Innovation

🍴 Saladplate, part of Informa Markets, is a platform for the hospitality, food, and beverage industry, offering insights, trends, and news. It features weekly updates, a monthly newsletter, a bi-monthly e-magazine, and gives exclusive access to over 10,000 brands and companies, along with registration and updates for more than 35 international trade events.

📅 Pax2pay and Diners Club International have formed a strategic deal to offer virtual cards designed for travel-related expenses. The partnership aims to extend Diners Club's travel sector presence and improve cost optimization and acceptance rates for users. Matt Sloan of Diners Club highlighted the growth and customer value, while Päivo Eerola of Pax2pay focused on the secure payment benefits for customers.

✈ CitizenPlane launches its Operating System for mid-tier carriers and fast-growing airlines, featuring a modular platform for offer creation, revenue optimisation, and distribution. Leveraging the acquisition of Travel Technology Interactive’s (TTI) Zenith software, CitizenPlane aims to expand OS capabilities with future acquisitions and innovations. Their "market-first" flight distribution solution, AIR, allows distribution to OTAs and metasearch websites like eDreams and Skyscanner. The OS adheres to IATA NDC standards, centralises customer data, and is used by over 80 airlines, including TAP Air Portugal, Royal Air Maroc, and Corendon Airlines.

💳 Travel Ledger launches TL Pay Instant, a B2B billing alternative to credit cards, first adopted by Italy's Glamour Srl for their 1,000+ network. TL Pay Instant allows real-time payments within the booking flow, eliminating credit risk and waiting periods for fund clearance. Exclusive to the Travel Ledger network, TL Pay Instant ensures security and reduces fraud, while improving cash flow and transparency. CEO Roberto Da Re emphasizes customer feedback as key to creating this cost and time-efficient solution for UK and European businesses.

📈 At the 2024 FSTEC conference in Grapevine, Texas, industry leaders focused on AI and automation in foodservice. Key takeaways: AI is set to revolutionize operations within the next decade, with potential to replace apps on phones. Yum Brands' AI-first approach boosted customer satisfaction at Taco Bell. Tech investments are now essential, with COVID-19 accelerating the adoption rate. Customization of tech solutions is crucial for meeting unique business needs. The use of AI should simplify tasks for employees, focusing on enhancing both front and back-of-house operations.

🔋 AI's rise in the hospitality and restaurant industries leads to better customer service but also higher energy usage. The PJM capacity auction for June 2025-May 2026 cleared at $269.92/MW per day, a significant increase from $28.92/MW for the previous year. Strategies like conducting energy audits are suggested for businesses to manage rising costs.

🏙 Over the 2023 Christmas and New Year’s holidays, more than 115 million Americans traveled, with 6% opting for vacation instead of staying home. Hospitality businesses are encouraged to use programmatic advertising, like Google Display Network, to target potential travelers. Cross-channel campaigns across social media, search engines, email, and display ads are recommended. Mobile advertising is crucial, as many book trips via smartphones; platforms suggested include Google’s Mobile App Promotion Ads and Facebook’s Mobile News Feed Ads. Retargeting campaigns are also vital to capture late bookers.

🏨 A Marriott front desk employee on TikTok (@user9813962494407) with over 16,000 views, reveals the inner workings of hotel check-in systems. Details entered include guest information like email, address, phone number, and car details. Marriott's DOS-based, text code-operated system appears outdated to viewers, resembling software from 1993. Despite being deemed complicated, some users defend its reliability, while others criticize it for being overly complex and not user-friendly. Marriott's response to the video has not been disclosed.