Innovation

📰 Joanna Fantozzi is a Senior Editor at Nation’s Restaurant News and Restaurant Hospitality, with over seven years of experience in the industry. She joined Informa’s Restaurants and Food Group in 2018 and has been in her current role since August 2021. Joanna holds degrees from The College of New Jersey and CUNY. Her work has appeared in major publications like The New York Times and Forbes. Previously, she held editorial positions at Insider and The Daily Meal.

🤖 Chatbots have evolved, now used by over a thousand Mews hotels. With zero connection fees and 1,000+ apps in Mews Marketplace, integration is seamless. New-gen chatbots, enhanced by generative AI, streamline operations, manage guest interactions, and boost revenue. Leading chatbots like Akia, Duve, HiJiffy, and Runnr.ai offer tailored solutions for guest communication, booking management, and upselling. Hotels can initiate chatbot use rapidly by focusing on high-impact areas through Mews Marketplace connections.

📅 Leslie Vial and Christophe Bataillard launched the first Topliner edition today, addressing revenue management, human and technical aspects in the hospitality industry. Focused on a global reinvention, they emphasize collaboration across the ecosystem. Topliner aims to build a community, especially among French speakers. The event features two sessions: a panel with four guests and discussions on artificial intelligence. Further announcements are anticipated in the coming months.

🚿 2Pure Products launched OdorBac Toilet & Scale in August 2025. This dual-purpose cleaner uses bio-surfactants and acids to clean and descale sanitary facilities. Made with 98% natural ingredients, 100% biodegradable, and packaged in 100% recycled plastic, it’s effective up to 500x more than traditional methods. The product is available in 12x1L and 4x5L refill bottles. It is non-corrosive, with a pH of 2.2–3, and no hazard warnings, making it safe for users and the environment.

🏨 Naumi Group and Atmind Group, independent hotel brands, discussed strategies during a webinar in 2025. Naumi operates boutique hotels in Singapore, Australia, and New Zealand, while Atmind has seven properties in Thailand. They face challenges like technology investment, talent acquisition, and data overload. Naumi uses creative, local events for guest engagement, and Atmind employs tailored reports to optimize pricing. Both leverage OTAs strategically for direct bookings. Emphasizing technology helps enhance operations and revenue management.

📄 Vistify Inc. launched Menu Builder by vMenu, a tool for restaurants to create dynamic, branded menus quickly. Operators can update menus in under an hour using an intuitive drag-and-drop interface. CEO Michael Mathieu highlighted its real-time updates and design simplicity, eliminating the need for external support. This innovation streamlines menu updates, enhancing flexibility and speed in the fast-paced quick-service restaurant (QSR) sector.

🏖 Exploring travel dynamics: TikTok is reshaping tourism by redistributing demand. 71% of European TikTok users booked trips based on posts. Google's Flight Deals uses AI for cheaper tickets, now in the US, Canada, and India. Skift's 2016 "overtourism" trademark attempt failed. Propellic reports a 163% ROAS increase and an 80% YoY revenue boost. Travel balance involves AI efficiency and human experience, projected to trade at a 20x premium by 2026.

🍽 Wonder, led by Marc Lore, partners with Logile for national expansion from 50 to 1,000 locations by 2029. Logile replaces Wonder's manual labor planning with AI-powered solutions, enhancing forecasting accuracy and employee scheduling. Connors Group aids in developing labor standards. Wonder's growth strategy includes acquiring Tastemade, Blue Apron, and Grubhub, and opening locations in Washington, D.C., and Delaware. The partnership aims to improve labor efficiency, reduce overtime, and boost customer satisfaction.

📊 Logile, Inc. partners with Wonder, led by Marc Lore, to enhance labor planning for its national growth from 50 to 1,000 locations by 2029. Wonder replaces manual processes with Logile's AI-powered platform for better forecasting and scheduling, optimizing staffing across operations. Connors Group aids in developing labor standards. This modernization aims to improve efficiency, reduce overtime, and boost customer satisfaction. Wonder's recent expansions include opening locations in Washington, D.C., and Delaware.