Posts by author

Tony Loeb

2314 posts

Tony Loeb, un expert reconnu de l'industrie hôtelière et du marketing digital, a gravi les échelons de sa carrière, passant de webmaster à Directeur Technique puis co-fondateur de WIHP où il participe à la création Meta I/O. Il a ensuite lancé "Experience", le premier CRM hôtelier mondial, révolutionnant l'expérience client et aidant plus de 4500 hôtels. Actuellement, il innove avec 10minhotel.com, une plateforme et une base de connaissance pour hôteliers, combinant ses passions pour l'hôtellerie et le marketing. Le site propose également un podcast informatif, "10 min pour un hôtelier", démontrant l'engagement continu de Tony pour l'innovation dans l'industrie hôtelière.

4 min

How Identity Verification is Transforming the Face of Hospitality

🛃 The hospitality industry is integrating AI for identity verification, enhancing security and customer experience. Traditional manual checks are giving way to AI-powered systems, like self-check-in kiosks in hotels, which verify identities in seconds, or digital pre-check systems for airlines, exemplified by Delta FlyReady. These AI solutions can spot inconsistencies and fake IDs more effectively than humans. As digital IDs emerge, they will further streamline the identity verification process, reducing human intervention and security risks. AI and LLMs evolve to detect fraud more accurately, suggesting a future with less face-to-face interaction in hospitality and more automated experiences. Albert Roux of Microblink, with 20+ years' experience in fraud and identity solutions, champions these advancements for smoother, safer travel.

4 min

Unlocking Data’s Full Potential for Hospitality Brands: The Journey to Collaboration

✈ By 2026, ad spending on travel-focused commerce media is projected to reach $2.96 billion. In 2025, the travel industry will be characterized by seamless, personalized experiences facilitated by technology, where successful brands will utilize first-party data and integrate emerging technologies. Airlines, hotels, entertainment providers, and rideshare apps will collaborate to share insights and create targeted marketing campaigns, enhancing customer engagement and loyalty. Delta's partnership with DraftKings exemplifies how industry partnerships can scale growth and revenue through data-driven personalized promotions. Hospitality brands will increasingly monetize first-party data, following the retail media networks' lead, by creating advertising partnerships and media networks that deliver targeted ads across various platforms, including connected TV.

0 min

Issue 60: A Bulletin for Big Ideas and Better Business

10 min

Jenna Fishel Promoted to Chief Commercial Officer at First Hospitality

🍴 The 2025 National Restaurant Association Restaurant, Hotel-Motel Show® will take place from May 17–20 and showcase the Kitchen Innovations (KI) Award winners, exhibiting groundbreaking foodservice equipment and technology. The Show attracts a diverse foodservice industry audience, including equipment dealers, operators, and educators. KI Award recipients range from Alto-Shaam's Origin™ convection ovens to American Metalcraft's BuffetBoost™ Warming Block and Atosa USA's Chillstream™ Undercounter Frozen Food Dispenser. Innovations address streamlining workflows, improving sustainability, and enhancing consistency, with features such as high-velocity airflow cooking, wireless heating, fresh brew tea dispensing, and automated egg cooking. Additional highlighted products include Carter-Hoffmann's CHrisper Station, Charter House Innovations' RoboFry X4, and Ecolab's integrated Digital Kitchen App. The event will also feature discussions and networking opportunities focused on the impact of cutting-edge kitchen equipment on foodservice operations.

DerbySoft Announces Executive Changes to Strengthen Hospitality Business Unit and Enhance Global Market Presence

🍴 The National Restaurant Association Restaurant, Hotel-Motel Show announced the 2025 Kitchen Innovations (KI) Award winners, recognizing advancements in foodservice equipment and technology. The Show, scheduled for May 17–20, will feature these innovations in the Kitchen Innovations Showroom. Key products include Alto-Shaam's Origin™ convection ovens with Structured Air Technology™, American Metalcraft's BuffetBoost™ Warming Block, and Appliance Innovation's SimpliciTea 1500 for fresh brewed tea. Alto-Shaam's ovens improve kitchen efficiency, while the BuffetBoost™ Warming Block heats up to 190°F for maintaining food temperatures. SimpliciTea 1500 offers automated brewing and eliminates waste, enhancing profitability. Additional innovations like Atosa USA's Chillstream™ Undercounter Frozen Food Dispenser and Bridge Appliances' OMM Automated Egg Cooker streamline foodservice operations.

2 min

Inside Jollibee, City Barbecue, and Blaze Pizza’s Personalization Strategies

😋 At MURTEC 2025, leaders from Jollibee Foods Corp., City Barbecue, and Blaze Pizza discussed enhancing guest experience through personalization. Jollibee focuses on individual guest engagement, while City Barbecue, with 80% loyalty transactions online but only 4% in drive-thrus, partnered with Flybuy Networks for Bluetooth check-ins. Blaze Pizza introduced kiosks and QR codes for in-store order flexibility. City Barbecue leverages a Customer Data Platform for targeted marketing based on first-time guest preferences, realizing a 60% retention rate when new guests join loyalty programs, compared to 20% without membership. Jollibee uses data tokenization for comprehensive customer profiles.

1 min

Case Study: Transforming Connectivity and Customer Engagement at Church’s Texas Chicken

📡 Church’s Texas Chicken encountered frequent connectivity downtimes, affecting customer service and daily operations. SVP & CIO Ahnaf Ali highlighted the absence of backup systems and the need for digital platform integration, including POS, mobile app, and digital signage. The brand aimed to improve customer engagement with dynamic digital signage, in-store Wi-Fi, and AI-driven enhancements, necessitating a scalable technology solution.

3 min

Unlocking Employee Performance With Training Tech

💾 During a 2025 MURTEC University session, Felicia White and Jason Lechner discussed how 83% of organizations use Learning Management Systems (LMS), with mobile learning boosting productivity by 80%. Pizza Ranch, with 220 locations, uses LMS for consistent training and saw a 5.9-month increase in employee retention for top users. Gamified learning increases retention rates 10-fold, leading to a 41% decrease in turnover at Pizza Ranch, surpassing industry benchmarks by 51%. VR training can improve retention by 75%, while a 3% drop in turnover correlates with a 3% decrease in labor costs, and top-performing locations see a 10% higher operating income.

9 min

The state of AI: How organizations are rewiring to capture value

📊 Large companies ($500M+ annual revenue) are advancing quickly in gen AI use, outpacing smaller organizations in adopting and scaling gen AI. More than 75% of respondents report AI use in at least one business function. CEO oversight of AI governance correlates with higher bottom-line impact, especially in larger companies where 28% of respondents note CEOs manage AI governance. Workflow redesign and centralized AI deployment are key strategies, with 21% having fundamentally redesigned workflows. Risk mitigation efforts have increased, focusing on inaccuracy, cybersecurity, and IP infringement. Hiring for AI-related roles remains high; 13% have hired AI compliance specialists, and 6% AI ethics specialists. Organizations are reskilling employees to adapt to AI, with a notable emphasis on new activities. AI use climbed to 78% in 2024 across businesses, with gen AI use also rising sharply to 71%. However, significant enterprise-wide EBIT impact from gen AI has yet to materialize for over 80% of organizations. The survey, conducted from July 16-31, 2024, included 1,491 participants from 101 nations.

National Restaurant Association Show Announces 24 Kitchen Innovations Award Recipients for 2025

🍴 The National Restaurant Association Restaurant, Hotel-Motel Show® announced the 2025 Kitchen Innovations (KI) Award winners, showcasing groundbreaking foodservice equipment and technology. The Show is scheduled for May 17–20, offering an exploration of new trends and products, with KI Award winners featured in the Kitchen Innovations Showroom. Innovations include Alto-Shaam's Origin™ convection ovens with Structured Air Technology™, American Metalcraft's BuffetBoost™ Warming Block heating to 190°F in 7 minutes, and Appliance Innovation's SimpliciTea 1500 for fresh brewed tea. Other highlights are Atosa USA's Chillstream™ Undercounter Frozen Food Dispenser, Bridge Appliances' OMM Automated Egg Cooker producing perfect eggs in about 3 minutes, Carter-Hoffmann CHrisper Station for twice the standard holding time, and Charter House Innovations' RoboFry X4, a compact fry automation solution. Technologies like Metafoodx's AI food scanner, Middleby Marshall's LongWave IR Oven with a 33% higher temperature limit, and Newton CFV's Gravity Beverage Fountain System using IoT for optimal operations were also recognized. The Show brings together industry professionals, including equipment dealers, operators, and restaurant owners to discover solutions to enhance operations and growth.

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