Innovation

🏨 Eva Klausner, Director of Guest Experience at Numa, shares insights on blending bots and humans to enhance guest experiences on March 11, 2025. Numa utilizes chatbots to increase guest satisfaction, as detailed in an episode hosted by Danica Smith, founder of MorningStar GX. The episode also features a promotion for Sojern, a hotel marketing platform offering a performance-based email solution. Music by Clay Bassford from Bespoke Sound is mentioned, and listeners are encouraged to share the episode to implement ideas within their teams.

🍕 Christopher Thomas-Moore (CTM), senior vice president and chief digital officer at Domino’s Pizza, presented at MURTEC 2025, highlighting a decade of innovations such as the Pizza Tracker, a pizza delivery car, AnyWare ordering by emoji, a 2017 partnership with Ford for autonomous delivery, Pinpoint Delivery, and in-vehicle ordering via Apple CarPlay. The Emergency Pizza promotion launched in 2023 responded to economic pressures like high inflation, offering creative value to customers with less disposable income. In 2024, the campaign evolved with gaming and Netflix collaborations, demonstrating Domino's seven tenets guiding innovation.

🏨 STAAH partnered with Espire Hospitality to optimize operations, tackle rate management issues, and improve reporting insights. Espire's Head of Revenue, Mohd Aamir, praised the user-friendly interface and innovative products offered by STAAH for enhancing distribution and revenue management strategies. STAAH's Max Channel Manager, Booking Engine, WatchMyRate widget, and Get Google feature play crucial roles in increasing visibility, driving direct bookings, and providing dynamic rate intelligence for smarter pricing strategies. Shoaib Ali, National Sales Head of STAAH India, highlights the collaboration's support for seamless operations and sustainable growth in the hospitality industry.

🥑 Shy Bird, an all-day rotisserie concept, opened its first location in Kendall Square, Boston, in 2019. It recently launched its third venue in the Fenway neighborhood. Owner Andrew Holden designed Shy Bird to fill a gap in Boston's dining scene by providing quality food and drink across various dayparts. Despite the COVID-19 pandemic hitting just months after opening, Shy Bird adapted by offering takeout and delivery. The second outpost opened in South Boston in 2022, adjusting to the neighborhood's livelier all-hours atmosphere. The brand carefully crafts its service model and menu to cater to different occasions, aiming to offer value and appropriate ambiance from morning till night. Shy Bird remains in "startup mode," with ambitions for future expansion.

💾 Lunchbox appointed James Walker as CEO, with Nabeel Alamgir as Executive Chairman, focusing on AI and automation to advance restaurant technology. Walker brings 30+ years of experience from Subway®, Nathan's Famous®, and Cinnabon®. A record 340% increase in average deal size since 2022 and 300% growth in product adoption with clients using 1 to 4 products. Funding led by Shift4 will enhance Lunchbox's enterprise solutions and SkyTab POS integration.

📢 James Walker appointed CEO of Lunchbox, Nabeel Alamgir becomes Executive Chairman; they aim to scale Lunchbox with AI and automation. Walker brings 30+ years' experience from Subway®, Nathan's Famous®, and Cinnabon®. Lunchbox saw a 340% increase in average deal size and 300% growth in product adoption since 2022. Shift4 leads a new funding round for Lunchbox, planning to integrate with its SkyTab POS system to enhance services for enterprise restaurants.

Google Premier Partner status solidifies SHR’s role in helping hotels maximize visibility and bookings Houston TX, 10 MARCH 2025 – Hotel technology specialist SHR has been recognized as a 2025 Google Premier Partner,…

🎡 Attempting to integrate Philips Hue lights with Apple Home, a home automation enthusiast experiences frustration as the lights fail to respond despite being connected and recognized by the app. This incident is part of a 25-year history of struggling with IoT devices, which often fail and are overpriced. The IoT industry is criticized for trapping consumers in ecosystems rather than focusing on product quality. Concerns are raised about IoT devices' security and excessive data collection, highlighting the need for more intuitive and reliable smart home products. India beat Australia in a Champions Trophy cricket match during the ordeal.

💸 Digital tipping in hotels, encouraged via QR codes, aligns with guests' preferences for digital payments, which account for one-third of on-premises transactions according to McKinsey data. Hotel managers report that digital tipping boosts employee morale, sparks competition, improves service quality, and may increase cash tips. It also aids in reducing turnover costs by fostering employee engagement with the hotel's mission. Russ Lemmer, founder of Grazzy in 2021, aims to enhance service workers' earnings in various industries, including hotels, by promoting digital tipping, which can add several dollars per hour to employees' wages. Lemmer's background includes co-founding Silvercar, Inc., acquired by Audi in 2017, and creating Dealerware, a fleet management platform.

🏥 The WHO declared the Covid crisis over in May 2023. A May 2024 AHLA survey showed 76% of hotels face staff shortages. In 2024, international travel nearly reached pre-pandemic levels at 99%. More than half of Americans plan to travel more in 2025. Hospitality IT teams are now using advanced tools for demand prediction. Hurricane Ian's impact led to a major hospitality client outsourcing 1,472 service hours within 48 hours. The gig customer service model is being adopted, and Arise Platform helps hospitality brands with flexible staffing. In 2022, training initiatives for a cruise client increased revenue per booking by almost 12%.