Restaurant And Hospitality News – December 8, 2014
By Christine Kern, contributing writer
In news this week, Best Western hopes to leverage a new tool to boost its ADR, Pizza Hut rolls out “subconscious ordering,” Wetzel’s Pretzels integrates video into menu boards, and one article looks at the future of ubiquitous computing.
Best Western International Taps Real-Time Hotel Rate Shopping To Improve ADR for North American Hotels
Best Western International will leverage a flexible, cost-effective hotel rate selling tool by Revcaster to help maximize its ADR and be more profitable, according to a press release. This real-time hotel shopping tool will allow them to gather rate data and set prices competitively. Best Western will use Revcaster exclusively in 2015.
Pizza Hut Rolls Out “Subconscious Ordering” Using Eye Tracking
Pizza Hut has joined with Tobii Technology, the global leader in eye tracking, to create the World’s first “Subconscious Menu,” designed to intuitively select the users preferences, even when the user isn’t sure themselves. The new digital menu is now rolling out across refurbished restaurants in the chain in the U.K., and could change the dining experience forever. In just 2.5 seconds, the menu collects data regarding where a customer’s eyes focus and then calculates which of the 4,896 possible ingredient combinations suit their fancy, with a 98 percent success rates in testing.
Wetzel’s Pretzels rolls out video menu boards with a flair for whimsy.
According to QSR Magazine, Wetzel’s Pretzels at Downtown Disney in Anaheim, California, has introduced new video menu boards that quickly switch from product photos and information to short animated films in the style of old Walt Disney shorts. The films take viewers on a journey through a fictional Wetzel’s Pretzels factory, in a very Willy Wonka-esque way, to demonstrate how the featured products are made. Wetzel’s is the first quick-serve chain to incorporate video into digital menu boards, according to company executives.
Is Ubiquitous Computing The Next Big Hotel Tech Trend?
This article from eHotelier predicts that the next major technology trend for hotels will be ubiquitous computing, which turns hotel rooms into computer screens. Also called “pervasive computing,” the process allows a computer “to appear anywhere and everywhere, on any device, in any location and in any format.” Working in concert with ambient intelligence, ubiquitous computing is predicted to become mainstream in the next few years, and as such, will be in great demand by hotel patrons.
Restaurant and Hospitality Talking Points:
According to the Orlando Sentinel, a group called McMass is trying to put a McDonald’s franchise in a church, and has launched a page on the IndieGoGo crowdfunding site to raise $1 million to build the first McDonald’s church. The goal is to revitalize Churches as centers for conversation and cultural engagement.