News Briefs

Eating in a university dining hall has traditionally been an experience for students, faculty and other staff to unwind from hectic schedules, socialize and enjoy a meal with friends and colleagues. However, according to a recent report by Paymnts, the rise in mobile ordering, contactless self-service options and other convenience-focused technologies has elevated student dining expectations. College students increasingly expect to have dining options that give them control over where and when they eat with easy, fast one-tap payment options.

The solution is used at all four UH campuses, which are located in Houston (Main Campus and Downtown), Victoria and Clear Lake. Students, faculty, and staff can purchase and manage their meal plans online from their mobile devices and use them at all Agilysys POS locations.

“We selected Atrium and Agilysys because we needed a more modern solution and a partner to grow with us as we consider other future-forward applications like mobile credentials, mobile ordering and self-serve kiosks,” said Esmeralda Valdez, executive director of University Services, University of Houston. “Atrium and Agilysys help us run our hospitality, food and beverage and retail operations on our campuses more efficiently and effectively, which delights our staff and customers and helps us gain healthier margins.”

Agilysys optimizes operations with a flexible, enterprise-class POS to help food service venues on campuses, restaurants, resorts, hotels, cruise lines and other outlets. Its POS solutions include options for fixed, mobile and tablet devices that can be deployed in the cloud or on-premise. The POS tablets have been used effectively during recent University of Houston events, including at shows at its Performing Arts Center.

“Working together with Atrium and UH, we created a configurable POS architecture and design that streamlines and simplifies the jobs of employees, enabling them to deliver High Return Hospitality,” said Don DeMarinis, senior vice president of Sales, Agilysys. “In doing so, these outlets have become better-run and well-loved.”

“We are proud to partner with Agilysys to revolutionize the UH student experience through innovative technology solutions that empower higher education enterprises like us to thrive in the mobile-first era,” said Tammy Johnson, President & CEO, Co-Founder, Atrium.

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.

Actility, a provider of IoT network infrastructure, announced the acquisition of Acklio, a provider of SCHC (Static Context Header Compression) technology for LPWAN (Low Power Wide Area Network) networks.

This acquisition will further strengthen Actility’s position as the leading provider of end-to-end IoT solutions and will enable the company to offer a broader range of IP-based IoT applications over LPWAN networks.

Acklio’s SCHC technology is a key enabler for IP-based IoT over LPWAN networks. SCHC compresses the IP header, which significantly reduces the amount of data that needs to be transmitted over the network. This makes it possible to run IP-based applications over LPWAN networks, which are typically characterized by low data rates and long battery life.

The acquisition of Acklio will allow Actility to offer a wider range of IP-based IoT applications over LPWAN networks. These applications include:

• Smart metering: several meter vendors already adopted Acklio SCHC technology to connect standards-based DLMS/COSEM meters to LoRaWAN and NB-IoT network.
• Smart industry: protocols such as ModBus/TCP can be carried transparently and efficiently over LoRaWAN networks using SCHC header compression.
• Smart buildings: KNX/IP and other leading IP protocols for building automation which do not have yet efficient long-range RF transport layers can immediately be deployed over LoRaWAN campus IoT networks without any modification.
• Electric vehicle charging: the Open Charge Point Protocol (OCPP) has become the de-facto standard for smart charge point control, but it is difficult to deploy IP networks in underground parking lots. LoRaWAN networks are a perfect solution and SCHC provides the required adaptation layer for OCPP.

Actility is also committed to keeping Acklio’s SCHC technology open and licensable to all industry players. This will help to accelerate the adoption of IP-based IoT over LPWAN networks, and to create a more open and interoperable IoT ecosystem. With SCHC, the notion of Internet of Everything truly becomes a reality.

European serviced apartment operator, Limehome, has revealed that it has grown 400% over the past two years, partly crediting its futuristic approach to its property management software.

Limehome is one of a growing band of hospitality companies using platforms that resist ever becoming out-of-date. Their so-called ‘composable hospitality’ allows operators to bolt together off-the shelf tools and add those that they develop themselves in-house. It’s the most powerful way to build a PMS and technology ecosystem that is bespoke, affordable and scalable.

This has allowed Limehome to create a unique and staffless guest experience, and onboard new properties at speeds previously unheard of (less than 24 hours), helping the business achieve a fivefold increase in both revenue and the size of its portfolio over the past two years. It forecasts a 60% compound annual growth rate (CAGR) for the next five years and boasts an average occupancy rate of 90%, compared to the market average of 80%. 

Limehome built its fully digital guest journey, which saves the business around $200 per unit per month, on the API-led open hospitality platform, Apaleo. While traditional property management systems (PMS) do have integrations, Limehome needed a platform that would allow it to replace tools that relied on human interaction with its own staffless alternatives. Leveraging Apaleo, it created a seamless digital guest journey from booking to check-out, integrating the reservation and payment solutions of Apaleo with a constellation of proprietary solutions and best-of-breed third-party apps. 

Apaleo has formed the foundation of Limehome’s overall PMS ever since the company was founded in 2018. The flexibility that this permits is what has enabled Limehome to achieve unprecedented levels of customization and efficiency, enabling its staffless business model to thrive. 

One of the most important functions Limehome has been able to develop on top of Apaleo is its machine-learning yield management solution. This tool optimises margins on every booking, dynamically adjusting rates millions of times a day in response to demand, local competitors, and seasonal trends. As a result, Limehome operates with only one revenue manager across 100 locations, something most hospitality companies would find impossible. While its competitors change prices around 200 times a day — Limehome adjusts prices approximately 10 million times in the same period. 

Josef Vollmayr, Co-Founder and Managing Director of Limehome, said: “Apaleo is a construction kit that we use to complement our own technology. It allows us to operate the way we operate, and without it we could not grow at this pace.

“In a typical stay, traditional hotels might have up to ten manual interactions with every reservation. It’s the trivial things that hurt the bottom line. Guests ask for an invoice, the check-in and check-out times, an upgrade or an extension of the stay. This may not be inconvenient for the guest, but for the hotel these interactions are very labour-intensive, time consuming and ultimately costly. 

“We need all these things to be integrated into our technology. Without the flexibility that Apaleo allows, hiring for 120 locations would be a nightmare for us. By building on top of Apaleo, we don’t have to do that.”

As the hospitality industry evolves and guests seek personalised experiences and spacious accommodation, innovative brands like Limehome are gaining prominence. But a lack of flexible property management technology has hindered the realisation of many of the most creative concepts.

Apaleo is the only MACH-based platform that focuses on core property management modules, enabling hospitality providers to design bespoke technology stacks, often incorporating proprietary software. By embracing these innovations in the technology space, Limehome exemplifies the future of hospitality, enabling 100% self-serviced guest journeys, increased guest satisfaction and both operation and financial efficiency for hospitality businesses.

Florian Montag, VP of Business Development at Apaleo, commented: “Limehome are trailblazers when it comes to the future of property management. It never even dawned on them to use a traditional solution because they are so focused on the end product. The guest experience has come first at all times and this is exactly what we expect from all hospitality operators in the future. All hospitality providers will have CTOs and their roles will become some of the most important to these businesses as they curate future-proof ecosystems of software capable of consistently delivering for their brands.”

Mews, a hospitality cloud, has been chosen by Stay Hospitality to automate and enhance their growing hotel operations.  

As a hotel and short-term vacation rental management team, Stay Hospitality handles all aspects of the guest experience for visitors traveling to South Florida.

“We love how Mews enables our guests to check in online, ahead of their arrival, saving us a lot of time and labor. Their incredible tech stack supports our vision of modern hospitality, which starts with easy booking and a seamless check-in experience,” said Ralph Davies, Chief Financial Officer at Stay Hospitality. “We’re also excited to explore increasing hotel revenue through add-on and upsell opportunities.” 

Stay Hospitality, backed by the Assouline and Anheuser-Busch families, manages the Red Hotel South Beach and Royal Beach Hotel, which are currently in the deployment process, with 110 and 156 rooms, respectively. As a cloud-native PMS, Mews has an efficient implementation program to get hotels and their teams up and running as quickly and smoothly as possible. This will also ensure a seamless transition as both hotels go through re-branding and launch in 2024 after renovation. 

“We’re delighted to keep growing our presence in the US with a partner as ambitious as Stay Hospitality,” said Matt Welle, Mews CEO. “They’re already achieving so much, and I’m excited to watch them drive even better performance and guest experiences through Mews, especially in their larger properties as they continue to expand their footprint in Florida and beyond.”  
 
Stay Hospitality will use Mews Payments to transform clunky transactional processes into invisible, frictionless experiences. More sophisticated operations will benefit both guests and the team, as seamless, single-click payments replace the stress of dealing with unreliable programs and the outdated multi-step check-in. 

 “We’re especially looking forward to Mews Payments, as it will automate all transactions and rid our staff of manual tasks. Gone are the days of printing receipts and end-of-day reconciliation,” continued Ralph Davies. “Our guests can look forward to real-time transparency and the convenience of alternative payment methods.”