News Briefs

At Meyer Jabara Hotels, associates are empowered to deliver outstanding experiences for guests. It’s not a directive, but rather a choice whereby its people accept personal responsibility for delivering distinctive hospitality and maintaining operational excellence. One of the greatest indicators of a healthy culture is growth from within. Today, MJH President Justin Jabara announces that Senior Vice President of Operations Eric Churchill has been promoted to Chief Operating Officer of Meyer Jabara Hotels.  As part of this newly appointed position, Churchill will oversee portfolio operations to ensure best in class operations and performance for our owners, guests and associates.

“The Meyer Jabara Hotels Journey culture is the glue that has held — and continues to hold — us together throughout the decades,” Jabara said. “Eric’s promotion is the perfect example that leading, learning, and teaching results in success. His professional achievements are exemplary. His passion for people is profound. And his pursuit of an enriched work/life balance for guests, associates and owners have made him an irreplaceable asset that deserves to be recognized.”

Churchill joined Meyer Jabara Hotels in 2004 as General Manager of the Courtyard by Marriott Copley Square in Boston. He then transitioned to GM of the Providence (R.I.) Marriott, a much larger hotel where he honed many of his leadership skills. In 2013, Churchill was promoted to Senior Vice President of Operations. Throughout his 21 year career with the company, Churchill embraced the tools of The Journey culture – serving as Chair of the company’s Journey LOP and was later awarded a Mirror of MJ Award recognizing his role in cultural congruency and promotion. Today, he attributes his success to the company’s supported culture of learning and growth, saying he “hit the career development jackpot” when joining the Meyer Jabara family of hotels.

“There is something really exciting about managing people and leading individuals who have a passion to succeed,” Churchill said. “Meyer Jabara Hotels is a true winner. The support from ownership is unlike anything I have experienced before, and the drive for results among the leadership team and line-level employees is contagious. I am honored by this promotion and look forward to assisting this great organization with continued growth for decades to come.”

Churchill is a graduate of Johnson and Wales University. Immediately out of college he accepted a position as a management trainee. His first job in hospitality was as an assistant executive housekeeper at Harvey DFW Airport. Prior to joining Meyer Jabara Hotels, he worked for Bristol Hotels and Resorts. Churchill will continue to operate from his office in Providence.  

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.”  

ezCater and Dave’s Hot Chicken, today announced the launch of the fast-casual brand’s first-ever catering program, responding to the increasing demand from workplaces nationwide. The new partnership enables organizations to conveniently order Dave’s Hot Chicken for meetings, events, and employee lunches from over 200 of its locations.

Drawing on ezCater's 18+ years of workplace catering expertise, Dave’s Hot Chicken has crafted a versatile catering menu that includes individually packaged boxes and trays. The menu has been optimized for large-group orders, featuring fan-favorite hot chicken tenders, sliders, and sides.

“Partnering with ezCater allows Dave’s Hot Chicken to tap into high-value workplace customers like never before,” said Jim Bitticks, President and Chief Operations Officer, Dave’s Hot Chicken. “This partnership will help us capitalize on the growing demand in workplace catering while also opening up a new revenue stream for our franchise owners. The average order value for Dave’s Hot Chicken orders on ezCater exceeds $500, and we expect catering to represent as much as 10% of our business within a year.”

Dave’s Hot Chicken will benefit from ezCater’s platform, which is designed to help restaurants get valuable, incremental catering orders and backed by award-winning customer service. A majority of Dave’s Hot Chicken locations also leverage ezDispatch, which supports them with local, reliable delivery partners in their area.

Absolute Hotel Services Group (AHS), one of the fastest-growing hospitality management and branding companies in Asia, has chosen the Oracle OPERA Cloud and Simphony Cloud Point of Sale (POS) platforms for all of its AHS-branded properties worldwide. With connected, intelligent applications running on a common data platform, Absolute will be able to glean the insights it needs to operate more efficiently, enhance guest experiences, and support revenue growth. Absolute began the rollout of the Oracle solutions across 23 properties that account for 3,600 rooms in late 2024, and its remaining locations are expected to be transitioned by early 2026.

“Making this investment in Oracle’s cutting-edge technology is a testament to Absolute’s unwavering commitment to innovation and guest satisfaction,” said Jonathan Wigley, CEO and founder of Absolute Hotel Services Group. “This marks a pivotal moment in our journey toward becoming a global hospitality leader. The Oracle platforms are already helping us refine our operations and assist our staff in delivering exceptional service.”

With the OPERA Cloud property management system (PMS), Absolute is centralizing its guest data and operations to provide management a complete picture of its business, encompassing distribution, sales, customer service interactions, and loyalty programs. Accessible through mobile devices, OPERA Cloud enables staff to make faster, data-driven decisions from anywhere on its properties to better serve guests, handle housekeeping tasks, manage reservations, and more.

With Simphony POS, Absolute will also be able to better understand the dining preferences of its customers to reward guests for their purchases and deliver more relevant offers over time.

“By leveraging OPERA Cloud and Simphony POS, Absolute Hotel Services Group is not only elevating the guest experience, it is reshaping the hospitality industry's landscape in APAC,” said Patrick Andres, Regional Vice President of Hospitality for JAPAC at Oracle. “This digital transition highlights Absolute’s commitment to providing an easy-to-navigate, comprehensive customer experience to guests, while also setting themselves up for success with all the modern tools they need to drive revenue and make their staff’s lives easier.”

Absolute Hotels (AHS) selected Oracle OPERA Cloud in Q1 FY25.

Aptech, a provider of enterprise accounting, business intelligence, financial planning and management solutions for the hospitality industry, announced the launch of its new accounting solution, PVNG Fixed Asset Management (FAM). Designed to meet the unique needs of hotel organizations, properties and groups, PVNG FAM offers an interactive platform for managing, updating and reporting on assets across one or multiple locations.

Empowering Hotel Organizations with Asset Information

PVNG Fixed Asset Management is a dynamic system that helps hotel organizations monitor the full life cycle of their assets, from acquisition through end-of-life. The system’s capabilities allow users to view and update their asset inventory at any time, ensuring that critical information is kept up-to-date. With the ability to log costs against the anticipated and actual life span of assets, hotel management can quickly assess current and potential future savings, optimizing operational efficiencies across all departments.

Key Features of PVNG FAM Include:

• Detailed Reporting: PVNG FAM allows users to generate detailed reports on assets.
• QR Code Scanning: With integrated QR code scanning, users of PVNG FAM can instantly locate assets with their mobile devices and be instantly directed to the relevant asset record, allowing for seamless updates on the go.
• Mobile App Accessibility: Through the convenient PVNG FAM mobile app, users can update and review asset information both online and offline, and synchronize data when reconnected to ensure a fully integrated experience.
• User Access Control: Secure access can be assigned to various users, including staff, engineers and external contractors. Each user has access tailored to their role, ensuring relevant and secure management of assets across single or multiple locations.
• Category Management: With PVNG FAM assets can be categorized and grouped for efficient reporting at a management level. Asset values and depreciation can also be tracked, while identifying when assets nearing the end of their recommended life cycle.

Streamlining Operations Across Multiple Locations

Compatible with all web browsers, PVNG Fixed Asset Management empowers hotel groups to manage assets across multiple properties, providing an all-encompassing view of operations from a single system. With customizable reports, users can compare asset performance across locations and allocate resources effectively, ensuring that budget constraints and maintenance needs are met with ease.

We continuously listen to our clients to develop new products and features to meet their evolving accounting and financial management needs,” said Jill Wilder, Aptech President. “In having these conversations, we identified a need for a robust solution that would allow hotel finance teams to easily track, manage, update and report on their fixed assets across single or multiple properties. PVNG FAM is an ideal enhancement to our PVNG offering for new and existing customers that provides a host of benefits.”

Aptech’s integrated suite of solutions includes PVNG, Execuvue® and Targetvue, which comprise an integrated technology ecosystem designed to help hoteliers at both the corporate and property levels understand their financial and operational data and provide actionable insights. These solutions focus on enterprise accounting, business intelligence, financial planning and management, and are used by more than 3,500 hotel properties across North America.