroom control with one connected platform. This platform helps to simplify operations, improve staff efficiency, eliminate downtime, and create a curated guest experience that elevates your brand.

Cloud connectivity streamlines the operations process

When implemented with Lutron’s cloud-connected systems for public spaces and private residences, the myRoom XC system for guestrooms ensures a single, cloud-connected platform for the whole hotel. The centralized dashboard provides secure sign-on from smart devices. This allows the operations and facilities staff to make changes from anywhere via the software, freeing up the hotel staff to focus on guests.

The new Lutron hospitality solution offers a wide range of operational advantages —

• Cloud-connected and future proof – System updates are pushed automatically to ensure the Lutron hospitality solution offers enhanced value over time. Download the latest software with no on-site server required.
• System alerts – Minimize downtime and offer 24/7 peace of mind. Key personnel are immediately alerted to system issues so they can log in remotely and quickly resolve the problem.
• Flexible Support: Remote or Onsite – Lutron service and support is engineered for your property lifecycle. Cloud-connected systems facilitate remote support whenever and wherever you need us.
• Energy use and occupancy reporting – Reach energy and sustainability goals without impacting the guest experience. Energy-use and occupancy reports from the connected dashboard give your team the data they need to make short- and long-term system adjustments at any time.
• Simple to upgrade – For properties with an installed myRoom system, myRoom XC upgrades are as simple as replacing the processor, upgrading software, and reprogramming. Installed control hardware stays the same.

…And design benefits

• Tremendous system flexibility – Design with the control system and fixtures of your choice for properties that reflect your unique brand statement, aesthetics, and personality.
• Templating feature – Lighting designers save time on site, and projects are completed easier with the new templating feature. Program a room once, and the software can replicate settings to all similar room types. The feature also allows facility teams to easily adjust all rooms of the same type at once.
• Intuitive app – Tailored to the needs of specifiers, designers, and hotel staff, the Lutron app is key to lighting flexibility and personalization in the hotel’s public spaces. Log in to make operational adjustments, or to personalize light settings for a special event or customer request without affecting system presets.

“The Lutron system is excellent, very versatile, and reliable. Our guests like it since it is easy to understand. They don’t need instructions because it’s simple and intuitive,” said Freddy Helfon, General Director of Grupo Inmobiliario ALhel (owner, The Ritz Carlton, Mexico City).

A globally consistent, brand-elevating experience

The Lutron hospitality solution delivers cloud-connected monitoring and control, connecting the entire property throughout your global portfolio.

• Ensure a consistent brand image – control lights and shades throughout the property with Lutron solutions tailored to the needs of each space while maintaining a consistent guest experience.
• Create and promote customized event experiences with lighting and scenes adapted to your client’s taste, agenda, and personal request.
• Bring your guestroom vision to life with the myRoom XC system – choose keypad styles that can be used worldwide and personalized through engraving in local languages or universal symbols.
• Lutron’s global service and 24/7 technical support work tirelessly to ensure your design vision comes to life and to troubleshoot issues after installation.

"The new Lutron hospitality solution leverages cutting-edge technology to connect the entire building under unparalleled cloud-based lighting management. Centralized on one comprehensive dashboard, it empowers hotel proprietors and management teams with real-time, round-the-clock access to Lutron control systems, ensuring adaptability, personalization, and sustainability for the property's evolving needs," said Ana Maria Huertas-Iragorri, Lutron Global Hospitality Sales Director.

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. 

Chipotle Mexican Grill is testing an automated digital makeline in collaboration with Hyphen, a foodservice platform designed to help restaurant owners, operators, and budding chefs move their business forward by automating kitchen operations. Bowls and salads are created by an automated system that moves the entrées through the bottom makeline where ingredients for the order are dispensed automatically. In tandem, a Chipotle team member can leverage the top makeline to create burritos, tacos, quesadillas, and kid's meals for the same digital order.

How It Works

1. Digital orders would be placed via the Chipotle app, Chipotle.com, or third-party platforms.  
2. If the order included a bowl or salad, those entrées would be routed to Hyphen's automated system. The bowl traverses along the bottom makeline and positions itself under the specified ingredient container. The intelligent dispensers dynamically portion each ingredient into the bowl. If the order included burritos, tacos, quesadillas, or kid's meals, a Chipotle team member would use the top of the same makeline to create those entrées.
3. The completed bowl or salad would be raised from the bottom makeline and revealed at the end of the makeline through an opening in the countertop. A Chipotle team member would place a lid on the entrée and add any final items such as chips, side salsas, or guacamole to the order.
4. Completed orders would be placed in their designated pick-up area: in-restaurant pickup shelves, walk-up window, or Chipotlane.

Employee & Guest Experience

Approximately 65% of all Chipotle digital orders are bowls or salads, so the cobotic digital makeline has the potential to free up more time for employees to service the front makeline and deliver exceptional hospitality, while simultaneously increasing capacity for digital orders during peak periods.

The new digital makeline could also help enhance digital order accuracy, improving the guest experience.

• 71% say the ability to integrate with other systems is driving their POS purchase decisions, according to HT’s2 2023 POS Software Trends Report.

"Chipotle's new digital makeline built by Hyphen embodies our commitment to leveraging robotics to unlock the human potential of our workforce, ensuring an elevated dining experience for our guests," said Curt Garner, Chief Customer and Technology Officer. "Our goal is to have the automated digital makeline be the centerpiece of all our restaurants' digital kitchens." 

Chipotle's Investment in Hyphen

Chipotle invested in Hyphen as part of Cultivate Next, the company's $50 million venture fund that intends to make early-stage investments into strategically aligned companies that further its mission to Cultivate a Better World and help accelerate its aggressive growth plans. As a people-first company, Chipotle is seeking opportunities that will elevate the human experience for its teams as well as increase access and convenience for its guests. Investments may include innovations in farming and supply chain, advanced robotics, alternative proteins, and more.

Through Cultivate Next, Chipotle also invested in Vebu, a product development company that works with food industry leaders to co-create intelligent automation and technology solutions. Earlier this year, Chipotle and Vebu unveiled the Autocado, an avocado processing cobotic prototype that cuts, cores, and peels avocados before they are hand mashed to create the restaurant's famous guacamole. 

image courtesy of Chipotle

HotelREZ®, a hotel distribution and representation company, has been selected to power the newly launched Elegant Hotel Collection®, a global soft brand targeting the luxury sector.

Launched last week with a curated founding member portfolio of 25 hotels, Elegant Hotel Collection® is on course to grow to 50 hand-selected properties by summer 2024. From the partnership, the new luxury hotel brand will benefit from HotelREZ’s worldwide distribution network, hotel representation services, GDS channel delivery and specialist sales and marketing support utilising the best in class technology for independent hotels.

Mark Lewis, CEO and Founder, HotelREZ®, said: “Elegant Hotel Collection® has a distinct and fresh take on the luxury hotel sector. Hotels with generic GDS chain codes or tied to traditional legacy brands have been left behind questioning the value and returns from their distribution providers. Elegant provides a differentiation that will grow market share and drive incremental business at a realistic price point.

“As a partner, we are thrilled Elegant will leverage our best in class distribution, technology and representation to support this group of aspirational and authentic hotels as it becomes a unique voice to thrive in the luxury soft brand sector.”

Vice President Brand Development at the Elegant Hotel Collection, Catt McLeod added, “Elegant Hotel Collection will offer global representation and full channel distribution, supported by dedicated sales, marketing, account management and distribution strategies to drive incremental trade and consumer sales and revenue growth. Our members will be able to make the most of HotelREZ’s global reach, exceptional quality, commitment to excellence and incredible range of global luxury partnerships, while remaining a highly-individual group, guaranteeing the best of both worlds.”

Olivia Byrne, Company Director, Eccleston Square Hotel, said, “The prestigious, and historically grade II listed Eccleston Square Hotel - previous home of the Prince of Battenberg, has worked closely with the HotelREZ technology platform and is now delighted to be part of Elegant Hotel Collection which will maximise its rich historic brand positioning with additional marketing exposure and additional revenue from the high-end leisure and corporate business channels. We are very proud to be part of the founding 25 prestigious hotels.”

Membership to Elegant Hotel Collection is by invitation only, ensuring the flag’s commitment to feature only the finest hotels worldwide. Each property is selected for embodying the five core values of the Elegant brand: Hospitality, Authenticity, Inclusivity, Innovation, and Sustainability. Properties are handpicked and chosen to meet the desires of today's discerning, high-end traveller.

The launch comes shortly after Lewis was voted CEO of the year in the hotel sector for ‘Outstanding Leadership for Hotel Services Company of the Year’ by CEO Today.

CellPoint Digital, a payment solutions provider, announced a new partnership with Sabre, a software and technology provider powering the global travel industry. Under the agreement, Sabre customers will now have access to CellPoint Digital's suite of payment services, allowing them to gain more control and efficiency in their payment ecosystems globally.

CellPoint Digital's widely adopted payment solutions are a natural complement to Sabre's technology solutions. Travel companies can easily implement the leading payment orchestration platform and immediately benefit from access to integrated payment processing, routing and settlement.

Direct connection and seamless integration

By integrating with Sabre's technology solutions, CellPoint Digital's payment services will be directly connected and pre-configured for all current and prospective travel companies.

"Our new partnership with Sabre is a significant milestone in our mission to enhance connectivity and support the travel industry," said Kristian Gjerding, CellPoint Digital's Chief Executive Officer. "By joining forces with one of the most recognizable brands in travel, we can help more airlines and travel merchants regain control of their payment processes and full financial supply chain, as well as expand the reach of Payment Orchestration in the travel sector."

Combining industry-leading strengths

CellPoint Digital's Velocity platform allows airlines and travel merchants to dynamically route transactions to preferred acquirers, quickly add new acquirers and streamline cross-border payments, all of which help to mitigate costs, diversify risk and ultimately increase conversions. CellPoint Digital also allows airlines and travel merchants to roll out more payment options to passengers and travellers, creating a more positive booking experience, minimizing abandoned transactions and growing revenue. Sabre provides its customers with the next-generation solutions they need to unlock more revenue streams, improve efficiencies and enhance the customer experience.

"We are thrilled to partner with CellPoint Digital and make it easier for our customers to access their Payment Orchestration solutions," says Becky French, vice president of Product Management, Sabre Travel Solutions. "This partnership marks a significant step forward in supporting our customers with improved capabilities in the ever-changing, fast-growing and dynamic payment space."