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  • 3 min

Shaping the Future of Hospitality Technology, Choice Hotels Kicks Off MasteryX, its 10th Annual Tech Innovation Summit

💾 SuiteOp, a Guest Operations Platform, raised $3 million in seed funding to accelerate development, roll out automation tools, and expand markets. ScOp led the investment alongside Dream Capital, Kunal Shah, Sudeep Singh, Song Pak, and a private European fund. Founded by Jean-Emmanuel Losi and Simon Seroussi from their experiences with Sosuite, SuiteOp caters to a range of lodging businesses. It boasts a fivefold increase in run rate, 15% month-over-month growth, and zero percent customer churn. The fresh capital aims to enhance automation and efficiency in the hospitality sector, responding to high costs and labor constraints.
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Unlocking the Power of CRM in Restaurants: Insights from Industry Leaders

📊 CRM technology is crucial for restaurant growth and customer engagement—experts Dave Harris (CTO, Cooper’s Hawk Winery & Restaurants) and Aaron Abramoff (CFO, The Restaurant People) shared insights in a panel discussion. They emphasized: actionable insights from CRM systems are key; a balance of instinct and data in decision-making is necessary; personalization improves guest loyalty but is complex to implement; ROI on CRM is hard to measure but essential; tech integration needs to be seamless; and AI is becoming vital in CRM strategy, enhancing human decision-making. CRM is a must-have for competitive restaurants.
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What’s Wrong with Metasearch Today?

💸 Nearly half of U.S. travelers used metasearch for flight and hotel bookings in 2017, with metasearch engines surpassing traditional ads as a marketing channel. However, metasearch's share of travel traffic fell from 22% in 2017 to 17% by 2020. The CPC revenue model often leads to higher prices, as rankings are based on bids rather than the best rates. Over 3/4 of top metasearch channels' revenue comes from Booking and Expedia. Traditional metasearch fails to retain customers due to better rates available through OTAs' loyalty programs or apps. For metasearch to survive, it must evolve beyond price comparison, adopting a customer-centric approach with integrated OTA functionality and a cost-per-action model that incentivizes better deals for travelers.
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DoorDash Adds AI-Powered Tools to Enhance Online Menus

💾 SuiteOp, a Guest Operations Platform, secured $3 million in seed funding to accelerate development, enhance automation tools, and expand into new markets. Co-founders Jean-Emmanuel Losi and Simon Seroussi, dealing with operational challenges at their short-term rental brand Sosuite, created SuiteOp to address similar issues hospitality businesses face. With this investment, the company aims to deepen automation, reduce overhead, and improve efficiency, building on a fivefold increase in run rate, 15% month-over-month growth, and zero percent customer churn. SuiteOp was founded in 2023 and supports tens of thousands of units.
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  • 2 min

The Raise the Wage Act would increase the federal minimum wage to $17 an hour — Here’s what to know

💰 Congressional Democrats, led by Sen. Bernie Sanders, introduced the Raise the Wage Act to Congress on Tuesday, aiming to raise the national minimum wage to $17 an hour over five years and eliminate subminimum wages for tipped, disabled, and youth workers over seven years. The current federal minimum wage of $7.25, last increased in July 2009, would more than double by 2030. The legislation faced a party-line vote during the weekend. Sanders cited that over 60% of workers live paycheck to paycheck. Previously, a $15 minimum wage proposal was included in President Biden’s $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief plan in 2021 but failed to pass. The Raise the Wage Act has the support of Rep. Robert C. Scott (D-Va.), 32 Senators, 142 Congressional Representatives, and various organizations. The restaurant industry has concerns over job losses and the elimination of the tipped wage, currently at $2.13.
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  • 3 min

AI and the Benefit of Personalized Hospitality for Hotels and Restaurants

💳 A Boston Consulting Group survey reveals that 80% of consumers expect personalized experiences. AI enhances hospitality and dining by automating services, providing personalized recommendations, and predicting staffing needs. Hotels use AI for guest journey customization and real-time data analysis for operations, while restaurants employ AI for optimizing labor, inventory, yield, and menu recommendations. Consumers crave control and personalization, leading to self-service options in dining and tailored loyalty programs in hospitality that offer unique perks and discounts. AI gathers data to deliver personalized experiences, like anniversary suite suggestions or allergy-safe menu items, and anticipates needs such as late check-outs for delayed flights. AI supports staff efficiency, not replacement, ensuring personalized guest connections.
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