News Briefs

Cloudbeds, one of the hospitality industry’s fastest-growing PMS platform partners, and HotelREZ, one of the world’s leading hotel representation companies, have recently joined forces completing the development of a direct two-way interface.

The certified HotelREZ ‘REZswitch’ two-way API connection between Cloudbeds cloud-based hotel Property Management System (PMS) and CentralREZ, HotelREZ’s Central Reservation System (CRS) provides real time updates to manage inventory, rates, availability and bookings for distribution to the Global Distribution Systems (GDS), primarily used by travel agents, as well as to millions of other bookers using websites powered by the GDS worldwide. Hotel customers benefit from seamless connectivity between both providers. 

This interface will ensure hoteliers receive real-time reservation delivery and availability updates from these channels, via the PMS, which is available to all existing and new Cloudbeds customers.    

As market specialists, HotelREZ customers typically benefit from a significant growth of channel business via the GDS agency market as a result of strong account management, worldwide demand partners and optimising marketing and sales opportunities. HotelREZ works closely with each client to ensure a growth in this channel that in some cases can be up to 70%.   

Mark Lewis, CEO & Founder at HotelREZ, said “We are constantly striving to find ways to help hotels improve their efficiencies, save time and automate processes to reduce pressure on staff but also maximise revenue potential. This new interface into CentralREZ not only enables hotels using Cloudbeds PMS to manage their GDS inventory with greater efficiencies but will also reduce the potential for errors and overbooking.” 

Sebastien Leitner, Vice President, Partnerships, added: “We are pleased to be able to offer our Cloudbeds users a simpler way of distributing their inventory directly from the GDS and other key third party channels. The GDS is of great importance to hotels’ bottom line, being a great source for additional bookings, and HotelREZ is recognised as a global leader in the hotel representation sector. Our certified two-way interface will be highly beneficial to hotels, providing them with optimal revenue and yield capabilities." 

Cloudbeds customers can also benefit from access to HotelREZ’s own network of preferred travel agencies and consortia partnerships, as well as its global demand programme, which includes corporate and MICE RFP generation.

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. 

McDonald’s is opening the first CosMc’s location  in Bolingbrook, Illinois, this month – with 10 locations to be opened in the next year.  

CosMc’s will have “a uniquely seamless digital and drive-thru experience” with ”dynamic menu boards and cashless payment devices to breeze through the ordering and payment process, allowing for guided exploration and customization along the way,” according to a company statement. Drive-thru pickup windows are assigned once the order is ready. 

Demand for Drive-Thru

Drive-thru traffic rose 30 percent from 2019 to 2022, according to a report from the food service research firm Technomic and reportd by the New York Times. 

Brands including Chipotle, Shake Shack and Sweetgreen are among the fast-casual brands expanding their drive-thrus as consumers shy away delivery and fees and instead opt to pickup their off-prem orders.  

CosMc’s menu features specialty lemonades and teas,  blended beverages and cold coffee – think Sour Cherry Energy Slush, Tropical Spiceade and S’mores Cold Brew. Customizations are available and include popping boba, flavor syrups, energy or Vitamin C shots, and  more.

The food menu includes  Spicy Queso Sandwich, Savory Hash Brown Bites and Pretzel Bites served with dipping sauces. On the sweet side, there's a Blueberry Lemon Cookie Sundae and Caramel Fudge Brownies, to name a few. And there will be a few of the McDonald’s classics on the menu.

Visit cosmcs.com or follow CosMc’s on Instagram, TikTok and X.

WorkJam, a digital frontline,  announced the launch of an automated attestation module that streamlines compliance for companies with large hourly workforces. Employers will now be able to create specific questions within the WorkJam app that employees have to answer in order to comply with local labor laws. The attestation module simplifies time and attendance tracking for both frontline staff and employers, reducing errors while improving accountability, efficiency and transparency.

“Our enterprise customers need a simple way to automatically enable employees to attest that they have received all their mandated meal and rest breaks throughout their workday,” said Steven Kramer, CEO of WorkJam. “We’re thrilled to offer this first-of-its-kind digital attestation module to help streamline compliance, recordkeeping and payroll for our partner companies and their frontline employees.”

In certain states across the U.S. and in some other regions, hourly employees must confirm that they have taken the meal and rest breaks required by law in their area before clocking out at the end of their shift. WorkJam’s new attestation module simplifies compliance with these laws by ensuring each employee is automatically asked to attest that they have taken those breaks before punching out using the WorkJam app. The module enables employers to easily track break activity, so they can accurately report on compliance, foster accountability, and leverage time and attendance data for decision making.

Enterprises can also use the new module to enhance compliance with other mandatory activities, such as prompting employees to attest that they feel healthy and fit to work before clocking in. In addition, the module enables employers to gather real-time data insights and foster two-way communication with frontline staff by prompting employees to respond to specific questions as they clock in or out, such as how their previous shift went. Designated administrators can easily set up questions within the WorkJam platform and configure them to be automatically presented to specific employee groups or teams in targeted locations. The digital module eliminates the need for manual and paper-based time and attendance tracking, ensuring accurate, timely verification processes that reduce administrative burdens and discrepancies and streamlining payroll processing and analytics.

WorkJam is the leading digital frontline workplace enabling large enterprises to orchestrate their frontline workforces to improve productivity, engagement and retention. The solution is the only one on the market that offers modules for four key areas in a single app—scheduling, communications, task management and training. In 2023, WorkJam was named to the TIME100 Most Influential Companies list, which highlights companies making an extraordinary impact around the world.

Carnival Corporation & plc announced it has achieved a 38% reduction in food waste per passenger relative to its 2019 baseline, nearing its interim target to reduce food waste by 40% per person by 2025 on its path toward a 50% reduction by 2030. Less than a year since surpassing the previous 30% food waste reduction goal announced in its 2022 Sustainability Report, this performance signals continued momentum in the company’s efforts to shrink its food print – an important element in the company’s long-standing commitment to sustainable operations from ship to shore.

To achieve its goals, Carnival Corporation has taken decisive measures onboard its ships to minimize unused food across every aspect of food preparation and dining services. In addition, the company has invested in advanced waste management technologies such as biodigesters to naturally break down and responsibly dispose of unused food. Together, these strategies support the company’s responsible waste management practices and drive continuous momentum toward achieving its 2030 food waste reduction goal – part of its circular economy objectives to use fewer resources, produce less waste, and maximize recycling, while also helping to reduce the company’s environmental impact and greenhouse gas emissions.

“One of the many ways we create unforgettable happiness for our guests is through world-class food and dining experiences on our ships,” said Bill Burke, chief maritime officer for Carnival Corporation. “Our food tells a story and it’s a labor of love to serve amazing meals to millions of guests each year while making sure we manage it in the most sustainable way possible. It’s a virtuous cycle from start to finish that reduces our environmental footprint while ensuring the extraordinary guest experiences that make our world-class cruise lines stand out.”

Innovative Solutions to Maximize Food Efficiency

Carnival Corporation has put in place several practical, technological, and educational initiatives designed to creatively cut food loss while continuing to deliver exceptional dining experiences. By monitoring and analyzing guest dining trends and flow, including utilizing AI technology, the company has further optimized food use at every step of the food lifecycle onboard its ships – from purchasing fresh ingredients, recipe creation and menu design, to real-time meal prep, creation and presentation techniques and in-suite dining. Many of the company’s brands have also implemented onboard awareness campaigns to educate both guests and crew alike on doing their part to help reduce food waste onboard. Plus, Costa Cruises works with a network of registered food banks in communities it visits to deliver hundreds of thousands of surplus ingredients and meals to people in need.

In addition, the company also continues to explore even more ways to create and reimagine creative recipes that get the most out of every possible ingredient. Whether transforming orange peels into citrus muffins or unserved bread into croutons, the company’s award-winning culinary teams find delicious ways to use every ingredient to its fullest, and in the process, reduce waste.

Food Management and Disposal Technology Investments

Carnival Corporation continues to invest in the industry’s smartest solutions to safely treat and handle uneaten food, while helping to substantially limit impacts from conventional disposal methods, such as landfills. The company leads the industry with over 600 innovative food waste biodigesters installed across its fleet, which house naturally occurring bacteria that enable the ships to organically break down and liquify 80% of uneaten food on board to just a fraction of the original volume. By “digesting” this leftover food down to a liquid form, it can be sustainably returned to nature and diverted from landfills where natural decomposition would otherwise slowly release methane – a greenhouse gas. As a result, in 2023, the company has avoided over 31,000 metric tons of equivalent greenhouse gas emissions that would have been generated had the food gone to a landfill.

In addition, the company continues to innovate its approach to maximizing waste diversion by installing technologies such as dehydrators. These machines build on the effectiveness of biodigesters by enabling the ships to sustainably break down a wider range of food items, including fruit and vegetable rinds, animal fats and other solid foods that are traditionally harder to break down. To date, the company has installed 45-plus food dehydrators across the fleet to remove excess water from leftover food, reducing waste volume by up to 90%.

Food Waste Reduction Goals Advance Carnival Corporation’s Long-Term Sustainability Plan

These advancements support the company’s ongoing commitment in leading the way in sustainable cruising by promoting positive climate action, contributing to a circular economy, partnering with the communities it sails to and from, and reducing its greenhouse gas footprint.

Overall, the company – including its world-class brands AIDA Cruises, Carnival Cruise Line, Costa Cruises, Cunard, Holland America Line, P&O Cruises (Australia), P&O Cruises (UK), Princess Cruises and Seabourn – is investing to achieve its 2030 sustainability goals and to pursue net zero emissions from ship operations by 2050. To accomplish this, the company has six key areas of focus, all aligned with elements of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, including climate action; circular economy; sustainable tourism; good health and well-being; diversity, equity, and inclusion; and biodiversity and conservation.

The company’s current Sustainability Report provides more detail on its progress against all its 2030

sustainability goals and its strategy to pursue net zero emissions from ship operations by 2050. The report is available at www.CarnivalSustainability.com.