News Briefs

Chris Kung has joined Zaxby's as its new Chief Digital Officer. He will lead the transformation and acceleration of the company's Loyalty and e-Commerce initiatives.  

"Zaxbys rapid expansion requires the investment of world-class leaders and resources," said Bernard Acoca, Zaxbys CEO. "Chris's expertise in e-Commerce and loyalty programs will help drive incremental growth and enhance the Zaxbys experience as digital touchpoints continue to proliferate throughout the customer journey. His arrival will help us build stronger relationships with our guests by deepening our understanding of their needs and rewarding their patronage with personalized experiences." 

Growing Loyalty

Kung brings over 20 years of innovation and strategy experience to Zaxbys and most recently served as Chief Digital Officer at Dollar General, where he led initiatives that transformed the company into a digital innovator. Kung played a central role in creating the myDG loyalty program. Under his leadership, the company's e-Commerce sales grew 40x in three years, app usage surged from 1.8 million to 7 million monthly active users, and the DG App earned the distinction of the #1 couponing app in America.

Prior to Dollar General, Kung held key leadership positions at Macy's Inc., where he drove omnichannel technology and innovation.

Zaxbys is establishing a new Loyalty & e-Commerce Team, which will report to Kung. This new team will spearhead efforts to make Loyalty and e-Commerce significant contributors to its growth. The creation of the Chief Digital Officer role will open capacity and drive focus for Mike Nettles, Chief Technology Officer, and Patrick Schwing, Chief Marketing and Strategy Officer, who both previously oversaw a portion of this role.  

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.”

IRIS, a global market leader in mobile ordering and digital guest experience solutions for hotels, has been chosen by W Sydney to provide a personalised, digital ordering experience to guests and improve operational efficiencies with its cutting-edge hospitality platform.

With 588 stylish rooms and suites, and multi-venue dining experiences, W Sydney brings a new energy and modern take on luxury to the city and harbour waterfront. The five-star hotel, rising over Darling Harbour, was one of the most anticipated hotel openings of 2023. 

The IRIS app provides guests with an invaluable reference tool, with instant access to information on the hotel facilities and amenities, F&B menus and local weather and attractions, all of which they can book or order in a few clicks. Furthermore, it supports the hotel with useful revenue generating, upsell opportunities and empowers guests to tailor their hotel experience to their preferences, all from the convenience of their smartphones or tablets.

Anand Prabeer, W Sydney B&F Director, added, “Our implementation of an advanced digital F&B ordering and guest directory app has been a game-changer for our hotel. This technology enables us to offer a seamless digital experience that our guests appreciate, while also streamlining operations for our staff. Within the first 6 months, we've seen a significant rise in room service orders and a notable increase in ancillary revenue. This progress highlights our guests' preference for a mobile-driven experience. We are excited to continue enhancing our guest experience and reinforcing our reputation as a premier luxury hotel.”

Guests at W Sydney will enjoy an unparalleled experience, reduced wait times, and improved order accuracy with mobile ordering, with the app enabling guests to be fully in control of their stay - placing orders and accessing information from their own device, at their own pace, wherever they are.

Graham Rushin, VP Sales and Marketing at IRIS, commented, “We’re delighted with our partnership with the newly opened W Sydney. The team are really engaged and embracing the challenge of meeting and surpassing guest demands for a modern and efficient service.

Through digital ordering and the app's seamless integration into the hotel's operations, W Sydney is enjoying a boost in F&B revenue, optimised staff workflows, and reduced operational costs. 

We are thrilled to build upon our existing success with W Hotels and contribute to W Sydney's commitment to providing exceptional guest experiences."

HRS, a global corporate lodging and payment technology platform, announced that it is the first hotel-focused technology provider to have its broad range of features certified in the new Concur Travel’s Hotel Connector. This integration unlocks newfound gains for multinational corporate hotel programs. SAP Concur customers can now access an unrivaled combination of AI-infused functionalities that continually optimize performance and expedite the booking experience for travelers and travel managers, delivering the ideal set of hotel options at the top of every shopping list.

SAP Concur and HRS are longstanding partners in driving value for mutual customers. Many of HRS’ largest clients use SAP Concur solutions today and can take steps to use SAP Concur’s new Hotel Connector over the second half of 2024.

A Broad Range of Automated Enhancements Serving Managers & Business Travelers

The integration of HRS’ Lodging-as-a-Service automation into the new Concur Travel supports mutual clients in multiple ways. Highlights include:

• HRS’ holistic approach – leveraging AI-powered technology end-to-end to cover procurement, booking and payment – gives corporate hotel program leaders unmatched transparency across every element of a hotel booking, enabling real-time tracking of trends and exposing savings and performance opportunities in an expedited manner.
• Working in concert with the new Concur Travel enhanced booking interface via secure APIs, HRS’ AI-infused procurement and shopping technology facilitates automated, streamlined options for travelers. The resulting point-of-sale displays are aligned with defined corporate priorities, helping drive use of preferred hotels on a global scale.
• Programs and corporate travelers using the new Concur Travel now gain from HRS’ advanced multi-sourcing capabilities. Travelers shopping for hotels now have greater visibility into negotiated properties while HRS handles deduplication and content normalization across all appropriate options as a true single-source provider. HRS content includes GDS hotels along with an unmatched collection of chain-direct, independent and non-GDS properties.
• SAP Concur users can also take advantage of the seamless integration of HRS` payment solution. HRS’ technology enables a hands-off payment and expense experience for travelers. Finance and accounting teams gain from digitally enhanced invoices that are 100 percent compliant and enriched with Level-3 data that maximizes itemization and VAT reclaim potential.
• HRS now presents the widest range of business travel-ready hotels worldwide, with more structured and filterable content with noteworthy amenities including EV charging and property location safety.
• Corporations taking steps to make their lodging programs more sustainable can now access the full range of features included in HRS’ groundbreaking and ISO-certified Green Stay Initiative. This award-winning automation helps companies reduce and remove actual property-level carbon emissions, while also delivering auditable, detailed reporting on each individual hotel considered for use by a company’s procurement leaders.
• Travelers worldwide now benefit from end-to-end inclusion of loyalty program numbers and data, with data verified across the lifecycle of the booking, from initial itinerary build to check-out.

In the second half of 2024, HRS and SAP Concur are coordinating with mutual customers to drive a seamless conversion to the new Concur Travel. Bookers will experience no changes in their login process or search functionality, ensuring a smooth transition. Bookings and itineraries are fully loyalty-enabled and optimized for easy check-in experiences. HRS will ensure that the right hotel content, complete with enhanced details as requested by hotel program leaders, is available throughout the new Concur Travel solution. 

“SAP Concur and HRS are aligned in our core belief that the integration of modern technologies – ‘under the hood’ of managed travel programs – will be vital as companies adapt to the rapidly changing, complex hotel ecosystem,” said Martin Biermann, Chief Product Officer for HRS. “Our AI functionality, working in concert with the new Concur Travel and its Hotel Connector functionality, promises next-level performance for our mutual clients in the months and years ahead.”