INSPIRE, a global event solutions company owned by Ashford Inc., is pleased to announce the appointment of Sayi Puligandla as Chief Operating Officer.

In this position, Puligandla will oversee human resources, hospitality operations, information technology, and other projects to support the entire organization.

Puligandla brings to INSPIRE an extensive background in the hospitality industry and valuable experience in data, analytics, and building efficient operational units for accelerated growth. He was an executive vice president and a founding member of Nor1 (acquired by Oracle in 2020), a known pioneer and industry leader in hospitality upsell technology, where he architected and developed the analytics and BI infrastructure that paved the way for Nor1’s upsell science.

Upon Oracle’s acquisition of Nor1 in 2020, Sayi continued managing all aspects of Nor1’s Global Gaming business as its Senior Director, as well as Business Development and Strategic Account Management for all Nor1’s Global Accounts which included several of the ten largest hotel chains.

“Sayi is incredibly talented and a proven leader. His unparalleled background and expertise will propel us toward our goals and ensure we achieve individualized, valuable solutions for our clients,” said Chuck Bauman, CEO of INSPIRE. 

Cloud5 Communications, a provider of communications and technology solutions for more than 5,000 hotels, MDUs, and commercial facilities across the Americas, announced the appointment of telecommunications expert, Jerry Gore, as company CTO.  

Gore joins Cloud5 following an impressive career spanning more than 20 years wherein he has specialized in telecommunications architecture and integration, as well as software development and support services. Most recently, Gore served as CIO and CTO for CrossCom, a leading lifecycle technology solutions provider for several of the largest retail chain businesses within the US. While at CrossCom, Gore oversaw the company’s transition from providing telecommunications services to serving as a full on-premise technology provider. Leveraging his expertise in technology and software development, Gore also successfully spearheaded integration efforts for companies acquired by CrossCom, and launched a new help desk division that leveraged automation to provide excellence in retail customer support operations.   

“We are excited to welcome Jerry to the Cloud5 team,” said Mark Holzberg, CEO of Cloud5 Communications. “As we continue to innovate, develop deeper integrations with key technologies and partners and bring even greater value and support to clients, Jerry’s expertise and leadership will be critical to our continued success.” 

Earlier in his career, Gore has served as a consultant for Centric Consulting, and founded LOIS, Inc., a software development consulting firm. Jerry holds a BA from Illinois Wesleyan University and is also a graduate of Harvard Business School’s advanced management program.

Let us Nudge, a restaurant seating maximization technology, announces the launch of its [email protected] platform backed by NudgeAI. 

[email protected] allows for restaurants to nudge customers at home with incentives to visit the restaurant, such as discounts, free food, new menu items and more. The customers can accept or deny the nudge and if accepted, the restaurant receives a notification the customer is headed in.

Let us Nudge, which serves large franchise chains, fine dining and small family-owned restaurants, launched with its in-restaurant solution, Nudge Table Turnover. Nudge Table Turnover optimizes restaurant traffic and frequency by gently nudging customers during busy times to aid in table turnover with incentives. The Nudge Table Turnover solution has helped restaurants increase revenue by 20%, according to the company.

Both solutions are powered by NudgeAI, a patent-pending SaaS technology that delivers real-time data and analytics to help restaurant owners and operators improve their targeted marketing and campaign management. According to SmallBiz Genius, 95 percent of restaurants feel technology can improve restaurant efficiency, including food cost management, staffing and consumer traffic flow.

Chowly, a restaurant technology company that integrates third-party delivery marketplaces with point-of-sale (POS) systems, has acquired Koala, a guest experience platform that empowers established and emerging restaurant brands to elevate their digital ordering experience across web, app and kiosk to drive immediate results. The combined business will represent over 16,000 restaurant locations on the platform, integrating over 350,000 orders per day across the US.

“We’re thrilled to welcome Koala to the Chowly team,” said Sterling Douglass, co-founder and CEO, Chowly. “Merging these two businesses together represents a major leap forward in the mission of both organizations as we help restaurants navigate today’s complicated digital world. Koala’s open platform meshes perfectly with Chowly’s, while also giving restaurants a simpler experience for their off-premise strategies. We plan on bringing Koala’s best-in-class, enterprise-grade ordering to the SMB restaurant space and blend our partnership ecosystems while continuing to support their success in the enterprise restaurant space.”

71% say the ability to integrate with other systems is driving their POS purchase decisions, according to HT’s2 2023 POS Software Trends Report.

SMB and independent restaurant owners will soon gain access to a more sophisticated and holistic solution, including enterprise-grade online ordering, advanced data analytics, and proven machine learning recommendation engines for increasing basket sizes. Sophisticated native iOS apps, open platforms, and multi-platform support have long been relegated to the largest of enterprises, but are now being democratized for the independent restaurateur.

The leadership team at Koala, Walter Beller-Morales, Melanie Norton and Brett Spiegel will play a critical role in integrating the two companies’ solutions in conjunction with Chowly’s leadership. Koala’s CEO Nat Trienens will remain temporarily to help shepherd the integration of the two companies.

Chowly brings significant scale to the expanded organization, representing more than 12,000 locations and 3,000 brands. The company has delivered a consistent record of product innovation, best-in-class implementation time and POS integrations, and a strong value-driven sales team. By adding Koala’s strengths with product-leading features such as top tier conversion rates, enterprise-grade stability, a highly-customizable user experience and a machine learning engine for recommendations to maximize basket size, the combined company will be positioned for significant growth as a market leader.

Hostaway, a vacation rental management software company, has partnered with global travel technology provider Amadeus to distribute short-term rental properties worldwide.

This partnership supports a growing interest in alternative accommodations within the travel industry, both from leisure travelers and business travelers craving more flexibility and choice. As the number of remote workers increases, ‘blended’ travel combining work and leisure time has firmly rooted itself in corporate culture. As such, travelers and their agents are looking for properties that can satisfy their unique needs more than ever before.

Now Hostaway property managers looking to expand their distribution networks have the option to connect with Amadeus and distribute their own content thanks to LinkHotel technology. This not only adds to the wide variety of accommodations available in the Amadeus Travel Platform but allows Hostaway users to reach Amadeus’ vast network of travel agents to unlock new revenue. 

Marcus Räder, CEO & Co-Founder of Hostaway, said: “Short-term rentals have always attracted a dedicated customer base of leisure travelers. Over the last two years, they have also proved their value to business travelers who want more flexibility. We wanted our property managers to be able to reach these guests and connecting with Amadeus was by far the best way of achieving this on a large scale. We’re proud to reveal it today.”

Mirja Sickel, VP Hospitality Distribution, Amadeus, said: “As global travel resumes, it’s important we continue to grow our network with a wide range of properties suited to today’s life and travel-styles. By selecting Amadeus’ LinkHotel, Hostaway property owners are empowered to update and send information to a global network of travel agencies instantly with complete control over changes to inventory, rates, and availability.”  

Property managers can learn more about the Amadeus connection by visiting the Hostaway marketplace at hostaway.com. 

Forty-year hospitality industry technologist Neil Schubert has joined Canada-based Hotel Communication Network (HCN) as Chief Product Officer. With 20 of those years spent spearheading the technology initiatives for Marriott International, Schubert brings to HCN a wealth of knowledge in application development, product management, systems integration, financial systems management, infrastructure, IT architecture, and field service. His goal is to strategically transform HCN into a global hospitality communications brand. HCN’s Navigator tablets are quickly gaining traction in hotels as a two-way communication device that easily and efficiently replaces in-room phones, alarm clocks, voice assistants and other electronics. Schubert will perform this role from his office in Wilmington, N.C.

“Neil has a keen understanding of hotel technology and how to balance the bleeding edge with a leading edge approach for effective adoption of new and emerging solutions,” said Kevin Bidner, HCN president. “We first met Neil while still with Marriott, as we installed our tablet and DineIN solutions at a 1,500 room Marriott property which was a great success. When Neil left Marriott, he joined HCN’s Advisory Board. We were always impressed with his passion for innovation and we feel greatly honored that he has decided to join us to provide his visionary leadership to the HCN guest communication platform. Driving ADR and reaching new heights in guest satisfaction are the missions we know Neil can help us evolve in our continuing quest to be the industry's innovation leader."

Serving Those who Serve

Serving on Advisory Boards is not new to Schubert. He has been recruited by several universities and leading hospitality associations to lend his expertise. Advisory posts include president of the University of Delaware Technology Advisory Committee, a member of the Penn State University Technology Advisory Committee, Advisory Board member of Hotel Financial and Technology Professionals (HFTP), and workgroup and forum chairman for Hotel Technology Next Generation (HTNG). Schubert also served as an Adjunct Professor at the University of Delaware educating graduate students on hotel technologies.

Prior to joining Marriott — where he held such prestigious titles as Vice President IT Business Partnership & Planning, Vice President IT Strategy, Western Regional Vice President (IR Global Field Services), Senior Director (International Financial Systems), and IT Director — Schubert served as Senior Director of Renaissance Hotels International, responsible for managing all IT functions at the company inception when it spun off from Ramada International. His hospitality career began in 1986 where he served as a Systems Manager for Sheraton Hotels. Immediately following his exit from Marriott, Schubert worked as Senior Vice President Global Product Management, Exceptional Innovation. More recently, he served as Senior Vice President of Product Management and Development for Cloud5 Hospitality. Prior to joining HCN, Schubert and his wife, Anna, took a year-long RV trip visiting 43 states across 33,000 miles spanning the U.S. and Alaska.

Turning Tech Noise into a Symphony

“One thing hoteliers are challenged with today is giving travelers a digital experience equal to – or better than – what they experience at home,” Schubert said. “Unfortunately, operators are getting hit with too much technology noise; I’m talking about spot solutions and micro applications that are taking over the guestroom. HCN’s Navigator tablets don’t just turn down the noise, they turn it into a symphony. Their tablets with audio docking stations replace most peripheral solutions and does it with an ROI that is not capital intensive. More importantly, it’s affordable for luxury brands and economy properties alike. Navigator not only transforms how guests interact with the hotel, the city, and their room, but it’s an interactive in-room two-way communication platform allowing guests to send and receive information, make purchases, order room service, report problems, and control their room with just a touch or voice command.

“Wi-Fi has matured to a point where hotels have a reliable wireless footprint today,” he said. “That was not always the case; wireless in rooms started out with very spotty coverage and made it nearly impossible for tablet providers to connect guests to the hotel. Those early adopters did not have the digital platform adeptness that HCN is putting into rooms today. Navigator is supporting brands’ desires to drive guests to their own apps using personalized marketing. Quick messages to guests via the tablet is proving to be a strong business case for improving the guest experience. HCN’s innovative approach to tablet technology and their team’s ability to look at applications through a unique lens is what made me eager to join the company. I look forward to helping them grow.”

To learn more about HCN and its Navigator Tablets, visit www.hcn-inc.com.