Travel Technology
prnewswire | July 27, 2023
Craftable, the hospitality industry's leading SaaS platform, is proud to announce that it has partnered with Dallas, TX-based private equity firm Gauge Capital to provide growth funding and capitalize on industry opportunities. This strategic investment further enhances Craftable's position at the forefront of cutting-edge technology shaping the hospitality industry.
"We are excited to partner with Gauge for the next chapter of Craftable's growth. We look forward to leveraging the resources and support from an investment partner with significant enterprise software expertise while maintaining our relentless focus on the customer experience that has always been at the core of Craftable's success," said Samuel Zats, Co-Founder and CEO of Craftable. "Gauge's growth investment in the business and aligned focus on supporting our customers will help us to accelerate our product innovation, execute our sales strategy and further build our impact in the market."
Craftable's innovative technology solutions equip restaurant, bar, hotel and hospitality operators with intuitive and easy-to-use tools that can help them make strategic decisions based on real-time data to drive sales and reduce costs. Its leading hospitality management SaaS platform allows for seamless back-of-house automation and management. By providing operators with procurement, inventory tracking, recipe cost management, accounts payable automation, scheduling and analytics solutions, they can use this critical data to boost revenue while successfully lowering pour costs by 3-5% and food costs by 2-3%. Today, Craftable has over 50,000 monthly active users, with more onboarding every day. Craftable serves thousands of hospitality industry operators and partners with some of the most prominent names in hospitality.
"Craftable has a distinguished reputation in the hospitality sector, enterprise-grade capabilities, and a highly scalable technology platform," said Tom McKelvey, Co-Founder and Managing Partner at Gauge Capital. "We couldn't be more excited to partner with the Craftable team to realize our shared vision for the future of hospitality innovation."
As part of the investment, Tom McKelvey, Garrett Fair, and Sam Yang from Gauge Capital have joined Craftable's Board of Directors. TI Partners served as financial advisor on the transaction.
For more information about Craftable, visit craftable.com. For more information about Gauge Capital, visit www.gaugecapital.com.
About Craftable
Craftable is a technology platform provider that seamlessly connects purchasing, recipes, inventory, sales, accounting, and analytics to create operator success in the hospitality, food, beverage, and entertainment industries. Craftable's best-in-class Foodager and Bevager management systems allow operators to access product supplies, invoices and purchasing procurement at their fingertips while integrating with 60+ POS and financial systems to provide real-time data on how product cost increases, variances, and labor affect their bottom line. Founded in 2015 and designed by Silicon Valley tech experts and hospitality veterans, Craftable seeks to equip businesses with the next-level technology needed to operate more efficiently, reduce inventory costs, and take control of revenue in ways they weren't able to before. Craftable partners with some of the most prominent operators in hospitality, such as José Andrés, Tao Group Hospitality, bartaco, Major Food Group, Front Burner Society Brands and Kimpton Hotels.
About Gauge Capital
Gauge Capital is a leading middle-market private equity firm based in Southlake, Texas. Gauge invests in five key sectors: business services, food & consumer, government & industrial services, healthcare, and technology. The Firm manages more than $2.0 billion in capital, and in 2020, 2021 and 2022, Inc. Magazine named Gauge one of the top private equity firms for founders. In 2021, 2022, and 2023 Gauge was also named to the Top 50 PE Firms in the Middle Market by Grady Campbell. In 2022, Gauge ranked in the top 5 out of 517 private equity firms in the HEC Paris – Dow Jones Small-Cap Buyout Performance Ranking.
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Hospitality Trends
businesswire | August 16, 2023
Bleisure travel has been deemed a pandemic silver lining, according to The Year of “New” Traveler report from the American Hotel and Lodging Association (AHLA), published in 2022. Although combining leisure and business travel wasn’t a new concept before 2020, such arrangements have become more commonplace as multi-day bleisure trips are a new travel norm.
Further, today’s traveler wants it all from their lodging and travel provider. While cleanliness and safety are table stakes, they also crave multiple amenity options like dining at different price points, gaming, retail shopping, theater-style shows and spa treatments. Bleisure travelers not only want the additional amenities, but they also desire access to self-booking and self-service technology, to make the most of their time between business and leisure.
Potawatomi Casino Hotel, located in downtown Milwaukee, is one such property that not only provides several on-site amenities but has implemented hospitality technology to create guest and employee champions at every touchpoint. Potawatomi Casino Hotel, one of Wisconsin’s most popular entertainment destinations featuring more than 1.1 million square feet, chose to replace systems previously in use with two award-winning point-of-sale (POS) systems from Agilysys to optimize food and beverage interactions and enhance guest and staff experiences.
Agilysys, Inc. (NASDAQ: AGYS) is a leading global provider of hospitality software solutions that delivers High Return Hospitality. Its latest point-of-sale (POS) systems combine highly interactive terminal and tablet touchscreen applications supporting Windows, Android and iOS devices and includes strong information security for data protection. The robust reporting and analysis features, extensive enterprise-grade menu and item configuration capabilities and multi-language support help drive service flexibility and increased operational efficiency.
Since installing the POS platforms from the Agilysys Hospitality Core Collection™, Potawatomi Casino Hotel staff have been able to provide enhanced experiences throughout the property that serves 6 million-plus guest visits annually. The property, owned and operated by the Forest County Potawatomi Community, features:
Gaming, which includes state-of-the art slot machines, bingo, table games and a temporary sportsbook.
Restaurants and bars, including the four-star Dream Dance Steakhouse Canal Street Café, authentic Asian noodle and sushi bar RuYi and The Potawatomi Marketplace.
Entertainment at several on-site venues, such as the 1,500-seat Potawatomi Event Center and nightlife hot spot Bar 360.
Deluxe amenities at its 500-room, 19-story hotel, including 75 suites, some of which offer stunning views if the Milwaukee skyline and Lake Michigan.
Full-service catering for corporate and social events.
With such a large, comprehensive enterprise, the 3,000-employee Potawatomi Casino Hotel has improved guest and staff experience by investing in Agilysys’ mobile food & beverage ordering and kiosk systems, resulting in better reviews, increased satisfaction and greater on-property spend.
“Coming off the pandemic, guests want it all, and technology helps us deliver,” said Garret Finocchiaro, CIO at Potawatomi Casino Hotel. “We are in a much better position to create the High Return Hospitality experiences they expect with Agilysys’ POS solutions at staff members’ fingertips. Additionally, such technology helps us attract and retain top talent in a tight labor market in a growing sector.”
The U.S. Bureau Labor Statistics reports overall employment in the gaming industry is expected to increase 17% from 2021 to 2022 — quicker than the average for all occupations. As such, Potawatomi Casino Hotel management understands the need for hospitality-specific solutions to up the proverbial ante to keep staff — and guest — satisfied in this growing industry.
“Potawatomi Casino Hotel understands the need to deliver Return on Experience so the millions of visitors and guests that come through its doors receive such amazing interactions and memories that they post on social, tell their friends about it and come back for more,” Darren Student, Vice President Sales, Agilysys. “We can’t wait to see how this amazing property continues to grow as we move into a long-term partnership and the company invests in a comprehensive suite of Agilysys hospitality solutions that deliver greater guest and staff loyalty.”
About Potawatomi Hotel & Casino
Set in the heart of Milwaukee, Potawatomi Casino Hotel is Wisconsin’s premier entertainment destination, offering guests the best in gaming, dining and entertainment. The property features a 500-room, 19-story hotel, the second largest hotel in Milwaukee; a new sports betting operation; and more than 60,000 sq. feet of event space. In 2022 Potawatomi announced a $100 million renovation project of the casino’s third floor, which is scheduled to be complete in 2023. To discover more visit www.paysbig.com.
About Return on Experience (ROE)
When it comes to software, most resorts talk about return on investment (ROI). In hospitality, short-term ROI is table stakes. Return on Experience (ROE), provided through Agilysys software, ensures every experience at every touchpoint creates a champion – not a critic – for both guests and staff members alike. This way, guests do more, spend more and have a higher intent to return and recommend on Yelp, Trip Advisor and other popular platforms. Check out our 30-deep Experiencer Enhancers™ Collection, along with our venue-specific Hospitality Solutions™ designed to maximize your specific need.
About Agilysys
Agilysys is well known for its long heritage of hospitality-focused technology innovation. The Company delivers modular and integrated software solutions and expertise to businesses seeking to maximize Return on Experience (ROE) through hospitality encounters that are both personal and profitable. Over time, customers achieve High Return Hospitality by consistently delighting guests, retaining staff and growing margins. Customers around the world include: branded and independent hotels; multi-amenity resort properties; casinos; property, hotel and resort management companies; cruise lines; corporate dining providers; higher education campus dining providers; food service management companies; hospitals; lifestyle communities; senior living facilities; stadiums; and theme parks. The Agilysys Hospitality Cloud™ combines core operational systems for property management (PMS), point-of-sale (POS) and Inventory and Procurement (I&P) with Experience Enhancers™ that meaningfully improve interactions for guests and employees across dimensions such as digital access, mobile convenience, self-service control, personal choice, payment options, service coverage and real-time insights to improve decisions. Core solutions and Experience Enhancers are selectively combined in Hospitality Solution Studios™ tailored to specific hospitality settings and business needs.
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Travel Technology
prnewswire | June 27, 2023
Our commitment to care for our guests comes in all forms, including improving their travel day. To help do that, Alaska Airlines is partnering with CLEAR – the secure identity company – to provide friction-free and predictable travel experiences with CLEAR Plus. With our new partnership, Mileage Plan members can take advantage of a discounted rate for a CLEAR Plus membership and also receive bonus miles for a limited time. This is the first step in the partnership to accelerate the adoption of digital identity and remove friction throughout the travel journey.
CLEAR Plus is an opt-in program that allows its members to travel faster through security at 52 airports nationwide by verifying their identity with their eyes or fingerprint, replacing the need to take out their wallet and driver's license. After verification, a CLEAR Ambassador escorts members through a dedicated lane and directly to TSA physical security, saving them time waiting in line at the security checkpoint.
"We understand from our guests how important it is for them to have the best possible experience when traveling with us, and part of that is saving time when they're at the airport," said Shane Jones, vice president of real estate and business development at Alaska Airlines. "Our frequent flyers are already big fans of CLEAR Plus. With a discounted CLEAR Plus membership available to all of our Mileage Plan members, we believe more of our guests will appreciate this valuable travel benefit."
All Mileage Plan members can enroll in CLEAR Plus at a discounted rate of $179 a year at clearme.com/alaska. Plus our elite Mileage Plan members – MVP, MVP Gold, MVP Gold 75K and MVP Gold 100K – who enroll will receive 1,500 Mileage Plan bonus miles. Elite Mileage Plan members who renew an existing CLEAR Plus membership and link it to their Mileage Plan account will receive a total of 1,250 miles every year upon renewal.
In addition, to celebrate the launch of the partnership, between now and July 16, 2023, all Mileage Plan members – elite or non-elite – who enroll in a new CLEAR Plus membership will receive 1,000 Mileage Plan bonus miles.
"CLEAR is obsessed with delivering the best customer experience, so we're excited to provide Alaska Airlines' Mileage Plan members with the confidence and predictability of CLEAR Plus," said Kasra Moshkani, executive vice president of operations at CLEAR. "We look forward to expanding our partnership with Alaska to continue unlocking seamless experiences for their frequent flyers from home to gate and beyond."
CLEAR Plus is available at Alaska's key hub airports in Seattle, San Francisco and Los Angeles. Mileage Plan members who join CLEAR Plus can add up to three family members or friends to their account for just $70 each. Family members under 18 years old can always join CLEAR members in the CLEAR Lane for free. CLEAR has more than 16 million members.
While CLEAR Plus and TSA PreCheck are independent of each other, many passengers use CLEAR Plus and TSA PreCheck together for the fastest way through airport security.
About Alaska Airlines
Alaska Airlines and our regional partners serve more than 120 destinations across the United States, Belize, Canada, Costa Rica and Mexico. We strive to be the most caring airline with award-winning customer service and an industry-leading loyalty program. As a member of the oneworld alliance, and with our additional global partners, our guests can travel to more than 1,000 destinations on more than 25 airlines while earning and redeeming miles on flights to locations around the world. Learn more about Alaska at news.alaskaair.com and follow @alaskaairnews for news and stories. Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air are subsidiaries of Alaska Air Group.
About CLEAR
CLEAR's mission is to create frictionless experiences. With more than 16 million members and a growing network of partners across the world, CLEAR's identity platform is transforming the way people live, work, and travel. Whether you are traveling, at the stadium, or on your phone, CLEAR connects you to the things that make you, you - making everyday experiences easier, more secure, and friction-free. CLEAR is committed to privacy done right. Members are always in control of their own information, and we never sell member data.
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