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🚗 The 2024 QSR Drive-Thru Report indicates a 14-second reduction in service time from the previous year, but traditional drive-thrus still struggle, particularly with staffing shortages. QSRs are implementing technology, such as smart kiosks, AI-powered ordering, and integrated payment solutions, to enhance efficiency and customer satisfaction. AI has shown to exceed human order accuracy, handling 90% of orders accurately compared to humans' 80-85%. These technological advances not only improve speed and accuracy but also assist with labor challenges and promote a better workplace environment.

📱 JW Marriott Phoenix Desert Ridge Resort & Spa is deploying Phunware, Inc.'s Smart Hospitality Solution for enhanced guest experience on iOS and Android. The app navigates through 950 guest rooms, the AquaRidge WaterPark, Revive Spa, multiple restaurants, and a golf club. It features on-property navigation, dining reservations, cabana and experience bookings, spa and golf reservations. Phunware CEO Stephen Chen emphasized technology as key to modern hospitality, offering mobile-first solutions for services like check-ins and room service.

📱 Phunware, Inc. is enhancing JW Marriott Phoenix Desert Ridge Resort & Spa's guest experience with a mobile app for iOS and Android users. The app features real-time navigation for 950 rooms and various amenities. The resort's Director of Marketing, Christa Wood, highlights the app's role in showcasing amenities and activities. Phunware’s CEO, Stephen Chen, emphasizes technology as a hospitality cornerstone, with the app facilitating check-ins, room access, room service, and activity bookings directly via smartphones.

🏨 Phunware, Inc., a mobile enterprise cloud solutions provider, has launched a Smart Hospitality Solution app for JW Marriott Phoenix Desert Ridge Resort & Spa, enhancing guest navigation across 950 rooms and amenities like AquaRidge WaterPark and Revive Spa. The app caters to iOS and Android users, offering on-property navigation, dining reservations, cabana and experience bookings, as well as spa and golf reservations. The resort's Director of Marketing, Christa Wood, emphasizes guest engagement with the property's features. Stephen Chen, CEO of Phunware, advocates the necessity of mobile-first experiences in modern hospitality.

🚩 Axonify research in 2024 discovered that 68% of hospitality managers acknowledge staff burnout, with 64% losing workers due to it. AI is seen as a solution to improve work-life balance by handling repetitive tasks, optimizing schedules, and streamlining operations, ultimately aimed at reducing stress and preventing burnout among hospitality employees.

📈 Sojern and Benchmark Research Partners, supported by Brand USA, Destination Canada, the European Travel Commission, and the Caribbean Tourism Organization, released the “State of Destination Marketing 2025” report. 85% of destination marketing organizations (DMOs) maintained or increased digital ad budgets. Challenges include demonstrating ROI, with 60% using clicks as their top metric, 54% struggling to show clear ROI, and 37% facing tracking and attribution issues. 83% focus on programmatic advertising. The dominant channels are display ads (97%), social media (90%), and search engine marketing (80%). AI is used by 63% for content creation, but only 28% for data analysis. Always-on campaigns are now favored by 52% over seasonal ones. Personalized marketing is still underutilized, with only 15% applying advanced techniques. Data use is extensive, with 84% for digital marketing insights, 75% for visitor tracking, and 69% for market research. Co-op marketing in Europe increased by 16% year-over-year. Social media is used by 91% of DMOs, with Facebook and Instagram being top channels, while CTV and short-form video formats are on the rise.

💪 Chili's removed the "It's Just Wings" station tower, eliminating 13 menu items, to focus on high-growth items like Triple Dippers and Crispers. They've adopted a kitchen display system (KDS) and are installing TurboChef ovens in a quarter to a third of locations. Brinker International, parent company, is applying Chili's strategies to Maggiano’s, with Ernest Perez and Mike Westley, veterans from Yum! Brands, leading the charge.

🏩 Laura Calin, Senior Vice President at Oracle Hospitality, received the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2024 Hotel Visionary Awards for her 30+ year career enhancing hospitality technology. She pioneered the OPERA property management system and Oracle OPERA Cloud, impacting over 45,000 hospitality venues globally. Oracle's OPERA Cloud adoption surged by 300%, and Calin's efforts led to the development of OHIP with over 3,000 APIs. She champions diversity and mentorship, influencing many to senior tech roles.