Cracker Barrel Old Country Store  introduces Cracker Barrel Rewards. Members of the unique program can earn Pegs (like points) through restaurant or retail purchases and redeem them for rewards.

Plus, members can enjoy more of what they love from Cracker Barrel with Birthday, Anniversary and Surprise Bonus Rewards, and one-of-a-kind digital experiences just for being a member.

Earn Pegs toward Rewards

The program is inspired by Cracker Barrel's iconic and beloved peg game. Members earn Pegs on qualifying purchases made at all Cracker Barrel locations, on CrackerBarrel.com and in the Cracker Barrel app for every dollar spent, including to-go, delivery, catering and retail merchandise.^* The program is free and easy to join, and members receive a complimentary Barrel Bite appetizer just for signing up. To enroll, guests can visit any Cracker Barrel location nationwide, the Cracker Barrel app or CrackerBarrel.com.

Starting Sept. 25 and through Nov. 6, Tims Credit Card holders can get up to $10 back on transit fares every Monday when they use their card to tap onto a transit system that accepts Metrolinx's Presto contactless payment.

"We're so excited to be partnering with Metrolinx and some of the largest public transit systems in Ontario to give Tims Credit Card holders the opportunity to save money on their transit fares every Monday for a limited time," said Markus Sturm, Senior Vice President of Financial Services and Digital at Tim Hortons.

Loyalty Pays

Fans can apply for the Tims Credit Card through the Tim Hortons app and once approved, immediately can  their card to Apple Pay or Google Pay and be ready to get up to $10 off on transit fares on their Monday commute with this offer.

• 78% of customers want to receive discounts from a restaurant’s or hotel's loyalty program, according to, according to HTs 12^th annual 2023 Customer Engagement Technology Study.

Cardholders can also earn 5 Tims Rewards Points per dollar spent on their transit purchases. Points can be redeemed for more free coffee, beverages and food at Tim Hortons restaurants as a way to help fuel their Monday commutes.

Mews, a hospitality cloud, released the Mews Data Snap, a real-time measure of hospitality’s performance during the summer of 2023 (June, July, and August). The report also compares this year’s data to summer 2022 to pinpoint how the hospitality sector is changing.

Based on data from Mews partners worldwide, the Mews Data Snap unpacks hospitality’s performance across five key areas: occupancy, ADR and RevPar, online check-ins and upsells, and additional bookable spaces. 

For the North American market in particular, key findings include:

• Travel continues to move in a positive trend: average occupancy for summer 2023 was 62%, up 5% YOY. June was the best-performing month, while August saw the highest percentage of rooms occupied.
• Increased rates didn’t deter consumers from traveling this summer: ADR and RevPAR saw clear, positive movement despite little change in occupancy. ADR rose 9% YOY ($25) to an average of $294, in part due to inflation among other factors. RevPAR saw a significant increase of 14% YOY ($22) to $178, including on average $30 higher in June YOY. 
• Travelers continue to embrace the convenience and instant gratification of online check-in and upgrades: while the number of guests utilizing online check-in remained relatively the same YOY (nearly 20%), more guests upgraded their reservations via online check-in, as upselling increased 31% YOY to $51 per upgrade. Top upgrades include early check-in, pet fees, late check-out, breakfast, and drinks or food upon arrival. 
• Non-room revenue is proving to be an excellent diversification strategy: nearly 20% of hotels in North America are selling additional bookable spaces to day guests and visitors (such as parking lots and meeting rooms), a 69% increase YOY, with average revenue generated per space increasing 22% YOY (an average of $362 extra per reservation). Monthly additional bookable service revenue more than doubled YOY. 

“It’s easy to talk about hospitality trends based on what we feel is happening, but there’s no substitute for real data,” said Matt Welle, Mews CEO. “Not only can we see that people continue to return to travel, but the data shows that hoteliers are embracing the idea of hybrid hospitality and a more creative use of spaces and reaping the rewards.”

To get the full picture of this summer’s performance across Mews hotel partners worldwide, download the Mews Data Snap: Summer 2023.

IDeaS, a SAS company, the world’s leading provider of hospitality revenue management software and services, announced its flagship product, G3 Revenue Management Software (RMS), is now available in Spanish and French. The software is already available in English, German, and Chinese, with Japanese to quickly follow in the future.

Front-desk staff in non-English speaking countries may be fluent in English, but often back-office personnel are not. Whenever possible, IDeaS speaks, operates, and supports hoteliers in their native languages. From sales to implementation to support, IDeaS is focused on the requirements and needs of each property.

In-country staff, help menus, FAQs, support, and educational materials are available to ensure customers can leverage G3 RMS to its fullest capacity, promoting the ongoing productivity and accuracy of hotel revenue managers worldwide.

The company is committed to innovation and ensuring its customers' needs are met regardless of size and extends to global brands, franchisors, independent hotels, resorts, or outdoor/alternative accommodations.   

Michael McCartan, area vice president, EMEA, IDeaS, said: “IDeaS’ experience working with large and small hoteliers and franchisors worldwide results in their better utilization and understanding of the platform and its functionalities. We provide hoteliers of any size with the most accurate and user-friendly product on the market, and it is through the ongoing commitment to our clients that we can help them enjoy the full potential of their investment.”

PPDS, the exclusive global provider of Philips professional displays and dedicated AV software solutions, is delighted to announce the launch of the powerful two-in-one Philips Professional SoundbarHAL5023with built-in subwoofer, designed for Philips MediaSuite TVs.

Continuing PPDS’ accelerated ‘total solutions’ strategy, the new Philips Professional Soundbar combined with Philips MediaSuite – the world’s most advanced dedicated hotel TV – delivers the industry’s ultimate audiovisual experience, transforming hotel guest rooms into highly immersive cinematic experiences.

Designed and built in collaboration with TP Vision’s Philips sound team the slick and stylish trapezoid-design (W70 x D12 x H7cm) Philips Professional Soundbar features a professional 2.1 channel setup, with an output power of 200 W max / 100 W RMS (10% THD), bringing crystal clear audio performance. The built-in subwoofer adds an extra punch, immersing guests even deeper into the action. 

Suite sound installations

Back-end controls through Philips MediaSuite TVs also allow for specific configurations to be put in place, including volume limits, ensuring surrounding rooms are not impacted or disturbed.

Designed for fast and effortless installation, the freestanding or wall mountable (brackets included as standard) Philips Professional Soundbar, can be easily configured using the professional setup menu on the Philips MediaSuite TV. All related settings can be quickly and efficiently copied and transferred to the entire TV fleet remotely through cloning via PPDS CMND, saving significant installation times and costs.

Controlling your experience

Removing the need for multiple controllers, the Philips Professional Soundbar can be controlled using the standard Philips MediaSuite TV remote. Alternatively, the Philips Soundbar can double as a high-end speaker system for guests wishing to play their preferred music, podcasts, and radio stations via apps and accounts on their own personal devices. This can be achieved either through Bluetooth or via Philips MediaSuite’s inclusive Chromecast built-in technology.

With security a key feature on Philips MediaSuite TVs – and all PPDS solutions – all customer data, including Bluetooth pairing information from personal devices, is immediately cleared upon check out from the hotel.

Conforming with Philips MediaSuite’s impressive, near cable-free presentation, the Philips Professional Soundbar also comes equipped with a custom-designed power cable adapter*, enabling it to be powered via a single power socket, shared with the TV. An anti-theft cable to help prevent unauthorised removal of the device is also included.

Jeroen Verhaeghe, Global Business Development Director Hospitality, commented: “Philips MediaSuite was designed to enhance and, in many aspects, reinvent the hotel room experience, accommodating all the features and services guests are accustomed to in their own homes, within the hotel room. With a long-term commitment to offering Chromecast built-in™ technology, together with unrivalled relationships with streaming giants, such as Netflix, we’ve revolutionised the way people can access and enjoy their favourite movies and shows on the road. Today, we’re providing the opportunity for hoteliers to take that experience to the next level, with the Philips Professional Soundbar.”

Jan van Hecke, Global Product Manager Professional TV, added: “With today’s announcement, the industry's most advanced professional TV solution has just been given the perfect upgrade with even greater, more powerful sounding audio. With Philips Professional Soundbar, the in-room experience, for many, can now surpass that enjoyed at home, changing guests’ perceptions of hotels, and helping to ensure positive reviews and repeat business.”

The Philips Professional Soundbar is due to be available in warehouses Q4, 2023.

Apaleo has announced a major milestone: 1,000 hotels and serviced apartments are now using its open property management platform for hospitality, marking a doubling of locations in just 18 months. 

These properties – spanning 24 different countries worldwide – account for a total of 50,000 rooms. Across the whole portfolio, 60% of the properties are made up of hotels, while 40% are serviced apartments. The platform powers more than 40% of serviced apartments in Germany today, where Apaleo is headquartered.

Apaleo’s client base is made up of forward-thinking hotel groups and tech-enabled hospitality businesses, with customers including staffless serviced apartment operators like Limehome and Numa, distinguished selected-service hotels such as Soho House-designed Mollie’s, Vagabond Club and Lindemann Hotels, and alternative accommodation concepts like Raus (offering outdoor cabins), L’Escale Royale (floating boats), and Tin Inn (shipping containers). This demonstrates the inherent flexibility of the platform, as it can be heavily adapted to suit any hospitality segment.

The driving force behind Apaleo's impressive ascent is its groundbreaking API-first approach to property management, firmly positioning the company at the forefront of the hospitality revolution. Anchored in cutting-edge MACH architecture, Apaleo empowers hospitality businesses with unparalleled speed, reliability, and limitless flexibility to create their preferred property management tech stack, unlocking what it calls ‘composable hospitality’.

The open hospitality platform was also recently selected by global hotel developer, investor and hotel chain citizenM to accelerate its innovation, efficiency and drive its ambitious plans for growth. 

Martin Reichenbach, CEO of Apaleo said: “This is a huge milestone for us and it demonstrates the undeniable advantages of API-led, open hospitality platforms. The increasing adoption we’re seeing for this best-of-breed technology among hotel and serviced apartment brands shows that the legacy, all-in-one approach is slowly dying and that transformative platforms that empower companies to adapt to changing markets, and continuously renew and expand their guest offering, are the future. 

“We’re excited to support forward-thinking hotel and serviced apartment brands as they transition away from legacy property management software systems, and we take great pride in leading the charge in the hospitality revolution."