News Briefs

Vytio, a provider of hospitality technology solutions, proudly announces its pioneering collaboration with Samsung Electronics, integrating seamlessly with the latest HBU8000 and HQ60B Hospitality Televisions that use Samsung’s new Tizen Enterprise Platform (TEP) solution. This landmark integration signifies a major leap forward in enhancing the guest experience across the hospitality industry.

The Samsung HBU8000 (4K UHD) and HQ60B (4K QLED) Hospitality Televisions are renowned for their exceptional picture quality, sleek design and advanced features tailored to meet the unique needs of the hospitality sector. By partnering with Vytio, a trailblazer in hospitality technology, Samsung‘s TEP-based Hospitality Televisions will now provide users with access to a comprehensive suite of services that will elevate their guests' stay to unprecedented levels of comfort and satisfaction.

Key benefits of the Vytio and Samsung TEP integration include:

1. Enhanced Guest Engagement: Vytio's cutting-edge technology empowers hotels and resorts to provide an immersive and interactive guest experience. The integration ensures that guests can seamlessly access hotel services, local information and entertainment options directly through the Samsung HBU8000 Hospitality Television.

2. Personalized Content: Vytio's platform enables hotels to offer personalized content recommendations to guests based on their preferences and previous interactions. This feature ensures that properties present guests with tailored entertainment and information choices during their stay.

3. Seamless Connectivity: Vytio's technology seamlessly connects guests' personal devices to the Samsung HBU8000 Hospitality Television, enabling them to mirror their screens, stream content and stay connected during their stay.

Vytio's President & COO, Richard Chen, expressed enthusiasm for the collaboration, stating, "We are thrilled to be the first integration partner for the Samsung HBU8000 and HQ60B Hospitality Televisions. This collaboration exemplifies our commitment to delivering unparalleled guest experiences through innovative technology solutions. By combining Samsung's top-tier television technology with Vytio's guest-centric platform, we are setting new benchmarks for guest engagement, comfort and satisfaction."

"Our new display models elevate the guest experience, and we're extremely grateful to Vytio for making them a success," said Richard Leonarz, Director of Product Management, Hospitality Television at Samsung Electronics America. "The models are built on the Tizen Enterprise Platform, which means hospitality partners can easily deploy the displays and begin taking advantage of the increased functionality."

With the Vytio and Samsung HBU8000 integration, hotels and resorts can look forward to offering their guests an exceptional stay that combines the finest in television technology with unparalleled guest engagement and comfort.

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.

Brittain Resorts & Hotels (BRH), a full-service hospitality management company in the Southeast, introduced an industry-leading AI-driven business intelligence technology matrix, putting the company at the forefront of AI-led efforts within the industry. The move comes as BRH increases its service offerings as it expands further into third-party management for hotel owners seeking improved values and satisfaction measurements.

“While the hospitality industry traditionally has taken a ‘wait and see’ approach to new technologies, we have taken a much more aggressive approach at Brittain,” said Christy Jernigan, chief development officer, BRH. “AI and business intelligence are major data and analytics initiatives for Brittain, and we have integrated AI into its strategy. The business intelligence component allows us to understand and interpret our data across all channels for ongoing analysis and simplified reporting back to our owners. For the new systems we’ve added, the integration of AI, machine learning or business intelligence not only automates tasks but also offers predictive insights, optimization suggestions and enhanced user experiences.”

The new matrix includes multiple platforms, including guest data, social media management, guest messaging communication, revenue management, CRS, customer relationship management, market data, parity management, payroll and HR systems. For each, AI has been applied to improve the respective processes. For example, AI can analyze guest preferences and behaviors to automate and personalize marketing campaigns or optimize rate management by analyzing vast datasets, predict market demand, and adjust pricing strategies in real-time to maximize revenue. The system will run under Power BI, a robust data visualization and business analytics tool developed by Microsoft that connects to multiple data sources, allowing users to aggregate, analyze, visualize and share insights through interactive dashboards and reports.

“We are applying our Business Intelligence capabilities to provide multiple, tangible benefits to the hotels we operate,” Jernigan added. “From integrating with a hotel's property management system (PMS) to provide insights into guest demographics, preferences and behaviors to analyzing operational data to uncover inefficiencies in housekeeping, maintenance or F&B operations, this platform represents a cutting edge approach to working with the newest technologies available. These tools produce meaningful improvements to operations, which in turn lead to increased values for our shareholders.”

XTM Inc., a Miami and Toronto-based Fintech creator of disruptive payment innovations is pleased to announce that it has officially integrated and merged XTM's Today tipping solution into the QRails' AnyDay™ Earned Wage Access (EWA) solution for its U.S. clients resulting in an additional feature roll-out opportunity for large strategic partners such as SAP, Discover and Veritas Prime.

Employees in the U.S., who traditionally receive their gratuities as part of their paychecks, no longer need to wait a pay cycle to receive their gratuities. Through the AnyDay™ Payments platform, enabled by XTM's technology, employers can now leverage this solution for improved recruitment and retention. This creates new opportunities for XTM's current US pipeline of Human Capital Management and Payroll partners who have been eagerly waiting for this solution since the close of the QRails acquisition on August 21st, 2023.

"XTM's tipping solution has been relieving the financial burden for more than 80,000 hardworking employees in Canada on a daily basis,” says Cary Strange, President of XTM. “Combining the ability to receive daily tips with the AnyDay™ Earned Wage Access app addresses pent-up demand within the hospitality industry in the U.S. and our team is ready to fill the gap."

The combined solution is now in use with a variety of XTM clients across the U.S. The AnyDay™ mobile wallet and debit card create a robust retention tool and include a client portal with added features that support financial and accounting teams for seamless reporting and reconciliation.  The valuable processing and issuing tech stack provides employers with a secure, efficient and effective way to distribute earnings, instantly.

This technology integration is the start of the advantages to be realized by consolidating the resources of XTM and QRails in the areas of sales & marketing, onboarding, customer service and product development.

The merged companies are currently in talks with large hospitality groups in the U.S. that will help quickly scale the integrated solution and further position XTM as the only vertically integrated platform offering real-time payments for a variety of workers' earnings.

Choice Hotels International, Inc. announced that Choice Privileges now offers food ordering and delivery through a collaboration with Grubhub, a leading online and mobile food-ordering and delivery platform, to guests during stays at 500 participating Choice Hotels. As part of a continued reinvigoration of the award-winning loyalty program, Choice Privileges is expanding rewards and opportunities for guests during their travels.

Guests at participating midscale and extended stay Choice hotels brands, including Everhome Suites, Clarion Pointe, Comfort Inn, Mainstay Suites and Sleep Inn properties, will be able to access Grubhub's network of more than 365,000 restaurants and convenience offerings. To order, guests will be able to access a branded ordering and delivery experience within the Grubhub app while on the hotel's property and are able to receive one free month of Grubhub+, Grubhub's loyalty program that provides diners access to unlimited $0 delivery on orders of $12+.

"We are always looking to expand opportunities for Choice Privileges members, and we strive to focus on benefits that will add additional value for our members," said Julie Purser, vice president, loyalty strategy and membership rewards, Choice Hotels. "Offering $0 delivery fees with Grubhub enriches the guest experience at these participating hotels as it provides logistical and financial ease to guests seeking food delivery."

"Whether guests are traveling for work, relaxation or fun, we want to be their go-to delivery provider that keeps them fed no matter where they are," said Rob DelaCruz, vice president and general manager of Onsite Hospitality at Grubhub. "We're excited to offer a convenient and seamless ordering and delivery experience for Choice Hotel guests that allows them to explore the flavors of local communities across the country."

This expansion of Choice Privileges member benefits follows several other recent efforts to reinvigorate the loyalty program. Earlier this year, Choice launched two co-brand credit cards – the Choice Privileges Select Mastercard and Choice Privileges Mastercard – to offer travelers more ways to accelerate the amount of Choice Privileges points they earn while staying at participating Choice Hotels and on everyday spending like gas, groceries and home goods.

In July, Choice Hotels completed the successful integration of the Radisson Rewards Americas loyalty program into the Choice Privileges program. This enables the nearly 60 million Choice Privileges members to earn and redeem points at over 7,000 Choice-branded hotels across a diverse portfolio of brands.

The integration of Radisson Rewards Americas into Choice Privileges expanded member benefits to include complimentary breakfast for members with Diamond status at Radisson Blu, Radisson, Radisson RED, and Park Plaza hotels. Additional member benefits include:

• The expanded types of hotels Choice Privileges members can earn and/or redeem points with including Luxurious Preferred Hotels & Resorts; PENN Casinos & Resorts; BlueGreen Vacations; and exclusive college football and basketball experiences.
• "Your Extras:" Members can choose from selection of gift cards or Choice Privileges points when they check in for a stay that includes at least one Sunday through Thursday night at participating brands.
• An Elite Welcome Gift of 250 Points: Gold, Platinum, and Diamond members receive 250 points per stay as a thank you.

Sweetgreen continues to expand its free Sweetpass loyalty program with a new feature that allows fans to get exclusive offers and redeem rewards in-store.

Responding to the #1 request from loyalty program customers, members of Sweetpass and Sweetpass+ can now earn & redeem rewards in-store when paying at check out. 

• 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.

“Our customers are the heart of our business. With nearly 50% of Sweetgreen customers purchasing in-store, we are excited to offer the best of our rewards across all our owned channels,” said Co-Founder and Chief Brand Officer, Nathaniel Ru. “Starting today, our loyalty program works on all in-store orders, driving unmatched value, customer experience and savings with the simplicity of in-person scanning.”

Unlocking this new feature as a loyalty member is easy:

1. Open the Sweetgreen app, select “start challenge” under the loyalty tab at the bottom of the screen. 

2. Tap "Scan" to access the QR code and scan at the cash register to begin earning towards the selected challenge.

3. When scanning the QR code to redeem, eligible perks or rewards will be automatically applied to a loyalty member's order after they scan. Members who have multiple rewards can select which one to redeem. 

4. Pay for the order with the preferred contactless or physical payment method.

To celebrate the launch of this feature, Sweetpass members can get a free beverage, bag of chips or crispy rice treat with a minimum purchase of $9.95 when they scan the QR code in stores from September 26 through October 1.

Sweetgreen lovers can also upgrade their Sweetpass membership to Sweetpass+, where they will sweet benefits for $10 per month:

• Perks: Enjoy $3 off daily Sweetgreen orders

• Merch & Experiences: Be the first to know about limited edition merch drops and exclusive experiences 

• Support: Receive priority support on your order, ready to assist with any inquiries or concerns

Customers can also stay up to date on Sweetpass rewards and challenges, including free Sweetpass+ trials, taking place throughout the year through the app and Instagram, and by signing up for Sweetgreen’s newsletter on the company’s website.