What Does Magic Mean to You?
The word magic keeps coming up here at HT. Whether we were planning our in-person Multi-Unit Restaurant Technology Conference (MURTEC), analyzing data for our annual Restaurant Technology Study, reviewing entries for award programs such as RTN’s Start-Up Alley or HT’s Top Women in Restaurant Technology and Industry Heroes, or recapping last December’s HT-NEXT conference, it became clear to us that technology is now going well beyond “surprise and delight.” Magic is our MURTEC 2022 theme, and this issue takes a deep dive into why that is.
HT’s 2022 Restaurant Technology Study: Making Magic Happen delivers fresh, strategic insights from restaurant operators representing more than 50,000 locations and $7.7 billion in annual revenue. Although budgets remain tight, the vast majority of restaurants plan to increase spending in 2022, with an emphasis on, yes, magic: Meeting guests everywhere they prefer to order, pickup, and pay.
“Highlights from HT-NEXT 2021” recaps our December lodging tech conference, presented in partnership with the American Hotel and Lodging Association’s HTNG. You won’t believe the experiential IoT presented by keynote speaker John Padgett, President of Princess Cruises and Chief Experience and Innovation Officer at Carnival Corp. Turn to page 39 for our Hotel Visionary Awards, presented at HT-NEXT and spotlighting two extraordinary innovators.
Read all about the Restaurant Technology Network’s new KPIs Workgroup — focused on identifying key metrics for driving innovation and ROI — and how restaurant operators and solution providers can get involved. And take a peek at HTNG’s 2021 TechOvation Award winner.
We would like to know how you define magic for your business: An unforgettable experience? A speedy transaction? Or that intangible “Wow!” factor that bridges online and off-line? As always, my digital door is open ([email protected]) and I look forward to hearing what you think!
