News Briefs

Sandbox VR, a full-body virtual reality entertainment experience, plans to add a kitchen and a bar to its newest location in Culver City, Calif. 

With 48 locations and more than 100k players monthly, Sandbox VR is  growing its global footprint with thriving corporate-owned locations and a robust franchising program.

"Sandbox VR Culver City's addition of food and drink will make Sandbox VR Culver City a destination for unique and memorable date night experiences, fun-filled family outings, and team-building corporate events," according to a press release.  When contacted by HT, Sandbox VR's PR team was unable to additional details.

Sandbox VR’s socially immersive gaming experience combines full-body motion capture and high-quality haptics to provide unprecedented realism and complete immersion that’s not possible with home VR systems or other location-based VR venues, taking group Virtual Reality gameplay and active socializing to the next level.

“Working with strategic partners, like Netflix, to build immersive virtual reality experiences based on beloved existing IP has been integral to our success,” said Steve Zhao, Founder and CEO of Sandbox VR. “With that in mind, we chose Culver City—The Heart of Screenland—for our newest location. The first to boast a kitchen and bar, Sandbox VR Culver City will be the hub for our ongoing collaborations to build new realities based on cherished shows and films.”

A Virtual Action Movie

Sandbox VR’s location in Culver City features four private rooms, called “holodecks,” for virtual reality gameplay. Each holodeck enables groups of up to six players to have a truly shared experience, exploring virtual worlds and relying on each other to succeed in games designed to be social experiences. Together with friends, family or co-workers, players are equipped with a haptic vest, motion sensors on their wrists and ankles, and cutting edge VIVE Focus 3 headsets, which combine outstanding visuals with a smarter ergonomic design, superior audio and next level inside-out tracking and controllers. This technology allows players to see and physically interact with one another while feeling like they are in the middle of an action movie, with the heightened emotions that come from not just watching a film, but from actually becoming the stars of the action.

Guests choose from any of eight exclusive immersive experiences created by Sandbox VR’s in-house team of video game industry veterans:

·  Squid Game Virtuals  

·  Seekers of the Shard: Dragonfire 

·  Deadwood Valley 

·  Deadwood Mansion  

·  Curse of Davy Jones  

·  Amber Sky 2088  

·  Star Trek: Discovery 

·  UFL: Unbound Fighting League 

After playing, all guests receive personalized highlight videos–similar to movie trailers–which capture all the laughter, screams, intensity, and excitement of their experience.

caption: Pictured is Squid Game Virtuals,  the newest Sandbox VR experience. Players compete against their crew in several pulse-pounding (yet more approachable, but just as thrilling) mini-games inspired by the  Netflix series. 

PopID and Steak n Shake announced today that all Steak n Shake locations in the United States now accept PopID Check In (to review favorite orders and loyalty points) and PopPay for checkout. With more than 300 locations, Steak n Shake is the first national restaurant brand in the United States to adopt biometric check-in and checkout nationwide. PopID’s biometric check-in feature makes kiosk ordering faster, easier, and more personalized.

The implementation of PopID in every Steak n Shake location was accomplished rapidly and at low cost through a partnership between PopID and ACRELEC, a leading supplier of kiosk-ordering hardware and drive-through products. Cameras were shipped to every restaurant for attachment to the existing ACRELEC kiosks. “As explained in our recent publication, ACRELEC believes that our integrated biometric solution provides various benefits to restaurant operators related to throughput, ticket size, and loyalty engagement,” says Bruno Lo-Re, President of ACRELEC America.

“We are thrilled about our partnership with PopID and to be on the edge of biometric technology for the benefit of our customers. Our guests now have the option to use biometrics for a faster and more seamless experience,” says Sardar Biglari, Chairman of Biglari Holdings, the parent company of Steak n Shake.

Now that biometrics are enabled for all ordering and payment inside Steak n Shake restaurants, PopID and Steak n Shake will begin implementing biometric check-in and checkout at the restaurant’s drive-through units. “Similar to the kiosks, biometric check in can increase loyalty participation and revenue at the drive thru while also reducing payment processing costs,” says John Miller, CEO of PopID and Chairman of Cali Group. “Additionally, biometric payment at the order confirmation screen enables staff members to work on tasks other than taking payments by card and phone at the order pick-up window.”

Little Caesars, a global leader in the pizza industry, is proud to announce the promotion of three exceptional executives to key leadership positions within the company's technology division. These promotions come at a time of tremendous growth for Little Caesars, underscoring the company's commitment to leveraging cutting-edge innovation to drive future success and enhance the guest experience. These promotions will also continue to elevate technology at the entire Ilitch Companies family of businesses, including Ilitch Sports + Entertainment.

Keith Faigin Promoted to Chief Information Officer, Restaurant Systems

Keith Faigin, who recently celebrated his 10-year anniversary at Little Caesars, has been promoted to Chief Information Officer, Restaurant Systems. Throughout his tenure, Keith has overseen numerous software initiatives, with a significant focus on the company's e-commerce platform. 

Little Caesars received Hospitality Technology's 2021 Breakthrough Technology Award for its store software.

He has been instrumental in securing multiple patents for Little Caesars and holds a bachelor's degree from Williams College and a master's in computer science from the University of Illinois. In addition to his professional accomplishments, Keith is a resident cast member of Go Comedy! Improv Theater and a founder of the Detroit Improv Festival.

Afia Phillips Promoted to Chief Information Security Officer

Afia Phillips has been promoted to Chief Information Security Officer (CISO). Afia has been serving as the Vice President of Information Security at Little Caesar Enterprises, overseeing information security across all Ilitch companies. Afia has established a strategic enterprise information security program that focuses on mitigating cyber risk across the organization. She is passionate about social responsibility and has led key initiatives pertaining to food insecurity, volunteerism, diversity, equity and inclusion. Afia is an active member of the Michigan Council of Women in Technology, T200, and Chief, a selective nationwide network of female executives. She is a governing body member of the Evanta CIO & CISO Network (Detroit Chapter) and was appointed to the State of Michigan's Board of Ethics by Governor Gretchen Whitmer. Her achievements have been recognized with a Crain's Notable Women in STEM honor and a Top Global CISO Award from Cyber Defense Magazine. Afia holds a degree in computer science from Wayne State University and has certifications in cybersecurity and risk management.

Lance Shinabarger Promoted to Chief Information Officer, Shared Technologies and Applications

Lance Shinabarger has been promoted to Chief Information Officer, Shared Technologies and Applications. With over 25 years of IT management experience, Lance has been with Little Caesars since 2017 as Senior Vice President of Enterprise Systems, Data Services, and Global Infrastructure. He has successfully led the global infrastructure for Little Caesars, Detroit Red Wings, Detroit Tigers, and other Ilitch companies. Lance holds a degree in Computer Science from Cleary University and has a proven track record of developing and executing technology strategies that drive business growth.

"These promotions highlight the incredible talent and dedication of our leadership team," said Anita Klopfenstein, Global Chief Information Officer. "Keith, Afia, and Lance have consistently demonstrated their commitment to innovation and excellence through their strong leadership. We are confident that they will continue to drive our technology initiatives forward."

As Little Caesars continues to grow and innovate, the company remains focused on its mission to provide exceptional value, convenience and quality to customers through pioneering technology and forward-thinking strategies. These leadership changes are a testament to the company's dedication to staying at the forefront of the industry and preparing for an even brighter future of continued aggressive growth.

Ilitch Companies represents leading brands in the food, sports and entertainment industries, including Little Caesars, Blue Line Distribution, the Detroit Red Wings, Ilitch Sports + Entertainment, the Detroit Tigers, Olympia Development, Little Caesars Fundraising Program, Champion Foods, MotorCity Casino Hotel, Ocean Casino and Tenda. The organization also has a joint venture interest in 313 Presents.

While Artificial Intelligence (AI) is transforming industries, hoteliers are struggling to embrace it, despite rapid industry growth.  In a recent interview by Hospitality Expert and Influencer Paula Carreirao, CEO Adam Harris explored this disconnect, highlighting both the potential and the roadblocks to AI adoption in hospitality.

Key takeaways from the interview:

• AI can solve real hotel problems:
  Instead of chasing the latest tech buzzword, hoteliers should focus on what specific problem they want to address; AI can be the answer to hyper-personalized contact with guests, staff automation, data analysis, and faster content creation.
• The power of personalization:
  AI powered by natural language processing can personalize guest communication even with limited data.  However, the human touch remains irreplaceable.
• AI, the review responder’s friend:
  Responding promptly to online reviews is crucial to a hotel’s search algorithms.  AI can automate this process, helping craft appropriate responses and improve search rankings.

Beyond the hype: The need for collaboration

Harris acknowledged the confusion surrounding AI's complexity, hype, and potential risks – and that this stands in the way of adoption for hotels.  While some advancements are happening in travel planning (think AI-powered itineraries), the hospitality industry itself hasn't seen a breakout moment yet.

“Hoteliers wonder if it’s as good as people are saying,” Harris said. However, he believes collaboration between hoteliers and platforms like Cloudbeds can bridge the gap. Cloudbeds has been using ML for the past 10 years in areas such as distribution, application scalability and behind-the-scenes technology, and is now taking those learnings and applying them to solutions such as advertising, online positioning, and reputation management.

AI can empower the art of hospitality

Despite its size, the hospitality industry lags behind in technology adoption.  This is particularly concerning with the projected surge in hotel stays by 2030, says Harris.

“Every hotel is an art – the artist is the owner, and they have a style and a concept, so they have to provide a service to match that.  They have to build their systems around this, and AI can help.  The challenge lies in balancing a hotel's unique character with efficient service.  AI can help navigate this balance, but requires a willingness to pass some control to “robots”.  That can be scary.

“To do AI and data in the right way, everything that happens needs to go into one single source – and that’s where AI can help.  However, the industry must prioritize education around AI before diving into complex AI solutions. The fact that we have, on average, 20 systems powering the hotel landscape creates too much opportunity for data integrity loss. Data sits in too many places to make it actionable.”

“Consider the digital door lock – we have the capability to control these locks remotely via our phones.  But despite being around for a decade, only 13% of hotels utilize this technology today.  If basic tech adoption is low, widespread AI adoption seems like a distant future.  I think the industry is afraid of change, not AI.  If we are going to get technical with AI, we need to look at the less technical items first, as these will otherwise stand in the way of AI.”

By focusing on foundational tech adoption before diving into AI, the hospitality industry can position itself for a future powered by intelligent solutions.

The interview concluded with the importance of working with a technology partner who listens.  “If we’re not listening to our customers, we’re dead in the water,” Harris concluded.  “Every year, our product and research teams spend thousands of hours talking to and listening to our customers, and I believe that differentiates us from our competitors.  You’ll see some fun things come out of our camp in the near future… I won’t say anymore now, but watch this space.”

Thanx, a guest engagement and retention platform for restaurants, announced a strategic partnership with Bite, a provider of intelligent kiosk solutions for fast-casual and quick-service restaurants. This collaboration will streamline the ordering process and enhance the guest experience by seamlessly integrating loyalty into the kiosk ordering flow.

As labor costs continue to rise, many merchants are turning to self-service kiosks to improve operational efficiency, meet evolving consumer preferences, and enhance the guest experience.

Customers expect personalized experiences across all restaurant touchpoints. The Thanx and Bite partnership enables restaurants to deliver a seamless, tailored experience to loyalty members at the kiosk, mirroring the personalization found in mobile apps and web ordering platforms. This integration ensures that customers' preferences and past interactions are recognized, allowing for relevant recommendations, promotions, and rewards that enhance satisfaction and strengthen brand loyalty.

"We recognize the growing importance of self-service kiosks in the quick service and fast casual restaurant industry," says Zach Goldstein, CEO of Thanx. "Our partnership with Bite allows us to provide merchants with a solution that not only enhances operational efficiency but also ensures that loyalty programs remain central to the customer experience at every guest touchpoint."

Integrated Solution

With Thanx's robust partner APIs and development support, Bite quickly built a connection to Thanx's loyalty platform, enabling customers to access their rewards and benefits directly from the kiosk ordering interface. The integration offers a seamless customer experience: guests approach the kiosk, build their order, input their loyalty account details, and immediately see applicable rewards. Purchases automatically link to the customer's account, earning them points through Thanx's card-linked loyalty technology. This intuitive flow simplifies the ordering process while ensuring customers can easily access and benefit from their loyalty rewards.

"As more brands adopt omnichannel strategies, having a loyalty program that spans channels is critical to stay relevant and meet customer expectations," says Brandon Barton, CEO of Bite. "By seamlessly integrating Thanx's cutting-edge loyalty capabilities into our industry-leading kiosk solution, we are providing merchants with a powerful tool to enhance customer engagement, drive repeat business, and foster long-term brand loyalty all while increasing the average check. In today's competitive landscape, delivering a personalized and rewarding experience at every touchpoint is paramount, and this collaboration positions our customers at the forefront of this trend."

With the integration of Thanx's loyalty platform, customers using Bite’s self-service kiosks can easily access their loyalty benefits, ensuring a frictionless experience that encourages repeat visits and strengthens brand loyalty.

"Through seamless integration with Thanx and Bite, we've revolutionized the user experience for our guests,” says Caprice Kindgren, Director of Marketing at Urbane Cafe. “Addressing their main request of redeeming rewards on kiosks, this integration has made it effortlessly easy for our guests. Now, with all their rewards visible right on the screen, it's not just a win-win, it's a big win for us.”

For more information about Thanx and Bite’s partnership and integrated solutions, visit Thanx’s website and Bite’s website.

Lemongrass, a software-enabled services provider synonymous with SAP on Cloud, announced that Radisson Hotel Group (RHG) has selected Lemongrass to migrate their entire SAP landscape to Amazon Web Services (AWS). The project includes transferring existing systems to AWS and optimizing the hotel group’s SAP landscape to leverage Cloud-native efficiencies, such as automation, data analytics, and cost optimization, to deliver enhanced experiences and drive customer loyalty.

Radisson Hotel Group sought a comprehensive strategy to integrate multiple operations and build a globally unified and scalable corporate IT infrastructure with an agile and cost-effective hosting solution. RHG selected Lemongrass to be its migration partner for its extensive expertise and flawless track record in migrating, operating and optimizing SAP workloads on the Cloud. Lemongrass has over 8,000 SAP servers and over 750,000 SAP users under its management and provides clients with near-zero downtime migrations and operations for SAP and its related workloads.

Another pivotal component of the migration was RHG’s demonstrated commitment to sustainability. RHG has opted to migrate and run these systems in AWS’s Stockholm region, known for its carbon-neutral operations, to align with the Group’s sustainability and governance objectives. This strategic decision not only supports RHG’s transparent environmental stewardship but will also enhance Radisson Hotel Group’s appeal to eco-conscious guests and business partners.

“The transition to AWS is more than just a technological upgrade; it is a transformational shift that empowers Radisson to meet the evolving demands of the hospitality industry,” said Jaime González-Peralta, CIO of Radisson Hotel Group. “This migration will set a new standard in our operational capabilities, enabling us to significantly enhance our operational agility, and enable us to bring innovative solutions to market even more rapidly, which are critical for personalizing guest experiences and optimizing our service delivery.”

Recognizing the complex requirements of RHG’s expansive SAP systems, Lemongrass will employ its patented Minimum Downtime Operations (MDO™) technology, ensuring that Radisson Hotel Group’s operations, remain fully functional with near-zero downtime thereby preventing any potential revenue losses, whilst ensuring systems are secure, performant and available.

“Radisson Hotel Group is an innovative leader in the hospitality sector and we are very honored to be selected to assist them with their digital transformation,” said Michael Rosenbloom, CEO of Lemongrass. “We look forward to our continued partnership with RHG and AWS to further modernize and support their SAP and Cloud initiatives.