News Briefs

Group travel is booming, and travel-tech leader Hotel Engine is giving hotels the tools to grab their share of the market. Today it unveiled a comprehensive suite of group travel tools built specifically for hotels, delivering unparalleled new capabilities to streamline RFP responses, centralize communications and reduce staff workload. 

Group travel is one of the most challenging sectors of the hotel business. Competition is intense and the logistics are complicated. Hotels often find themselves tangled up in multiple offers and redlines, inefficient communications with guests and changes to reservation and payment details.  

But the opportunity is too big to ignore. Private and corporate group bookings are driving growth across the post-pandemic travel landscape. 

“To thrive in today’s market, hotels need better tools and insights to win more group travel,” said Hotel Engine CEO Elia Wallen. “We’ve created a streamlined, modern platform that reduces the manual work, complexity and hassle of the entire process while providing industry-leading insights for our hotel partners. It all adds up to a more efficient process, more bookings and an even better guest experience.” 

Among the new capabilities:

• Rapid response to RFPs: Craft custom-tailored proposals for groups in minutes with Hotel Engine’s intelligent RFP wizard and data-driven pricing tips.
• Streamlined RFP management: View and manage RFPs in one convenient dashboard, with easy online access for on-site staff or centralized teams.
• Actionable competitive intelligence: Analyze real-time market data to benchmark your property against similar local competitors. 
• Effortless communications: Save time by reducing back-and-forth emails and calls to prospective guests to coordinate group bookings.  

Hotel Engine’s new group travel features are the latest additions to its popular Partner Hub, which helps hotels manage their bookings and reach tens of thousands of active businesses booking travel in Hotel Engine’s worldwide member network. Whether travelers are booking one room or one hundred, Partner Hub is a powerful way for hotels to win their business, raise brand awareness and increase customer loyalty. 

Hotel Engine’s member network is about to get even larger, with personal travelers gaining access to group bookings later this month^*. Individuals with groups of 9 or larger will be able to sign up for Hotel Engine using their personal email and book group events like weddings, birthday parties, charity galas and coming-of-age celebrations. As always, Hotel Engine requires no annual contract or minimum spend. Hotel Engine’s specialized group travel team ensures customers receive the best possible rates and terms on lodging. Personal travelers using the Group Booking tool will also receive access to benefits including Hotel Engine loyalty points, consolidated travel billing and round-the-clock customer service.

Learn more about Hotel Engine’s Partner Hub platform. 

Shift4 has acquired a majority stake in Vectron Systems AG, a European suppliers of point-of-sale (POS) systems to the restaurant and hospitality verticals. 

Based in Germany, Vectron has 65,000 POS locations across Europe, representing. Shift4 is expected to acquire additional ownership of Vectron through a public tender offer that is expected to conclude within the next month, with a de-listing and formal integration process to occur shortly thereafter.

The acquisition is expected to provide Shift4 with an expansive customer footprint across Europe as well as a distribution network of ~300 POS resellers. As a result of the acquisition, Shift4 believes it will be able to add its integrated payment services to current Vectron customers and products, while also empowering the sales force with a compelling all-in-one POS and payments solution unrivaled in Europe.

“Shift4 was at the forefront of the convergence between software and payments in the restaurant and hospitality verticals in the US. We see an incredible amount of demand for a similar all-in-one solution across Europe,” states Shift4 CEO Jared Isaacman. “With our integrated payments and SkyTab offering, we believe we have the best solution at the right price point. Vectron will provide valuable local expertise, infrastructure, and the distribution necessary to meet the demand. This acquisition is right out of the Shift4 playbook – enabling us to unlock synergies, expand our distribution, and monetize payments for a large existing install base.”

Completes Revel Systems Acquistion

In addition to the acquisition of Vectron, Shift4 has also completed its previously announced acquisition of Revel Systems. Revel has over 18,000 merchant locations across the United States and internationally which Shift4 estimates represents a $17B+ payment opportunity. Revel also has a direct sales and dealer distribution network which Shift4 believes can be leveraged to accelerate SkyTab distribution both domestically and abroad. 

Shift4 has signed a definitive arrangement agreement to acquire Givex Corp., a global provider of gift cards, loyalty programs and point-of-sale solutions. 

The Arrangement Agreement is subject to customary closing conditions and the transaction is expected to be completed in the fourth quarter of this year. 

With across more than 100 countries, Givex serves a wide range of businesses in various industries, including 7-Eleven, Wendy’s, Best Western, Texas Roadhouse. 

The company offers robust gift card and e-gift solutions as well as customizable loyalty programs, and a point-of-sale (POS) system for various business types, among other value-added services.

 “Givex has a considerable footprint around the world which will dramatically increase Shift4’s overall customer base,” states Shift4 President Taylor Lauber. “At the same time, their gift card and loyalty solutions are second to none and will add significant value for our current customers, creating stickier relationships andh 130,000+ active locations enhancing our overall value proposition. Similar to other deals we have recently completed, this acquisition aligns perfectly with how we like to deploy capital – adding blue-chip merchants at a low customer acquisition cost while delivering additional benefits to our customer base.” 

“The Givex team looks forward to joining the Shift4 family and bring our enterprise gift card capabilities and loyalty programs to hundreds of thousands of new customers,” says Don Gray, CEO of Givex. “By combining Shift4’s end-to-end payment solution with our value-added engagement services, we can deliver an unparalleled package to both of our customer bases.”  

Mark Shambura has joined Panera Bread as Chief Marketing Officer. Shambura will lead all aspects of marketing at Panera, including Brand Building, Digital & Loyalty, Product Strategy & Consumer Insights. An accomplished marketing leader with broad expertise in the restaurant industry, Mr. Shambura has previously held marketing leadership roles during pivotal growth periods for top brands including Chipotle, MOD Pizza, and most recently Papa Johns.

"Mark brings an impressive background building brands and leading marketing teams for fast-casual restaurants, and we’re thrilled to welcome him to Panera Bread,” said José Alberto Dueñas, Chief Executive Officer. “As Panera continues to evolve our brand, guided by listening to our guests, Mark’s depth of experience and ability will help drive our growth as a brand that serves great food you feel good about eating.”

Shambura previously served as CMO at Papa Johns, where he led a revitalization of the brand by enhancing its iconic “Better Ingredients, Better Pizza” platform, and developing a more modern, innovative omnichannel approach to transform how Papa Johns appealed to both new and loyal consumers. As Executive Director at Chipotle, Mr. Shambura guided the marketing function through periods of both sustained growth and transition, providing leadership over brand strategy, advertising, digital, social, events/sponsorships, promotions, and field marketing, including playing a key role in spearheading its “Real Ingredients” brand strategy.

“I’m proud to join the Panera Bread team and excited to build on the momentum of the brand's transformation as it continues to evolve in service of our guests,” Mr. Shambura said. “Panera propelled and cemented its position at the top of the fast casual restaurant segment through its promise of high-quality ingredients and freshly prepared food, and I’m thrilled to join a highly talented team to help shape its next chapter.”

Prior to his tenure in the restaurant industry, Mr. Shambura gained extensive marketing agency experience, working with a broad array of top global consumer brands for over a decade. Shambura will report directly to José Alberto Dueñas, Chief Executive Officer, and officially assumed the role of Chief Marketing Officer on July 29, 2024.

Hotel technology company Journey is teeing up golf resorts for commercial success with their new Golf module, part of Journey’s Experience Management System (EMS).

The all-in-one cloud-based golf management software simplifies golf operations by pulling together tee sheet management, membership management, retail inventory and sales, plus online tee time bookings within the same easy-to-use system. As part of the company’s wider experience management system, EMS Golf provides hoteliers and golf resort managers an industry-leading unified product with resort-wide integration.

The platform was trialled by four leading resorts, with proven benefits such as reducing the reliance on costly OTAs to fill tee times.

Mal Rennie, Chief Revenue Officer at Journey, said: “Our aim is to help resorts drive their profitability. With the addition of EMS Golf to the Journey portfolio,  resort owners are now in a position to select a single platform  to manage their guest experiences.. We know that if it’s a part of your hotel business that can be managed, it can be monetised - and EMS Golf makes it convenient and simple for resorts to maximise their return on and off the course - greater volume, better margins, stronger data.”

Charlie Grabe, Journey’s Director of Golf, said: “By centralising resort operations, EMS Golf leads to happier members, more revenue, and more efficient operations.”

Key features of EMS Golf include: online tee sheet bookings (for members and visitors) and management; a POS with inventory management; membership profiles and sales; and payments (including deposits and levy in a single payment gateway).

Used as part of Journey’s EMS, the technology integrates into a resort’s wider tech stack, eliminating frustrations caused by disjointed systems and streamlining operations for staff across the business. 

“EMS Golf will change the game for golf operators and hoteliers,” said Rennie. “By unifying all the key areas of leisure, a guest can now have a total resort experience. Consolidating their operating system with a best-in-class booking and management platform, hoteliers are able to increase direct channel bookings and drive more revenue.”