News Briefs

PopID and Steak n Shake announced today that all Steak n Shake locations in the United States now accept PopID Check In (to review favorite orders and loyalty points) and PopPay for checkout. With more than 300 locations, Steak n Shake is the first national restaurant brand in the United States to adopt biometric check-in and checkout nationwide. PopID’s biometric check-in feature makes kiosk ordering faster, easier, and more personalized.

The implementation of PopID in every Steak n Shake location was accomplished rapidly and at low cost through a partnership between PopID and ACRELEC, a leading supplier of kiosk-ordering hardware and drive-through products. Cameras were shipped to every restaurant for attachment to the existing ACRELEC kiosks. “As explained in our recent publication, ACRELEC believes that our integrated biometric solution provides various benefits to restaurant operators related to throughput, ticket size, and loyalty engagement,” says Bruno Lo-Re, President of ACRELEC America.

“We are thrilled about our partnership with PopID and to be on the edge of biometric technology for the benefit of our customers. Our guests now have the option to use biometrics for a faster and more seamless experience,” says Sardar Biglari, Chairman of Biglari Holdings, the parent company of Steak n Shake.

Now that biometrics are enabled for all ordering and payment inside Steak n Shake restaurants, PopID and Steak n Shake will begin implementing biometric check-in and checkout at the restaurant’s drive-through units. “Similar to the kiosks, biometric check in can increase loyalty participation and revenue at the drive thru while also reducing payment processing costs,” says John Miller, CEO of PopID and Chairman of Cali Group. “Additionally, biometric payment at the order confirmation screen enables staff members to work on tasks other than taking payments by card and phone at the order pick-up window.”

Commonwealth Hotels, a Covington, Kentucky-based hotel management company, is pleased to announce the appointment of Jon Gustin as vice president of operations. In his new role, Jon will oversee the operational excellence and strategic growth initiatives of Commonwealth Hotels, bringing with him a wealth of experience and a proven track record in the hospitality industry.

Jon Gustin joins Commonwealth Hotels with a distinguished career spanning over 15 years in various senior leadership positions. Most recently, Jon served as the senior director of operations for Placemakr, where he was instrumental in driving operational efficiencies and growing the company from a start-up. Prior to that, he held key roles including director of hotel division for Blue Water Development, regional director for Dimension Development, and area general manager for TPG Hotels and Resorts. Jon has also held various leadership positions with White Lodging, contributing significantly to their operational success.

"We are thrilled to welcome Jon Gustin to the Commonwealth Hotels family," said Jennifer Porter, president of Commonwealth Hotels. "His extensive background in hotel operations, coupled with his strategic vision and leadership skills, make him an ideal fit for this pivotal role. We are confident that Jon will play a key role in driving our continued growth and delivering exceptional experiences for our guests."

Jon Gustin holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Hospitality Business from Michigan State University and a Juris Doctorate from Texas Southern University. His unique blend of hospitality expertise and legal acumen will further strengthen Commonwealth Hotels' commitment to operation excellence and guest satisfaction.

"I'm excited to join Commonwealth Hotels and work alongside such a talented team," said Jon Gustin. "I look forward to leveraging my experience to drive operations efficiencies, enhance guest experiences, and contribute to the overall success and growth of the organization."

Bottle Rocket has a new strategic partnership with Olo. This collaboration aims to redefine the digital guest experience by combining Bottle Rocket's application design and development solutions with Olo's robust digital ordering platform trusted by over 700 restaurant brands.

Bottle Rocket has created impressive business-changing outcomes and results for Chick-fil-A, Southwest Airlines, Starwood Hotels & Resorts (since acquired by Marriott), Albertsons, MoneyGram, Dave & Busters, Inspire Brands, McKesson, Bloomin' Brands, and Verizon, among others. 

The company has launched its latest innovation in the form of a digital accelerator for restaurant brands called Ignite. Ignite is a custom digital platform designed to enhance digital growth, loyalty, and retention for restaurants. Based on a comparison of thousands of customer engagements, Ignite allows restaurant brands to create a fully custom mobile and/or web solution in up to 40% less time and with less investment. Ignite was created with a pre-built Olo integration and is purposefully designed to support various restaurant brands. Bottle Rocket's Ignite and Olo provide a flexible foundation to build differentiated, custom experiences across iOS, Android, and web, unlocking valuable KPIs and scalable innovation.

• 83% say using data to understand guest preferences and behavior is impacting POS upgrade decisions in 2024, according to HT’s 2024 POS Software Trends Survey

"A culmination of over a decade of work in the industry, Ignite is an innovative solution that allows restaurant brands an attainable way to create a differentiated brand experience with the added flexibility and scalability that white-label solutions cannot provide," says Andrew Sevin, Bottle Rocket's President. "Through Ignite and our strategic partnership with Olo, we are able to help restaurant brands better serve their customers through a fully tailored brand experience that is unique to every brand."

Bottle Rocket's depth of experience in the restaurant space, coupled with the creation of the Ignite digital accelerator platform and the integration with Olo, is perfectly suited for restaurant brands wanting to create a new digital ordering experience designed for greater scalability, flexibility, and continued growth.

To learn more about this partnership or to contact Bottle Rocket for more info, please visit: https://partners.olo.com/partners/bottle-rocket   

Choice Hotels International, Inc., one of the world’s largest lodging franchisors, announced today it has signed an agreement with Entegra, the world’s largest food group purchasing organization. Choice branded hotel owners will now have access to over 3,000 suppliers worldwide on Entegra’s digital group purchasing organization platform. This agreement will help hotel owners make food purchasing decisions with confidence, all while potentially saving money and improving their overall business performance.

“Entegra is proud to partner with Choice Hotels, one of the largest and most successful lodging companies in the world,” said Entegra Global CEO Damien Calderini. “Through this program, our powerful suite of data and digital tools, procurement solutions, and supply-chain expertise will help Choice Hotels deliver opportunities for their franchisees to create memorable hospitality experiences for hotel visitors.”

“Through this agreement with Entegra, we’re looking forward to bringing even more value to our brands and franchisees, who may see better pricing on products and greater day-to-day operational support,” said Choice Hotels VP of Procurement Anya Kroupnik. “This will enable us to continue delivering on Choice’s promise of providing opportunities to reduce the total cost of hotel ownership and enhance guest satisfaction.”

“Clients choose Entegra for a wide range of products and services and stay with us because we offer more ways for them to be competitive and thrive,” said Jeff Porterfield, Entegra Senior Vice President of Client Services. “In addition to savings, we’re excited to provide Choice franchisees with dedicated service and support, as well as access to our innovative technology platform to enable greater business intelligence and operational efficiency.”

Today, Aescape, the first commercially available, fully automated AI massage experience, announced its hotel debut at ila Only Spa, located at Lotte New York Palace. Aescape has partnered with ila Only Spa to deliver premium, customizable massage to guests and visitors.

Wellness travel is on the rise, with the global wellness tourism market expected to reach $1.2 trillion by 2027. ila Only Spa at Lotte New York Palace is meeting travelers where they are, ushering in the future of on-demand, tech-enhanced wellness experiences. 

“It’s clear that more people wish to maintain and increase their sense of wellbeing when traveling, and they’re looking for the resources available to support this when choosing hotels. Aescape’s innovative approach to massage is adding to our wellness-forward amenities, and we look forward to bringing our guests a completely new massage experience,” said Joe Rose, Owner of ila Only Spa.

Aescape emerged from stealth earlier this year after seven years in research and development by some of the brightest minds in connected hardware and fitness. Alumni hail from Amazon, Apple, FitBit, MakerBot, Uber, Peloton, Tonal, and more. The automated massage uses advanced AI technology to create a 3D computational model of each user before delivering a completely personalized massage experience, tailored uniquely to their body. 

“The Lotte New York Palace is iconic, maintaining its storied elegance while evolving to keep guests happy,” said Aescape Founder and CEO, Eric Litman. “We share a mission to bring customers and guests a wellness-forward experience designed to meet their needs. As a New York startup, we’re honored to make our hospitality debut at this landmark New York hotel.”

The partnership news marks Aescape’s entrance into market, ahead of its launch with Equinox in select locations throughout New York City this month. Since launching its Early Access Program with PRESS Modern Massage Union Square, the company has generated a growing waitlist of New Yorkers eager to experience this first-of-its-kind massage. Aescape is set to announce partnerships with global  industry leaders across hospitality, professional sports, corporate offices and luxury real estate over the next year.