News Briefs

The W Barcelona hotel, situated on the famous Barceloneta Boardwalk, recently partnered with IRIS, the leading provider of digital F&B and guest experience platforms, to offer a broader digital ordering experience resulting in a boost in revenue and efficiencies. 

It selected both its mobile dining solution to deliver an in-room dining service and a world of culinary delights direct to its guest’s doors, in addition to its digital guest directory solution to provide all guests with direct access to hotel and local area information, whilst at the same time maximising revenue and profits. 

The luxury hotel, which is popular with both residential and day guests, has reported significant results since implementation. Most notably, a 60% increase in average guest spend across all operations via mobile dining compared to traditional dining. More specifically, since deploying digital dining, 35% of all F&B room service orders are now placed digitally, accounting for nearly half (46%) of all revenue.  

Commenting on the results following installation, Martin Daniel Voštiar, B&F Coordinator, W Barcelona said, “Guests appreciate the ease and efficiency of serving themselves and enjoy the convenience of being able to access information wherever they are, in their own time – they are fully in control of their experience.

“The IRIS app is a convenient and holistic tool that ensures guests have all the information at their disposal and the ordering and booking process is as seamless and enjoyable as possible. Remarkably intuitive, it boasts a user-friendly interface that’s easy to navigate and manage. Considering the increase in guest spending through online orders, it’s undeniably delivering a substantial return on our investment. 

Operationally, the team has reported significant improvements in efficiencies and guest service management. In-room dining has reduced the workload for its “Whatever/Whenever” team who previously took all room service orders over the phone. They now have more time available to focus on other aspects of their role and enhance guest service, particularly during peak times when phone lines are congested, eliminating the need for guests to wait on hold to place an order. It has also assisted the In-room dining team, allowing them to concentrate solely on preparing and delivering orders more efficiently. 

Alongside mobile dining and ordering, the digital guest directory means guests can easily access information on the hotel facilities, fitness classes, special events and what’s on in the local area. Additionally, guests can download a range of newspapers and magazines, book appointments at the Spa, barber and Tattoo Studio, and view information on the hotel’s services and sustainability policies. A wealth of information is clearly visible and accessible in the palm of the guest’s hand, wherever they are in the property or local area. 

From a guest perspective, they have found it simple and easy to use, and have been swift to adopt the simplicity of self-service ordering from the comfort of their own device, particularly during peak times when staff are busy. 

The hotel has invested heavily in promoting the app (accessible via QR codes) at check-in to ensure guests are provided with complete and accurate information on its facilities and services in the most convenient way possible.  

Offering a more cost-effective, sustainable alternative to traditional paper menus and directories, the hotel team can simply edit and add information online as and when required without the costly and inconvenient job of re-printing and replacing material in all 473 bedrooms. Likewise, they can amend and keep menus and opening hours up to date to ensure the app is always accurate with correct information at no extra cost. Multi-lingual, it delivers a consistent experience for guests, regardless of their nationality and reduced guest wait times with a direct integration to the Micros POS.  

Voštiar continues, “Following its success we are now planning to extend digital dining in 2024 to our Salt Beach Club. Guests will be able to access digital menus via QR codes printed on the sun beds. They will be able to place their order, have a dip in the sea and return to their lounger with their order waiting for them and we look forward to fulfilling this enhanced guest experience next year.” 

Domino's Pizza Inc. introduces its new and improved loyalty program. 

Domino's Rewards offers loyalty members even more opportunities to earn and redeem points across its corporate and franchise store locations. Domino's enhanced rewards program allows customers to:

• Earn points for less
  • Loyalty members will now earn 10 points on every order of $5 or more
• Redeem points for even more menu items – and earn free Domino's after just two orders
  • Members can redeem a variety of points for more menu items:
    • 20 points: A free dipping cup, a 16-piece order of Parmesan Bread Bites or a 20 oz. drink
    • 40 points: An order of Bread Twists or Stuffed Cheesy Bread
    • 60 points: A medium, two-topping pizza; pasta; Oven-Baked Sandwich; or a 3-piece order of Chocolate Lava Crunch Cakes
• Earn more rewards
  • Loyalty perks are now even better, as members will have exclusive access to member-only deals, special discounts and opportunities to earn bonus points!

"We are thrilled to give the brand's loyal customers additional ways to earn free Domino's items more often," said Mark Messing, Domino's vice president of digital experience and loyalty. "At a time when most brands are scaling back their loyalty programs and making it more difficult to earn and redeem points, Domino's is doing the opposite. We want to make it easier to reward our customers and give them more options so they can get rewarded faster."

Marketing a LTO 

From now until Oct. 22, 2023, rewards members can take advantage of a limited time offer to redeem 20 points for a free order of Domino's new Pepperoni Stuffed Cheesy Bread, which is normally a 40-point redemption, in celebration of the product's recent launch. 

Legion Technologies, an innovator in workforce management (WFM), announced the integration of its award-winning Legion WFM platform with SAP SuccessFactors solutions, allowing companies with hourly workers to simplify their employee lifecycle management. Now available on SAP Store, Legion WFM provides companies in labor-intensive industries such as retail and hospitality with the ability to maximize labor efficiency and employee engagement simultaneously with intelligent, automated, employee-centric workforce management.

• Strategic Insight: Get instant insights into employee engagement, manager productivity, labor optimization, and compliance trends.
• Automated Labor Budgeting: Combine accurate long-term demand forecasts with your detailed labor model and scheduling rules to create precise labor budgets.
• Demand Forecasting: Precisely predict demand across all customer touchpoints every 15 minutes.
• Labor Optimization: Empower managers with staffing guidance and labor insights to generate the optimal labor plan.
• Automated Scheduling: Create optimal schedules that match business needs with employee preferences and skills.
• Automated Time and Attendance: Automate timesheet approvals, corrections, and premium calculations.
• Frontline Communication: Unlock the power of digital communication to dramatically improve the experience of frontline hourly workers.
• Instant Wage Access: Support financial well-being and increase retention with access to earned wages in the same app employees use every day—without IT resources.
• Performance and Rewards: Engage and motivate hourly employees with instant feedback and recognition to help them grow and feel valued.

At the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2024 in Las Vegas, Vox AI's advanced machine learning technology  for  the drive-thru is making its debut. 

Hi Auto, a trailblazing company in drive-thru voice AI technology, has been named "Innovator of the Year" at the Checkers & Rally's annual convention. This prestigious accolade underscores Hi Auto's pivotal role in transforming the quick service restaurant (QSR) industry with its advanced voice AI solution.

Roy Baharav, CEO of Hi Auto, expressed his enthusiasm for the growing partnership with Checkers & Rally's, stating, "This recognition is a testament to our team’s relentless drive for innovation and excellence. Collaborating with Checkers & Rally's, we are setting a new standard for the QSR experience by deploying our voice AI technology across their extensive national footprint. Our shared vision is to redefine efficiency and customer engagement in the drive-thru landscape."

• The Trail Blazer Leading AI in the Drive-Thru at Checkers and Rally’s

Hi Auto stands at the forefront of the QSR technology sector, with its voice AI technology now a cornerstone in over 400 locations across more than 20 states in the U.S., including a significant presence in Checkers and Rally's franchises and corporate-owned restaurants.

Minh Le, Chief Information Officer at Checkers & Rally's Restaurants, praised Hi Auto's innovative streak: "Hi Auto's drive-thru voice AI technology is not just innovative; it's revolutionary. With advanced features such as bilingual English and Spanish capabilities to enhance inclusivity and cloned voices to enhance branding, Hi Auto is propelling our restaurants to new heights of customer interaction and service."

Checkers & Rally's, operating over 800 restaurants, celebrated a transformational year at their annual convention in Nashville. The event brought together more than 300 franchisees, vendors, and Restaurant Support Center employees to honor excellence and introduce new initiatives. Among dozens of vendors, Hi Auto stood out, securing its market-leading position with its proprietary natural language processing and high-accuracy voice recognition technologies, specifically tailored for QSRs