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  • 2/3/2025

    Bob W Launches New Hotel Carbon Tool That Shows Sector Emissions Are Five Times Higher than Previously Thought

    Bob W sign
    Hotel carbon emissions are at least five times higher than previously thought, according to research by Bob W. 
     
    ‘LEGIT’ (Lodging Emissions & Guest-night Impact Tracker), a new tool developed by the tech-powered hospitality operator and Furthr, a top tier environmental consultancy, gives guests complete environmental impact metrics for each of its room-types in every property. Bob W now clearly publishes these per-night guest emission numbers on their booking website, their guest app and in its sustainability reporting.
     
    Bob W’s LEGIT builds on existing frameworks for assessing hotel carbon footprints, such as the World Sustainable Hospitality Alliance’s Hotel Carbon Measurement Initiative (HCMI), as detailed in the company’s latest Sustainability Report.
     
    The HCMI standard for per night emissions includes electricity, gas, refrigerant gases and laundry services, and is used by more than 30,000 hospitality operators including Hyatt, Marriott International and Scandic. 
     
    Bob’s LEGIT takes additional factors into consideration, including the environmental impact of construction materials, cleaning services, toiletries, food and drink consumables, waste and water and furnishings.
     
    HCMI has been widely praised for helping operators take a vital first step in carbon measurement. However, Niko Karstikko, Bob W’s co-founder and CEO, wants operators to go further by using more comprehensive measurement standards and is calling for greater transparency in sharing environmental performance to both guests and the wider industry. 
     
    When applied to Bob W’s portfolio, the new more accurate methodology calculated an average carbon footprint 419% higher than the HCMI estimate – a five-fold increase.[1] This stark difference was driven by the inclusion of significantly more supplier-contributed indirect emissions.
     
    Bob W’s Koti Katajanokka building in Finland, for example, recorded an average of 1.48 kilograms of CO₂ equivalent per night (kgCO₂e/night) using the HCMI methodology. However, when the new model was applied, the figure rocketed to 19.7 kgCO₂e/night.
     
    Key factors like room rates and amenities have long played a pivotal role in guiding guest decisions when browsing property listings. By incorporating LEGIT per guest night emissions metrics into each of its property listings, Bob W guests are empowered to make informed and sustainable choices about their accommodation.
     
    While the new tool represents a major milestone in understanding the full environmental impact of the hotel sector, it also carries serious implications for how the industry currently gauges and mitigates its carbon footprint.
     
    Niko Karstikko, Co-founder and CEO of Bob W, said: “The emerging generation of travellers demands more transparency and is tired of greenwashing. The lodging industry owes it to its guests to give the numbers upfront and our aim is to make per-night guest emissions as prominent as nutrition facts on the back of a cereal packet.
     
    “Our work with Furthr suggests the true scale of the hotel sector’s environmental impact has been vastly underestimated. For an industry that accounts for approximately 9% of global carbon emissions,[2] there can be no room for guesswork when it comes to assessing its true contribution. 
     
    “The disparity between our new methodology and others raises critical questions about the effectiveness of current sustainability strategies within the sector. Many operators could well be falling shorter than they realise in addressing the full scope of their emissions, especially indirect sources. 
     
    “Among the pool of big, big hotel and hospitality players, we’re a relatively small challenger brand. So, if we are able to identify and measure our actual impact on the planet, then so too can others.
     
    "We may not have all the answers, but we remain committed to being the most honest operator in the industry and are working hard to empower our guests to make informed decisions. We’re eager to hear feedback from other operators about our new LEGIT methodology and invite open dialogue to refine and enhance it together. Collaboration is key to evolving this initiative into something truly impactful for the entire industry.”
     
    Bob W’s latest Sustainability Report provides a detailed assessment of the operator’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions for its entire portfolio in 2023. It highlights a total carbon footprint of 4,489 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (tCO₂e) – a 90% increase in 2022, driven by the rapid expansion of Bob W’s portfolio, which grew by around 200% during that same period.
     
    Bow W is a leader in sustainable hospitality having become the first international climate-neutral hospitality provider in 2021. The operator offsets 100% of its operational emissions, prioritises renewable energy sources and has committed to becoming a net-zero business by 2050. 
     
    Paul Dunca, chief operating officer at Furthr, said: “Tools like HCMI have provided a strong foundation for measuring operational emissions, helping many operators take their first steps toward sustainability. By introducing standardised sustainability reporting, HCMI empowered hospitality businesses and established a centralised system to drive meaningful progress.
     
    “However, as our understanding of the hospitality industry’s true impact on the planet continues to evolve, it becomes increasingly clear that there is much more work to be done.
     
    “By adopting advanced measurement methods, the industry can develop a fuller, more accurate picture of its environmental impact, and then take meaningful steps towards achieving its sustainability goals.”
     
    “It's rare to see a team like Bob W’s. They already had sustainability baked into their ethos, and now they've taken it to the next level by formalising their net zero strategy. We worked closely with them to push for better data accuracy, streamline reporting, and align with the highest standards, giving them a clear foundation to achieve their bold vision.”
     
    To read Bob W’s full sustainability report and find out more about LEGIT, please click here.
     
     
    References:
     
    [1] This weighted percentage has been calculated according to floor area by taking the average difference between Bob W’s carbon footprint using the HCMI methodology and Bob W and Furthr’s new LEGIT tool.
     
  • 2/3/2025

    Olo Partners with FreedomPay, Expands In-Store Capabilities of Olo Pay

    Olo announced a new partnership with FreedomPay, an innovative leader in Next Level Commerce™ technologies, to improve restaurant payment experiences nationwide. The partnership also deepens Olo’s relationship with Stripe, a financial infrastructure platform for businesses, which will include in-person transaction processing. 

    Olo Pay launched with Stripe as its original partner for digital payments in 2022, and the partnership will now be updated for an omnichannel world providing restaurants with a truly unified solution.

    This collaboration will accelerate Olo’s ability to process more card-present transactions by leveraging FreedomPay's payment gateway, which is processor-agnostic and already integrated with over 1,000 POS and payment systems. Olo Pay can now use Stripe’s payment processing on in-person POS transactions for the majority of its 700+ customers, extending the restaurant-centric benefits customers appreciate about Olo Pay’s digital payments.

    By integrating Olo Pay with FreedomPay's Commerce Platform, Olo will be able to offer enterprise brands choice in how they integrate in-store payment processing with Olo: either directly through one of Olo Pay Card-Present partnerships announced in 2024 or through FreedomPay. Like the POS partnerships, integrating FreedomPay and Stripe will enable brands to integrate Olo Pay’s Card-Present solution with Olo Engage, the company’s guest engagement suite. Aggregating both digital and in-store transactions into a single guest data profile will create opportunities for more personalized guest experiences and data-driven decision-making.

    "Currently, about 18% of restaurant transactions are digital,” said Noah Glass, Founder & CEO of Olo. “By processing the remaining 82% of on-premise transactions, we're uniquely positioned to provide restaurants with a 360-degree view of their guests by combining the newly captured in-store data with the digital order data they already have from our online ordering. This visibility will allow restaurants to better personalize interactions, making every guest feel like a regular and driving superior hospitality.”

    In addition, this integration provides current Olo Pay Card-Not-Present customers additional benefits:

    • Consolidates payment processing with a single provider
    • Eliminates reconciliation, reporting, and refund challenges due to multiple processors
    • Improves omnichannel tracking of guest purchasing history
    • Enhances loyalty program and cross-channel promotion effectiveness

    "By combining FreedomPay's Next Level Commerce™ platform with Olo's innovative payment solution purpose-built for restaurants, we're creating a unified, secure, and seamless checkout experience that will drive digital transformation," said Chris Kronenthal, President of FreedomPay. “Our work with Olo Pay will help unify the digital and in-store payment experience, improving reporting and providing restaurants with clearer insights for better decision-making.”

    This partnership represents a step forward in Olo's strategy to streamline commerce across all ordering channels, offering restaurants more flexibility, efficiency, and guest engagement capabilities to drive the industry toward a more personalized future. To learn more about Olo Pay, visit https://www.olo.com/pay.

  • 1/21/2025

    Wonder Franchises Buys Pizza Factory

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    Tucker’s Farm Corp. has acquired Pizza Factory Inc., a restaurant franchisor. The acquisition was completed via the Farm’s franchisor platform Wonder Franchises. Founded in 1979 by Danny Wheeler and Ron Willey, Pizza Factory has approximately $94 million in system sales across 84 franchisees and 110 restaurants. Since 2012, the business has been led by owner and CEO, Mary Jane Riva, who will stay on as CEO moving forward.

    In 2023, Tucker’s Farm launched Wonder, a franchise-focused holding vehicle, with $30 million of committed, long-term equity capital. Wonder is dedicated to partnering with and acquiring emerging to mid-size brands with the goal of long-term growth. Wonder’s priority is to be a great partner to sellers and a responsible steward for world-class brands and related assets.

    “We’re extremely excited to be acquiring Pizza Factory and to be partnering with MJ to take Pizza Factory to the next level. We love the longevity and stability of the system, the passion that MJ and her team have for their franchisees, and the community-focused culture of the brand. We feel fortunate to be partnering with someone with as much character and knowledge as MJ and believe there’s a great fit both culturally and in terms of our respective skillsets. We’re excited to have the deal closed so we can now focus on driving value for our franchisees,” said Adam Lewin, a partner on the private equity team at Tucker’s Farm and CEO of Wonder Franchises.

    This is the third franchise transaction for Tucker’s Farm in recent months, after portfolio company VIO Med Spa, the nation’s med spa franchisor, was successfully sold to Freeman Spogli in September 2024, and Wonder acquired The Decor Group, the leading holiday decorating franchisor with 245 franchised territories and $75 million in system sales, in November 2024.

    Riva received HT's Top Women in Restaurant Technology - Lifetime Achievement Award in 2024.  

    “I’ve been part of this system for more than 30 years and this company means the world to me. I chose Wonder because I really felt they were the partner that could help improve and grow the system but would do so in a way that took good care of the brand and the franchisees. The Wonder team is smart, young, and energetic – all things that I love – but the thing that really stood out compared to other groups was the way they asked so many questions. They didn’t come in with a ‘we know best’ mindset, they truly wanted to learn about Pizza Factory, understand what’s gotten us this far, and build on what we’re doing. The better I’ve gotten to know their team, the more confident I am that Wonder is the right partner and that the next chapter for Pizza Factory will be a great one.” 

    A community staple in 100-plus communities, Pizza Factory has stayed true to its roots with hardworking operators, family-friendly dining and high-quality products, offering fresh, hand-tossed pizza, pasta, wings, sandwiches, salads, beer, wine and more. With multiple restaurant designs, an Express model, and robust off-premise dining options including delivery and mobile ordering through a custom app, Pizza Factory is built to excel in the restaurant industry moving forward.

  • 2/2/2025

    Smoothie King Hires Industry Vet to Lead Marketing

    Smoothie king CMO Claudia Schaefer

    Smoothie King  announced the appointment of Claudia Schaefer as the company's new Chief Marketing Officer. With an exceptional track record in transforming and elevating well-known restaurant and retail brands, Claudia brings a wealth of experience in driving revenue growth, enhancing profitability, and elevating the customer experience, making her the ideal leader to guide Smoothie King into its next phase of growth.

    Schaefer will oversee all marketing efforts for Smoothie King, where she'll focus on further defining the brand's purpose and positioning by leveraging consumer insights to ultimately drive traffic and accelerate sales growth.

    Schaefer joins Smoothie King from her most recent role as Chief Experience Officer at Caliber, the $6B parent company of Caliber Collision, where she was instrumental in positioning and marketing the Caliber brand while delivering a seamless and differentiated guest experience. Prior to her tenure at Caliber, Schaefer served as the CMO of multiple QSR and CDR brands, including Jamba and Cheddar's Scratch Kitchen. During both tenures, she successfully increased traffic and sales through strategic marketing efforts focusing on relevance and differentiation. Her past experience also includes significant leadership roles at Brinker International, parent company of Chili's Bar & Grill, where she worked in both marketing and culinary innovation across domestic and global markets.

    Smoothie King's new CMO hire follows the brand's most recent quarterly business update and year- end recap. In 2024, Smoothie King opened 84 new stores, including signed agreements for new store openings across 24 states and 39 DMAs. The fourth quarter of 2024 alone saw the opening of 25 stores nationwide, including the opening of the brand's 1,200th domestic store and continued expansion across Chicago – one of the brand's fastest-growing markets. Smoothie King is setting its sights on an even bigger year in 2025 with accelerated growth, forecasting 105 new store openings across the country.

  • 2/3/2025

    Visito Unveils AI Phone Call Agent for Hotels

    Visito Logo

    Visito, a conversational AI platform for independent hotels, announced the launch of Visito Voice, an AI-powered voice assistant designed to handle incoming guest phone calls with natural, real-time interactions.

    Visito Voice enables hotels to automate phone-based guest support, resolving over 50% of incoming calls while ensuring a seamless hand-off to staff when needed. Available 24/7 in more than 50 languages, the AI assistant eliminates hold times, understands conversational speech, and integrates directly with leading property management systems.

    Pormer Sarram, Co-founder and CEO of Visito, said: “Phone calls remain a major part of guest communication, but they’re also one of the most time-consuming. Hotels today need a smarter way to handle high call volumes without losing the personal touch. With Visito Voice, guests can get instant answers from a human-like agent, or be transferred to human staff when needed. That frees up teams to focus on more complex and urgent interactions.”

    Built on the same infrastructure as Visito’s messaging platform, Visito Voice ensures a unified experience across voice and text. Calls can instantly transition to WhatsApp, allowing guests to continue conversations over text or complete a booking via the website.

    Meanwhile, hotel staff receive call summaries and insights into guest preferences, enabling them to manage phone interactions with the same tools they use for text-based support.

    Visito automates up to 97% of guest interactions across various channels, helping hoteliers minimise support costs, increase direct bookings, and enhance the overall guest experience.

  • 2/2/2025

    Just Salad Reveals New C-Suite Executives

    chart, funnel chart

    Just Salad, the fast-casual restaurant chain committed to making everyday health and sustainability possible, is pleased to announce key executive hires and promotions as part of its accelerated growth and continued focus on delivering exceptional guest experiences. The company has promoted Jennifer Lally to Chief Marketing Officer (CMO), as well as appointed Mark Berinato as Chief Experience Officer (CXO) and Stephen Blum as Chief Development Officer (CDO).

    These appointments come as Just Salad continues to expand its presence in new and existing markets and deepen its commitment to providing fresh, healthy, and sustainable food for its guests. Aligning with Just Salad’s core values, each executive brings valuable expertise in driving innovation and creating memorable guest experiences.

    Jennifer Lally, Chief Marketing Officer

    Previously serving as Vice President of Marketing at Just Salad, Jennifer Lally has been promoted to Chief Marketing Officer. In her new role, Jennifer will continue to lead Just Salad’s marketing strategy and partnerships. During her tenure with the brand, she has been instrumental in building brand strategy, driving local marketing efforts for over 40 new store openings, and reimaging Just Salad’s online presence as well as the Company’s updated, dynamic website. Jennifer also led successful campaigns and partnerships with Sesame Street, Michelin-starred Chef Amanda Cohen, Poppi, and Barstool Sports, all of which significantly boosted brand awareness and same-store sales. With over 15 years of experience in the food and beverage industry, she has held numerous marketing roles throughout her career, including serving as Marketing Director at Nespresso USA.

    "Jennifer’s creative leadership has been a key driver of Just Salad’s growth, and her unique ability to connect with our guests in a meaningful way has been integral to building our incredibly strong brand affinity," said Nick Kenner, Founder & CEO of Just Salad. "As CMO, she will continue to elevate our brand, expand our reach, and inspire our guests to Eat with Purpose."

    Mark Berinato, Chief Experience Officer

    Mark Berinato joins Just Salad as Chief Experience Officer, bringing over 20 years of expertise in customer experience and brand strategy. With previous leadership roles at Panera Bread and CAVA, Mark has a proven track record of driving digital transformation and customer engagement. At CAVA, he played a key role in the company’s growth and digital initiatives, while at Panera, he helped reshape the brand’s omni-channel experience. As CXO at Just Salad, Mark will oversee the holistic guest experience, both in-store and digitally, ensuring the brand continues to deliver personalized, seamless experiences that make everyday health and sustainability more accessible.

    “Mark’s innovative approach to the guest experience will help us continue to meet the evolving needs of our guests while enhancing our position as a brand that makes healthy, sustainable food easy to enjoy,” said Kenner.  “Our fans are incredibly loyal and we look forward to Mark’s contributions to ensure we are giving each guest the best experience every single time.”

    Stephen Blum, Chief Development Officer

    Just Salad welcomes Stephen Blum as Chief Development Officer. Leveraging over two decades of experience in real estate and development, he will oversee the brand's growth strategy, leading efforts across real estate, design, and construction to accelerate Just Salad’s expansion into new and existing markets. Before joining Just Salad, Stephen held senior leadership roles at Panera Bread, Panda Express, Au Bon Pain, and MOD Pizza, where he played a critical role in executing large-scale development projects and driving market expansion.

    “Stephen’s proven track record in scaling brands and driving successful development strategies will be instrumental as we continue to grow rapidly, nearing 100 store locations this year,” said Kenner. “Stephen’s expertise will be invaluable to our business as we work to bring our health-conscious, flavorful offerings to even more communities.”

    To learn more, visit Just Salad's website, download the mobile app, or follow @justsalad on Instagram and TikTok.

     

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