Restaurant And Hospitality News For VARs – April 23, 2014
By Christine Kern, contributing writer
This week the news includes a warning that hackers are using third-parties to gain access to data through vulnerable systems. Also, hotels and other retailers are adopting new mobile technology for check-in. And finally, in an interview with Forest Key of Buuteeq, we find out why hotel marketing is flying to the cloud.
Hackers Lurking In Vents And Soda Machines
This article from The New York Times discusses how your clients could be vulnerable to cyberattacks through solutions and devices be tied to a leaky third party, such as online menus, or even heating and cooling providers who now monitor and adjust office temperatures remotely, and vending machine suppliers who can see when their clients are out of Diet Cokes and Cheetos. Vendors are tempting targets for hackers because they tend to run older systems, and once hackers have found a way in, the devices offer them a place to hide in plain sight.
Beacon Technology Adopted By Aloft Hotels And Other Retailers
RetailTouchpoints discussed how innovative businesses, such as Aloft Hotels, Kenneth Cole, and Tesco are using beacon technology to create more compelling, personalized customer experiences. In the hotel industry, Aloft Hotels is testing beacon technology, allowing customers to unlock hotel doors with their mobile devices after they check in. “You could potentially remove the whole check-in process,” Silverman said. “You could even take more of a concierge approach rather than doing remedial tasks like getting the key to your room.”
Hotel Marketing Moving To The Cloud
This Tnooz interview looks at how one star business among cloud-based service, Buuteeq, a Seattle startup that provides digital marketing for hotels, is faring. The interview discusses trends in digital marketing, possible consolidation among cloud-based hotel tech startups, and the fates of companies such as Amadeus, Booking.com, Micros, Sabre, and Pegasus. In his comments, Forest Key of Buuteeq also shared: “Anything remotely related to mobile and tablets is what GUESTS will be clamoring for, smart hoteliers will be out in front of that trend so that they have a shot at owning that interaction with their customers directly.”
Restaurant And Hospitality IT Talking Points
In positive news, the National Restaurant Association, analyzes the latest retail sales figures. Restaurant sales registered a solid gain in March, and returned to the levels reached before the recent soft patch. Although restaurant operators are generally optimistic about sales growth in the months ahead, their outlook for the economy remains mixed.
This article from Hospitality Technology explains how one southern restaurant chain sped up its credit-card transactions and adopted mobile bandwidth technology to achieve higher efficiency. The chain of 650+ locations needed a solution that could take advantage of the growing cellular network, keep its monthly wireless carrier costs low, was easy to implement, and was compact enough to fit into its restaurants’ small footprints.
For more news and insights, visit BSMinfo’s Hospitality Tech Center.