News Briefs

Ahead of this year’s event, new data from TravelTech Show has revealed the key trends and priorities of travel companies. Most significantly, 62 per cent of travel buyer respondents said they expect their budgets to increase over the next 12 months with over a quarter (28 per cent) of increases expected to be by as much as 20 per cent.

AI looks set to take the lion’s share of those budgets with over half (56 per cent) stating they are planning to invest in it over the next year. Followed by booking and reservation systems for 32 per cent of respondents and mobile and apps for 20 per cent. In a similar vein, 80 per cent also stated they plan to increase their use of AI specifically in the year ahead. Nearly a third (32 per cent) expect to see it having the biggest impact on customer service and customer experience (CX), whilst almost a quarter (24 per cent) state it will add value to applying customer preferences to make targeted recommendations. A fifth (20 per cent) expect it to have the most impact on booking assistants.

Often seen as a key driver for bookings social media looks set to be in potential decline as websites were voted as the best for driving bookings (40 per cent), followed by OTAs at 20 per cent, and search engines and social media sharing joint third position for 16 per cent of buyers.  

With an ever-increasing number of tools and platforms coming to the market, whilst operators are aware of what the options are, they are also keeping a keen eye on where and how they are having an impact on operations, revenue and profitability. Over two thirds (68 per cent) stated that technology is helping to mitigate the impact of inflation and staff shortages. More broadly the main benefits of technology are seen as increased efficiency (32 per cent), followed by increased revenue and profitability, guest relations and personalisation and managing bookings all sharing second place for 12 per cent of buyers each.  

Commenting on the results of the survey, Nimet Sayeed, Event Manager, TravelTech Show said, “Unquestionably travel companies are keeping a keener eye than ever before on attracting new bookings, response rates and meeting customer needs. All of which continue to take priority against the backdrop of continuous market changes, whilst at the same time seeking to deliver profitability and growth. New solutions entering the market offer a practical and effective roadmap to achieving these objectives. Whilst the majority of companies are set to increase their investment in new technology in the year ahead, to ensure a return on that investment, and for any new technology to be effective, it is vital that operators have a clear and present understanding of what their business challenges and objectives are so that they can implement the best-fit solution to their tech stack.

“There has been a marked shift towards greater online interaction and behaviour by both the customer and the operator in recent times, for every stage of the customer journey. For many operators much of their success is down to the agility and efficiency technology delivers.  As AI continues to evolve, arguably it might be regarded as a ‘one stop shop’, that can answer many of the questions that operators are being faced with. This year’s TravelTech Show will enable operators to find out more about just how many questions AI and other solutions can answer across the two-day programme of exhibitors, panels and networking sessions.”

100 travel and travel technology company representatives took part in the survey in April 2024.

TravelTech Show takes place from 19 – 20 June 2024 at ExCeL, London.  

Please note: TravelTech Show is free to attend for travel technology specialists involved in or responsible for the technology within their travel business and consultants who help travel businesses select technology solutions. Suppliers must purchase a visitor pass if they wish to attend. TravelTech Show has the final right to accept or deny any registration."

dailypoint™, a Data Management and CRM platform for the Hospitality Industry, is now fully compatible with the Shiji Enterprise Platform PMS. This expansion builds upon existing integrations with Infrasys Cloud POS and Shiji's owned ORM solution, Shiji ReviewPro. With this enhanced integration, hoteliers can seamlessly exchange and centrally manage Guest Data, leading to improved and efficient digitized services.

"The hotel market is undergoing a period of transformation and modernization. It's becoming increasingly evident that legacy on-premise PMS platforms need to be replaced with contemporary cloud-based solutions that hoteliers can trust to fulfill both current and future requirements,”, states Dr. Michael Toedt, CEO and founder of dailypoint.

"In response to the evolving needs of the international hotel market, Shiji and dailypoint are partnering to provide modern cloud-based solutions. This integration seamlessly connects client profiles with advanced CRM and loyalty features, ensuring optimized guest experiences across all touchpoints," said Jan Mazur, Director of Sales, Central Europe, at Shiji.

The integration between PMS, POS and the dailypoint CRM and Loyalty modules equip hoteliers with a comprehensive toolkit to enhance guest experiences at every interaction point within the hospitality journey.

Red Roof®, an award-winning leader in the lodging industry, has named hotel industry veteran Zack Gharib as President, effective immediately.

Gharib brings more than two decades of senior management experience in franchising, operations and brand management with companies such as Marriott, Vacasa, LaQuinta by Wyndham and Highgate Homes. He is widely regarded as a hospitality management innovator, having created and launched award-winning development, strategic planning and franchise operations programs over more than two decades of industry leadership.  He joins Red Roof as the company accelerates its growth towards 700 hotels across the U.S., and renews its focus on expanded and deepened franchise relationships.

Red Roof also announced the promotion of Fouad Malouf to the newly created position of Chief Operating Officer. In his new role, Malouf will support Gharib by overseeing the company's day-to-day operations, as the company doubles down on the unique culture of service and execution that has made Red Roof the preferred franchise partner for hotel owners across the industry. Having joined the company in 1982, Malouf brings more than four decades of continuous and increasing management responsibility to his new role. He most recently served as Senior Vice President for Franchise Operations.

Mohamed Thowfeek, Member of the Red Roof Board of Directors and Red Roof Interim President, said, "We are happy to welcome Zack Gharib as Red Roof's new President, an appointment that we are confident will take the brand and its franchise partners to new heights. Zack brings a laser focus on growth and operations excellence to his new role, and has demonstrated his ability to deliver transformative results for some of the most widely regarded brands in the hotel industry." He concluded, "We look forward to Zack's immediate positive impact on Red Roof and its franchisees, and also congratulate Fouad Malouf on his promotion to Chief Operating Officer. Fouad brings unmatched knowledge and experience with the Red Roof brand and franchise community, and will work closely with Zack to accelerate the company's growth and franchising excellence in the months ahead."

Zack Gharib said, "I am deeply honored and excited to be joining Red Roof as its President at this dynamic and promising moment in the company's development."  He continued, "I am passionate about helping owners, franchisees and team members achieve their fullest potential, deliver exceptional guest service, and achieve operational excellence – which I hope will be instrumental in driving Red Roof's continued growth and success. I look forward to developing a program of focused action and results that will help drive this venerable brand's growth and transformation for many years to come."

Gharib is relocating to Columbus, Ohio and will operate out of Red Roof's corporate headquarters there.

Agilysys, Inc. a global provider of hospitality software solutions and services, announced at their just concluded Inspire user conference the release of IG Fly, a mobile all-in-one ordering and payment solution that combines the power of InfoGenesis POS functionality with the ability for staff to serve customers “on the fly” across dining and retail venues.

IG Fly incorporates all the POS security innovations and robust functionality inherent in InfoGenesis while equipping staff to enter orders, process payments and print receipts tableside to improve customer service and eliminate time-wasting trips to fixed terminals and check-out counters.

IG Fly maximizes flexibility through mobile ordering and payment convenience without sacrificing functionality, retaining all the robust enterprise-level POS, data analysis and workflow capabilities possible when using InfoGenesis on fixed terminals.

IG Fly’s light-to-lift-and-hold design eases staff adoption and use, while its clean and intuitive screen design and user interface simplify training. IG Fly also preserves user choice for payment processors and the devices they support. The initial launch partner for IG Fly is Shift4, with additional payment providers to be certified in the coming months.

Rohith Kori, Senior Vice President, Corporate and Product Strategy, said, “We developed IG Fly in response to customers wanting the freedom and flexibility of all-in-one mobile ordering and payment convenience without having to sacrifice the robust POS functionality and market-leading security they count on from InfoGenesis. IG Fly fits that bill.”

“Shift4 and Agilysys have had long standing partnership in delivering transformative payment solutions for the hospitality sector," stated Michael Isaacman, Chief Commercial Officer at Shift4. "Our collaboration with Agilysys on IG Fly exemplifies our shared dedication to empowering businesses through enhanced operational efficiencies and superior customer experiences."

Mews has been chosen by Weekender to power their portfolio of hotels across the northeast of the US.

Weekender, whose vision is to inspire travelers to adventure into the great outdoors, currently operates ten hotels with a strong pipeline to expand its portfolio over the coming years. The brand plans to complete up to 5 new acquisitions and renovations in 2024, and a similar number in 2025. Weekender will roll out Mews Hospitality Cloud in every property.

“Since our first meeting with Mews, it was obvious that they are a well-run, well-funded company,” said Keir Weimer, CEO and Founder at Weekender. “We’ve been so impressed by the team’s knowledge and passion for how the right technology can empower us to scale while keeping our guests at the heart of operations.”

Weekender is both the owner and operator of their hotels, allowing them to create a close relationship with guests and carefully manage their experience from start to finish. This requires an integrated and intentional approach to technology to support and enhance that journey, and this shared guest-first philosophy was a key driver in choosing Mews.

Open APIs allow Weekender to build and integrate technology that supports their unique vision of hospitality, while the stability and flexibility of the platform gave the team confidence that they can scale predictably and efficiently. With plans to acquire new properties, Weekender will leverage Mews Multi-Property to support the group’s growth trajectory.

It was also hugely important for Weekender to easily connect to their key technology partners. Mews Marketplace provides robust, complimentary integrations to over 1,000 leading hospitality software providers, and the team was able to easily integrate with the likes of Amadeus’ iHotelier CRS and Duetto’s RMS.

“Weekender embodies the perfect marriage of technology and experiential travel,” said Richard Valtr, Mews Founder. “Features like keyless check-in help immerse the guests in their stay, empowering them to explore and be curious rather than waste time with hotel administration. I’ve been so impressed by their growth, and I can’t wait to see what we can achieve together.”

As rising costs continue to cut into profit margins, restaurants and retailers are implementing automation technology to grow their business. Software Advice’s 2024 Automated Customer Experience Survey of over 2,000 global consumers, found that consumers rate automation most acceptable for self-checkout and help locating products in stores, but do have concerns when it comes to food preparation, cleaning, and security.

A majority (72%) of consumers are already loyal users of automated technologies such as self-checkout, curbside pickup, and contactless payment. Yet fewer than half have experienced the most cutting-edge retail technologies such as AI-enabled cashierless checkout and augmented reality try-on tools. Consumers believe automated tech has brought speed and convenience to in-store shopping and restaurant ordering, and many are ready for more to be introduced.

Software Advice’s survey identifies three consumer automation trends to help businesses with implementation strategies:

Trend #1: Consumers want more speed and efficiency

Today’s consumers are in a rush when they shop in-store. Nearly a quarter (73%) of global consumers want to get in and out of the grocery store as quickly as possible, and 52% say the same of other retail stores.

To that end, most consumers use technology that speeds up transactions. For example, most consumers prefer self-checkout to staffed checkout when they have under 20 items, need to make a purchase quickly, or want to avoid a time-consuming conversation. However, this tech isn’t a cure-all for customers in a time crunch—the overall experience rating with self-checkout declines significantly with an increase in age, suggesting that stores can’t eliminate human assistance if they want to be inclusive. Close to a third (29%) of users experienced an issue or delay the last time they used the technology.

At restaurants, nearly half (49%) of diners say they’re likely to order food through an artificial intelligence tool, such as a chatbot or drive-thru, both of which have the potential to reduce time taken to order by serving customers personalized recommendations based on preferences and past orders.

Trend #2: Today’s customer values autonomy and privacy

Consumers now rely on technology to get information they would have had to seek out from human store associates in the recent past. Today, most consumers rarely seek out interaction with retail employees and often have already researched online what they want to purchase prior to leaving their houses. When shopping in physical stores, 62% of global consumers pull out their smartphones to compare online prices to what they see on shelves and browse product reviews.

Consumers believe technology makes their in-store shopping experiences more efficient and safer but are concerned about how that technology may use and protect their personal data.

With the recent expansion of AI-equipped security cameras at self-checkout kiosks, many customers are aware that their purchases, and their likenesses, are never truly private, even when they scan and bag their own items.

Trend #3: Humans are irreplaceable for personalization, empathy and safety

Only 33% of global consumers think it’s acceptable for businesses to exclusively use automated tech to deliver personalized recommendations. Fewer still think it's okay for businesses to fully automate store security. Only a slightly higher figure, 35% say it's okay for businesses to fully automate returns, exchanges, and refunds. Customers don’t find it acceptable for stores to rely on robots and software to handle complex problem-solving tasks, or tasks that keep people and spaces clean and safe.

Most consumers (67%) say human-centered customer service at restaurants is very important, while 31% say the same of retail and grocery stores. Over half (55%) of global consumers say automated food preparation is unacceptable for both quick service and table service restaurants. Some diners are more open to robot servers at quick service restaurants (30%) and table service (10%) but are still in the minority.

The full report offers additional findings, expert analysis, and recommendations to help automate functions without alienating customers.