Innovation

🎰 BetMGM, a top iGaming and sports betting operator, announced the consolidation of BetMGM Reward Points (BRPs) into a single account, enhancing user experience. BetMGM Rewards now allow points to be used across all states where BetMGM is available, except Puerto Rico and Ontario. In August, BetMGM launched the first sports betting app with nationwide connectivity via a single digital wallet for Nevada. BRPs are earnable and redeemable at BetMGM Sportsbook, Casino, and Poker, as well as for perks like Marriott Bonvoy Points. BetMGM operates in 29 North American markets, with responsible gaming resources, including GameSense, integrated on its platforms.

📈 IDeaS, a SAS company, released "5 Predictions That Will Shape Hospitality in 2025" on 25 November 2024. The report predicts: generational shifts in travel demand, experiential travel opportunities, increased focus on ancillary revenue and events, investment in AI for revenue management, and accelerated cloud migration. Insights were gathered from industry leaders like Amadeus and Sabre Hospitality, aiming to help hoteliers adapt to evolving technology and guest expectations. 📊

📈 Philips Professional Displays' multi-award-winning Philips Tableaux ‘zero power’ ePaper Series is revolutionizing communication at Nenuphar restaurant and hotel in Afsnee, Ghent, Belgium, dating back to 1795. With sustainability in focus, four 25” Philips Tableaux displays now provide information with near zero power consumption. These digital signs, weighing just 3.5kg, showcase content such as menus and specials without using a kW of power for extended periods. The paper waste reduction and branding enhancement deem the project a success.

💰 BetMGM announced a customer experience enhancement by consolidating BetMGM Reward Points (BRPs) into a single account, enabling BRPs to be used across all jurisdictions where BetMGM operates. This follows BetMGM's August introduction of a single digital wallet for Nevada, the first app allowing seamless, nationwide betting. Users earn BRPs through BetMGM Sportsbook, Casino, and Poker, redeemable online, at MGM Resorts, or for Marriott Bonvoy Points. BetMGM serves 29 markets, emphasizing responsible gaming with GameSense integration.

🏥 Global telehealth platform Doctorsa launched in the UK, providing urgent care services to travelers and residents, particularly outside typical surgery hours. Founded in Italy, Doctorsa expanded internationally in early 2024, now active in 33 countries with 500 doctors, servicing over 100,000 users. The platform responds to international travel's healthcare demand, with 1.4 billion traveling annually and 10% requiring healthcare. The UK, attracting 37 million tourists in 2023 and being the seventh most visited country, now benefits from Doctorsa's network of 10 local doctors, aiming to double by year's end. Top Doctorsa doctors earn up to €20,000 monthly, in a €40 billion online urgent care market.

🌱 Neon Greens, a quick-service salad restaurant in St. Louis, Mo., features its own 400-square-foot vertical hydroponic farm, producing an equivalent yield of three acres of 80 lettuce varieties used in their salads. Founder Josh Smith emphasizes radical transparency in sourcing, highlighting that conventional lettuce is often two to three weeks old when it arrives from California and Arizona. The hydroponic farm requires substantial machinery maintenance and was installed using a 150-foot crane. Neon Greens focuses on lettuce due to its high yield and quick growth, avoiding crops like kale with longer maturation times. The restaurant makes an environmental impact by saving on water—using only 2,500 gallons annually per farm versus 900,000 gallons in six months for traditional farming—and practices recycling and composting. While currently less cost-efficient due to operating a single location, Smith aims to reduce lettuce costs through expansion and economies of scale.

📌 A PMS integration should separate essential, core, and peripheral services, with essentials like property and channel management on a single platform. Core functions like guest communications and performance tracking should be streamlined. Peripheral services, such as marketing and POS, can be integrated via open APIs. Ideally, employees should use no more than five systems, with front-desk staff using just one. Open APIs are crucial for adapting to new technologies and ensuring scalability. A PMS should be easy to use, requiring minimal training, and capable of growing with the business. Scalability is a priority, and CIOs must ensure their PMS can handle diverse property types. A hybrid strategy of an all-in-one system with open APIs avoids costly integration pitfalls.

💳 In the 2024 POS Software Trends Study, 84% of restaurants plan to enhance POS software with new features; 50% are developing mobile POS solutions. Over half of diners wish to order (66%) and pay (58%) via mobile, while 32% prefer table-side payment in full-service restaurants. Flexibility and user-friendly interfaces are essential for POS systems. Additionally, 82% of guests desire loyalty program discounts, and 59% of operators aim to boost digital customer engagement. Operators are integrating POS data for personalized guest experiences (85%), loyalty programs (60%), upsell promotions (54%), and tailored offers (51%). Yet, only 30% are satisfied with vendor innovation, with 85% prioritizing system integration. By 2030, POS will likely use AI for predictive analytics and offer autonomous ordering.