Innovation

💻 With 85% of IT leaders viewing CIOs as changemakers, it's crucial for hotel CIOs to drive progress and discard outdated legacy thinking. Centralized data systems ensure data-driven strategies and adaptability to guests' behaviors, essential for targeting Gen Z customers. Additionally, the adoption of cloud-based management systems increases productivity and profitability, while compliance with privacy regulations is streamlined. Cybersecurity is paramount, as 31% of hospitality providers have experienced data breaches, necessitating rigorous staff training and consistent enforcement of security protocols.

🍴 Famous Foods Street Eats at Resorts World Las Vegas selected Agilysys InfoGenesis POS, guest-facing kiosks, and additional solutions for its 24,000 square-foot dining area featuring 16 stalls. Since 2021, visitors could order and pay via interactive kiosks. The upgrades enable real-time menu and price changes, SMS notifications for order readiness, and player point payments integration. The system includes 34 IG Kiosks, Agilysys Pay, Agilysys Analyze, and a Kitchen Display System for improved efficiency and guest experience.

🍴 Famous Foods Street Eats at Resorts World Las Vegas selected Agilysys InfoGenesis POS and guest-facing kiosks to enhance 16 culinary stalls over a 24,000 square-foot area. Launched in 2021, the interactive kiosks allow diners to order, pay, and receive SMS alerts when food is ready, improving efficiency and guest satisfaction. The system’s flexibility permits real-time menu and pricing updates without downtime. Agilysys was chosen for its robust, user-friendly technology, proven in the hospitality industry, offering innovative, flexible solutions and strong customer support.

🏨 The Hotels Network (THN), serving over 20,000 hotels, launched Loyalty Lite, a platform for enhancing guest loyalty and streamlining login processes. Loyalty Lite enables hotels to offer exclusive rewards and competitive member rates, potentially increasing profitability by 20%. The solution works with or without a hotel's CRM, catering to all hotel types. Juanjo Rodriguez, CEO of THN, emphasizes that Loyalty Lite makes guest personalization accessible, offering an edge against larger chains and supporting direct bookings.

📈 The MURTEC Executive Summit 2024 is slated for October 21-23 in San Diego, featuring sessions on experiential loyalty, brand innovation, dynamic pricing, and robotics. Qualified restaurant technology executives can register for free with a $500 value using the code COMP500. The summit targets full-service, QSR, fast-casual restaurants, foodservice operators, and related hospitality sectors, excluding technology providers unless via sponsorship. Registrations undergo review for approval.

📌 More than 85% of customers want proactive communication from businesses. Hotels should send pre-arrival information one week before the guest's arrival or upselling messages 3-4 days prior. Utilizing a hotel CRM can personalize and automate the process, allowing staff to focus on face-to-face interactions. Pre-arrival communication is crucial for setting expectations, upselling services, easing check-in, and managing OTA guest data. It's important to choose the right communication channel and not overwhelm guests with messages.

📍 Noida, October 8, 2024: FlyArystan, Kazakhstan's leading low-cost airline, extends its partnership with AirGain, part of RateGain Travel Technologies Limited. Utilizing AirGain’s platform, FlyArystan accesses real-time pricing data from 300+ airlines and 50+ OTAs, with a 98% data sufficiency rate. This reinforces their commitment to affordable fares and seamless booking in Central Asia. Yerkin Tursynbek, FlyArystan’s Manager of Revenue Management, emphasizes the platform's role in optimizing pricing and maintaining a competitive edge.

💰 The Cash Chasm Report indicates that 48% of hospitality businesses still manage cash manually, costing over $300,000 annually on security, and losing nearly $23,000 due to handling errors. To combat this, 35% of businesses encourage electronic payments, and similar percentages adopt regular staff training (35%), cash handling audits (32%), and stricter protocols (30%). CashTech, integrating hardware and software, is presented as a solution for real-time cash management, aiming to reduce costs, errors, and increase operational transparency, ultimately enhancing customer experience.

📌 Choice Hotels International introduces ‘Lobby in a Box,’ a design solution for extended stay hotel conversions, aimed to transform public areas within 120 days for Suburban Studios and MainStay Suites brands. The solution allows for the creation of multifunctional spaces, capitalizing on the demand for extended stay options where supply is scarce. Since the spring of 2022 launch, Kitchen in a Box has been implemented in over 30 hotels, with six more projects underway, incorporating Lobby in a Box for renovations.