News Briefs

Nomadix^® Inc​. announced it has released its proven managed connectivity solution for hospitality properties serving long-term rental and serviced apartment residents. When hotel guests turn into long-term residents, their connectivity requirements change, as well as their expectations for home-like experiences. As the trend for mixed-use properties continues to rapidly grow, especially across the Middle East and Europe, Nomadix Managed Wi-Fi for MTU transforms the way building owners and operators set up, manage and provide service for long-term residents and their guests.

Hotels planning to address this expanding market segment should invest in Nomadix Managed Wi-Fi for MTU as it provides robust, simplified management for onboarding, offboarding, and security, as well as offers simplicity for everyone and everything connected to the network. According to a survey conducted by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), people own on average 4.8 internet-connected devices, such as smartphones, tablets, and laptops, and this number is expected to increase to 6.6 devices by 2025. Considering the various IoT devices in an average home, a family of four could easily have 30-50 devices connecting to the internet — not counting the smart devices already included on the property (i.e., smart thermostats). Long-term residents typically travel with more devices making this a major focus area for properties wanting to make it easy for residents to connect and stay connected in a secure, simple and reliable way.

Nomadix’s solution replaces the traditional logins and portals used for short-term stays. New residents will receive an email with a direct link to connect when they move in and are then in control of their network to connect their devices. They don’t need a portal or login page compared to the traditional method of accessing the internet, which is important for IoT devices that often don’t have a screen to enter information. And instead of needing to authenticate every week or every 72 hours, for example, the resident is set up with their own virtual network for secure, fast and convenient access throughout the duration of their contract.

“Long-term residents expect the same high-speed internet connectivity experience as they get at home. This includes seamless connectivity and the ability to easily connect all of their preferred devices for work, relaxation and play, including video streaming, gaming, and video calls for working remotely,” said Tammy Estes, chief product officer at Nomadix. “Hotels have trusted our bandwidth management and visitor-based networks for over 25 years, and our connectivity solution specifically developed for multi-tenant, long-term residents will provide increased NOI, better guest satisfaction, and overall better experiences for employees and residents throughout the rental duration."

 

This seamless and hassle-free solution is supported by Nomadix Networks, Cambium Networks, Cisco Meraki and Ruckus Networks, to name a few, and is now available for hotels looking to upgrade or for new installs. For more information about Nomadix Managed Wi-Fi for MTU, visit www.nomadix.com.

Up and coming QSR  Salad and Go  is expanding in Texas with three new locations opening in February in the Houston markets of Katy, Richmond and League City.

The Katy store located opened February 1, the Richmond location at  is set to open February 17, and the League City store plans to open its doors on February 22. These new locations will mark the start of rapid brand expansion across the Greater Houston area.

These suburbs were strategically selected as ideal markets for Salad and Go as some of the fastest growing communities in the region. Conveniently located in some of Houston's most popular suburbs, the new locations will provide fresh, high-quality meals with quick and easy convenience at an affordable price.

As Salad and Go continues growing its national presence with a strong focus on Arizona, Texas, Oklahoma, and Nevada, the brand's expansive growth has it on a positive trajectory to provide fresh and affordable food to communities in more than 125 locations by the end of 2023. Houston is the next step in the brand's expansion across Texas with plans to open additional stores in the market throughout the new year.

Salad and Go's chef-curated menu provides guests with food for any time of the day by offering a variety of delicious and healthy items including salads, wraps, breakfast burritos and soup as well as beverages including hand-crafted lemonades, teas and cold brew coffees.

Salad and Go ensures each meal contains fresh, quality ingredients while keeping prices low by vertically integrating operations and distribution, and sourcing ingredients directly from high-quality local farmers and suppliers whenever possible. The brand's mission to make fresh, nutritious food convenient and affordable for ALL extends beyond its stores and is demonstrated in the work the brand does to donate 4,000 meals every week to those in need, as well as in partnerships with nonprofits to support and fundraise for various worthy causes.

Focus Brands says dual branding is the future of QSR, and the parent company of Auntie Anne’s®, Carvel, Cinnabon, Jamba, McAlister’s Deli, Moe’s Southwest Grill, and Schlotzsky’s, is leading the charge. Today, the Focus Brands portfolio boasts 175-plus open dual branded units with at least 65 more in various stages of development across the country. 

Drive-Thru Convenience

The Focus Brands portfolio brands have signed agreements to open more than 50 dual and tri-brand locations in the coming year, many of which include drive-thrus for added convenience as interest in dual branded franchise opportunities continues to surge.

Flexible Store Formats

Focus Brands is among the brands introducing new store formats, including Krystal, Jack-in-the-Box and Panera Bread, which opened its Panera To Go, solely offering Rapid Pick-Up and Delivery shelves where guests and delivery drivers can easily pick up orders.  

Focus Brands has long pioneered the concept of dual branding, predominately in malls and non-traditional locations with Auntie Anne’s and Cinnabon. Now, the company’s portfolio brands have found new opportunities with streetside dual branded units, which is paving the way for immense franchise growth. 

“Dual branding is the future of our brands, especially on the specialty side of the business,” said Brian Krause, Chief Development Officer at Focus Brands. “There will always be a place in malls, but there is an immense amount of growth opportunity in streetside venues, and, by dual branding, there is more opportunity for enhanced revenue.”

The company invested heavily in consumer research to identify how to create combinations of its iconic brands to resonate with consumers and meet them where they want to be met.

Focus Brands has identified four dual-brand concepts:

• Auntie Anne’s/Cinnabon
• Auntie Anne’s/Cinnabon/Carvel
• Auntie Anne’s/Jamba
• Cinnabon/Carvel – Cinnabon Swirl. 

While key consumer benefits vary by dual-brand combination, one consistent benefit has been convenience. Having these brands together in one location makes them far more accessible than they are individually. This convenience also creates opportunity for franchisees, as co-branding leads to an expansive menu that drives enhanced unit-level volume. 

 

Women in restaurants, hospitality and technology are joining together to create a professional women's organization aimed at mentorship, support, and empowerment. Women of Restaurants, Technology and Hospitality (WORTH) launched March 7, 2023, at the Multi-Unit Restaurant Technology Conference (MURTEC).

Founded by Brittany Amerson (Farmers Restaurant Group), Cristal Ghitman (SynergySuite), Deena McKinley (Papa Gino’s), Kim DeCarolis (Fat Brands), Lauren Selman (IFBTA), Suzanne Stopp (IPConfigure), and Tammy K Billings (Aben), WORTH aims to provide a safe space for women to ask questions, share and gain insight into personal and professional challenges in these industries.

"We recognized the conversations we often have between women about our experiences in this industry should have a larger platform, to leverage our commonalities and provide representation, visibility and safety for both industry veterans and women just entering hospitality," said Ghitman, WORTH cofounder and Director of Strategic Partnerships at SynergySuite. "WORTH is a decentralized group that aims to connect and support women in all areas, from mentorship to advocacy to friendship."

WORTH has launched an online community through LinkedIn and plans to organize meetups, webinars, conference events, and other opportunities for engagement soon. To get involved in WORTH, please contact the group through their LinkedIn page.

Think Simplicity, a cloud communication technology provider of all-inclusive voice and chat solutions for the hospitality industry, announced today a program designed to help both hoteliers that are switching from analog wiring to ethernet cable or new build hotels. The plan provides no-cost phone system equipment for “Pure IP” hoteliers that meet certain conditions.

The bulk of existing hotels today have analog wiring throughout the building and therefore use analog telephones in guest rooms. These legacy systems are dependent on old copper wiring, but many will be tasked with replacing this wiring with ethernet cabling in the near future.

New build hotels that are running ethernet cabling to guest rooms for telephone connections and utilizing IP telephones in those rooms will need a reliable vendor to take advantage of today’s cloud communication innovations. Regardless of the scenario, beginning April 1, 2023, hotels with a Pure IP setup can take advantage of Think Simplicity’s No Cost Phone System, for a limited time. 

Joseph De Ciantis, co-founder of Think Simplicity, said: “As the sunsetting of traditional copper-based landlines begins to impact older properties there will be a larger need to migrate to a digital system. Our goal is to help older hotels that are updating their wiring to IP/Ethernet or newer hotels that have a pure IP setup make the transition to cloud communications systems quickly, easily, and affordably.”

 

This offer is based on certain configurations and specific conditions must be met. Phones and onsite installation are not included.

Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, a hotel franchisor with approximately 9,100 hotels spanning more than 95 countries, announced a new agreement with Groups360 to bring instant online multi-room bookings to Wyndham hotels in 2023.

Powered by GroupSync™, a direct booking solution, Wyndham hotels will have the opportunity to seamlessly integrate the platform with their hotel reservation systems, providing travel planners—from groups and events to those managing infrastructure, logistics and corporate accounts—the ability to view best available rates and availability as well instantly book rooms online.

"Over the last three years, Wyndham has invested over $100 million in major technology initiatives, giving our franchisees access to best-in-class offerings that unlock new efficiencies while helping to grow their bottom line," said Lisa Checchio, chief marketing officer, Wyndham Hotels & Resorts. "Bringing franchisees access to GroupSync is just the latest example and one we believe offers incredible opportunity for franchisees, particularly those in the economy segment, where such technology is an industry first."

Hotel companies that publish live inventory and rates within the GroupSync Marketplace save travel planners valuable time by allowing them to search, shop and book blocks of rooms. Whether it's short one-to-two-night group events like youth sports, weddings and family reunions or multi-week infrastructure or logistics project like commercial construction, bridge repair or highway expansion, GroupSync empowers planners to quickly and easily book their preferred hotel instantly online or through a Smart RFP.

"Wyndham is a major player in the hospitality industry with offerings that span every segment of the industry," said Tim Flors, chief customer officer, Groups360. "Travel planners increasingly expect their hotel purchase experience to be seamless, instantaneous, and online. Wyndham's deployment on GroupSync Marketplace does just that, all while saving hotels time and helping them better serve their guests."

Planners can already book guest rooms and meeting spaces using Wyndham's global properties via GroupSync's Smart RFP and group guest rooms are expected to start being available in GroupSync for instant, online booking later this year. All are a part of Wyndham's innovative Wyndham Business program, which through a suite of tools and resources, aims to simplify business travel bookings. To learn more about Groups360 and GroupSync Marketplace, visit www.groups360.com. To learn more about Wyndham Business, visit www.wyndhambusiness.com.