The Dangers of a CCaaS Monoculture – Interview with Paul Hughes of Mitel
In the latest Punk CX podcast, Paul Hughes of Mitel argues that hybrid CX solutions are now the enterprise default, especially for regulated firms that need both cloud and on‑premise capabilities. He warns that a CCaaS monoculture—relying on a single platform—creates AI sameness and high agent attrition due to the "toggle tax" of juggling multiple systems. Hughes stresses that AI should augment agents, not replace them, and that CX metrics must shift from cost‑centric KPIs like AHT to outcomes tied to revenue, retention, and compliance. Finally, he advises a disciplined, slow‑to‑go‑further strategy anchored by a clear North Star story.
Restaurant-Goers Are Looking For Indoor-Outdoor Dining Experiences
Restaurant operators are increasingly adopting indoor‑outdoor dining concepts as 69% of U.S. adults express a preference for optional outdoor seating, according to the National Restaurant Association’s 2023 report. The hybrid layout blends indoor comfort with natural ambience, enhancing branding, customer...
Payroll Mistakes Cost More Than Dollars
Restaurant operators face razor‑thin margins and complex payroll compliance, and generic all‑in‑one SaaS platforms often fail to handle industry‑specific nuances such as tip pooling and multi‑state tax rules. Payroll errors not only frustrate staff but also trigger fines, higher turnover,...
SONO Hotels & Resorts Asia Signs First Japan Property
SONO Hotels & Resorts Asia has signed its first Japanese property, the 130‑room SONO Moon Nagoya, a midscale boutique hotel located near Nagoya Station. The hotel, formerly the Compass Hotel Nagoya, is owned by ESCON Japan REIT with Polaris Holdings...
Markos Chaidemenos of Canaves Collection on Family Leadership, Nature, and Sustainability
Hospitality Net’s Brand Insiders featured Markos Chaidemenos, CEO of Canaves Collection, in a one‑hour interview hosted by Adam Mogelonsky of Hotel Mogel. Chaidemenos discussed how the family‑owned luxury brand balances generational leadership with a deep commitment to nature‑based experiences and...
Did You Know About Tłusty Czwartek With LOT Polish Airlines?
LOT Polish Airlines announced its Tłusty Czwartek promotion, offering round‑trip economy tickets from Warsaw for as low as $95.57 USD. The sale includes flights to major European hubs such as Rome, Paris, Amsterdam, London and several Scandinavian cities, with travel...
Press Release: Vista Places Major Bombardier Challenger 3500 Order
Vista Global announced a firm order for 40 Bombardier Challenger 3500 jets with an additional 120 purchase options, slated for delivery beginning in 2026 and spread over the next decade. The deal secures capacity for a rapidly expanding member base...
Press Release: ACS UK Wins Two New Contracts with Tier-One Airlines
Aircraft interiors specialist ACS UK has secured two contracts with tier‑one global airlines to design and manufacture bespoke monuments for wide‑body aircraft, with deliveries slated for 2027. The deals were signed only months after the company reopened its order book,...
5 Post-Stay Strategies to Build Loyalty After Guests Leave
Hotels are moving from purely transactional interactions to long‑term relationship marketing by engaging guests after checkout. The article outlines five post‑stay tactics: a personalized value‑sequence email series, WhatsApp review requests, a “Local Insider” content drip, a public feedback‑loop, and timed...
Press Release: Airlines Take Advantage of Open Access to Routehappy
ATPCO opened Routehappy to all Community Participation airlines on 1 January 2026, pushing the platform’s adoption to 106 carriers – a 152% increase in one year. Since June 2025, more than 60 airlines, including Finnair, China Airlines, SAS and Singapore Airlines, have uploaded...
Press Release: JFK’s New Terminal One Details Biometric Initiative
The New Terminal One at JFK Airport announced the launch of Enhanced Passenger Processing (EPP), a biometric system that verifies U.S. citizens’ identities in real time during international arrivals. The initiative, powered by iProov’s facial‑recognition technology, integrates with U.S. Customs...
Save Up to 20% With Marriott Bonvoy
Marriott Bonvoy is rolling out an Escapes promotion that gives members a 20% discount on standard room rates and non‑members a 15% discount. The savings apply Thursday through Sunday on select hotels worldwide, but rooms are limited and must be...
More than 1,500 Hotels in Development Across Europe
Lodging Econometrics reports that Europe’s hotel construction pipeline now comprises 1,717 projects, delivering roughly 252,600 rooms, with 754 sites already under construction. Upscale properties dominate the pipeline, accounting for 21% of projects, while upper‑midscale follows closely. The United Kingdom leads...
Portion Power: Restaurant Guests Want Customizable Options
New research from ReFED and Datassential shows that offering customizable portion sizes can slash food waste and boost restaurant profits. The study estimates a reduction of 2.35 million tons of waste annually and $547 million in cost savings for the foodservice industry....
Summer 2026 Travel Outlook Signals Airfare Deals
In this episode, Peter Greenberg reviews Cirium's analytics on summer 2026 travel, revealing a sharp decline in advance bookings for trans‑Atlantic flights—up to a 36% drop on routes like Frankfurt‑U.S. and 26% from Barcelona to the U.S. The reduced demand...
REDUX Imagine if Everybody in a Business Served Customers or Fielded Customer Enquiries
Adrian Swinscoe proposes a radical thought experiment: every employee, including senior leaders, should periodically serve customers directly. The idea stems from OneReach research highlighting employee experience and walking in the customer’s shoes as top service improvements. Real‑world examples, such as...
Top 5 Customer Service & CX Articles for Week of February 9, 2026
The weekly roundup spotlights five must‑read CX pieces, each illustrating how customer experience is evolving from a nicety to a profit engine. Claire Cunningham argues CX must generate revenue, while Sean Albertson warns that listening programs often stop at data...
How Voice-First AI Can Fix Restaurant Schedule Headaches
Restaurant managers view scheduling as a constant, high‑pressure burden rather than a routine task. Traditional scheduling platforms assume desk‑bound, uninterrupted work, forcing managers to juggle complex dashboards while the floor is active. This mismatch creates mental overload, delayed adjustments, and...
The Five Pillars of Stand Out Hospitality
Cassie Davison, veteran restaurateur and founder of Kith & Kin, released *Stand Out Hospitality*, a guide built on her 30‑year industry experience. The book introduces the Five Pillars framework—Set High Standards, Stand Out, Define Your Identity, Build Belonging, and Tell...
“GT” Insight Bites: What’s AI Doing for You?
The Good Tourism blog gathers senior voices from travel, academia, NGOs and airlines to illustrate how artificial intelligence is reshaping the sector. AI‑enabled tools are turning bespoke climate‑action planning into scalable digital services, while entrepreneurs use large language models to...
What You Definitely Need to Know Before You Book a Spring Break Trip
Travelers are spending an average of $5,617 on spring break, a 10% increase from last year, as demand spikes from early March through mid‑April. Major destinations such as Punta Cana, Orlando, and Las Vegas are already overbooked, pushing prices higher....
Menu Engineering Isn’t Just About the Food—It’s About the Future of Your Business
Restaurant owners often face razor‑thin margins despite high sales, a dilemma the article calls the margin‑growth trap. It argues that true menu engineering starts with precise cost of goods calculations, contribution margin analysis, and a modified break‑even model that factors...
Cultural Interoperability: How Place Branding Evolves in a Social-First World
Place branding is moving from a single, top‑down narrative to what Sara Seif Ibrahim calls Cultural Interoperability, where a destination’s identity engages with the diverse cultural lenses visitors bring. Social‑first platforms like TikTok and Instagram Reels now co‑author the story,...