Tackle unfair refunds, automate WhatsApp guest messages and monitor kitchen costs: The best new hospitality technology

With trading in the UK hospitality sector resting on such fine margins, anything that can make an operation more efficient could be key to making a profit.

 

Guests are also ever-more demanding when it comes to seamless bookings, stays and transactions, and increased customer satisfaction can only translate into rising return visits.

 

Therefore we have rounded up the latest and greatest hospitality technology launches and integrations.

 

Refresh your hospitality tech stack with these new products.

 

Tackle delivery refund errors with AI

 

Deliverect has launched Resolve, an AI-powered program to tackle unjust refund claims for restaurant deliveries. Resolve uses overhead cameras to capture the order packing process, creating visual documentation that can verify order accuracy and dispute unwarranted refund claims. Resolve has been developed using Google’s Gemini Models and Google Cloud’s Vertex AI platform, and supports all major delivery platforms, including UberEats, DoorDash and Deliveroo.

 

Price From £79 per month

 

Enhanced PayPal integration for hotels

 

Property management system eviivo has enhanced its integration with PayPal. New features include buy now pay later, allowing guests to split payments into interest-free instalments; credit and debit card processing; and PayPal’s Advanced Checkout, which accepts multiple payment methods, including Apple Pay and Google Pay. The integration also strengthens eviivo’s Payment Manager within eviivo Suite, which streamlines and secures payment collection.

 

Price From £7 per room, minimum £35 for the first unit

 

Automate guest queries with WhatsApp

 

RoomRaccoon, a hotel management system for independent hoteliers, has launched its integration with GuestButler, an AI-powered automation tool that sends guests instant, personal WhatsApp replies to queries. GuestButler is connected to RoomRaccoon’s live booking and guest data, meaning hotels can resolve up to 80% of common guest questions automatically. The system can deal with queries such as Wi-Fi availability, check-in time confirmation or local attraction recommendations, freeing up time at the front desk and improving the guest experience.

 

Price From £167 per month

 

Point of sale on the move

 

Flipdish has unveiled its Handheld PoS (point of sale) device, combining ordering, payment processing and loyalty integration in one compact unit. The portable system is designed for use in casual dining and quick-service restaurants, food trucks and other high-footfall venues. Staff can take orders and payments directly at tables, in queues or outdoors, as well as at traditional counters. The device has a long battery life and a simple, intuitive interface. The Handheld PoS integrates with the existing Flipdish system, which includes menu management, inventory, loyalty schemes, staff rotas, health and safety and reporting.

 

Price Starter kit £499 (introductory offer until end August, £250), subscription £119 per month

 

Monitor financial health in the kitchen

Chef Ben Souza-Morse has launched Profit Pulse, a spend and sales tracker. Profit Pulse offers tools for recipe costing, stocktaking and future profit simulation. It provides real-time awareness of financial health, monitoring cash flow and tracking gross profit, as well as a supplier management function to control costs effectively and quickly adapt if prices change.

 

Price Basic plan, £25 per month. Available now with a one-month free trial

 

Streamline procurement processes

 

Hospitality software provider triSaaS has unveiled the Purchase Warrior procurement platform. The AI-powered, mobile-first procure-to-pay platform can manage supplier onboarding, purchase order creation, invoice reconciliation and analytics. The platform uses smart algorithms to highlight business data in real time, helping with ordering and spotting trends. As teams use the system, it adapts and evolves, becoming a proactive operational companion across departments.

 

Price From £120 per month

 

Intuitive rooms booking

 

RMS has launched its next-generation booking engine, designed to deliver a faster, cleaner and more intuitive experience when guests are booking directly, with fewer clicks and faster load times. Properties can plug in chatbots across their website, WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger or other channels to handle inquiries, apply discounts and process payments. When guests are handed off to the booking engine, they are dropped into the right step, with a pre-populated cart ready for checkout or a reservation-change screen so they can confirm their booking.

 

Price From £210 per month