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O INSID LS E A

TO MEET RISING DEMAND FOR A TRULY CONNECTED GUEST ROOM EXPERIENCE, HOTELS MUST IMPLEMENT EXCEPTIONAL NETWORKING SOLUTIONS.

PLUS: MURTEC Recap RTN’s Start-Up Alley AHLA’s Hospitality Is Working

SUMMER 2022 VOL. 26.2 WWW.HOSPITALITYTECH.COM

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CONTENT This month on www.hospitalitytech.com

C O V E R S T O R Y PAG E 1 0

FEATU R ES & CASE STUD IES

Michal Christine Escobar, Senior Editor - Hotels

• TREND REPORT: How to Recruit, Hire and

THE 2022 GUEST ROOM EXPERIENCE :

Train Better with Tech

WHAT A GUEST WANTS, WHAT A HOTEL NEEDS

• Restaurant Payment Trends That Deliver Efficiency & ROI

• Are Your Guest-Facing Technologies

Accessible to the Disabled or Impaired?

• Starbucks’ Billion-Dollar Investment • Trend Report: Hotel Workforce Automation

To meet rising demand for a truly connected guest room experience, hotels must implement exceptional networking solutions.

Boosts Productivity

• Food on Demand: The Lowdown on

Loyalty, Chipotle, Dine Brands and More

EXCLU SI VE R ESEARCH

2022 Restaurant Technology Study: Making Magic Happen This research study delivers data-driven insights for a restaurant industry navigating health and safety, rising costs, supply delays and shortages, and hiring and retention challenges. https://hospitalitytech.com/2022restaurant-technology-study

DEPARTMENTS: 4 EDITOR’S NOTE 5 HTNG CHECKS-IN 8 NEW HORIZONS 34 RTN TABLESIDE

2022 Lodging Technology Study: Redefining the Guest Experience Our 2022 Lodging Technology Study is a mix of clearly articulated pain points — shrinking budgets, labor concerns, and the residual effects of nearly two years of a global pandemic — and an unabated enthusiasm for innovation, especially where guest-facing technology is concerned. https://hospitalitytech.com/2022-lodgingtechnology-study 21 AWARDS

27 EVENTS

What It Takes to Be a Visionary

Highlights from MURTEC 2022

Choice Hotels International and Loews Hotels & Co honored for outstanding achievement, vision and leadership in technological innovation.

The restaurant technology industry reunited in Las Vegas March 7-9 for a MURTEC like no other.

W W W.T W I T T E R .C O M / H T M A G A Z I N E

E- N E WS LE TTE R

The HT Alert is delivered every Tuesday and Thursday to your inbox, making it the most reliable source for IT news and trends. Manage your subscriptions at www.hospitalitytech.com

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YO U T U B E .C O M / H O S P I TA L I T Y T E C H M A G

HOSPITALITY TECHNOLOGY (USPS 0016-745, ISSN 1520-491X) is published 4x frequency per year March, June, September and December by EnsembleIQ, 8550 W. Bryn Mawr Ave., Ste. 200, Chicago, IL 60631; (973) 607-1300. Periodicals postage paid at Chicago, Illinois and additional entries. Subscription rate in the United States: $50 one year; $92 two year; $14 single issue copy; Canada and Mexico: $60 one year; $106 two year; $16 single issue copy; Foreign: $62 one year; $118 two year; $16 single issue copy; ©2022 by EnsembleIQ. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or information storage and retrieval system, without express written permission from the publisher.

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Why Every Day Is “Start-Up Alley” Do you think like a start-up?

The Restaurant Technology Network’s Start-Up Alley competition was a major highlight of our recent Multi-Unit Restaurant Technology Conference (MURTEC), in Las Vegas. Seventeen promising restaurant tech solutions strutted their stuff for attendees and esteemed judges, culminating in a Shark Tankstyle lightning round for five finalists. In the end, Hellometer took the coveted top spot, moving the start-up into the next phase of its ascent.

Start-Up Alley got me thinking: How can every brand embrace the freshness, the energy, and the commitment to excellence that characterizes the hottest start-ups? I’d like to think that every day is Start-Up Alley here at Hospitality Technology, with fresh digital initiatives like our new webinar series, The Point; our new podcast, Hospitality Technology: Powering Innovation; and monthly Trend Reports at HospitalityTech.com.

We hope this issue helps you embrace your own “start-up” energy — whether you’re a relative newcomer or an industry veteran. Hotel operators and suppliers will find plenty of inspiration in “What a Guest Wants, What a Hotel Needs,” on page 10, and “What It Takes to Be a Hotel Visionary,” on page 21, spotlighting award-winning initiatives from Choice Hotels International and Loews Hotels & Co. Restaurant professionals will want to dive into “MURTEC Magic,” on page 27, which includes highlights from the conference — including memorable takeaways from Jon Taffer, Wade Allen, and many more, plus profiles of our Top Women in Restaurant Technology.

Learn more about the Restaurant Technology Network’s brand-new website, upcoming Town Hall, and how restaurant operators and solution providers can get involved (page 34). And turn to HTNG Checks In for a look at AHLA’s Hospitality Is Working labor initiative (page 5).

We’d love to hear how your brand is treating every day like Start-Up Alley! As always, my digital door is open (rfirpo-cappiello@ensembleiq.com) and I look forward to hearing from you!

Robert Firpo-Cappiello EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD

RESEARCH ADVISORY BOARD

Karen Bird Former CIO, HOA Brands

Corey Kline EVP of Technology, Noodles & Company

Mike Blake CTO, American Hotel & Lodging Association

Mehmet Erdem Assistant Professor, UNLV Hotel College

Simon Eng VP of IT, CTF Development

Rocky Lucia Dir. IT, Fireman Hospitality Group

Lee Holman Lead Retail Analyst, IHL Consulting

Nelson Garrido Senior VP Information Technology, Thayer Lodging, Brookfield Hotel Properties

Brian Pearson CIO, Mendocino Farms Sandwich Market

Natasa Christodoulidou Professor California State University

Michael Hassel Dir. IT, Momofuko Holdings Ted Hopcroft Vice President of Technology and Professional Services, Americas iT, Marriott

R. P. Rama VP Technology, JHM Hotels Joe Tenczar VP, Information & Technology/CIO, Sonny’s BBQ

Cihan Cobanoglu, PhD School of Hotel & Restaurant Management University of South Florida Daniel J. Connolly Ph.D. Professor of Business Administration Drake University Russell Dazzio Chairman, R&R Hospitality

Jungsun (Sunny) Kim, PhD Assistant Professor, William F. Harrah College of Hotel Administration, UNLV Fred LeFranc President & CEO, Results thru Strategy Barry N. Shufeld Senior Managing Director – BNS Associates, LLC

VICE PRESIDENT & PUBLISHER Abigail A. Lorden alorden@ensembleiq.com EDITORIAL EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Robert Firpo-Cappiello, rfirpo-cappiello@ensembleiq.com SENIOR EDITOR, RESTAURANTS Anna Wolfe, awolfe@ensembleiq.com SENIOR EDITOR, HOTELS Michal Christine Escobar, mescobar@ensembleiq.com SALES SENIOR ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE Katherine Ware, kware@ensembleiq.com ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE Noell Dimmig, ndimmig@ensembleiq.com EVENTS VICE PRESIDENT, EVENTS & CONFERENCES Megan Judkins, mjudkins@ensembleiq.com MARKETING VICE PRESIDENT, MARKETING & BRAND ENGAGEMENT Darren Ursino, dursino@ensembleiq.com BRAND MARKETING MANAGER Molly McLoone, mmcloone@ensembleiq.com ONLINE MEDIA VICE PRESIDENT, DIGITAL PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT & AUDIENCE Jason Ward, jward@ensembleiq.com ART & PRODUCTION EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT, OPERATIONS Derek Estey, destey@ensembleiq.com DIRECTOR, DIGITAL OPERATIONS Whitney Gregson, wgregson@ensembleiq.com CREATIVE DIRECTOR Colette Magliaro, cmagliaro@ensembleiq.com ART DIRECTOR Lauren DiMeo, ldimeo@ensembleiq.com DIGITAL OPERATIONS MANAGERS Michael Loi, mloi@ensembleiq.com Lindsay Martin, lmartin@ensembleiq.com SENIOR PRODUCTION MANAGER Pat Wisser, pwisser@ensembleiq.com AUDIENCE LIST RENTAL MeritDirect Marie Briganti 914-309-3378

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CORPORATE OFFICERS CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER Jennifer Litterick CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER Jane Volland CHIEF HUMAN RESOURCES OFFICER Ann Jadown EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT, CONTENT Joe Territo

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AHLA Launches Hospitality Is Working Campaign with Focus on Reigniting Travel The American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA) relaunched its Hospitality is Working campaign, seeking to reignite travel nationwide and showcase the economic and community benefits hotels provide in neighborhoods across the country.

Hospitality is Working showcases the broad range of benefits hotels provide the communities they serve while highlighting the industry’s strong commitment to investing in its workforce, providing quality career opportunities, and protecting employees and guests as more and more Americans begin to travel.

The campaign will include television and digital advertising as well as AHLA events around the country alongside local hoteliers, economic development organizations and community groups.

Prior to the pandemic, hotels generated $186 billion in federal, state and local taxes annually, and guests spent $278 billion per year on transportation, dining, shopping, and other activities at local businesses during their stays, according to a 2019 analysis by Oxford Economics. The analysis

found that a representative hotel with 100 occupied rooms supported nearly 250 local jobs and generated $18.4 million in guest spending.

With travel ramping back up, hotels have embarked on an unprecedented hiring spree to recruit more than 100,000 workers for more than 200 hotel career pathways.

“In every American city, hotels support employees and their families and serve our communities,” said AHLA President & CEO Chip Rogers. “Hotels are investing in our workforce to create good jobs that power local economies. We’re keeping guests and employees safe. Six in ten hotels are small businesses, and they’re creating opportunities for other small companies to grow and thrive. Hotels also help fund vital government services through local, state and federal taxes. Hotels are a net benefit to the communities we serve, and as we seek to reignite travel, we look forward to growing together.”

To learn more about this campaign, visit: https://hospitalityisworking.com HT

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Angelina Bice, NextUp

Trends in DEI&B with NextUp’s Karen Jones Karen Jones, VP of Learning and Partner Solutions, came to NextUp with 25 years of experience and endless testimonials to her insight and grace. She was a diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging (DEI&B) expert before diversity was a buzzword, and before many companies cared what the world thought about how many women and people of color sat on their boards.

Jones now leads NextUp’s Learning and Development team and personally leads dozens of DEI&B workshops every year. In this wideranging interview, we discuss what Jones has seen via searingly honest conversations inside some of the largest corporations in the world, the work we all still must do to reach equity, and what’s on the horizon in the DEI&B conversation.

This article is excerpted from the full interview, which can be read at nextupisnow.org/blog.

Angelina Bice, NextUp: What’s bubbling up in the DEI&B education community and the wider conversation about women going back to work?

Karen Jones: It’s how we re-engage women, or what the engagement of women in the workforce is going to look like moving forward. And I have to say, the reality is that we’re never going to fully go back to the way we were before COVID-19 hit.

It caused people to self-reflect about what would be meaningful to them when it comes to work. It caused people to become intolerant to mistreatment. We must ensure that we do not try to bring people back to into the traditional forms of work, which clearly weren’t serving women. And women of color, on top of the intolerance for the style

of work, will no longer tolerate going back to how we were treated prior to the pandemic. The workplaces that are going to become more appealing are those that do create a sense of belonging and are values-based.

As we talk about our approach and what we can do for our partner companies, we can help you through leadership development, as well as through understanding more about inclusion and getting those values in place. Building a principle-centered workplace creates high engagement.

Bice: It seems that people are losing patience with corporate culture and are less tolerant than ever for behavior they feel violates their values. Do you think that that’s going to get more intense?

Jones: I think it’s highly probable, and I believe we’ll see it crescendo over the course of the next five years. For those people who have been working from home for the last two years and are being summoned back to their workplace for five days in a row, they’re trying to figure out their next move.

We’re going to see waves of people departing the workplace. There is no real excuse, for example, for not letting employees work remotely anymore. It was hypothesized before COVID-19 that people could work offsite and have agile work schedules, but now it’s been proven. Productivity increased, it didn’t decrease. So what is the workplace’s excuse for bringing everybody back?

There isn’t one. The old way of just working all the time, living to work, that’s over. HT

Angelina Bice is copywriter and content strategist at NextUp, a 501c3 nonprofit dedicated to advancing all women. NextUp has more than 15,000 members, 21 regions, and 300-plus national corporate partners and regional sponsors committed to transforming workplaces for gender equity.

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COVER STORY

THE 2022 GUEST ROOM EXPERIENCE:

What a Guest Wants, What a Hotel Needs TO MEET RISING DEMAND FOR A TRULY CONNECTED GUEST ROOM EXPERIENCE, HOTELS MUST IMPLEMENT EXCEPTIONAL NETWORKING SOLUTIONS.

By Michal Christine Escobar, Senior Editor - Hotels

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In Hospitality Technology’s 2021 Customer Engagement Technology Study, polled consumers said they want their guest room to have specific technological components. For example, while no one can live without free and fast Wi-Fi these days, 55 percent of consumers also reported that they wanted smart TVs or content streaming technologies within the guest room, 34 percent want the ability to control the TV, lights, thermostat and other in-room amenities via an app on their mobile phone, and 31 percent of consumers said they’d want a voice-controlled device in the guest room.

Thus, it may come as no surprise to readers that in HT’s 2022 Lodging Technology Study, 45 percent of hoteliers reported that enhancing guest room technology in 2022 will be a very or extremely important initiative.

To find out how the guest room of the future might evolve in 2022 and what a hotel stay might look like in the near future, HT spoke both with hoteliers and industry experts. Here’s what they have to say.

Must Have: Fast, Reliable Internet When it comes to guest room technologies, guests want fast, reliable internet more than anything. In fact, consumer respondents to HT’s 2021 Customer

Engagement Technology Study ranked free Wi-Fi – which we can assume includes high speed and reliable characteristics – as being more important to them than even positive consumer reviews/ high ratings on third-party booking websites. And for good reason. The internet has become so integrated with our daily lives that most consumers cannot function without it. For example, a business traveler now requires high amounts of bandwidth for video conference calls during the day and large amounts of bandwidth for streaming movies, games and music at night.

Hotels that aren’t able to provide the internet network needs that modern day consumers require will find that they’re missing out on a significant amount of revenue, says Grant Harland, Retail Industry Analyst, Windstream. Consider this, poor internet connectivity will cause complaints, erode loyalty, and could, in some cases, even compel the guest to leave the property immediately.

Paul Andrew, General Manager at Shepard’s Beach Resort in Clearwater Beach, Fla., knows all too well how important it is to provide guests with a strong internet connection.

“Unfortunately, back in 2016, we were experiencing many guest complaints because our internet was slow and inconsistent,” Andrew explains.

When it comes to guest room technologies, 34 percent of consumers say they want the ability to control in-room amenties with an app on their phone, according to HT’s 2022 Lodging Technology Study.

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COVER STORY “We opened a new addition to the resort, but our Wi-Fi service didn’t match the quality of our new property. Our guests deserved better, so we contracted with Hotel Internet Service. This was the best move we made towards excellent customer relations. Our repeat guests noticed the difference immediately. Now, the only question we get about our Wi-Fi is the password.”

As hotels move toward incorporating more IoT devices within the room, low or inconsistent internet quality will cause them to become slow to respond or perhaps entirely unavailable, says Gary Patrick, CEO of Hotel Internet Services.

“What should have been a more convenient and enjoyable service option now simply represents a cause of aggravation for guests, defeating the purpose of adopting smart technologies in the first place,” Patrick adds.

But offering fast and reliable internet is not enough. Hotels must also ensure that guests can connect to it quickly and with the least amount of friction possible, says InnSpire CEO and CoFounder Martin Chevalley. He recommends that, when possible, hotels should work with technologists to pre-populate network access details within their app so that when guests arrive at the hotel, the phone “remembers” the network details and connects automatically.

And don’t forget to implement bandwidth management technology. During peak hours, when most guests are using the hotel’s network, bandwidth management technology ensures one room isn’t allowed to “hog the bandwidth” that belongs to another which could degrade the guest experience, says Tammy Estes, Chief Product Officer at Nomadix.

Last, but certainly not least, ensure your hotel internet is highly secure. Business travelers with work laptops are often using VPNs that need tight security protocols and possibly even a wired connection option within the room, says Kara Heermans, SVP User Experience & Product Management, SONIFI.

The Rise of In-Room Devices It used to be that when you walked into a hotel room, you were given access to a few simple devices: a telephone, a television and a thermostat. Today, these three devices are still found in the room, but in many cases have undergone significant technology upgrades. Additionally, many hotels are beginning to replace common manual technologies with IoT-enabled devices so that guests can use an app to turn on/off the lights, create mood lighting, close the drapes, adjust the thermostat, etc. And don’t forget the push for voice-based assistants in the guest room or the rise of smart mirrors.

Hoteliers are also implementing IoT sensors to remove friction between guests and hotel staff. For example, sensor technologies allow staff to know if a room is occupied, which allows for more efficient and less intrusive housekeeping, says Andy Abramson, CEO, Comunicano. Plus, some IoT sensors can even be implemented to detect a leaking faucet, a toilet that’s constantly running, or even low water pressure in the shower.

Implementing these types of sensors can not only improve the guest experience by allowing a hotel to fix a broken amenity before putting the guest in the room, but also help hoteliers achieve their sustainability initiatives, says David Goldstone, SVP and Chief Customer Advocate, World Cinema.

“Remote monitoring is essential to guest satisfaction and comfort, as well as for management to reduce energy waste,” Goldstone adds. “Connecting to a device through the network enables you to not only change the timing/program, but also the

Hotels should work with technologists to pre-populate network access details within their app so that when guests arrive at the hotel, the phone “remembers” the network details and connects automatically, suggests InnSpire CEO Martin Chevalley.

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COVER STORY

device communicates back to the user, enabling management to even record exactly how much energy each individual lightbulb is consuming.”

But throwing a variety of IoT devices in a guest room and expecting guests to be thrilled with their mere presence is fairly naïve. For one thing, “guests have a very low threshold for learning new in-room systems,” says Kris Singleton, Enseo president and CIO. “If not understood after only a few seconds, guests will quickly become dissatisfied. But, when done correctly, modern IoT room control systems can remove frustration and dramatically elevate the guest experience.”

Additionally, (as mentioned above) IoT devices that malfunction due to poor Internet connectivity will also create guest frustration. For this reason, hoteliers may want to seek out IoT systems and devices that don’t require a strong Internet connection in order to work for the guest.

“IoT room control systems with designed-in network resilience should always be preferred over those that require a strong internet connection,” Singleton explains. “These are systems, where the room can operate independently of an internet connection and only use the internet connection for remote configuration, operational reporting and software maintenance.”

Innisfree Hotels is no stranger to implementing

smart devices in its guest rooms. Prior to the pandemic, it implemented a major data infrastructure upgrade to its New Orleans property called The Mercantile, implemented digital keys, smart thermostats and smart lighting to the guest rooms.

The company went a step further, however, and replaced its traditional in-room telephone with Angie by Nomadix, a 24-hour multilingual guest assistant in-room device that can act as a phone but can also do much more.

“Angie is a digital device that offers interaction via voice and touchscreen,” explains Joshua Herron, Director – Platform Technology & BI, Innisfree Hotels. “It serves as a Wi-Fi hotspot, a telephone, a digital concierge, a hotel information guide, an interactive city and local event guide, and can perform functions like ordering a ride-share, making restaurant reservations, and communicating requests or issues to hotel staff. It also allows guests to interact and control the in-room television, lighting, thermostat, alarm clock, and night light. And it provides all of these services in multiple languages so that international travelers can easily access needed information and communicate with staff in their preferred language.”

In the future, Abramson believes high-end luxury resorts may even implement technologies that allow guests to remotely draw a hot bath by us-

More than half (55 percent) of consumers want smart TVs or content streaming technologies within the guest room, according to HT’s 2022 Lodging Technology Study.

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ing sensors to determine how hot and how deep the water is to prevent scalding or overflow or turn on a steam shower in advance for a hot steam with aromatic scents chosen by the guest.

Take Advantage of the Guest’s Mobile Device While in-room devices are convenient for hoteliers and guests, they can be an expensive piece of technology to supply and the risk of theft, in some cases, is very high. For hoteliers that want to offer that convenient and easy mobile-first guest room experience without the hardware investment, utilizing the guest’s smartphone is a great alternative.

Investing in a mobile app or a mobile-friendly website that can be easily accessed by a QR code can many times accomplish exactly what a physical inroom device would.

In addition to the cost savings over an in-room device, mobile apps and web apps can be marketed to guests ahead of their arrival and used to upsell, Chevalley notes. For example, push notifications or email marketing messages could ask guests: “Would you like a bottle of Champagne waiting on ice in your room?” or “Would you like to upgrade from a standard room to a suite?” And just as inroom devices can be used to make requests or report issues, hotels can ensure their apps and websites offer these same options.

Just like guests want to continue watching their Netflix series, they also want to finish playing a video game or have a Fortnite session with their friends.

There still are a lot of technical challenges with this, but we do see gaming as a strong driver in the next 12-24 months.

— citizenM CIO Mike Rawson on the future of the guest room TV

Additionally, mobile apps and web apps allow guests to take the guest room experience everywhere. For example, guests can easily edit restaurant reservations on their phone while at the pool or while in a business meeting instead of having to head back to the room to do so, Heermans explains.

One hotel brand that went this route is EB Hotel Miami. It implemented a mobile web-app-based platform for guests to manage their stay via GuestHub. According to Thomas Zarikian, CEO, EB Hotels, “the beauty of this web app is that guests only need to click on a link to open the app, there is no download or sign-in required.” For consumers who are often faced with app-fatigue, this can feel very freeing.

Both hoteliers and guests are interested in having IoT devices within the guest room, as long as they always function properly.

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COVER STORY

“Our web app has been essential for quality control and boosting our online reviews,” Zarikian adds.

“It really keeps the team on their toes and ensures guest requests, recommendations and complaints are handled correctly and in a timely manner. We used to fill out a Google spreadsheet each time the guest made a request and then would review the resulting list the next day. Now we have a real-time system keeping track of everything.”

Offer the Option to Stream Most hoteliers will likely admit that in-room viewing of the hotel television has changed dramatically in the last few years.

“No longer are people content to only watch what’s on live TV or available on-demand from the hotel,” says Abramson. “They are streaming their own content and want to watch it on the big screen in their room.”

In fact, the global content streaming market has already reached $419.03 billion in 2021 and is expected to grow to $932.29 billion by 2028, says Estes.

The in-room television is also where guests are looking for “better-than-home experiences including on-demand fitness programs and contactless concierge interactions,” says Heermans. “Because guests are spending more time in their rooms – due to safety concerns or simply because they’re using it as a remote office – these surprise-and-delight TV features are in demand more than ever.”

And don’t forget that business travelers are also looking to use the hotel TV for casting programs such as Zoom and Microsoft Teams.

“Hotels need to recognize that technology for ‘play’ is also needed for the business traveler working in the room,” Abramson adds.

However, while “most guests would prefer to view their content on larger guest room television screens, they will avoid using any platform if it results in a cumbersome and challenging login experience,” says Patrick.

For example, smart televisions may require guests to login into their personal streaming accounts using onscreen apps. But this can cause friction for guests.

“It’s frustrating for guests to have to remember passwords and type in credentials with the remote,” Estes notes. “It’s also a security concern that will limit how many people actually use these applica-

tions to watch their own content.”

Casting platforms are a popular alternative to smart TVs as they sidestep the need for guests to type in their login details by allowing them to wirelessly pair a personal device with the guest room television.

“However, hoteliers need to keep in mind that many guests will be unfamiliar with a property’s casting platform,” Patrick explains. “They therefore need to ensure the adoption of a platform that can guarantee a user-friendly and intuitive experience for first-time users, eliminating any potential troubleshooting issues requiring staff assistance and resulting in a disruption to guest satisfaction.”

To combat this issue, some technology solutions (such as those provided by InnSpire) are able

The Mercantile in New Orleans replaced its traditional in-room telephone with Angie by Nomadix, a 24-hour multilingual guest assistant device that can serves as a Wi-Fi hotspot, a telephone, a digital concierge, a hotel information guide, and more.

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COVER STORY

to authenticate guests the first time they log on to the hotel Wi-Fi – by bridging the HSIA and proxyserver – which then allows the hotel to open up network access to the casting service within their room and immediately pair the guest’s mobile device to the TV, allowing them to cast content the same as if they were at home.

And some more casting platforms that are specifically designed for hospitality environments come with the option of pairing guest devices simply by scanning a QR code, Patrick adds.

Hotel brand citizenM recently implemented Chromecast in all guest rooms across its entire portfolio of hotels via a direct integration in its mobile app.

“This technology implementation is a good example of how we’re linking our personalization-atscale strategy to being as close to a guest’s home experience as possible,” says CIO Michael Rawson.

“We know our guests do a lot of casting, so by adding Chromecast alongside our Apple TVs we are maxi-

mizing our ability to allow the guest to comfortably continue using their technology in our spaces.”

And the data doesn’t lie. Rawson found that guests are “far more engaged” with their own content than with the hotel content citizenM used to provide.

“We enable the guest to control and choose how to maximize their leisure time in our hotels,” he adds. “Not only that, but we allow it to be done in a very familiar way so that they need little to no training or instructions.”

When it comes to what the future might hold for the guest room TV, Rawson is betting on in-room gaming.

“Just like guests want to continue watching their Netflix series, they also want to finish playing a video game or have a Fortnite session with their friends. There still are a lot of technical challenges with this, but we do see gaming as a strong driver in the next 12-24 months.” HT

Hotel brand citizenM recently implemented Chromecast in all guest rooms across its entire portfolio of hotels via a direct integration in its mobile app.

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What It Takes to Be a Hotel Visionary Choice Hotels International and Loews Hotels & Co honored for outstanding achievement, vision and leadership in technological innovation.

By Michal Christine Escobar, Senior Editor - Hotels

Since 2005, Hospitality Technology has been honoring hotel companies for outstanding leadership in customer-facing and enterprise innovation. In 2021, we were especially impressed

by Choice Hotels International and Loews Hotels & Co for their creation of two new technologies that served to significantly benefit either their

owner operators or their hotel guests during a very uncertain time: the second year of the COVID-19 pandemic. We presented Choice Hotels and Loews Hotels with their awards at our annual HT-NEXT conference in December 2021. Here is an in-depth look at the winning innovations.

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E N TE R PR IS E IN N OVATO R:

Choice Hotels International As COVID-19 settled in for the long-term, one of the major effects it had on the hospitality industry was to completely disrupt booking curves and pricing. Historical data was no longer useful or accurate, and Choice Hotels recognized that their franchisees needed a new tool to better forecast and understand what a customer was willing to pay.

“Currently, 80 percent of our overall business is booked within 72 hours,” notes Douglas Lisi, vice president of revenue management. “And in our economy hotels, 50 percent of our business is booked the same day.”

So, Choice Hotels decided in 2021 to launch its new revenue management system – ChoiceMAX – to help hoteliers optimize their pricing structure aimed at increasing revenue.

Prior to ChoiceMAX, franchisees were using two systems to manage their rates and inventory, Lisi explains. The first was SmartRates, a proprietary system from SaS based on their RMPOA all-purpose algorithm. That system managed the daily rate that was sent to ChoiceHotels.com, the OTAs and the call center and could only manage rates up to 90 days in advance. Hoteliers also used a product that was built in-house called Rate Center to manage their inventory up to 365 days in advance.

“Logging into two systems is a cumbersome way to manage a business,” Lisi explains.

While Smart Rates was allowing hoteliers to manage rates and maximize revenue, the

brand was receiving quite a bit of feedback from franchisees that they wanted a revenue optimization tool that could focus on the next 365 days, especially for its Cambria and extended stay brands that have bookings well beyond 90 days and needed a longer-term view. At the same time, it was hearing from its economy and mid-scale brands that they wanted rate pricing to adjust more than just once per day.

New Collaboration, New Product To solve these challenges, Choice Hotels collaborated with IDeaS, a provider of revenue management and software services, to create ChoiceMAX. “While we, of course, know our franchisee base (economy, midscale and upper midscale) very well, IDeaS had limited experience in this area,” Lisi says. “And we needed their help with the revenue science. So, we worked together to use our knowledge and their science to create ChoiceMAX, a tool that was tailormade for our franchisees.”

Throughout its collaboration, Choice Hotels emphasized the need for their new system to be designed with three core components: automation, adaptation and highly advanced algorithms.

To begin with, ChoiceMAX leverages advanced pricing and inventory management algorithms as

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well as machine learning throughout the day to understand how to recalibrate those algorithms based on competitor and consumer reactions to the proposed rates.

“It’s as intuitive as you can get,” Lisi notes.

“What we really wanted to do for our franchisees was simplify the type and number of revenue management decisions they had to make to just a few core decisions. Meanwhile, the system is doing all the price elasticity calculations for them, so they don’t have to do any of that heavy work.”

In fact, it has an optimization window of 365 days and reviews competitor websites multiple times per day to ensure Choice Hotels’ rates are competitive, while also allowing franchisees to set real-time alerts that can be customized to stay up-to-date on price changes or when competitors make adjustments.

“It acts in real time and responds to the trends of each of our brands,” Lisi adds. “So, this really allows them to understand what the booking trends are within their own market and then optimize pricing throughout the day.”

This functionality is only possible because of the investment Choice Hotels made in ChoiceEDGE, its global reservation system, which debuted in 2018 (and won a 2019 Hotel Visionary Award).

ChoiceEDGE allows for streaming data to happen continuously throughout the systems in the cloud, meaning there is no historical infrastructure that limits, for example, the number of messages the brand is able to send in and out to its different distribution partners.

“Historically, hotels have been limited by the number of times they can message their distribution partners per day,” Lisi explains.

“But now, because of ChoiceEDGE, our 5,000 hotels can send four messages a day, 365 days a year, to our distribution partners.

We never could have done that without the investment we made in ChoiceEDGE.” Built to Last Ensuring that the platform could quickly adapt, regardless of what world event might happen, was especially important to Choice Hotels.

“We spent a lot of time on this first phase of ChoiceMAX to ensure we had a really strong platform so that a massive rebuild in the future won’t be necessary,” Lisi explains.

“We’ve made sure it has the flexibility with the APIs and integrations that we’re building to ensure we have the flexibility to be nimble in the marketplace and adapt to whatever our franchisees’ needs may be. And if we have different brands come in the future, with different customer sets, we can adapt the same system to those needs as well. Plus, with the rising demand for personalization, we now have the ability to layer in personalized segments into our algorithms and understand what the price elasticity is for different customer segments.”

Additionally, the company created ChoiceMAX to be a mobile-first, user-friendly platform. For instance, users can get real-time notifications on their phone. This is especially helpful as labor shortages continue to be a problem for the industry. So, if a hotelier is helping at the front desk, cleaning a room, or dealing with a guest complaint, she is still able to stay on top of booking patterns changing and respond to that immediately versus having to make time to sit at a desk and log into a system.

“As far as I know, ChoiceMAX is the only revenue management system out there that is both mobile-first and mobile friendly,” Lisi says. “In today’s environment, franchisees need that capability.”

An added benefit is its

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increased automation and integration with choiceADVANTAGE, the company’s PMS, and ChoiceEDGE, the company’s CRS. “The increased automation allows for seamless distribution of rates and inventory across not just the Choice platform, but also all of our distribution partners,” Lisi added.

Five-Star Reviews Franchisees are loving it so far. “The feedback we’re getting from franchisees is just remarkable,” Lisi says. “They love how simple the tool is and tell us that it’s made their life so much easier during a time when stress levels are very high. It’s great to know that we’ve simplified their lives and made some of their pain points disappear.”

But don’t take Lisi’s word for it. The brand shared with us some recent reviews from their franchisees.

“Moving to ChoiceMAX has been a real game changer. Having the ChoiceMAX app right on my phone makes managing my rates and inventory so much easier. We have especially busy days at the hotel and are always being pulled in multiple directions. Being able to monitor pricing and what’s happening in my market without having to be at my desk helps save me valuable time and lets me focus on my team and our guests.

Plus, the same-day optimization function means my data stays current and reacts quickly to local changes which is what we need in this demand environment.” - Pete Patel, Owner, Econo Lodge Goose Creek and President of the Econo Lodge Franchisee Association “Cambria Hotel Pittsburgh Downtown was a pilot property for ChoiceMAX. From the moment we began training, we knew that the power of the system was not only cutting edge, but a technological advantage over our competition.

Within our first week of reporting, we took notice of the strategy of the system and allowed it to run its course. We gave control to ChoiceMAX, monitoring it closely and setting alerts that we felt were relevant to our city. By far, the best

advantage to this new system is the capability of the application. I never imagined being able to change rates and watching it reflect in seconds. I can change rates on my cell phone from virtually anywhere, keeping the laptop at home!” - Mario Corrado, General Manager, Cambria Hotel Pittsburgh Downtown.

CUSTOMER-FACING INNOVATO R:

LOEWS HOTELS & CO Like other hotel brands, Loews Hotels & Co quickly converted its in-person experiences into contactless experiences wherever possible in response to the global COVID-19 pandemic. The brand wanted to ensure that guests felt safe, while also remembering the company’s brand positioning and service culture.

“When the pandemic began, we had questions – like everyone else did,” notes Barry Phillips, Senior Director IT Strategic Systems.

“For example, how do we take care of our team members and guests and ensure they feel comfortable? What does contactless mean? How do we service our restaurants and bars without them coming to see us? And, how can guests bypass the front desk?”

Initially, Loews Hotels & Co – like so many others – turned to QR codes to provide contactless solutions.

However, when the brand realized that the pandemic would be a marathon and not a sprint, it revaluated its use of QR codes and the contactless experience. It ended up paring down its QR code offerings and then created a new

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“Essentially, the Loews team digitized and disconnected guests from a jagged and antiquated approach to information and are now delivering information on the guest’s terms at thoughtful intervals.”

BARRY PHILLIPS, SENIOR DIRECTOR IT STRATEGIC SYSTEMS

solution that would include a variety of services while allowing guests to interact with the brand via a single point of contact: the guest portal.

For Loews Hotels & Co, it was particularly important to offer the guest portal to their customers via a variety of methods. The first way it is offered is via a welcome SMS message to guests who have checked-in and opted into the brand’s Chat Your Service program.

“This also opens up a channel for guests to engage our team throughout their entire stay with Loews and beyond,” adds Phillips. “It allows us to communicate directly with a guest via their own personal device. Plus, all texting is responded to by team members, which aligns with our brand positioning centered around human interactions.

And while the brand has significantly reduced the number of QR codes it manages, it found that having a QR code available to guests so that they can access the guest portal whenever they’d like was both efficient and useful. Thus, a QR code for each property’s specific guest portal is deployed via in-room collateral, on the TVs in guest rooms and on a stand at the front desk Lastly, when guests logon to the property’s internet, the Wi-Fi landing page also delivers guests automatically to the guest portal.

The guest portal was designed to take the in-room compendium, in-room dining menu, outlet menus, arrival details, local attractions, and outlet reservations and put them on an easy-to-use portal that does not require a login.

For example, guests can use the guest portal to access more than 40 outlets to order food and beverage options whether it’s for delivery, pickup or poolside delivery.

“Essentially, the Loews team digitized and disconnected guests from a jagged and antiquated approach to information and are now delivering information on the guest’s terms at thoughtful intervals,” Phillips explains. “For example, if a guest wants to make a dinner reservation, they can either text the on-site team members or click the guest portal and do it themselves.

Since implementation Loews Hotels & Co has found more than half of guests choose to opt-in to the service and make use of the guest portal.

And food orders through the portal have helped to supplement outlet revenues.

“This guest portal allowed us to be nimble and quick to market by using the tools we already had available within our technology stack,” Phillips added. HT

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THE RESTAURANT TECHNOLOGY INDUSTRY REUNITED IN LAS VEGAS MARCH 7-9 FOR A MURTEC LIKE NO OTHER

By Robert Firpo-Cappiello, Angela Diffly and Anna Wolfe

Innovative restaurant operators and their transformative technology solutions took to the stage for three days of networking and collaboration.

Day one kicked off with an afternoon round of golf and a series of educational sessions on data privacy, business intelligence, leveraging automation, blockchain and cryptocurrency and more. All three days featured ample time for attendees to network, see the latest technology solutions and have one-on-one meetings with dozens of technology vendors.

MARCH 8

Keynote: Jon Taffer on Technology, Labor & the Kitchen of the Future Award-winning hospitality legend and television personality Jon Taffer delivered a thought-provoking and inspiring MURTEC keynote address.

Taffer shared that he has “learned more from failure than I’ve ever learned from success … I found the common denominator of failure: an excuse. Excuses paralyze. They stop growth every single time.

If we own failure and do not allow circumstances to stop us, we find success,” he said.

Taffer explained how he and his team leveraged technology to create Taffer’s Tavern: a technologydriven kitchen of the future, which has no raw protein, no hood, and cooking times under six minutes.

“While everyone is cutting front-of-house (FOH) labor, we focused on back-of-house (BOH),” he explained. “By minimizing the BOH payroll burden with technology, we increased human connectivity in the FOH. The future of our industry is technology. I created it because of you. Your technologies

“By minimizing the back-of-house payroll burden with technology, we increased human connectivity in the frontof-house. The future of our industry is technology.”

—Jon Taffer, in his March 8 MURTEC Keynote

helped me achieve this objective.”

In his unique, high-energy style, Taffer shared that he remains bullish on restaurants.

“The door has never been wider for us,” he noted. “… Lick off the wounds. Get rid of excuses.

Restaurants are packed. Restaurants are packed!

That’s all that matters to us right now. Seize this opportunity. There will never be a better one. You will become a superstar or a bum. It’s up to you.”

Brinker’s Bold Moves Wade Allen, SVP, Head of Innovation at Brinker International took to the stage with Abigail Lorden, HT’s VP and co-founder of RTN, to share the driving forces behind Brinker’s cutting-edge technology. Allen shared lessons learned from its pilot with Bear Robotics. Rita the robot is hosting, seating and doing other tasks at 10 locations. Rita may be added to 50-100 locations in the near future.

Rover technology and drones are especially attractive for restaurants looking to crack the delivery code. Brinker is leaning into Flytrex, piloting drone delivery in a couple of locations.

“We’ve been very impressed with what they’re able to do. Realistically, we see sizable drone delivery within our grasp in 3-4 years, hundreds maybe thousands of deliveries,” said Allen. “Is it drone delivery-as-a-service? Are they taking off from the roof? We’re not sure yet, but we’re actively seeking to figure it out.”

When it comes to sustainability, Brinker is lookFor a full recap of MURTEC, check out the MURTEC Content Hub at hospitalitytech.com/murtec

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“Excuses paralyze...If we own failure and do not allow circumstances to stop us, we find success,” Jon Taffer said during his keynote address.

RTN Start-Up Alley finalists, judges, and sponsors Comcast and Intel join HT’s VP & Publisher, Abigail Lorden, onstage.

ing into solar capabilities, with strategically placed AC/HVAC to make room for solar panels on the roof, or even covering parking areas with solar.

centers, allowing consumers more choice to order from multiple brands under one roof,” he said.

When it comes to winning mindshare and market share, according to Alexander, he (along with a vast many others) rely on third-party delivery providers. He admits being part of a small competitive set (Asian rather than pizza or wings, for example) helps his brand rise to the top. “We don’t own the customer data. Everything we do, we try to drive people directly to Wow Bao. We collect customer data via our portal.”

Montagano indicated the need for brands to be thoughtful about marketing, reaching people where they live and work. “By offering a micro-marketplace, a blended mix, we drive people back. And our order rates tend to be high because of the variety.

It’s all under one ticket, one transaction fee, one delivery driver. We are trying to drive more incremental volume through hybrid marketplaces and brands.”

Beacham predicts disruption is on the horizon, pointing to sky-high gas prices and third-party delivery fees. “How much will consumers pay for delivery? There are only so many fees that can come in. We’re headed for some disruption in all of that.

Those that are flexible and adaptable will prevail,” he said.

Brands Leverage Ghost Kitchens to Boost the Bottom Line When it comes to ghost, host and dark kitchens, it is not a one-size-fits-all approach. The ghost kitchen panel presented a unique mix of brands - all on stage connecting the dots for restaurants looking to diversify business models, expand into new markets, embrace virtual brands, and grow topline revenue.

Geoff Alexander, President and CEO of Wow Bao, took the industry by storm with his dark kitchen concept, selling the brand out the back door of existing restaurants (and other ghost kitchens), exploding to more than 600 locations at the end of 2021. In fact, Wow Bao was presented with HT’s Industry Hero Award for its brand that lets restaurants leverage their restaurant as a dark kitchen. (See page 31.) According to Alexander, the most important thing to consider when looking to diversify is capacity.

“We all have the infrastructure. We all have capacity. Eighty percent of sales come from 20 percent of the menu. If you limit those items, you can create a second brand,” he said.

Michael Beacham, President of Kitchens at Reef Technology, oversees the ghost kitchen that has 180 brands and 8,500 locations throughout North America, Europe and the Middle East. “Proximity to the customer is key,” Beacham explained.

“Better, cheaper, faster delivery is going to happen, as well as expanding your customer base.”

Kitchen United CEO Michael Montagano agrees that location matters. “We focus on creating our own Kitchen United mixed channel, which powers 25-40 percent of all volume through our

Delivery Disruptors ClusterTruck and El Pollo Loco, two brands with two very different delivery models, took to the stage to share their disruptive solutions in a fastpaced firechat.

Andrew Rebhun, VP and Digital Officer at El Pollo Loco, shared the lowdown on its drone delivery pilot with Flytrex. Rehbun told a packed house they tapped into the magical delivery drone formula via multi-departmental partnerships, “getting everyone on board to believe in a new path forward.”

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There was ample time for exploring the exhibit hall that featured dozens of exhibitors.

Sherri Landry, CMO of CEC Entertainment, shared her experience with virtual brands and off-premises demand.

It’s no secret restaurants are struggling with delivery. During the pandemic, Rebhun admitted they leaned into the delivery players, and that doing business with them was a huge part of staying viable. He also admitted labor was a constant challenge, and at times they had to turn off some order modes due to not having enough staff to run orders out to customers.

Out of the chaos came a healthy, here-to-stay delivery-on-demand revenue stream, so they found a way to deliver profitably for the business — while minimizing labor challenges.

“We’re proud of the work done overall,” he said, adding that El Pollo Loco doesn’t own the drones, there’s no tipping and no fuel surcharges. “Consumers receive nickel-and-dime fees (ordering delivery normally), and we take that away with our version of drone delivery.”

Brian Howenstein, COO at ClusterTruck, explained the Indianapolis-based company’s point of difference: “We are both a software company and a restaurant operator. We run the kitchens ourselves, we built the tech stack ourselves.”

The delivery-only restaurant has created something unique when it comes to food delivery in an industry struggling to reconcile skyrocketing delivery demand with margin-crushing price tags.

The ClusterTruck model boasts under 10 percent delivery costs, a high-performance ghost kitchen, well-compensated, happy delivery drivers, an impressive tech stack allowing the company to promise food will never be more than six minutes old. With a short delivery window, no order batching (your food isn’t held hostage while drivers deal with other deliveries) and a slick app, ClusterTruck operates eight locations.

“We are a vertically integrated service. We are not on third-party platforms. It’s all ClusterTruck from top to bottom,” Howenstein said.

Start-Up Alley Returns Restaurant Technology Network’s Start-Up Alley made its triumphant return to MURTEC and featured 17 technology start-ups. The judges included Phil Crawford, CTO, CKE; Astrid Isaacs, CTO, Bloomin’ Brands; and Tom Seeker, CIO, Earl Enterprises.

The five restaurant tech finalists took to the main stage for a pitch slam and attendees were able to cast their votes live for their favorite: CRM and customer engagement platform Bikky; COGS-Well 3’s restaurant inventory control and recipe management; Curbit, the central nervous system of a modern digital restaurant; Hello meter, a computer vision solution for drive-thru and dining rooms; and digital marketing platform Targetable.

WATCH: Hellometer’s winning pitch (and more great content!) on the MURTEC Content Hub. hospitatilitytech.com/murtec MARCH 9

Keynote Panel: IT Gets Real with Artificial Intelligence Restaurants are getting smarter, thanks to artificially intelligent solutions being deployed in areas like the drive-thru and kitchens. Three tech-savvy restaurant leaders took the stage: Justin Ackerman, Director, Dunkin’ & Baskin Restaurant Technology for Inspire Brands; Dan Simpson, CEO of Taziki’s Mediterranean Café; and Phil Crawford, CTO of CKE Restaurants.

Each panelist agreed that AI should be used as much as possible to automate mundane or physically difficult tasks, so that staff can focus on the business of true hospitality and gain real-world experience with cutting-edge technologies. The hope is that the restaurant industry can attract new talent, and retain and promote staff in meaningful ways, while the robots do the dirty work.

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Golfers took to the links on Day 1 for a friendly round of golf.

Lisa Acero from Inspire Brands received one of the Top Women in Restaurant Technlogy awards.

At a Dunkin’ location in Rhode Island, AI is being tested in the drive-thru. Ackerman admits being fascinated by watching the AI learn and grow.

“The machine has all the data and it knows exactly how to inject orders into the point-of-sale ... It’s getting better as it goes.” He also revealed that accuracy is very good.

At Taziki’s, Simpson said they were settling for 36 percent accuracy with curbside, pickup and delivery times. “What has worked for a long time isn’t working anymore. Sales, labor, food ordering, general predictive analysis is just not getting us there.”

After tapping machine learning (ML) and AI modeling, accuracy times jumped to 74 percent, thanks to a mix of expectation management, throttling across channels to optimize labor and altering how the kitchen was staged.

In the near-term, Ackerman believes BOH will yield the most bang for their buck when it comes to ML/AI investments. “We’re in the very early stages, looking at camera-based AI inventory. We can instantly tell customers what we’re out of for the day. When we automate that, it takes tasks away and frees up labor to better serve customers.” He believes voice and camera are the next frontiers.

“This technology can help redeploy labor and help you find people (recruiting). And we can bring in tech to help manage the back office,” he said.

Showing franchisees how technology can alleviate pain, like the ongoing labor shortage, is a real win.

Crawford agrees that AI allows a plethora of data to become actionable. He’s evaluating internet of things (IoT) solutions to create smarter kitchens and partnering with manufacturers to ensure kitchen equipment delivers real-time metrics, which can affect waste, consumption and overall guest experience. “We’re doing things in the drivethru, like automated drink dispensers, and looking at Flippy for mundane tasks. I believe leveraging robotics will be a true game-changer for the future;

it will make our brands relevant again,” he said.

Simpson stressed, “None of this is about displacing the workforce. If we’re successful, we’ll have enough to keep growing, position staff to do more high-value actions, and add more units.”

Virtual Victories Three thought leaders behind some of the industry’s leading virtual brands took to the stage to share their triumphs, their challenges, and to share what’s next in this red-hot segment of the restaurant industry.

Andre Vener, Founding Partner, Dog Haus Worldwide; Aaron Noveshen, Founder & CEO, Starbird Chicken; and Sherri Landry, Chief Marketing Officer, CEC Entertainment shared their very different and very successful approaches to virtual brands.

Best known for its Chuck E. Cheese brand, CEC launched its virtual brand, Pasqually’s Pizza and Wings in 2020. To appeal to more mature palates, the flavor profile and ingredients were elevated.

Leveraging Third-Party Marketplaces “We got into the virtual brand business really by looking at what opportunities there were, how to reach more customers, how to get digital real estate,” explained Noveshen.” … How can we show up on five screens versus just one DoorDash screen?

And how do we optimize our search engine?”

Also setting out to leverage the third-party marketplaces and how consumers order from them, Dog Haus launched virtual brands in 2019.

“When you go into a Dog Haus brick-and-mortar, you see our menu with five different categories: dogs, sausage, burgers, chicken, plant-based. But when you are ordering on the third-party delivery, you could only have a couple of search words,” Vener explained.

Dog Haus’ five different virtual brands are posi-

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Wade Allen shared Brinker International’s bold tech moves.

Shawn Walchef, Founder of Cali BBQ Media, encouraged attendees to lean into social media.

tioned under the Absolute Brands’ banner and represent its menu and different dayparts: The Impossible Shop for plant-based items, Bad Mutha Clucka for Nashville Hot Chicken, Bad Ass Breakfast, etc.

“We created these virtual brands only to be in a ghost kitchen. And then the pandemic happened,” explained Vener. Dog Haus then asked its franchises if they wanted to launch these virtual brands from their kitchens. “Everybody did it, and within two months, our same store sales were back to normal,” Vener said. “It was the lifeline for our brand during the pandemic. And in 2021 we were up 34 percent, and that’s only because The Absolute Brands carried it.”

At Dog Haus, 55 percent of its sales are from off-premises orders, 18 percent are from alcohol.

This is reflected in the new store design. “We’re actually making a bigger footprint of a bar, little less tables on the outside and having a second line for the kitchen in the back. Because the advantage of having the virtual brands is that you can toggle them on and off,” Vener said.

Off premises and dine-in will coexist, agrees Landry. “You’ve got two parts of the business growing. And so we believe that we have an opportunity to fill in the gaps where we already are,” said Landry. HT

Wow Bao, BentoBox Receive HT’s Industry Heroes Awards HT presented its Industry Heroes Awards to New York-based restaurant management platform BentoBox and Chicago-based Wow Bao and its dark kitchen concept.

The Industry Heroes Awards recognize both restaurants and technology suppliers who truly went above and beyond in the face of closed dining rooms and lockdowns, to help restaurants pivot and continue to serve customers, support employees, and remain in business.

More than 600 restaurants have signed on with Wow Bao and its dark kitchen concept that allows restaurants to easily add a virtual brand to their operations. “Wow Bao is proud and honored to have been able to help so many restaurants these past 18 months, and we are very excited for the continued innovation and evolution of this new dining segment,” said Geoff Alexander, President & CEO, Wow Bao, pictured left.

BentoBox’s solution includes the ability for restaurant users to add online ordering and delivery to their websites, a musthave during the past two years.

“BentoBox is honored to be recognized as one of Hospitality Technology’s Industry Heroes alongside so many incredible innovators in the restaurant industry,” said Krystle Mobayeni, Co-Founder of BentoBox. “We would not be in this position without the trust, support and collaboration from our incredible restaurant partners. We are deeply committed to serving the hospitality community and are eager to continue helping restaurants accelerate growth and thrive for many years to come.”

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5/31/22 8:29 PM

MURTEC 2022 Top Women in Restaurant Technology Awards Women who are the driving force behind some of the biggest and most successful and innovative brands are among the sixth annual class of honorees.

BY ANNA WOLFE, SENIOR EDITOR - RESTAURANTS

Hospitality Technology is profiling each of the 10 winners in-depth on hospitalitytech.com/ topwomen22. Here is an overview.

L I F ET I ME AC H I EV EMENT

Regina Jerome Senior Vice President of Information Technology, UNO Restaurants Regina Jerome, a 25+ year veteran in multi-unit hospitality IT, joined Uno’s in 2019 with the goal of helping the company update its legacy IT systems. Her mission: to rip out an outdated IT stack and replace it with more modern, data-driven systems.

Jerome accomplished at Uno’s in 18 months would have taken five years somewhere else, her colleagues say.

L I F ET I ME AC H I EV EMENT

Mary Melvin Director of Restaurant Technology for Checkers and Rally’s Restaurants Mary Melvin is spearheading the QSR’s use of AI in the drive-thru to create a seamless ordering experience for guests.

“This has been such an exciting project and has significant meaning now in our current environment with labor shortages,” says Melvin.

“It’s very rewarding to see the AI project fill a crucial need that is welcomed with open arms from our hardest workers – our operations teams.”

Melvin is bullish about automation and its

potential in the restaurant space. “There’s so much being developed with autonomous technology that will provide greater accuracy and efficiency than humanly possible,” Melvin says.

I N N OVATO R

Lisa Acero Director of IT Deployment Services for Inspire Brands Lisa Acero led the team that replaced a 10 year-old POS/BOH system at more than 7,700 Dunkin’ locations. “Despite the challenges of the pandemic, labor disruptions, and supply chain delays, the project hit our timelines and goals,” says Acero.

From a tech perspective, the new system opens up many possibilities — including self-ordering kiosks, line-busting tablets, improving the drive-thru experience and more.

I N N OVATO R

Jennifer Giusti Director, HR Technology at Darden Restaurants Jennifer Giusti’s colleagues credit Giusti for helping to apply technology, including the conversational AI recruiting platform Paradox, to restaurant company’s HR processes.

Giusti is “extremely passionate” about the user experience. “Team members expect their employers to provide the same level of technology that we provide to our guests ... This drives us to continuously look for ways to improve,” she says.

I N N OVATO R

Kelly McArdle Vice President of Information Technology at bartaco Kelly McArdle helped to oversee the success of bartaco’s pivot to offpremise ordering. She brought on new technology partners, which transformed

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bartaco’s dine-in experience – allowing guests to seamlessly view a menu, place and pay for their order, all from a mobile device. This improves the guest experience while also pushing for higher profitability and more equitable wage distribution across hourly team members.

I N N OVATOR

Theresa Schaefer EVP, Product & Design at Olo Theresa Schaefer was the product manager behind the initial launch of Olo Rails and Olo Dispatch, “two groundbreaking solutions when they debuted and significantly differentiate us in the digital ordering space to this day,” she says.

In the future, Schaefer sees restaurant technology continuing to make the entire experience simpler and more enjoyable for staff and customers alike.

RI SI N G STA R

Laura Beach Amazon Web Services AWS Laura Beach, Sales Account Executive, AMAZON Web Services - AWS, is passionate about helping her customers achieve their business objectives.

Looking ahead to the future of restaurant technology, Beach is bullish about the long-term impact of AI/ML solutions. “I have seen many of my hospitality and restaurant customers completely transform their businesses through AI/ ML solutions. I foresee that restaurant technology will continue to innovate and utilize more AI/ML solutions,” she says.

RI SI N G STA R

Jen Lesniak Senior Director of Consumer Products at SpotOn Jen Lesniak is passionate about leveling the playing field for local restaurants,

“by giving independent owners and operators …the tools and resources they need to deliver consistently engaging, memorable experiences to their guests at every touchpoint,” she says.

Now and in the future, “mobile devices are poised to play an even more pivotal role in evolving the dining experience,” Lesniak predicts.

“I expect to see ... as a diversification of methods used for personalization.”

RISING STAR

Courtney Maxedon VP of Interactive Marketing, Kahala Brands Courtney Maxedon oversees all digital initiatives for all 29 Kahala Brands concepts’ including off-premise ordering, digital and social media, loyalty, SEO, digital design/development and more.

A pilot with a customer data platform identified the previously “unknown” customers and led to “meeting them where they are” across the digital landscape; they saw a +200% return on ad spend. These results have proven the importance of digital.

RISING STAR

Jessica Valenzuela CEO and Co-Founder, GoGoGuest Jessica Valenzuela’s love of food led her down a winding path to create a technology solution. “I love being at the intersection where cloud technology, design, and data meet. I’m passionate about creating and growing frictionless solutions for restaurants and their guests,” she said.

Valenzuela’s epiphany led to the launch of GoGoGuest. “As we explored different edge cases … we discovered a common issue - the restaurant industry suffers from disjointed data and a lack of focus. The result is a failure to leverage the right data to understand their marketable audience and align their product mixes with what people are buying.” HT

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5/26/22 4:27 PM

By: Angela Diffly, Co-Founder, RTN

Red Hot: RTN Events, Publications & Updates The Restaurant Technology Network (RTN) has been on the move. Not only did we launch a new website and technology specification (see next page), we welcomed new Board members, hosted Start-Up Alley at MURTEC, attended Food On Demand — and so much more.

What A Site!

RTN’s new online home has the same link, but a fresh new face. Members can easily login, as the site recognizes member company email domains. RTN members enjoy first-rights access to technical guidance, as well as event info and updates.

Check it out to see what’s new! www.restauranttechnology network.com RTN Town Hall: Restaurant-Ready AI Join us on Tuesday, June 14 at 11 am ET as we host speakers from Inspire Brands, Justin Ackerman, Director, Dunkin’ & Baskin Restaurant Technology, and Steve Lakin, Director, Custom Applications & New Technology, as they ask technology leaders from AWS, ClearCOGS, Fresh Technology, Hi Auto and Paradox questions about real-world AI for restaurants today.

All restaurants and RTN supplier members can register & join: https://ensembleiq.swoogo.com/townhall Welcome New Restaurant Board Members RTN is thrilled to announce the addition of the following industry rockstars to its Board of Governors lineup: Michael Haley, CIO at Lettuce Entertain You Restaurants; Clark Matthews VP, IT for El Pollo Loco; Anthony Mejia, VP, Information Technology at Zippy’s; and Zerrick Pearson, CIO at Five Guys. Our Board is made up of seasoned restaurant technology veterans who all share the same passion for technology innovation in the restaurant industry. See our entire Board by visiting RTN’s site under About Us → Board of Governors.

RTN’s Start-Up Alley at MURTEC RTN’s second annual Start-Up Alley was a huge success. With support from Comcast Business and Intel, RTN showcased 17 top brands, following a fierce competition of nearly 40 applicants.

Judges Phil Crawford, CTO, CKE; Astrid Isaacs, CTO, Bloomin’ Brands; and Tom Seeker, CIO, Earl Enterprises, narrowed the field to the top 5, which included Bikky, COGS-Well, Curbit, Hellometer (the winner!), and Targetable. After the live event, RTN produced a Town Hall to showcase the Top 5, hosted by Fred LeFranc, Chaos Strategist & Founder of Results Thru Strategy and RTN Board Member. Catch all the action on RTN’s website under About Us → RTN Updates.

Food On Demand We covered this year’s Food On Demand show in a big way, featuring brands like Chipotle, Dine Brands, Focus Brands, Red Robin, Olo, Thanx, Lunchbox, Punchh (PAR) and Paytronix. The biggest buzz? Digital hospitality and customer lifetime value as table stakes for any brand’s success in today’s uber-competitive third-party landscape. Also hot? Robotics, automation and AI/ML, coming soon to a restaurant near you.

Read more about Food On Demand on our website under About Us → RTN Updates.

Stay Tuned!

RTN continues to grow and thrive, uniting the industry, and producing valuable tech tools for restaurants. To see our schedule of events, visit our website and check out the Events Calendar. HT

For more information about joining RTN, please visit our website and click Join Now to get started. www.RestaurantTechnologyNetwork.com.

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NOW AVAILABLE!

RTN Releases Customer Data Record Standard.

Available to the entire industry, this phase 1 release tackles these key challenges:

Collecting fragmented, non-uniform customer profiles RTN’s Customer Record Data Specification: PHASE 1

Managing customer data via disparate systems Maintaining integrity when collecting and handling customer data Owning the customer, cultivating loyal fans, understanding customer behavior, sparking repeat business

DOWNLOAD NOW! PHASE 1: KEY CONTRIBUTORS

STEVEN M. ELINSON

TIM GUERRIERO

GEORGE HUTTO

MARK MULLINAX

ROBERT PETERSON

CHRISTOPHER SEBES

Worldwide Head of Restaurants & Food Service Amazon Web Services

Information Security Program Manager P.F. Chang’s

Sr. BI Developer MOD

Sr. Business Development Manager ConsultR

Area VP, New Business, North America, Oracle Food & Beverage

Partner RTS

Join Us for Phase 2 Help us expand upon the existing Customer Data Record to include customer segmentation information.

SCAN QR CODE TO REGISTER!

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