Innovation

🚲 DoorDash, a $40 billion third-party delivery service, is acquiring SevenRooms, a customer relationship management business. This deal aims to create a comprehensive platform, akin to Amazon Prime's all-in-one service, and raises concerns over data control and restaurant brand commoditization. Experts like Toby W. Malbec from Church’s Texas Chicken and Robert Peterson from Oracle Restaurants discuss possible benefits and warn of potential threats, such as the misuse of aggregated customer data by DoorDash. Restaurants are advised to audit their tech stacks, read contracts carefully, maintain system flexibility, and demand open APIs to protect their customer relationships.

LONDON, 12 May, 2025 – eviivo, an all-in-one property management system (PMS), has enhanced its integration with PayPal, enabling hospitality businesses to offer payment flexibility, help minimise failed transactions, and drive completed and…

PRAGUE, 12 May 2025 – RobosizeME, a leading provider of robotic process automation (RPA) solutions for hospitality, has been selected by Louvre Hotels Group to automate the time-intensive process of…

🎵 Nearly 72% of hotel guests notice music playing, and sales can increase by over 37% when the music aligns with the brand. The right music sets the tone in hospitality, influencing guest experiences more than decor. Establishing a "sonic identity" helps venues create the desired atmosphere. Hospitality brands can choose global consistency, local flexibility, or full local autonomy for music management. Modern technology offers efficient, scalable solutions for maintaining an engaging and consistent sound environment.

📱 In the latest edition, AI concierges like Bella surprise guests with birthday cakes, mystery flights lead to unexpected destinations, and solopreneurs create million-dollar startups. Shopify mandates AI usage for all employees, with expectations of boosting productivity 10x-100x. Fintechs are tapping into eSIMs for seamless global connectivity, providing new revenue streams and enhancing user engagement. The importance of customer discovery in Lean Startup remains essential, despite AI accelerating development. Stay22 enables 3x-10x revenue boosts by linking travel content to monetization. The Hotels Network joins Lighthouse to further power direct bookings and personalized experiences. Scandinavian Airlines offers mystery flights to destinations like Athens and Seville. Over 1,119 travel tech roles are available on the Travel Tech Essentialist Job Board, with positions like Senior Director at Expedia in Washington DC or Seattle, offering a salary ranging from $296,000-414,500 per year.

📦 Real Time Ordering, Platinum Relations, and National Computer Corporation launched RTO Tableside Order and Pay, integrating with restaurants' POS systems for direct kitchen communication and payment processing via PAX A77 devices. It offers Wi-Fi and 4G connectivity, supporting various industry use cases, with the added benefit of increased server productivity and faster table turns. Available now in the U.S. and Canada, the solution is offered as a low monthly subscription.

🍴 Real Time Ordering, Platinum Relations, and National Computer Corporation launched RTO Tableside Order and Pay solutions for restaurants. This technology integrates with NCC's Reflection POS systems, allowing servers to send orders directly to the kitchen and process payments using PAX A77 handheld devices with Wi-Fi and 4G connectivity. RTO Tableside facilitates seamless transactions, improves server productivity, controls labor costs, and accelerates table turn rates. Available in the U.S. and Canada, it offers a modern service for a low monthly subscription.

📱 Real Time Ordering, Platinum Relations, and National Computer Corporation launched RTO Tableside Order and Pay solutions, integrating with restaurants' Reflection POS systems for direct kitchen communication and on-the-spot payment processing via NETePay Hosted. Utilizing the PAX A77 device, the solutions offer Wi-Fi and 4G connectivity, applicable for multiple service types, such as QSRs, food trucks, and full-service dining. Available now in the U.S. and Canada, it promises increased server productivity and faster table turnover for a monthly subscription fee.

🏨 Atomize, a Mews company, offers the first Revenue Management System for real-time price optimization, allowing hoteliers to immediately optimize rates and adapt to market changes. Revenue Managers utilizing Atomize can respond instantaneously to events like surprise concerts, benefiting from increased demand without delay. The RMS monitors data 365 days in advance, factors in various market indicators, and updates rates automatically, contrasting with manual updates that may lead to missed revenue opportunities. Testimonials like that of Jonathan Anthamatten, General Manager at EMA House, highlight the system's impact on maximizing revenue.

💳 Starbucks' loyalty program boasts 34M members and $1.78B in stored value, with members spending 3x more. Target's Circle members spend 5x the average, with $4B processed in Q1. 7-Eleven has 55M+ members, with 38% of transactions via app. Dunkin's wallet reloads lead to 2.5x visits and 20% higher average order value (AOV). Chase Sapphire offers a premium card with luxury lifestyle rewards. Amazon Prime, RH Membership, Costco, and Panera Unlimited Sip Club exemplify successful subscription-based loyalty. United Airlines' loyalty program generated $1.8B in EBITDA, 26% of their total. Delta's loyalty accounts for 57% of revenue, and American Airlines sees 61% of flight revenue from AAdvantage members. JetBlue's loyalty program is valued at $5.5B. Adidas AdiClub has over 240M members with 2x higher lifetime value (LTV) and 50% more frequent purchases. Under Armour's members are twice as likely to repeat purchases within 90 days. Sephora's tiered rewards foster an emotional connection. Chick-fil-A and Sweetgreen focus on brand values and personalized challenges over traditional points. The article highlights a shift from points to payment-loyalty loops, wallets, subscriptions, and emotional incentives to enhance customer engagement and brand