News Briefs

Travelport, a global technology company that powers travel bookings for hundreds of thousands of suppliers worldwide, confirmed the integration with Deem, a corporate travel management platform, with Travelport+. The announcement comes just months after Travelport publicized the game-changing acquisition, a move intended to fulfill a growing need for a tight, fully-integrated tool that provides access and end-to-end servicing of all multi-source content, including NDC.

“Business travelers want, and deserve, the same modern retailing experience as leisure travelers,” said John Elieson, COO and Deputy CEO of Travelport. “When Travelport announced the acquisition of Deem in March, it was with the intention of providing the corporate travel world with award-winning, complementary tools that are as revolutionary, modern, and easy-to-use as Travelport+. We’ve not only delivered on that promise, but are proud to confirm the integration of the Deem and Travelport+ platforms.”

Together, Deem and Travelport are modernizing the corporate travel experience. Travel management companies (TMCs), corporations and their travelers that utilize Deem and Travelport+ will be able to access a wide range of rich and relevant content, all in one place, enhanced by the Content Curation Layer (CCL). This Travelport+ feature uses powerful artificial intelligence (AI) and machine-learning (ML) capabilities to provide agents and travelers a more modern retailing experience with faster search responses, more pertinent results, and greater accuracy. When seamlessly integrated with Deem’s award-winning, modern user interface, this will allow travelers to stay within their corporate policies while ensuring bookings (including NDC) are fully serviceable.

In the 150 days since the acquisition, Deem has continued to thrive, with notable moments such as:

• Being named a Champion in Software Reviews 2023 Travel Management Emotional Footprint Awards
• Expanding to support global customers in more than 60 countries
• Achieving a net score of 9.5 in a customer satisfaction survey, a nearly two-point lead ahead of industry standards
• Receiving the highest CX score (9.7) of all corporate booking tools
• Rebranding the Etta platform to the company’s namesake, Deem, to increase clarity and unite products under a single iconic name that has become synonymous with innovation in corporate retailing
• Winning a Stevie Award for its Diversity and Inclusion campaign

When looking towards the immediate future, Travelport has big plans for the GDS-agnostic tool. In 2024 alone, Travelport expects Deem to:

• Accelerate its international expansion, doubling its global footprint with a focus first in EMEA, followed by APAC
• Evolve the user interface to continue to revolutionize the corporate travel retailing experience and deepen the industry-leading gap that Deem already has in front of its competitors
• Implement enhanced emissions data, which is already available on Travelport+

“We’ve heard our corporate customers and there are two key things that they need,” Elieson continued. “First, they want a one-stop shop for all content through a single tool. And, just as important, they want ease of traveler servicing, meaning the content needs to be the same as what their TMC partner sees. By combining traveler-first, human-centric design with a best-in-class user experience, we’ve brought the ease and enjoyment of booking leisure trips to business travel. Making that content both accessible to and easily managed by their TMC partner ensures travelers are covered, even when you factor in new products only available through NDC or other content sources.”

Shiji, a global hospitality technology innovator, has partnered with IPORT, an award-winning manufacturer known for enhancing the usability of iPads and iPhones, to introduce an all-in-one software solution for hotel restaurants. This collaboration will provide hoteliers with a seamless combination of a tablet and payment device to maximize their F&B operations.

The integrated iOS and payment device solution simplifies guest service for hotel restaurant servers, providing them with an effortless tool to cater to their guests' needs. As a certified Apple partner, Shiji and IPORT guarantee exceptional performance and reliability. Hoteliers can choose from multiple device options, including iPad Pro, iPad Mini, and iPhone, ensuring flexibility and compatibility with their operations.

“IPORT products are built around modularity and flexibility that empower our hospitality customers to do more with the iOS platform. We are thrilled to partner with a leading iPad and iPhone cloud PMS and POS platform provider like Shiji,” said Chris Lawson, Head of Partnerships, IPORT. “We look forward to innovating with Shiji in disrupting legacy, monolithic providers who have limited the industry from harnessing the power of iOS and mobility. The future is bright, and the possibilities are endless with IPORT, iOS, and Shiji.”

"The partnership with IPORT is a significant milestone for Shiji in our commitment to provide innovative technology solutions for the hospitality industry," said Ryan King, Senior Vice President of Shiji in the Americas. "By combining our expertise with IPORT’s hardware solutions, we empower hoteliers to streamline restaurant operations and deliver exceptional guest experiences. This collaboration represents another step forward in our dedication to driving success in the Americas, and globally."

The tablet and payment device solution seamlessly integrates with multiple payment gateways, allowing hoteliers to choose the system that best suits their needs. By simplifying the payment process, it reduces operational complexities, minimizes errors, and saves valuable time and resources for hoteliers.

Steak n Shake will offer PopID Check In and PopPay on its self-ordering kiosks in select locations in the Orlando market, with plans to expand to more than 300 corporate locations. PopID Check In is an opt-in service that enables consumers to scan their face to automatically sign into their loyalty reward account and see their past orders, making the ordering process as convenient as possible. When a guest checks in with PopID, they also have the option to use PopPay to automatically complete their payment.

• 57% of respondents say enabling new payment options is a  top business driver impacting POS upgrade decisions, according to HT’s2 2023 POS Software Trends Report.

“Our partnership with PopID is a key part of our effort to provide guests with a fast and seamless ordering experience," said Keith Correia, Chief Information Officer. "When using PopID Check In, a guest does not need to use their phone or take out their wallet as part of the ordering process. They will automatically be checked in for loyalty rewards, and they can choose to make an automated payment with PopPay. A guest can even see their past orders and quickly reorder their favorite menu items. Ordering at Steak n Shake has never been easier or more convenient.”

In addition to enhancing the guest experience and improving order throughput, PopPay helps to reduce fraud and offers lower payment processing fees.

Virtual Dining Concepts  LLC and Celebrity Virtual Dining  LLC  is suing Jimmy Donaldson, the YoutTuber known as MrBeast and Beast Investments, LLC.

The lawsuit was filed in the Supreme Court of the State of New York for the County of New York on August 7.

Last week, Donaldson and BI sued affiliates VDC and Virtual Concepts Holdings, Inc. in the Southern District of New York, claiming the virtual burger brand damaged Donaldson’s reputation by serving customers “low quality” food;  VDC said in a statement it expects to move to dismiss that case for lack of subject matter jurisdiction.

VDC alleges that Donaldson's and BI's actions have materially damaged the reputation of MrBeast Burger and VDC, turned away customers, and shattered hard-won relationships with vendors and suppliers, damaging the bottom lines of hundreds of restaurants across the country and around the world, and causing damages to VDC that, according to VDC's evidence and Mr. Donaldson's own estimations, are in the "nine-figure" range.

In the meantime, it is business as usual for MrBeast Burger and VDC to the greatest extent possible, and VDC looks forward to serving many more satisfied customers and continuing to help the restaurant industry.

Players can enroll in a casino's loyalty program right at the slot machine, thanks to a new solution by Acres Manufacturing.

The casino loyalty and technology developer  introduced a key new feature of its Foundation HQ casino management system that allows players to digitally enroll in casino loyalty programs in approximately 10 seconds while at the slot machine.

A recent Acres study highlighted that the current player enrollment process utilizing legacy, decades-old CMS technology costs casino operators approximately $5.0 billion annually, or roughly 7% of casino slot win, thanks to unnecessary costs and lost revenue. The legacy technology also impairs casino operators' ability to optimize engagement with current loyalty program members and attract new players.

• 63% of guest say receiving loyalty points is an incentive to download and use a hotel’s app,  according to HospitalityTechnology 2022 Customer Engagement Technology Study

During an uncarded play session, Foundation HQ  displays a Play Code on the 7-inch TSD  display installed on the game.  

How it Works

Foundation HQ's ability to detect and rate all uncarded play is a central component of the solution's ability to quickly enroll new members. During an uncarded play session, Foundation HQ  displays a Play Code on the 7-inch TSD display installed on the game. Each Play Code is unique to a specific gaming session and appears in the form of a text or QR code that can be texted, scanned or entered into a mobile website. This instantly creates a new account, with the player's phone number or email address serving as their unique loyalty program account ID.

Enrolling new members today is a challenge for the land-based casino industry, which uses decades-old loyalty technology from CMS providers. These legacy systems require a player to physically walk to a loyalty club desk and stand in line to receive employee assistance to enroll. Acres' recent study showed that the industry burdens its players by making them wait in line for over 1.1 billion minutes annually while trying to enroll in the loyalty club, time that they could be playing at the slot machine.

Foundation HQ's enrollment process also reduces costs in new member incentives by making them dynamic and proportional to a player's value. As the value of an uncarded play session increases, operators can utilize the system's data collection to analyze and increase the value of enrollment incentives to drive increased player engagement while also maintaining appropriate returns on the incentive offered. If the player remains uncarded at cash-out, data from the Play Code is embedded into the TITO ticket, allowing Foundation HQ™ to resume tracking of the uncarded session during subsequent slot play sessions.

"As the hallmark of any successful player loyalty program, the enrollment process must be made significantly easier for players than currently offered by legacy CMS solutions that are costing the industry billions of dollars in terms of lost revenue and higher expenses," said Noah Acres. "Casinos that enable an easier process to enroll more players will have a competitive advantage. Foundation HQ's ten-second enrollment process enables exponentially more player sign-ups which helps operators grow player engagement and retention."

Acres will display Foundation HQ's enrollment feature at the OGIA Conference and Trade Show (Booth 607) to be held Aug 14-16, 2023, in Tulsa, Okla.

Players can enroll in a casino's loyalty program right at the slot machine, thanks to a new solution by Acres Manufacturing.

The casino loyalty and technology developer  introduced a key new feature of its Foundation HQ casino management system that allows players to digitally enroll in casino loyalty programs in approximately 10 seconds while at the slot machine.

A recent Acres study highlighted that the current player enrollment process utilizing legacy, decades-old CMS technology costs casino operators approximately $5.0 billion annually, or roughly 7% of casino slot win, thanks to unnecessary costs and lost revenue. The legacy technology also impairs casino operators' ability to optimize engagement with current loyalty program members and attract new players.

• 63% of guest say receiving loyalty points is an incentive to download and use a hotel’s app,  according to HospitalityTechnology 2022 Customer Engagement Technology Study

During an uncarded play session, Foundation HQ  displays a Play Code on the 7-inch TSD  display installed on the game.  

How it Works

Foundation HQ's ability to detect and rate all uncarded play is a central component of the solution's ability to quickly enroll new members. During an uncarded play session, Foundation HQ  displays a Play Code on the 7-inch TSD display installed on the game. Each Play Code is unique to a specific gaming session and appears in the form of a text or QR code that can be texted, scanned or entered into a mobile website. This instantly creates a new account, with the player's phone number or email address serving as their unique loyalty program account ID.

Enrolling new members today is a challenge for the land-based casino industry, which uses decades-old loyalty technology from CMS providers. These legacy systems require a player to physically walk to a loyalty club desk and stand in line to receive employee assistance to enroll. Acres' recent study showed that the industry burdens its players by making them wait in line for over 1.1 billion minutes annually while trying to enroll in the loyalty club, time that they could be playing at the slot machine.

Foundation HQ's enrollment process also reduces costs in new member incentives by making them dynamic and proportional to a player's value. As the value of an uncarded play session increases, operators can utilize the system's data collection to analyze and increase the value of enrollment incentives to drive increased player engagement while also maintaining appropriate returns on the incentive offered. If the player remains uncarded at cash-out, data from the Play Code is embedded into the TITO ticket, allowing Foundation HQ™ to resume tracking of the uncarded session during subsequent slot play sessions.

"As the hallmark of any successful player loyalty program, the enrollment process must be made significantly easier for players than currently offered by legacy CMS solutions that are costing the industry billions of dollars in terms of lost revenue and higher expenses," said Noah Acres. "Casinos that enable an easier process to enroll more players will have a competitive advantage. Foundation HQ's ten-second enrollment process enables exponentially more player sign-ups which helps operators grow player engagement and retention."

Acres will display Foundation HQ's enrollment feature at the OGIA Conference and Trade Show (Booth 607) to be held Aug 14-16, 2023, in Tulsa, Okla.