Hospitality News — March 31, 2014
By Christine Kern, contributing writer
McDonald's Uses mPOS For Thailand Home Delivery
In a press release on March 28, Swiff announced it launched a new mobile payment service with AEON Thana Sinsap (Thailand) Public Company and McDonald's for McDelivery 1711. With this new mobile point of sale (mPOS) solution, McDelivery 1711 allows customers to pay by credit card using mobile devices from wherever they make their orders.
Are Your Transactions “Mobile-Compatible?”
In this article on Hospitality.net, discover the ways to determine if your strategy for transactions is accessible via mobile devices. According to Booking.com, “mobile transactions at Booking.com surged by 260 percent in 2013.” Based on the statistics, the percentage of travelers who choose to use mobile channels to book will only increase exponentially over the coming years. A recent PhoCusWright report showed that “mobile travel bookings will more than triple over the next two years, to reach $39.5 billion by 2015; this is about 25 percent of total online travel market.” Are you prepared for the mobile explosion?
Hospitality Talking Points
As part of its new breakfast menu marketing program, Taco Bell sent out 1,000 Samsung T404G phones from HipCricket to fans and influencers. According to Mashable.com, recipients of the "Breakfast Phones" will be given various missions to complete in the hopes of winning prizes including a Waffle Taco button-down shirt or hoodie, a set of A.M. Crunchwrap sheets with hash brown pajamas and free Taco Bell breakfast for a year.
An interview with Dunkin Donuts President John Costello by QSRWeb.com, discusses the company’s success. Dunkin' Donuts' LTO strategy is among the most prolific in the restaurant industry. In 2013, the brand introduced 40 new products. The interview covers how the chain prioritizes its rollouts, how it gets franchisees to buy in and how it keeps operations running smoothly.
Hotel marketers know that maintaining rate parity is one of the biggest challenges in the online distribution of hotel inventory, but what hotels often overlook the other parities that can influence their chances of increasing direct bookings. This article from Hotelspeak looks at four essential parities: rate, content, room and market and examines how to best utilize them to your advantage.