News Briefs

Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, a hotel franchisor with 25 brands and 9,200 hotels in more than 95 countries, is using Salesforce Data Cloud to unlock data trapped across multiple systems. Now, Wyndham has a complete, unified view of each guest to power customized experiences with trusted AI, automation, and data-driven insights.

The challenge: In the highly competitive hospitality industry, guests expect hotels to know their room and service preferences even before stepping foot on the property. With hundreds of millions of guest records and millions of bookings per year spread across individual properties and corporate call centers, Wyndham faced challenges accessing guest data where and when it was needed, which put guest satisfaction and direct bookings at risk.

The impact: Millions of bookings route through Wyndham’s reservation call center and hotels every year, underscoring the importance of identifying guests in real time so they can quickly offer tailored experiences while booking guest stays. Wyndham turned to Salesforce to unify its reservation, loyalty, and CRM data, creating a seamless flow of information that empowers its agents to deliver the individualized, high-quality services their guests and franchisees expect, at scale. Now Wyndham is:

• Personalizing Guest Interactions: Wyndham leverages Data Cloud to bridge the gap between data from individual hotels and its corporate call center. With this data aggregated, agents can now access guests’ booking histories at any franchise property, such as accessible room requests, loyalty status, or milestones to personalize every interaction. 
• Expediting Customer Support: AI-generated reply recommendations from Service Cloud also means agents can quickly and intuitively respond to guest inquiries across multiple channels, reducing average handle times by about 90 seconds and decreasing call time resolution by a projected 35%. Efficient call center interactions and enhanced direct booking experiences makes it quick, easy, and convenient for Wyndham’s guests to reach out directly instead of using third-party booking sites, fostering deeper relationships and helping franchisees avoid third-party commissions.
  • Since implementing Salesforce AI technology, the company has also achieved a 55% improvement in franchisee-resolved customer care cases and a 33% reduction in days to close a case. These results have improved guest experiences at franchises and strengthened guest loyalty, ensuring care and comfort across Wyndham’s global locations. 
• Streamlining Operations: MuleSoft enables Wyndham to harness the full potential of its data with APIs that ensure smooth data flow into Data Cloud and simplify the complex task of integrating multiple systems. And, by connecting its reservation and loyalty systems with MuleSoft and Data Cloud, Wyndham can more easily expand its infrastructure for new hotel owners, accelerating their onboarding and driving their success by providing easy access to relevant information.

Franchisee facts: Wyndham guest experiences begin with franchise owners. These operators are another important customer for Wyndham and can stay connected to corporate through an online community built on Experience Cloud. The tool also features embedded Tableau dashboards that provide informative insights, such as revenue per available room, average daily rate, and occupancy rates. 

• Tableau-generated insights, which are supported by Salesforce, Amazon Redshift, and AWS data, allow owners to make data-driven decisions and offer actionable next steps like upgrading furniture, conducting maintenance, or modifying pricing.

The Wyndham perspective: “Our agents now have a consolidated view of the information they need to respond to guests efficiently, accurately, and with better personalization. This helps us serve our key stakeholders: our franchisees, our guests, and our team members.” – Scott Strickland, Chief Commercial Officer

Wyndham has additionally leveraged the Salesforce partner ecosystem, tapping PwC as its implementation partner across Data Cloud, Service Cloud, and MuleSoft to realize the value of an AI-enabled approach, enhancing both the franchisee and guest experience across channels.

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.

After filing for Chapter 11 last week, BurgerFi International has received the court's interim approval to access financing to keep Anthony's Coal Fired Pizza & Wings and the better burger concept BurgerFi's 144 locations open for business.  

On Sept. 16, the Court granted interim approval for the company to immediately access $3.5 million of the debtor-in-possession financing provided by an affiliate of TREW Capital Management. The Court also approved the use of the company's existing employee benefits, cash management systems, and customer programs.

Looking for a Buyer

As part of the financing agreement, the company intends to propose a sale process and bidding procedures for a sale with the support of its lenders. The "second day" hearing seeking final approval for the company's requests is scheduled for October 7

"The company has worked very hard to ensure that the transition into Chapter 11 would have no impact on our valued employees, customers and franchise partners," said Carl Bachmann, Chief Executive Officer of BurgerFi International, Inc. "We are very pleased that we received approval of our key motions to support our continued operations including employee wages and benefits, cash management and customer programs."

The "second day" hearing seeking final approval for the company's requests is scheduled for October 7.

Mirai – which provides hotels with technology and operations support to sell in the direct channel – is proud to announce the impressive results of its collaboration with Princess Hotels & Resorts – a hotel chain that offers luxurious holiday experiences – on the implementation of Google’s Demand Gen campaigns, significantly enhancing Princess Hotels' performance in the competitive luxury travel market. 

The Demand Gen campaigns, executed in Q2 2024 (April to June), delivered significant results for the luxury hotel chain in the hotels implemented in Princess Caribe (Riviera Maya and Punta Cana), showing a result of a 165% increase in qualified leads (CTR) and a 102% increase in profitability (ROAS) compared to last year's same period. Notably, the assist-to-conversion ratio was 19.1%, and the business data showed an impressive 18% growth in revenue and a 14% increase in bookings during this period.

Princess Hotels & Resorts, which has worked with Mirai since 2018, collaborated with Google to leverage the power of Demand Gen campaigns. This AI-driven solution enabled them to effectively target high-potential travelers by combining Google’s advanced AI technology with Princess Hotels’ own audience data. The company personalized the guest journey by creating custom videos and messages, targeting audiences based on website interactions, and maximizing the impact of the campaign. This approach re-engaged potential customers who had shown booking intent, keeping the brand top-of-mind.

“This new campaign, replacing Discovery Ads, offers more immersive ad environments. Partnering with Mirai, we defined a mid and low funnel strategy, boosting traffic, ROAS and revenue”,  said Pere Jordi Estivill, Head of Digital Marketing and Web at Princess Hotels & Resorts. 

Enrique Cano, Digital Marketing Consultant at Mirai, added: “Working with Princess Hotels & Resorts on this project has been a great collaboration. Our focus on maximising conversions through Google’s AI-driven tools and personalised messaging allowed us to deliver exceptional results for the client. This partnership is a testament to the power of combining strategic digital marketing with cutting-edge technology. Princess Hotels & Resorts, sought to attract new guests, generate qualified leads, and drive bookings for their exquisite properties in the Dominican Republic and Mexico. In a highly competitive luxury travel market, they aimed to engage new visitors and re-engage website users who had shown booking intent.”