Innovation

🍴 Thompson Hospitality announced the creation of Thompson Restaurants division with plans to expand and launch a loyalty and gift card program in 2025. The Reston, Va.-based minority-owned company operates over 70 locations across 14 brands. The expansion targets the District of Columbia-Maryland-Virginia region, South Florida, and Columbus, Ohio. New openings include Milk & Honey, Makers Union, and Wiseguy Pizza, with Virginia Beach, Va. as a planned market. Alex Berentzen is appointed as COO of the restaurant division.

🏩 Hospitality industry faces a high turnover rate of 84.9%, nearly double the national average of 47.2%. A Gartner study found no correlation between L&D course completion scores and performance, attributed to lack of data savvy. Effective training programs require a data-focused approach, including establishing pre-training performance baselines, plans to assess training results, and goals for post-training performance. Continuous data collection and analysis optimize these programs through learner feedback, performance metrics, and predictive analytics for future needs. Key modern L&D program elements include micro-learning, multimedia, gamification, simulations, and multi-device delivery, aiming to enhance customer service, increase efficiency, and reduce turnover.

📱 Apple Wallet now allows guests to skip the lobby with room keys stored on their iPhone or Apple Watch. The feature includes Express Mode for access without waking the device, Power Reserve functionality allowing the room key to work for up to five hours if the device needs charging, and enhanced security with Find My app compatibility. Guests can also share their room keys securely, manage permissions, and revoke access as needed.

🚿 JW Marriott Nashville and Washington Nationals Ballpark implemented the Cintas Garment Dispensing Solution to address uniform challenges; JW Marriott saw a 99% return rate for garments in 60 days and cost savings, while Nationals Ballpark resolved cleanliness issues for culinary staff uniforms during back-to-back home stands. The solution offers ready-to-wear, hygienically clean garments and includes dispensing units, software, and maintenance services. The program ensures employees have a professional look and feel part of the team.

📌 In the hospitality industry, only 9% of hotel guests are likely to return. Martin Soler, a hospitality consultant with experience as a hotel general manager, emphasizes the importance of hyper-personalization to improve guest experience. A significant tech shift is expected in the hotel industry within the next 24 months, with the potential to enhance personalization at scale. Key challenges include integrating various technology systems and the limitation of property management systems (PMS) that focus more on rooms than on guest profiles. Solutions like customer data platforms and modern, cloud-based PMS are suggested for better data management and guest experience. Hospitality professionals should consider collecting relevant guest data now for future personalization capabilities.

📡 Emerging Travel Group partnered with Sabre Hospitality to integrate with SynXis platform, expanding distribution for hoteliers. Hoteliers gain access to 80,000+ travel professionals, agents, and API partners in 120 markets through RateHawk and other platforms. The integration enables management of inventory, rates, and promotions from a single distribution point, aiming to enhance global coverage and appeal to high-value retail segments.

📊 On Aug 20, 2024, SAP Concur released a report via Sushant Hain, emphasizing the balance needed between business travel demands and employee work-life balance, with a push for sustainable travel options. The report suggests enhancing travel policy flexibility, utilizing AI for better workflow, cost reduction, and improving employee satisfaction, while also addressing travel disruptions, resistance, operational and sustainability costs, equitable travel access, and overall seamless travel experience. For more insights, read the full story at [SAP](https://news.sap.com/2024/06/sap-concur-research-business-travel-challenges/).

🍔 VP of Operations Patric Knapp discusses Bobby’s Burgers’ Charlotte flagship, part of an 8-store chain with Chicago, Colorado, and Utah franchises opening later in 2023. The Charlotte kitchen's efficiency is boosted by a Garland clamshell grill, reducing burger cooking time from 7-10 minutes to 2.5-3.5 minutes. IoT integration with the Toast POS system enhances performance tracking and service speed for the fast-casual brand, offering made-to-order burgers at two temperatures.

💻 Francisco Pérez-Lozao, President of Hospitality at Amadeus, underscores a shift in the hospitality industry as technology partners become collaborative allies with hotels. The goal is to co-create innovative solutions enhancing guest satisfaction. He advocates for cloud-based solutions, emphasizing the need for a consistent data architecture to leverage new technologies and avoid revenue loss. Digital merchandising is highlighted as a means for hoteliers to upsell and differentiate their brands. Pérez-Lozao points to IHG's cloud strategy, with six synchronized inventory instances, as a model for high availability and fast response times, essential for competing with giants like Amazon and Google. Transitioning to a cloud-native design is seen as a 10-year journey that could increase revenue by at least 5%.

🏨 Marriott International partners with Sonder, adding over 9,000 rooms to its portfolio by year-end, with 1,500 more in the pipeline, expecting a 6-6.5% net room growth in 2024. Sonder by Marriott Bonvoy, a new collection, will offer Marriott Bonvoy members the ability to earn and redeem points at approximately 200 properties starting later this year. Full integration with Marriott’s digital channels is anticipated by 2025. Sonder strengthens its balance sheet by enhancing liquidity by around $146 million, gaining $43 million in convertible preferred equity and $83 million liquidity boost, including a 30-month extension on the paid-in-kind feature of its note purchase agreement.