January Issue De Vere share 2022 meetings and events trends predictions
Sustainability and personalisation will prevail in 2022
Take advantage of innovative POS technology
Pages 8-9
Pages 18-19
Pages 22-23
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Contents 4
Industry News
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Security
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Printer & Labelling Solutions
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Recommended Companies
To feature in an upcoming issue or to discuss advertising opportunities please contact a member of the Hospitalitech team; Publication Manager Dean Little - 01227 314 324 dean@warmwelcomemagazine.com Sales & Marketing Manager Michael Amor - 01227 314 324 michael@warmwelcomemagazine.com Editorial Assistant Carol Jean - 01227 314 324 carol@warmwelcomemagazine.com
Cloudbeds named Best PMS, Best HMS in 2022 HotelTechAwards Hotel Tech Report honours Cloudbeds with five awards, including Best Places to Work, Top 10 Hotelier’s Choice, and Channel Manager Finalist Cloudbeds has been recognised for the fourth consecutive year as one of the industry’s top technology providers by Hotel Tech Report. The 2022 HotelTechAwards honours Cloudbeds with five awards: Best Property Management Systems, Best Hotel Management Software, Channel Manager Finalist, Top 10 Hotelier’s Choice, and 10 Best Places to Work. The industry’s only datadriven awards platform, the HotelTechAwards determine winners based on product reviews from verified customers, along with key proprietary data signals such as integration compatibility, organisational health, market share, partner network strength, and customer support quality. This year’s HotelTechAwards has been the most contested, with 11,622
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new verified product review 513,600 visits from hoteliers and contributions, making it even more challenging for those competing.
CEO of Hotel Tech Report. “Winning a HotelTechAward is the highest achievement in the industry because it’s based on data.”
“We are deeply humbled by the positive feedback from our customers and our partners. To win HotelTechAwards several years in a row is a testament to both the strength of our technology and the exceptional service and support provided by our dedicated professionals,” said Adam Harris, CEO and Co-Founder of Cloudbeds. “The feedback we get from our customers only inspires us to work harder to ensure that the Cloudbeds Hospitality Management platform continues to be one of the best in the industry.”
This recognition by Hotel Tech Report is a reflection of the company’s commitment to building a platform that is best-in-class not just in one category, but across all of them. Combining tools for operations, revenue, distribution, and marketing with a marketplace of third-party integrations into one seamlessly integrated platform, Cloudbeds is designed to elevate every aspect of a property — the business, the staff, and the guests.
“We’re thrilled to highlight the value that the world’s leading software solutions deliver to their customers. By building a platform around the voice of the people actually using these hotel tech solutions, we’re able to deliver actionable, peer-topeer insights that potential buyers can trust,” said Jordan Hollander,
Cloudbeds continues to expand its platform and services, launching Cloudbeds Websites and Cloudbeds Payments in 2021, as well as introducing Cloudbeds Horizon, a new educational partners program designed to empower hospitality schools to upskill students in cloud-based hospitality technology. Get a free demo of Cloudbeds here
Lightspeed’s UK Hospitality Merchants Record 53% Growth in 2021 Lightspeed Commerce Inc. (NYSE: LSPD) (TSX: LSPD), the one-stop commerce platform for merchants around the world to simplify, scale and create exceptional customer experiences, today released new data that shows UK-based Lightspeed hospitality merchants experienced 53% growth in samestore gross transaction value during 2021, despite challenging conditions.
developments take Lightspeed and our customers in 2022.”
“With all of the uncertainty surrounding the ongoing pandemic and supply chain disruptions, we are thrilled to see that our customers continued to thrive and grow in 2021,” said Lightspeed President, JP Chauvet. “Seeing same-store sales increase year-over-year is a testament to the resilience and ingenuity of our merchants, and we are honored to be their commerce platform of choice. We believe the vast adoption of new technologies like cloud POS, omni-channel distribution, contactless payments and order ahead are helping drive this growth and expansion, and we’re excited to see where these
Research and Markets predicted an 18.5% global growth rate in 2021 for the hospitality industry but Lightspeed global hospitality merchants saw year-over-year Same-Store GTV growth of nearly double that estimate and in the UK, merchants outperformed this forecast by 34%.
The data released today compares the gross transaction volume of global Lightspeed locations that were fully operational for the period of January 1st until December 31st in both calendar 2020 and 2021 (Same-Store GTV). Lightspeed 2021 Hospitality Data
With lockdowns and restrictions easing, global Lightspeed hospitality merchants saw substantial year-overyear Same-Store GTV growth in the segments hit hardest by pandemic restrictions. Among global Lightspeed hospitality merchants, the following verticals saw the largest year-overyear Same-Store GTV growth:
- Fine Dining (70%) - Bar and Pub (60%) - Casual Dining (55%) In the UK, the sub-sectors seeing the biggest hikes in year-over-year Same-Store GTV growth were: - Fine Dining (212%) - Bar/pub (140%) - Casual Dining (89%) When looking at EMEA year-overyear Same-Store GTV growth on a regional basis, Lightspeed hospitality merchants in the UK saw the largest growth: - UK (53%) - Belgium (35%) - Netherlands (24%) - France (16%) This exciting growth data comes at the end of a dynamic year for Lightspeed where the company finalised its acquisitions of Vend, NuORDER and Ecwid, and launched a new flagship eCommerce platform, while also expanding Payments globally across industries.
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Conferenceemcees.com launches with host of international clients Conferenceemcees.com, a global network of professional conference emcees, moderators, and facilitators working across virtual, hybrid and in person events, was officially launched on January 17th, 2021. The launch follows a hugely successful period of activity following its October 2020 ‘soft launch’ with a series of virtual, hybrid, studio and in-person events being held on behalf of clients in London, Zurich, Lausanne, Barcelona, Frankfurt, Brussels and San Francisco. The network was launched to support agencies, associations and corporates with sourcing professional hosts and moderators for events of all kinds, wherever in the world they are required. Conferenceemcees. com already has a growing list of experienced and professional Associates to assist clients across the UK, Europe, North America and Asia Pacific. Sustainability, diversity and experience have been established as the three founding principles of the network, which has been founded by professional emcee and meeting designer, Samme Allen.
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Jennifer Rose, from ESAIC (European Society of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care) who used the network for their annual event, said; “Conferenceemcees.com were the best partners we could have chosen for our congress. They were incredibly professional and flexible and helped us pivot from an in-person event to a virtual one seamlessly. The amount of work, dedication and pride in the outcome was above expectations, and we look forward to working with them again soon.” Emily Hutton, Senior Event Manager at Bray Leino Events, adds; “We learned about conferenceemcees. com whilst sourcing virtual hosts for a series of UK Government events. We have now used the service several times, and have found it to be a simple, effective and practical way of sourcing experienced professional conference hosts. All the associates we have worked with are experienced in digital and in-person events, and they have worked closely with our clients to deliver increased audience
engagement, and we hope to continue to work with them for future client events.” In addition to providing experienced hosts around the world, the network also supports its growing list of international clients with meeting design, audience engagement strategies, speaker coaching and studio management. “We developed conferenceemcees. com as a solution to a growing client need for experienced emcee, hosting and moderating that can be delivered cost effectively, flexibly and in the most sustainable way,” says founder Samme Allen. “Having an event professionally moderated is becoming increasingly important to its success, as organisers are looking to increase audience engagement and ultimately improve the overall delegate experience. Being able to source experienced, professional and brand appropriate hosts with one simple click of a button is what clients are now looking for in this fastchanging environment” Allen says.
New online platform, queerys launched for LGBTQ+ community to find inclusive businesses The creators of “Support LGBTQ Businesses”, have launched a new online directory, queerys to help the LGBTQ+ community find safer services and places across the UK. The platform is designed to help highlight inclusive locations anytime, anywhere, whilst pushing the pink pound back into the community. Inclusive businesses from across all sectors and industries, can list their services on the directory to show potential customers they are welcoming and LGBTQ+ friendly. They are added to the queerys map so potential customers can easily find them in whatever location they are looking for. The directory also provides filters that can be used where to refine searches for gender neutral or trans friendly businesses for example. The aim is to help everyone feel comfortable and secure in the services they are using, no matter how they define themselves. As an LGBTQ+ friendly business, it can be difficult to let new customers know that you are an inclusive and safe space, and as an LGBTQ+ person, it can be difficult when heading to a new place to know which businesses are friendly, and which aren’t. Shockingly, homophobia is actually rising in the UK and Europe, so it’s essential to have extra knowledge that the service you’re approaching has taken an active step to show its support or is run by someone within the community. Many businesses are committed to creating safe, welcoming spaces, but not everyone is sure on the best way to provide this. As such, queerys is also providing business owners with an optional course on how to be more inclusive and how they can better support the community. Businesses that take the course will be certified and given a green tick so users can see they have taken additional action and gone the extra mile to make a safer place for the community. The platform was founded by Jodie Kear, who was inspired by her own experiences in the LGBTQ+ community. Through seeing endless comments
and requests on different social media groups from people looking for inclusive business recommendations, she realised there was not just a huge demand but a glaring need for a platform like queerys. As such, Jodie launched the directory whilst juggling her job as a London ambulance dispatcher and parenting her two children during the pandemic, as she knew it would help so many people. Jodie Kear, founder, says ‘I believe queerys will be most valuable to the transgender community and nonbinary people. The public are still struggling to get behind pronouns and the fact there are more than two genders and I hope the platform can encourage people who are not in the community to think about how they can provide a safe space and service and be actively supportive. Homophobia is very much alive and was very much present on a sponsored ad queerys launched on social media. This just encouraged me more to push forward with the directory’. It is not only customers who will benefit from queerys, as it aims to put more LGBTQ+ businesses on the map, as well as help them find and collaborate with other inclusive businesses. It has already started to make movement within the community in this way. For example, a candle maker in York was trying to get his candles seen and queerys’ founder put him in touch with a beautiful guest house in the same area. The owner of the guest house contacted Jodie a few days later saying they loved his products, and he would be supplying the guest house with candles moving forward. The platform will no doubt be a huge help for both the LGBTQ+ community, the business owners within it and inclusive businesses alike. queerys wants to showcase all the fantastic businesses the LGBTQ+ community has to offer up and down the country, from hotels to lawyers to nail technicians. But above all, it has the potential to be part of making people who are transitioning or struggling to come out, lives just a little bit easier and relieve any unnecessary stress. www.queerys.com
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De Vere share 2022 meetings and events trends predictions Gareth Warnock, Group Sales Director at De Vere, a collection of historic mansion house estates and distinctive contemporary hotels and event destinations, has shared the key factors he believes will shape the meetings and events industry in 2022. Go on a Workcation
Smart Base, a smarter way to meet the needs of today’s flexible work patterns. Located from the Cotswolds to central London, there are a variety of properties to choose to work from or to arrange a face-to-face meeting, event, or training session while exploring a new place and fitting in tourist activities around your day.
The pandemic has created a new holiday trend – the ‘workcation’. I believe that this trend for combined travel and remote working will only continue to grow in 2022 as people look to make the most of working from wherever they are. A UK workcation trip allows people to avoid quarantining on return and instead they can combine work and pleasure which as a result, allows them to use less annual leave and also provides a better work life balance.
The service is ideal for those looking for an inspiring location for team co-working, or for those who are just looking to get away from working from home, and is available across De Vere’s* estates and mansion house properties including De Vere Latimer Estate in Buckinghamshire, De Vere Cotswold Water Park, De Vere Wokefield Estate near Reading, De Vere Tortworth Court near Bristol, De Vere Beaumont Estate in Windsor, and De Vere Horsley Estate in Surrey.
As a result of this growing trend, De Vere recently introduced
Whether you’re looking for a quiet corner or want to take advantage
of the great outdoors with our outdoor Wi-Fi, Smart Base offers flexibility and inspiring settings in equal measure. Plus, you can enjoy sustainably sourced fresh coffee on the house, and a pastry or nutritious snack from The Pantry coffee shop as well as superfast Wi-Fi. Guests can feel safe working at a De Vere property with our Your Wellbeing at Heart programme which ensures a healthy and safe stay for guests and a safe working environment for our team members. With the support of ChemEco, De Vere has carefully crafted a range of new measures including enhancing the already meticulous deep cleaning of bedrooms and public areas. This includes regularly sanitising public areas using jet action ‘misting’ technology which uses hard acting yet environmentally friendly solutions from ChemEco. Re-connecting with our colleagues With more people now working remotely, I believe there’ll be a renewed focus on the importance of meeting with your team in order to build relationships. The American Express 2022 Global Meetings and Events Forecast revealed a strong awareness of the value of internal interactions to build the cohesion, collaboration, innovation, and trust needed for success. We expect that many teams we will want to continue to reconnect with each in the new year and continue to do so regularly, especially if many were unable to do so due to the cancellations of Christmas parties or to isolation rules in December. The current environment means that it isn’t always possible for everyone to attend meetings in person, but our series of Smart Connections meetings packages means teams will be able to connect together – in person and virtually. Smart Connections meetings packages offer video
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calling to multi-room virtual meetings, to provide a slick and seamless service no matter what our guests need. The packages are powered by video-first unified communications platform, Zoom Video Communications, Inc. The packages allow event bookers to efficiently arrange engaging and accessible events that can take place enabling teams to meet in person and interact virtually for those who can’t physically attend. Those visiting our properties will also be able to take advantage of De Vere’s market leading Smart Space meetings concept, which comprises nine service features designed to offer a highly responsive, personalised meetings and events offering. Smart Space includes everything from a live availability booking service to truly tech-savvy support, with up to 1GB super-fast Wi-Fi, interactive displays, and an on-site team of friendly experts to help overcome any tech issues a client may face. New tech The pandemic accelerated the need for new tech. In 2020 and 2021, we saw a huge increase in new
hybrid event options due to travel and isolation restrictions, and we will see this continue in 2022. With restrictions changing so quickly, event organisers want to book a venue that isn’t only flexible with space, but a venue that is also flexible with its booking service to make it easier and quicker for them. In response, we’ve recently launched Smart Booker, our new integrated cloud-based meetings and events booking platform on the De Vere website, powered by MeetingPackage. Smart Booker allows greater flexibility for our bookers by showing them real-time room availability across a number of properties and search, filter, and book event spaces in one simple process from a desktop computer or mobile device. We’ve received great feedback on Smart Booker as it has provided our clients with an efficient online booking system which they can manage while on the go. Four-legged friends The BBC reported that 3.2 million households in the UK have gained a pet since the start of the pandemic, and due to lockdowns and working from home, our
four- legged friends have been used to having us around more. As a result, we expect to see more corporates needing to find a suitable service to care for delegate’s pets when heading to work, training sessions, conferences, meetings, or events. Therefore, we recently launched a convenient solution for doggy day-care for our guests with our dog sitting service at De Vere Wokefield Estate**. The service allows owners to leave their dogs in safe hands with a dog walker and sitter on site at the hotel. Owners can rest assured that their pooch will be given their own bowl, bed, towel, and delicious treats to enjoy. Our properties are set within 20 acres or more of natural parkland offering plenty of outdoor space, ideal for your most trusted companion to stretch their legs. Our properties have also installed brand new dog washing stations to ensure there will be no mucky pups. Our properties offer plenty of outdoor space for guests to explore and help clear the mind with onsite jogging trails and walking routes, including De Vere’s exclusive Strava routes, to enjoy with or without their canine companion. Our outdoor space also provides endless opportunities for outdoor breakout sessions; team building activities; dining al fresco; and working in the sunshine – thanks to the super-fast Wi-Fi that stretches up to 100m around our properties. Whilst De Vere properties are surrounded by acres of green space, parkland, and beautiful countryside, they’re also impeccably connected. Whether you are travelling by road, rail or air, our properties provide easy access to major motorways, railway stations and airports. They also benefit from plenty of on-site parking, and plenty of electric charging points.. For further information on De Vere, please visit the website: www.devere.co.uk
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To use Paypod, customers place notes and To use Paypod, customers place notes and coins into the Paypod, and the transaction is coins into the Paypod, and the transaction is managed by software that interfaces with the managed by software that interfaces with the retailer’s POS. Paypod returns notes and coins retailer’s POS. Paypod returns notes and coins to the customer while store associates assist to the customer while store associates assist customers without handling payment. The customers without handling payment. The employee never touches the cash. employee never touches the cash. Paypod saves business owners as much as With the flexible design, Paypod allows users With the design, Paypod users Paypod savesbybusiness owners as much asto install withflexible little alteration to theirallows existing £5,000 annually automating cash transactions to install with little alteration to their existing £5,000 annually by automating cash transactions – including validating currency, rejecting frauds, store environment, and instantly connects store instantly connects – including validating currency, rejecting frauds,with mostenvironment, preferred ePOSand systems. and issuing change. Instant integration with and issuing change. Instant integration with with most preferred ePOS systems. point-of-sale systems means reliable accounting integration of technology has enabled point-of-sale systems means reliable accounting “The and accurate till preparation, saving retailers “The integration in of technology hasretail enabled many efficiencies the modern androom accurate back time. till preparation, saving retailersenvironment,” many efficiencies in the modern said Jan-Hinrik Bauwe,retail back room time. environment,” Jan-Hinrik Bauwe, of Crane said Payment Innovations. “With Paypod, the cash out (at the end of the President Presidentto ofwork Crane Payment Innovations. “With the cash out (at the end of the“Designed alongside retail staff, day) nowPaypod, takes maybe 10 minutes, maximum,” “Designed to work alongside retail day)Kay nowDickinson, takes maybe 10 minutes, maximum,” cashstaff, said Paypod customer and Paypod can handle all aspects of the Paypod can handle aspects of the cash said Kaydirector Dickinson, Paypod ofcustomer leaving morealltime for associates company of Botham’s Whitby, aandtransaction, transaction, leaving more time for associates company director of Botham’s Whitby, ato focus on customers while ensuring accuracy 150-year-old bakery chain in the UK.of “Everyone to focus on customers while ensuring accuracy bakery chain in the UK.minutes “Everyoneand accountability throughout the payment is 150-year-old heading home to their families now and accountability throughout the payment is heading homelove to their now saves minutesprocess.” after closing. They that. families It saves time, process.” after closing. love that. booster It saves time, money, and it’s They a great morale also.” savesPaypod is available in the United Kingdom, money, and it’s a great morale booster also.” is available in theGermany, United Kingdom, well as the USA, France, Italy, Ideal for all retail outlets, including cafes, as Paypod as well the To USA, & as Spain. seeFrance, exactly Germany, how muchItaly, Ideal for allrestaurants, retail outlets, including cafes,Portugal bakeries, bars, convenience stores Portugal & Spain. To see exactly how much money Paypod can save your business, please bakeries, bars, restaurants, convenience stores and newsagents, Paypod offers a flexible option mypaypod.com Paypod can save your business, please forand increasing efficiency during checkout newsagents, Paypod offersthe a flexible optionvisitmoney and foraccounting increasingprocesses. efficiency during the checkout visit mypaypod.com and accounting processes.
Why it’s the best time to change your PMS Gisborough Hall Hotel Guestline, a leading hospitality technology provider, interviews Vicki Jackson, Deputy Hotel Manager at Gisborough Hall Hotel to find out why it was the right time to review their systems and migrate to a new property management system – Guestline’s cloud PMS. Whilst it’s been a challenging time for hoteliers, it may seem unsettling to install a new PMS and distribution system. However, for some, it was the ideal time. Vicki Jackson, Deputy Hotel Manager at Gisborough Hall Hotel, tells us why their hotel took the opportunity to switch systems to Guestline… Guestline: Why did you review your systems? Vicki Jackson - The quieter times gave us the time and space to look at our business in more depth and see where we can make improvements to benefit both our guests and our team. Our management team analysed our systems, focused on how we could advance and reacted accordingly. We also reviewed our cost lines to see where we could reduce spending.
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Q: Why did you want to move? We were so unhappy with our previous PMS legacy system [from when we were a Marriott hotel] and their lack of support and understanding of independent hotels that we knew it was the best time to move to a new solution. Q: What did the process involve? Changing your PMS is a big decision - using previous experiences from the team and looking for recommendations from fellow hoteliers goes a long way. There was also a little bit of ‘gut instinct’ kicked in! Your PMS and speed of processes reflects on you as a hotel – if it’s slow and unreliable your team can’t always hide this. Q: How did the implementation go? Training was completed remotely, and our Guestline project manager and trainer have been brilliant throughout the whole process. My advice would be to choose your ‘live load’ team wisely – fewer is often better. Agree who will be completing refresher training when
you re-open and ensure you get your training plans organised as soon as possible. Q: How are you now benefiting? This investment makes our processes slicker, our guests experience has improved and our team is more effective and efficient - as well as being a lot less frustrated with the old system! In the short space of time that we’ve had the system, we can also see how much better the support is - Guestline’s online support portal is coming in very handy and their team are so helpful in answering our questions! Q: What would your advice be to other hoteliers in a similar situation? We are a family run hotel and are so pleased we switched systems; everyone we’ve met at Guestline has been lovely, the system is brilliant, and everyone is amazed at how easy it is! For more information, please visit www.guestline.com
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Push the boundaries on hotel security and guest convenience with ASSA ABLOY Global Solutions For more than 45 years, the ASSA ABLOY Global Solutions brand has become synonymous with spearheading technological innovation to create ever safer environments for hospitality businesses and their guests. The company’s solutions are leveraged by major hotel brands and independent properties around the world to provide their guests with the peace of mind and enhanced convenience that they rightfully expect. From RFID electronic door locks featuring the latest in security encryption to advanced digital key technologies able to conform to specific property requirements, ASSA ABLOY Global Solutions is the provider of choice that hoteliers have come to trust for all of their security access needs. With its Mobile Access platform, the company continues to raise the standard on what counts as secure and convenient contactless service. Allowing guests to bypass
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the front desk where germs may be present, Mobile Access ensures that guests can instantly receive their digital key granting room access without leading to a potential lapse in security. This it achieves by utilizing encrypted communication channels to transmit digital key data, ensuring that only authorized users can ever gain access to information. A solution designed with flexibility in mind, Mobile Access also offers a wide range of deployment options to fit the precise needs of any property or guest. Hoteliers can seamlessly integrate Mobile Access into their existing guestfacing mobile app or can enable it as a standalone solution. For hoteliers lacking their own mobile app but desiring additional functionalities, ASSA ABLOY Global Solutions provides hoteliers with the opportunity to leverage its Certified Partner program, allowing them to create a custom-tailored
experience that aligns perfectly with guest expectations. A constantly evolving solution able to keep pace with the industry’s latest trends, Mobile Access can even be used by guests without requiring them to use a separate app on their personal device. Other company solutions that are pushing the boundaries on hotel security capabilities include Vostio Access Management, a revolutionary cloud-based platform allowing employees to monitor and manage room access operations from virtually anywhere in the world. With Vostio Access Management, hoteliers can protect their business, guests and staff from new security vulnerabilities with automatic software updates that require no onsite assistance. Thanks to its cloud-based design, Vostio Access Management also means no costly onsite servers and no need for onsite maintenance.
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Sustainability and personalisation will prevail in 2022 Peter Moore, Lolly CEO, offers his predictions for a year of further change in hospitality – underpinned by technology 2021 has been another year of highs and lows for hospitality, with the joys of reopening shadowed by enduring challenges, including staff shortages, no-shows and supply issues.
As well as allergens, consumers are expecting more from hospitality providers in terms of detailed nutritional information and the carbon footprint of their products. They are interested in the whole supply chain, product origins, and what companies are doing to cut back on their carbon footprint.
As we move into a New Year, there will be several priorities we need to consider as we navigate our way through these turbulent times. We must not neglect the core values of sustainability and personalisation, as well as the duty of care we have to our customers in terms of safety and security. Hospitality technology will play a big part in the hospitality sector facilitating and embracing these values.
Environmental information that visually flags products with a high carbon-footprint, or shares the product origin, could begin to appear alongside allergens and nutritional data on app and self-serve unit menus, as well as on PoS software. Carbon-footprint calculators could be built into apps to allow users to calculate the environmental impact of their meal or drinks, down to the type of milk they choose for their coffee.
Reducing power consumption
Apps have peaked
Sustainability will be ingrained within every part of our lives moving forward. Technology companies should be reviewing the power consumption within their organisations, as well as assessing and strategising on how they can support clients in managing and reducing their power usage.
As predicted, apps have been prominent in 2021. Yet, we are now in the early stages of maturity
This relates to both hardware and software. Investing in and providing products that have lower power consumption, or building into software code hibernation modes, which allow for power cycles and automatic updates before opening every day, will help ease power usage reduction. Keeping customers informed - safety and sustainability Allergen management will continue to be a big topic and there is an ongoing process to develop the most seamless and effective processes to keep customers safe. As personalisation and data collection in the sector grows this will improve. For instance, automatic allergen alarms built into apps or software could support hospitality providers in safeguarding themselves and their customers. 18
and subsequent diversification in the tech life-cycle of this product. Their use will settle and solidify, particularly playing a big role for larger hospitality organisations and corporate caterers. However, consumers don’t want to download an app for every visit or experience. Web-based ordering, particularly in-house will remain a big trend. Tableside ordering, with QR codes, browser-based menus, ordering and payments software will continue to be popular in 2022. Technology providers need to ensure a secure, seamless process and complete integration with back office and kitchen, as well as loyalty and payments. Payment method experimentation New products and entrants to the market will continue, as the industry and consumer habits shift and experiment in the ‘new normal’. In 2021 we saw the extensive rollout of QR codes, and on a lesser scale pinon-glass and e-wallets. These
products are going to continue to change the marketplace and create more seamless payments. New products will also improve accessibility by reducing payment costs for merchants. Direct bank transfers (via QR codes and pay-by-link) are currently free, but at some point this will be commercialised by banks etc., as revenue is lost from other payment methods. Ensuring consumer protection should be a priority for technology providers, and hospitality businesses need to understand merchant liability. The new-look Windows 11 operating system was launched in October 2021, and with most hospitality tech operating on Windows software, in 2022 we will see a hardware refresh, as companies who are upgrading systems change their hardware to be compatible with the new OS. Alongside pin-on-glass and other more streamlined PoS and payments methods, this change will result in hospitality environments evolving to look slightly different and more modernised. This will happen slowly, but there are many bigger sites and companies with legacy systems that are going to need to start investing in upgrading their systems, so this will speed up the shift. In line with sustainable practices, technology providers should only be advising hardware updates only where it is necessary or beneficial from both a business and environmental standpoint. Continued tech adoption and acceptance cross-generations The older generations are still using tech and adopting new ones, which means that hospitality providers have even more reason to embrace technology - they can be confident the majority of their customers are ready. Generation Alpha are coming into the marketplace. They have fewer reservations about sharing their information, and this openness with data will impact and improve the hospitality experience, leading to greater personalisation. As we move into an uncertain 2022, technology adoption will continue to be critical to the movers and shakers of that year. 19
Eddie and LX610e Pro Turn Treats into Highlights Edible ink printer opens up new profits with the ability to print directly onto the surface of many food items. And their packaging is highlighted with stunning labels. DTM Print, an international OEM and solution provider for specialty printing systems, offers the perfect tools to first create individual sweets and confectionery and then produce stunning labels in any size and shape for their packaging. Eddie is the world’s first-and-only EU- and FDA-approved edible ink desktop printer for printing directly onto cookies and other food items. Personalised bakery and confectionery products are becoming increasingly popular now. For weddings, corporate hospitality and events at special times of the year, it’s a way of being ‘special’ and standing-out from the crowd. Up until now, bakers and pastry chefs use printed icing sheets, wafer papers and stencils to personalise products today. A method which works well, but is quite labour intensive, and relatively slow. As Eddie prints full-colour photos, logos, designs and text directly onto the surface of baked goods
and confectionery, it saves bakeries and confectionery businesses a lot of time as they no longer have to print on wafer paper or fondant/icing sheets and apply by hand. A highly professional look and great detail are realised, even on curved and uneven surfaces. Eddie turns treats into real eyecatchers and opens up new profits by offering branded and bespoke products. The direct-to-food printer has a small footprint; only 317 x 474 mm in size and weighs about 11 kg. Where space might be limited in a bakery or confectioners, it can easily be relocated. In automatic mode, Eddie can print typically 5-6 items per minute. It comes with design software for both Windows and MacOS, and is easy to set-up. DTM Print recently introduced the manual feed option along with custom food trays to make Eddie a very versatile to use food printer. If used with the included carousel feeder Eddie can print on suitable food items with a maximum diameter of 89 mm and 20-25 mm height. The manual mode extends these parameters to a maximum of
120 x 120 mm and allows thicker items with a maximum height of 27 mm. DTM Print designed several different trays including a tray for printing on Macarons. The company also offers the service to produce trays according to customer specifications. Food Industry Certifications Eddie is unique in the commercial food preparation business for many reasons, but none as important as for safety. Although edible ink printers have been sold and utilised in commercial applications such as photo cakes for more than a decade, none of them have been approved for this use by recognised, third-party certification organisations, making producer liability a serious concern. Eddie was instead designed from the beginning to meet or exceed all regulatory requirements for the specific purpose as an edible ink digital printer. The edible ink cartridge meets all FDA and EU standards for use as a food additive. The ink cartridge itself meets cGMP standards and the entire manufacturing and cartridge filling processes are FDA-compliant and cGMP certified. Last but not least Eddie has also been certified by NSF. “Personalisation is all the rage in today’s consumer and B2B markets,” said Andreas Hoffmann, Managing Director of DTM Print. “Eddie can produce new profits in commercial settings from bakeries to hotels, tradeshows, gift shops and amusement parks. Applications for personalised baked goods and confectionery include birthday parties, baby showers, anniversaries, Christmas and holiday gifts, trade show giveaways and souvenirs.”
Eddie Edible Ink Printer prints all kinds of designs directly onto the surface of baked goods and confectionery
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But the job is not done when the baked goods are produced. The packaging of them is at least as important as the wonderful and tasty items in it. Labels are a crucial part of the packaging. Labels definitely have a strong impact on the purchasing process of consumers. They first draw attention to a product, e.g. because of a special shape, structure or material, a certain colouring, photorealistic printing or special metallic highlights. Then labels contain plenty
of information (e.g. ingredients and allergens) that can influence consumers to buy a product. DTM Print offers a range of different label printers. One of them is the LX610e Pro Color Label Printer with the unique feature to print and cut any label shape with just one device in seconds. It combines colour inkjet label printing with a built-in digital die-cutting mechanism. Compared to other similarly priced colour label printers, the LX610e Pro offers outstanding advantages: - Print Quality: colour inkjet printing at up to 4800 dpi without horizontal banding – even on the fastest print speeds. - Interchangeable Dye or Pigment Inks: with a blink of an eye the ink cartridge is swapped-out to print either with dye-based ink for brilliant, eye-popping colour or with pigment ink for maximum durability against water and UV light.
LX610e Pro Color Label Printer is perfect to print and cut any label shape.
- Super Low Maintenance with Single Ink SKU: the printer utilises an ultra-high capacity single CMY ink cartridge. Users will only need to replace and keep on-hand one item instead of multiple. In addition they get a brand new printhead each time they change the cartridge, simplifying maintenance and dramatically lowering on-going operating costs for cleaning and service. - Green Footprint: eco-friendly and sustainable with ultra low energy consumption, ultra low weight by using less material, non-toxic ink supplies as well as 100% recyclable components. Eddie sells for € 2,695 (MSRP) and the Eddie food trays cost € 29.95 (MSRP) each. The LX610e Pro is priced at € 2,795 (MSRP). All DTM Print units within the EU (including EFTA countries) get up to 36 months warranty: 12 months provided with the purchase and the option of extra 24 months for free after registering the product on the company website (register.dtmprint.eu) within the first 6 months of purchase. Product details and videos are available at dtm-print.eu. Follow DTM Print on Facebook at www.facebook.com/dtm.print.1986/ and on Twitter at www.twitter.com/DTM_Print_.
Custom shaped and personalised product label printed and cut with LX610e Pro.
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Take advantage of innovative POS technology During the last 18 months, the pandemic has forced many hospitality venues to face unprecedented challenges and adopt new practices in order to stay afloat in a turbulent landscape. Technology has been a key enabler and, as a peripheral manufacturer, Star has observed a huge technological shift when it comes to delivery, takeaway and dine-in. With this trend continuing, innovative POS technology has an increasingly important role to play in meeting higher customer expectations as well as demand for greater levels of convenience and choice. David Pearce, Technical Director, Star Micronics EMEA talks about the printing technology available for order and pay apps and web-based ordering systems for hospitality.
What different ways are you seeing hospitality venues enabling customer ordering? Many restaurants are using a separate app from the POS which is sometimes quicker to get up and running than adding required new features to the existing POS system. Some are using kiosks or BYOD as entry systems and for food ordering. What are the advantages and disadvantages of a web site versus an app for customer ordering? This will differ for each venue depending on the customer base, budget and required features. We’ve seen customers adapting an existing e-commerce site or setting up a new web site for food ordering which allows them to get online quickly initially. Alternatively, a native app can offer a wider range of features, encourage repeat
business and has the advantage of being able to use locally connected printers over USB or Bluetooth. Progressive Web Apps allow a hybrid approach with a single development suitable for any operating system supporting web browsing in HTML5. Web apps now support the use of device hardware for QR scanning for example, but printing customer orders and receipts has sometimes proved challenging in the past. Star has produced several services and protocols allowing POS or kiosk vendors to print directly from a web-based app to a local, network or cloud-based printer. What type of printing technologies have been required with the growth of online ordering and order at table software? With the increased use of apps and web-based software, printing an order directly to a kitchen or bar printer saves time and increases order accuracy. Our support team has been helping software developers and web design companies with standard drivers and SDKs for printing from POS systems, Android and iOS tablets as well as technology to enable webbased printing without having to worry about browser settings such as margins and headers across different platforms. We’ve seen strong demand for cloud technologies which are able to pull orders directly from an online ordering system at defined intervals and print these remotely in a kitchen or bar without requiring an additional tablet or device to key in the order. Auto-printing simplifies operations and staff do not have to worry about anything other than receiving the orders. The technology extends across thermal printers and dot matrix kitchen printers for paper tickets as well as food labels. In fact, Star’s unique CloudPRNT™ label printers allow the user to connect the printer to centrally held allergy labelling software and online databases of product ingredients for printers in multiple locations to directly print label updates as needed.
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CloudPRNT is relatively simple to set up using your own host server and Star’s intelligent printers. However, for those who prefer a fully managed service with no backend knowledge, Star has recently introduced StarPrinter.online which is a dedicated service for retail and hospitality owners to manage their printer estate with zero to minimal set up time, and cost. This allows printing direct from an ordering website via API or even via email with zero integration, just forward your order email directly to the chef’s printer for preparation. Which additional printer features can make a real difference when using online ordering or order and pay apps?
This means the chef can receive a remote order, prepare it, and simply scan the receipt back to the server to alert the in-restaurant staff, delivery company or purchaser that the order is ready for transit. We’ve also seen an increase in the use of bump bars attached to the printer to accept/reject orders to the cloud service.
Visit Star at Restaurant & Bar Tech Live (Stand G70) to find out how we can help your venue take advantage of innovative POS technology. www.Star-EMEA.com
A seamless ordering process means hospitality owners can fully focus on managing a potentially large number of customers ordering their food and drinks from any location.
Technologies which effectively ‘tether’ tablets to the network enable tablets and mobile devices to remain online without having to connect by WiFi, removing the possibility of missing orders. The fact that some of the printers can also act as a hub with a connected barcode reader to directly inform the server that an order is ready without any manual keying is useful.
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Take your hotel to the next level with hungrrr technology The modern day traveller demands both ease and efficiency from their hotel experience. Whether guests are gracing your property for a holiday, business trip or other special occasion, exceed their expectations by introducing your very own website and mobile app, powered by hungrrr technology.
- Introduce table ordering in all dining and drinks venues via the app
From room service and table ordering solutions, to guest assistance and booking systems for leisure activities, satisfy their every need at the touch of a button, improving overall guest experience whilst driving sales and revenue.
Leisure & merchandise sales tool
Our solutions are designed exclusively for the hospitality industry, enhancing customer experience, driving sales and enabling our partners to stand out from their competitors.
- Guests can place orders and request bill at touch of a button - Reduce pressure on waiting staff during busy periods
- Allow guests to book leisure activities offered at your property via the app - Manage spa bookings, outdoor excursions and more - Showvase merchandise items you have on sale & have purchases delivered to guests’ rooms
Features for your function space - Make it easier to host weddings, charity balls and other special occasions - Offer pre-ordering for events as well as table ordering on the app - Reduce lengthy bar queues, allow guests to browse for longer and increase average spend In addition to our feature-rich technology, we also have an experienced hotels team, with extensive knowledge of the hotel service offering and tailoring a tech solution. They’ll be on hand to support you every step of the way when you choose hungrrr for your website and mobile app.
Virtual room service solution
Streamlined guest services & assistance
- Manage room service orders directly from your app
- Allow guests to request support directly from the app
- Allow your kitchen team to manage requests as they come through
- Replace toiletries, provide WiFi passwords and more with ease
There’s never been a better time to sign up, as our next 100 customers will receive the service free, forever*. That’s right – you’ll have no setup fee, no monthly fee and no commission on orders, with all hardware at cost. All you’ll have to cover is the cost of your merchant services with our nominated partner.
- Send requests directly to your house-keeping staff or porters
Call 0330 900 2273 to request a free demo or email sales@hungrrr.co.uk.
Table ordering from dining outlets
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Feature-rich technology for hotels Room service Guest assistance Order to table Order to meeting space Order to function room Merchandise sales Virtual concierge offering
Find out more about hungrrr
hungrrr.co.uk sales@hungrrr.co.uk
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2022 Feature List January
July
• Finance & Accounting Software • Printer & Labelling Solutions • Restaurant Technology • Security
• Apps • Contactless Payment Solutions • Guest Feedback Software • Security
February
August
• Contactless Payment Solutions • Hospitality Management Software • Hotel In-Room Technology • Staff Rota Software
• EPOS • Music & Sound • Reservation & Booking Software • Staff Rota Software
March
September
• Apps • Guest Feedback Software • Online Order & Pay • Wi-Fi & Connectivity
• Finance & Accounting Software • Printer & Labelling Solutions • Restaurant Technology • Wi-Fi & Connectivity
April
October
• EPOS • Hotel TVs • Music & Sound • Reservation & Booking Software
• Apps • Contactless Payment Solutions • Security • Staff Rota Software
May
November
• Hospitality Management Software • Printer & Labelling Solutions • Restaurant Technology • Training & Recruitment
• Hospitality Management Software • Hotel In-Room Technology • Music & Sound • Online Order & Pay
June
December
• Digital Menus & Signs • Hotel In-Room Technology • Online Order & Pay • Wi-Fi & Connectivity
• EPOS • Finance & Accounting Software • Hotel TVs • Reservation & Booking Software
Features in next months issue are on: • Contactless Payment Solutions • Hospitality Management Software • Hotel In-Room Technology • Staff Rota Software “A dedicated hub to get information on the latest technology used in the hospitality sector!”