Papa Johns revealed a new design for international restaurants. 

Papa Johns new visual brand identity highlights premium ingredients through colors, lighting and decor. In a streamlined and flexible environment, Papa Johns team members will be equipped to more efficiently create quality food and serve it in the seamless, personalized ways that today’s customers prefer. Digital screens and ordering kiosks will help customers choose and customize their order in a sleek, modern and seamless experience.

Small, Flexible Formats

Papa Johns is among the brands introducing updated store designs. Krystal's  1,700-square-foot, double-lane drive-thru features an advanced, sleek design using a smaller footprint. In Tulsa, Oklahoma, Jack in the Box Inc. introduced its 1,350-square--foot, off-premise-only restaurant prototype. Last month, Panera Bread opened its New York Panera To Go, solely offering Rapid Pick-Up and Delivery shelves where guests and delivery drivers can easily pick up orders.  

Following the rollout of a more modern design for Papa Johns restaurants in North America, this new design for international restaurants will elevate the Papa Johns experience across the wide range of Papa Johns restaurant formats found around the globe. Whether a particular restaurant has been built to focus on delivery, serving dine-in guests, or a combination of the two, Papa Johns international franchise partners are being equipped with materials and finishes that can be accommodated and tailored for each of their restaurants’ specific needs.

The first restaurant constructed in the new design has opened in China’s Hubei province, and another seven locations are currently under construction or renovation across Jordan, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Kenya. 

“Papa Johns growth and momentum continues to attract leading operators who are eager to bring the Papa Johns experience to new parts of the world,” said Amanda Clark, Papa John’s Chief International and Development Officer. “By reinforcing our premium position within the QSR pizza industry, this new restaurant design gives current and potential franchise partners another reason to say yes to developing with Papa Johns.”

In creating the new store design, the colors, surface materials and messaging both inside and out were artfully chosen to indulge the senses and provide visual cues that reinforce Papa Johns crafted, quality products. On the walls, customers will find artwork depicting Papa Johns new “hand drawn happiness” illustration style that reflects both the vibrancy of the Papa Johns brand as well as the hand-crafted nature of its products.

To bring this new restaurant design to life, Papa Johns has begun implementing a phased approach that will gradually roll out this new experience to customers and team members as Papa Johns continues being “Hungry for Better.”

DailyPay has secured $260 million of capital to fuel growth domestically, expand internationally and further invest in product innovation. The funding is divided between revolving credit facility capacity provided by Barclays and Angelo Gordon, and new term loan funding from SVB Capital and a fund managed by Neuberger Berman.

DailyPay first announced a $300 million revolving credit facility from Barclays in March 2022. 

The fundraise announcement comes five months after Kevin Coop joined DailyPay as Chief Executive Officer. DailyPay partners with employers across various industries, including Fortune 500 companies such as Hilton. 

HotelPORT announced a partnership with ComOps, a provider of multi-channel contact center solutions. The collaboration will provide hotels, restaurants, and spas with enhanced resources for guest services, restaurant reservations, and other contact center operations.

Through this partnership, HotelPORT and ComOps will combine their expertise to offer a comprehensive suite of solutions designed to improve the guest experience and streamline operations. With HotelPORT’s advanced technology and deep understanding of the hospitality industry combined with ComOps contact center strategy and support, HotelPORT customers will have access to a range of solutions that are both innovative and tailored to their specific needs.

"We are thrilled to be partnering with ComOps to provide our customers with cutting-edge solutions that will help them better serve their guests and streamline their operations," said Fred Bean, Founder & CEO of HotelPORT. "With ComOps, we have found a partner that shares our commitment to excellence and innovation in the hospitality industry and we are confident that this partnership will be a huge benefit to our customers."

"We are excited to be working with HotelPORT to bring our solutions to the hospitality industry," said Robert Levine, CEO of ComOps. "HotelPORT's expertise in the industry and commitment to innovation make them the perfect partner for us. Together, we will be able to offer hotels, restaurants, and spas a range of solutions that will help them enhance their operations and improve the guest experience."

The partnership between HotelPORT and ComOps is set to begin immediately, and customers can expect to see the benefits of the collaboration in the coming weeks and months.

Horwath HTL, an independent advisory brand focused one hundred percent on hospitality, tourism, and leisure development, announced that Melissa Maher has joined the group as Managing Director to support hoteliers with actionable items to optimize their business offerings.

"Melissa will bring her unique understanding of the technology and data sources our industry uses daily to our team. Her ability to look at all the data and sort through what is truly needed and the best way to interpret the data to enhance overall operations and push profitability will help our clients achieve best in class for their properties and portfolio," says John Fareed, Global Chairman, Horwath HTL.

Maher started her career in the hospitality business as a Sales Manager for the Courtyard by Marriott Las Vegas in Las Vegas, Nevada. She most recently spent the last 21 years with Expedia Group in various positions, including Chief Marketing Officer & Senior Vice President of Marketing and Industry Engagement, Senior Vice President of Marketing & Innovation, Chief Inclusion Officer, Senior Vice President, Global Partner Group, Vice President Global Strategic Accounts & Industry Relations, and Regional Director of Market Management. In her time with Expedia, she formed strategic relationships with brand partners, founded the ownership council for hotel owners, and created B2B marketing programs to assist owners in growing their business more scalable way through innovative technology and special initiatives, including promotions, data, and insights.

"I am excited to join John and the Horwath HTL team in the California office. Having the ability to work with a global firm to bring commercial development and strategy to hospitality companies will allow me to utilize my experience and expertise to ensure hoteliers optimize their business offerings," says Melissa Maher, Managing Director, Horwath HTL.

Maher has been recognized with many honors throughout her career, including the Top 40 Women in Travel WINiT by Global Travel Associations. She was named one of the 30 Most Influential Women in Hospitality by Hotel Management Magazine. She serves as a board member and advisor for several organizations, including Women in Travel Thrive, Thayer Ventures, and StayBoutique. She formerly served as a board member for WINiT by GBTA and HSMAI. She also volunteers for organizations she closely connects with, including the Lupus Foundation of America, Crystal Cove Conservancy, and the Nevada Partnership for Homeless Youth. Maher holds a Bachelor's degree in Hotel Management and a Master's of Business Administration from the University of Nevada, located in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Horwath HTL's strategic advisory services include asset management, planning and development, positioning and repositioning, transaction services, and expert witness and litigation support.

Horwath HTL, the world’s only independent advisory brand focused one hundred percent on hospitality, tourism, and leisure development, announced that Dorothy Dowling has joined the group as Managing Director to support global hospitality industry clients with go-to-market strategies to help grow scale, revenue, and profitability with services ranging from repositioning to commercial business planning and activation.

“Dorothy is an industry icon and brings the wealth of her knowledge and experience to our team,” said John Fareed, Global Chairman, Horwath HTL. “Given her background and vast experience, Dorothy will be a senior advisor at Horwath HTL who will bring her owner focus to enhance our ability to provide clients worldwide with superb expertise.”

With over 40 years of hospitality industry experience, she started her career in the hospitality business as a Senior Consultant with Laventhol and Horwath in Toronto. Dowling most recently spent the last 18 years as Chief Marketing Officer of Best Western, where she directed all marketing and commercial strategies, overseeing the brand’s loyalty program, digital transformation, advertising, public relations, e-commerce, and consumer and distribution partnerships, and hotelier support marketing including regional coop marketing. In her commercial role, she oversaw the global sales organization and supported strategic partnerships with global intermediaries, corporate customers, and digital partners. Dowling has held senior leadership positions with major hospitality industry companies, including Wyndham formerly Cendant, Forte Hotels, Travelodge Canada, Royal Host REIT, and ARAMARK. Dowling serves as a board member and advisor for several organizations, including DEI Advisors, HSMAI, Stay Boutique, Commit Advertising Agency, and WINiT by GBTA, as well as a member of the Board of Trustees for CubeSmart, a real estate investment trust and the third largest owner and operator of self-storage properties across the United States.

“I am absolutely thrilled to join John and the Horwath HTL team by creating a new Scottsdale office,” said Dorothy Dowling, Managing Director, Horwath HTL. “Being part of this global firm will allow me to enhance their offering, helping companies apply strategies and expert industry knowledge from business exploration to activation.”

Dowling was recently honored with Lifetime Achievement awards from the Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International (HSMAI) for her extraordinary commercial leadership, the NYU International Hospitality Industry Investment Conference for her innovation and business performance, and GBTA WINiT for her trailblazing and leadership work advancing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in our industry. Dowling will be opening a new office for Horwath HTL in Scottsdale, Arizona.

Horwath HTL’s strategic advisory services include asset management, planning and development, positioning and repositioning, transaction services, and expert witness and litigation support.

Cisco published its 2023 Data Privacy Benchmark Study. The sixth annual global survey investigates professionals' perspectives on data privacy strategies. This year's study finds that despite a difficult economic environment, organizations continue to invest in privacy, with spending up significantly from $1.2 million just three years ago to $2.7 million this year. Yet, 92 percent of respondents believe their organization needs to do more to reassure customers about their data. The survey also finds that organizations' privacy priorities differ from those expressed by consumers.

Disconnect between consumers' expectations and organizations' privacy strategies
The study finds a significant disconnect between data privacy measures by companies and what consumers expect from organizations, especially when it relates to how organizations apply and use Artificial Intelligence (AI).

The Cisco 2022 Consumer Privacy Survey showed 60 percent of consumers are concerned about how organizations apply and use AI today, and 65 percent already have lost trust in organizations over their AI practices. Consumers also said the top approach for making them more comfortable would be to provide opportunities for them to opt out of AI-based solutions. Yet, the privacy benchmark shows providing opt-out opportunities was selected least (22 percent) among the options organizations would put in place to reassure consumers.

"When it comes to earning and building trust, compliance is not enough," said Harvey Jang, Cisco Vice President and Chief Privacy Officer. Transparency was the top priority for consumers (39 percent) to trust companies, whilst organizations surveyed felt compliance was the number one priority for building customer trust (30 percent).

Even though 96 percent of organizations believe they have processes in place to meet the responsible and ethical standards that customers expect for AI-based solutions and services, 92 percent of respondents believe their organization needs to do more to reassure customers about their data.

Privacy's return on investment
Despite a difficult economic environment, organizations continue to invest in privacy, with spending up from $1.2 million three years ago to $2.7 million this year. Over 70 percent of organizations surveyed indicated they were getting "significant" or "very significant" benefits from privacy investments, such as building trust with customers, reducing sales delays, or mitigating losses from data breaches. On average, organizations are getting benefits estimated to be 1.8 times spending, and 94 percent of all respondents indicated they believe the benefits of privacy outweigh the costs overall.

With privacy as a critical business priority, more organizations recognize that everyone across their organization plays a vital role in protecting data. This year, 95 percent of respondents said that "all of their employees" need to know how to protect data privacy.  

"An organization's approach to privacy impacts more than compliance," said Dev Stahlkopf, Cisco Executive Vice President and Chief Legal Officer. "Investment in privacy drives business value across sales, security, operations, and most importantly, trust."

Costs of data localization and greater trust in global providers
Privacy legislation plays an important role in enabling governments to hold organizations accountable for how they manage personal data, and 157 countries (up from 145 last year) now have privacy laws in place. Even though complying with these laws involves significant effort and cost, 79 percent of all corporate respondents said privacy laws have had a positive impact.

Although 88 percent of respondents believe their data would be safer if stored only within their country or region, research indicates this does not hold up once costs, security and other trade-offs are considered. Remarkably, 90 percent also said that a global provider, operating at scale, can better protect the data compared to local providers.

*Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Columbia, France, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Taiwan, Thailand, The Netherlands, UK, US, and Vietnam.