News Briefs

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.”  

HotelPORT, (www.hotelport.co) a provider of hospitality technology solutions, is excited to announce its partnership with Daitrix to launch ReputationAI, a groundbreaking platform designed to transform how hotels, restaurants, and spas manage their online reputation. This innovative solution leverages cutting-edge artificial intelligence to provide businesses with actionable insights and tools to enhance guest satisfaction and operational excellence.

ReputationAI is poised to disrupt the hospitality industry by offering a comprehensive suite of features that monitor and analyze customer feedback in real-time. This allows businesses to respond swiftly and effectively, ensuring that guest experiences are consistently elevated. By integrating advanced technology with a user-friendly interface, ReputationAI empowers businesses to maintain integrity and excellence in their operations.

"At HotelPORT, we are committed to delivering solutions that benefit our partners by enhancing their service capabilities and driving growth," said Fred Bean, Founder & CEO of HotelPORT. "Our collaboration with Daitrix reflects our dedication to innovation and excellence, ensuring that our clients can meet the evolving needs of their guests with confidence and integrity."

Cendyn, a global integrated hotel technology company, has advanced its business intelligence solutions with AI-enabled analysis to deliver hotels smarter data with practical commercial insights.

Reinforcing its commitment to empowering hotels globally to excel through world-class technology, Cendyn has integrated AI into its CRM and Knowland platform. Hotel sales and marketing teams now have quickly accessible actionable insights, reducing manual management of spreadsheets and complex reports.

Through the launch of CRM Analytics, Cendyn is revolutionizing data and insights available for hotel customer relationship management. AI-generated insights and analysis allow hotels to quickly leverage real-time guest behavior data to optimize marketing campaigns and uncover key business drivers with precision. Smart narratives that concisely and succinctly summarize data, simplify and identify trends from complex datasets for hotels to take immediate action. 

Following the acquisition of Knowland in October 2024, Cendyn launched a new AI search capability within the platform to further assist hotels in accessing business intelligence. This new AI search capability aligns with the latest consumer search trends, enabling hoteliers to input long-form queries as they do with traditional search engines. With a smarter, more user-friendly entry point to Knowland data, hoteliers retrieve insights faster and more intuitively to identify future business prospects and maximize market competitiveness.

This news comes alongside the official expansion of Knowland beyond the United States, Middle East, and APAC back into Europe. With London as the first market, hotels and venues will soon be able to leverage the platform to drive total account revenue with data-backed insights, capitalizing on growing opportunities in the MICE sector. 

“We strongly believe that leveraging tools like AI across our suite of solutions will enable our customers to do their jobs more effectively and provide significant time savings,” said Chris Egan, Chief Product Officer, Cendyn. “AI analysis is giving visibility to aspects of our customer’s performance that may otherwise be overlooked.”

“By using long-form text for search queries and pulling tangible insights out of complex data charts, hoteliers can quickly get the precise information they need. This will help the industry move beyond static reports to dynamic, real-time intelligence that results in more direct bookings and increased revenue. As an integrated solutions provider, we are in the process of bringing together data from different sources and leveraging AI to provide even greater business optimization in a manner that hasn’t been done before.”

The integration of AI for advanced data functionality across the Cendyn portfolio provides the hotel industry with a powerful collection of integrated solutions, enabling hoteliers to find new guests, book more direct, and grow revenue.