September 02, 2022
Siegel Sez
About a year ago, I stayed at a Marriott hotel in Maryland for one night. I was there for a local meeting the next morning. As an ex-hotelier at one point (when I was much younger), I had to work in the housekeeping department and clean rooms. I wish everybody who has ever stayed in a hotel had that experience. Housekeepers are probably the hardest workers in a hotel, so, of course, I always leave a tip for the person doing my room. Even though we are getting closer to a cashless world, I usually have some cash in my pocket. But that night in Maryland all I had was a $20 bill. I went to the front desk to get change and it was the first time I had a hotel tell me they didn’t have cash at the front desk. I thought about it – why would they? Just to make change? I eventually was able to get the bill broken and left my tip, but as we travel further into the cashless world, I figure it is time to adapt. The advisory board for next week’s Hospitality Upgrade CIO Summit also brought up digital tipping as an important topic and we have a great session on the program sharing the impact it is having. Doug Rice in his Definitely Doug column that follows, does another masterful job looking at the challenges that lie ahead as hotels look at options for digital tipping. As a hotelier or a traveler, I encourage you to read Doug’s column. Hotels need a digital tipping option but how they get to offering it today isn’t simple, but must be addressed. It is amazing how many travelers travel without cash. Do you? We thank Doug for another great job sharing his research with us.
Speaking of next week’s CIO Summit, it is truly a labor of love putting it together. There is an amazing crowd this year with many having traveled a long way to join us. Most of the brands are there along with the hotel management companies from the big guys to those who have unique non-branded hotels in their portfolio. The knowledge that is shared during the sessions and roundtable and the fun stuff we do bringing people together is always memorable. We all learn a lot sharing what we know. Next week can’t get here soon enough.
We celebrate Labor Day here in the U.S. on Monday and with it is the end of summer. Everybody has opinions on what to expect as the summer travel season ends. For the travel industry is the worst really behind us? We shall see. Here now is the aforementioned Definitely Doug column on digital tipping followed by the latest happenings in the tech world for the hotel industry. I will see you at the end with this week’s attempt at you-know-what. Wish us luck at the CIO Summit next week. A full recap will be in our upcoming Fall 2022 issue of Hospitality Upgrade. If you are not a subscriber, please do so at
www.hospitalityupgrade.com/subscribe. This is our 30th year of sharing information. Changes with technology never ends!
Have a great Labor Day weekend,
Rich
rich@hospitalityupgrade.com
Definitely Doug
I first wrote about digital tipping
two years ago, when the pandemic had led many consumers to prefer contactless interactions. The idea was just emerging then, and the products still had rough edges. Two years later, digital tipping is clearly emerging as a trend, with at least 10 to 12 companies in the field having gained some early traction. However, it is still far from a mature application, and many hotels are struggling with whether and how to implement it. Friction for guests, tipped staff, and hotel accounting staff is lessening, but it is still not as easy as it needs to be.
Many hotel finance department are familiar with
Evention, and think of them when they hear the words “digital tipping.” This is incorrect. To be sure, Evention is an important player in distributing and accounting for tips at catered events. But digital tipping refers to customers tipping workers using only their phones (or another device), without cash. Evention does not currently support this, although they do manage some of the back-office processes required for any kind of tips. I would not be surprised to see them move into digital tipping, but so far they have left the field to others.
Digital tipping matters because many hotel staff, and particularly housekeepers, have long depended in part on cash tips, yet guests are carrying less and less cash. The Federal Reserve
recently reported that the share of consumer payments made in cash dropped from 31% in 2017 to 20% in 2021. If that trend continues, we could be a cashless society in about six more years. If staff cannot earn as much in tips, then hotels will need to raise wages to attract and retain them. And attracting and retaining staff has become the number one issue for most hotels coming out of the pandemic.
Early adopters have found other benefits of digital tipping. Cash tips went largely unreported, and often caused human resource issues, either because staff pocketed tips that should have been pooled, or because unpooled tips were allocated according to “finders keepers,” which often meant that the person receiving the tip may not have been the one who performed the associated service. This has been particularly true for longer stays, where a different housekeeper might clean the room on the departure day and collect a tip that was intended mostly for the one who had cleaned it on each of five previous days.
Click here to read more of Doug’s column Got Any Hot Tips?
CORPORATE NEWS
- Hospitality Software Innovator Agilysys Named to Finalist Shortlist in Three Categories for the 2022 UK Business Technology Awards
The UK Business Tech Awards, which celebrate companies that demonstrate an exceptional application of technology to transform and grow businesses in the United Kingdom, has shortlisted hospitality software innovator Agilysys in three award categories for 2022. Judged by an independent panel of leading technology experts, the final winners will be announced at a gala dinner and awards ceremony in London on Thursday, October 20th.
www.agilysys.com
- myDigitalOffice in the top 12% of fastest-growing private companies in the U.S
myDigitalOffice (MDO), a world fastest growing hotel performance management platform, today announced its rank on the annual Inc. 5000 List, which highlights the fastest-growing private companies in America. Following a three-year run where the company grew by over 1,000%, MDO came in at #608 overall, and is the sixth fastest growing private company in all of Travel and Hospitality.
mydigitaloffice.com
- Knowland Makes the Skift Idea Awards Shortlist
Knowland, the world’s leading provider of data-as-a-service insights on meetings and events for hospitality, announced today that it has made the 2022 Skift Idea Awards shortlist for its contribution to industry recovery forecast communications.
www.knowland.com
PEOPLE ON THE MOVE
- SALTO Systems Names Mike Mahon as Senior Director of National Business Partners
SALTO Systems, a leading manufacturer of electronic access control and operating system solutions designed to provide a seamless keyless and mobile experience for modern buildings and facilities, has named Michael Mahon as Senior Director of National Business Partners.
www.salto.us
- Cendyn names Kendall Gallagher new Chief of Staff
Cendyn, a catalyst for digital transformation in the hospitality industry, is excited to announce the appointment of Kendall Gallagher as the new chief of staff for the company.
www.cendyn.com
GUEST MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS
- Sage Hospitality Group Selects Stayntouch PMS and Guest Kiosk for Catbird and Other Independent & Lifestyle Properties
- BWH Hotel Group® Makes Oracle OPERA Cloud Available to All Hotels
- Sunseeker, Florida’s Newest Waterfront Resort to Open in 2023 with Maestro PMS
- Hotel Groups Benefit from Streamlined Multi-Property Management with Stayntouch PMS’ Enhanced Chain Functionality
- MOP by Visual Matrix Makes It Easy to Comply with Hotel Panic Button and Emergency Safety Device (ESD) City Ordinances
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For more information on Guest Management Systems for 9/2/2022
RESERVATIONS & DISTRIBUTION
- Travel Outlook the Premier Hotel Call Center™ Expands Agent Sales Training
New training program in partnership with KTN's Doug Kennedy emphasizes a conversational, caller-focused approach for distribution channel conversion.
www.traveloutlook.com
- Guldsmeden Hotels Chooses SHR’s Windsurfer CRS and Maverick CRM
Guldsmeden Hotels, a sustainable, privately owned Danish boutique hotel chain with 10 locations throughout Europe, will partner with SHR to improve the guest experience and drive revenue at each touchpoint of their guest's journey.
www.shr.global
REVENUE MANAGEMENT AND ANALYTICS
- Duetto Chosen by Soul Community Planet (SCP) Hotels for Revenue Optimization
Duetto, the hospitality industry’s leading software as a service provider (SaaS) of revenue strategy solutions, announced today that its revenue strategy platform has been selected by Soul Community Planet (SCP), a purpose-driven Holistic Hospitality company, to optimize revenue across its growing portfolio of hotel properties.
www.duettocloud.com
- Nobu Hotels Selects IDeaS as Preferred RMS Provider for its Branded Properties
IDeaS, a SAS company, a leading provider of hospitality revenue management software and services, announced its G3 Revenue Management Software (RMS) is now the exclusive revenue management provider for Nobu Hotels.
ideas.com
GUEST FACING TECHNOLOGY
- SUN & MOON Riverside Hotel Selects INTELITY to Integrate Tech in Supporting Guests
INTELITY, provider of one of hospitality’s leading guest experience and staff management platforms, announced a deal with SUN & MOON Riverside Hotel to implement the INTELITY platform and mobile app with mobile check-in and mobile key for a fully digital guest experience.
www.intelity.com
COMMUNICATIONS & INFRASTRUCTURE
- 45 Steps- The Culinary Beachside Inn Partners with HIS for Enhanced Online Connectivity and Guestroom Entertainment
Hotel Internet Services (HIS), a full-service provider of internet services and solutions for the hospitality industry, has been credited with boosting guest Wi-Fi service performance and providing advanced content streaming abilities at 45 Steps- The Culinary Beachside Inn.
www.hotelwifi.com
FOOD & BEVERAGE
- Clear Sky's Beverage Inventory Control System Helping the Detroit Marriott Troy
Clear Sky Software, Inc. ® announced today that the Detroit Marriott Troy Hotel is up and running on Clear Sky Software’s beverage inventory control system. This hotel selected Clear Sky Software to help control all beer, liquor and wine inventory. Called Clear Sky BEVERAGE, this system is a comprehensive, perpetual inventory system that tracks and controls all beverage products.
www.clearskysoftware.com
PAYMENT PROCESSING
- Maestro Cloud PMS Solves Card-Not-Present Concerns with b4checkin’s TransForm Integration Thereby Streamlining Payment Processing for Hotel Stays
Maestro PMS is making paying for hotel stays easier than ever before thanks to the recent integration with b4checkin Ltd.’s online payment platform, TransForm.
www.maestropms.com
OPERATIONS
- Leading Hotels of the World Selects ALICE by Actabl as an Exclusive Provider of Guest Services, Housekeeping and Service Delivery Solutions
Actabl, the industry’s first and only integrated hotel operations, business intelligence and labor management solution, today announced that its ALICE by Actabl platform has been selected by The Leading Hotels of the World (LHW) as one of its exclusive vendors providing housekeeping, guest services, and service delivery technology solutions to the LHW portfolio worldwide.
www.actabl.com
HUMAN RESOURCES
- KSL Resorts Maintains Growth Trajectory with UniFocus Serving as Brand Standard for Labor Management and Intelligent Staff Scheduling Technology
UniFocus, the leading provider of Workforce Management Systems, today announced an ongoing expansion as the official provider of intelligent, fully-automated labor management and time and attendance platforms for KSL Resorts.
www.unifocus.com
SECURITY
- SALTO Partners with Southwest Architectural Sales to Increase Presence in Texas and Neighboring States
SALTO Systems, a leading manufacturer of electronic access control and operating system solutions designed to provide a keyless experience for modern buildings, has hired Southwest Architectural Sales (SWAS), LLC, to sell and market SALTO’s innovative security products in Texas and neighboring states in the South.
www.salto.us
- Kalahari Resorts & Conventions Combines Latest in Hotel Security with Enhanced Guest Convenience by Deploying ASSA ABLOY Global Solutions Technology
ASSA ABLOY Global Solutions, a leading provider of advanced security technology for the hospitality industry, today announces the successful adoption of several of its innovative RIFD door lock technologies alongside its Visionline access management system by Kalahari Resorts & Conventions.
assaabloyglobalsolutions.com/hospitality
- VENZA Adds Eight New PEAK Basic Learning Path Language Translations
VENZA’s core PEAK Basic Learning Path, an introduction to the fundamental principles of information security, has received a significant upgrade with the addition of eight new language translations. Now offered in Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, and Thai, in addition to its original English version, PEAK provides coverage to a much more expansive user base than ever before.
www.VENZAgroup.com
HOSPITALITY EDUCATION
- NevoTV Opens New Horizons for Students at the School of Hotel and Restaurant Management, Northern Arizona University
Hotel and Restaurant Management program prepares students for management positions in the luxury segment, offering a wide range of job opportunities all over the world.
www.nevotek.com
HOSPITALITY EVENTS AND ASSOCIATION NEWS
- Major Hospitality Associations Announce Endorsement for HITEC 2023 in Toronto
Following up on the success and broad support of the 2022 Hospitality Industry Technology Exposition and Conference (HITEC), preparations are underway for Toronto where the hospitality technology event will be held on June 26–29, 2023 at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre.
www.hftp.org
- VENZA Leadership to Present on Key Topics at Upcoming HFTP Annual Conference
Two of VENZA’s leaders will attend and speak at the upcoming 2022 Hospitality Financial and Technology Professional (HFTP) Annual Convention, held from September 14-16 in Austin, TX.
www.VENZAgroup.com
- HFTP Announces 2022 Paragon Award Recipient – Daniel N. Conti, Jr., CHAE+
Daniel N. Conti, Jr., CHAE+ was selected as the 2022 Hospitality Financial and Technology Professionals (HFTP®) Paragon Award recipient for his unwavering support of the association and substantial knowledge-sharing contributions as a frequent speaker and mentor to fellow HFTP members. Conti is the chief financial officer for Jupiter Island Holdings, Inc. in Hobe Sound, Florida USA.
www.hftp.org
PIQUED OUR INTEREST
- How Data Can Help Hotels Navigate Today's Distorted Reality
- 8 Iconic Movie Hotels You Can Actually Visit and Stay In
- The Hotel that Inspired 'Dirty Dancing' Has Burned Down
- How DID and SSI Will Transform the Travel Experience Market
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For more information on Piqued Our Interest for 9/2/2022
And now for the You-Know-What...
