News Briefs
- 6/16/2025
HITEC 2025: PPDS Debuts135” Foldable and Height Adjustable Philips Unite LED 6000 Series All in One display
PPDS, the exclusive global provider of Philips Professional Displays and complementary solutions, is excited to announce the latest innovation in its advanced, lower energy direct view LED portfolio, with the launch of an all new ‘foldable’ and ‘height adjustable’ 135” Philips Unite LED 6000 Series All In One, bringing unrivalled flexibility and adaptability in hospitality environments.
Showcasing on Philips Booth 2415 at HITEC 2025 in Indianapolis (16-17 June), the stylish and imposing Philips Unite LED 6000 Series (135HDL6015IA) All In One delivers a true masterclass in visual performance, providing a plethora of informative, engaging, and entertaining opportunities to any space, from hotel lobbies to conference and event facilities, and everywhere in between.
Ideal for hotels looking to make a bold impression, or to transition away from LCD screens, the unique Philips Unite LED 6000 Series All In One features an innovative and more energy conscious design – for power and running cost reductions – and mechanical engineering, overcoming many of the traditional limitations and obstacles faced by other AIO models in the marketplace, notably around mobility and accessibility.
Smart foldable design
Harnessing invaluable feedback from hospitality customers around the world, the Philips Unite LED 6000 Series All In One has been designed with flexibility and adaptability in mind, for effortless and hassle free installations, whether in a large open space on a ground floor, inside a meeting room on the top floor, or moving between conference rooms within a hotel complex.
Inspired by the solutions PPDS has developed for its partner, Oracle Red Bull Racing – which includes both portable and fixed, fully tailored direct view LED solutions that are used on the road and inside the racing giant’s Milton Keynes HQ – the new Philips Unite LED 6000 Series AIO is the first in its family to include an innovative foldable design.
Available for demonstration at HITEC 2025 – and coming soon to PPDS Studios around the world – the smart, foldable structure removes all obstacles around transportation, whether being installed for the first time or as it is transferred between rooms, by easily fitting through any standard sized doors or in elevators.
Adding an extra level of convenience, the Philips Unite LED 6000 Series AIO will also become available with a flight case, allowing it to be easily and compactly stored when not in use, and making it a breeze to move and redeploy on demand. This is ideal for rental use purposes, for exhibitions, or for when transportation between different buildings is required.
Jeroen Brants, Global Product Director for LED at PPDS, commented: “One of the biggest and often unforeseen issues with larger displays, whether LED or LCD, is around accessibility. Sometimes an order will arrive for installation that can’t get through the door due to size. I’ve seen boxes being left in reception because they cannot physically fit in the lift, or in some more extreme and costly circumstances, products being dropped and damaged while being carried up flights of stairs. We took this on board. And with our Philips Unite LED 6000 Series All In One, we have a solution that fits.” And that’s not all.
Motorised height adjustment
To accommodate all possibilities and room types – including sloping environments or areas with rising seating, such as cinema rooms or conference centres – the Philips 135HDL6015IA features a motorised trolley enabling smooth and safe electric lifting, also supporting its portability.
Ideal for dynamic spaces, presenters can simply, safely, and smoothly adjust the display height with the push of a button, ensuring perfect viewing in any setting.
With security of paramount importance to PPDS – whether hardware or software related – the motorised height adjustment on the Philips Unite LED 6000 Series All In One includes an emergency stop button and anti-pinch protection. Integrated as standard, the emergency stop can detect any obstructions and halt movement to avoid mishaps during lifting or lowering, preventing potential injury or equipment damage.
Beauty inside and out
The Philips Unite LED 6000 Series All In One amalgamates cutting-edge Chip on Board (COB) technology with a fine 1.5mm pixel pitch for ultra reliable, ultra sharp visuals, from spectacular video to intricate meeting room presentations.
Mirroring other premium solutions within PPDS’ evolving and expanding direct view LED portfolio, the Unite 135HDL6015IA ensures content is always presented as intended, delivering vibrant colours, deep blacks, and uniform brightness. Satisfying even the most scrutinised colour branding, the new series is impossible to ignore, bringing more engaging, immersive experiences to any space.
Efficiency is also at the core of the simplified one box installation design, which includes built in cabling and audio in a single package that vastly simplifies the deployment process and ensures a clean look at all times.
Energy efficiency without compromise
Continuing PPDS’ relentless focus on delivering energy conscious solutions for the industry, and supporting customers with their sustainability goals, the Philips Unite LED 6000 Series All In One includes the company’s ultra-low standby mode, consuming less than 0.5 watts. This unique and much lauded feature provides instantly lower operational costs, while ‘instant power-up’ via remote control ensures minimal downtime during presentation.
Finally, incorporating the world-renowned reliability of Android 11, the Philips Unite LED 6000 Series AIO is optimised for native Android apps, with integrated System on Chip (SoC), allowing hoteliers to install web apps and software directly onto the display. This eliminates the need for an external media player, saving on additional expense and energy, for maximum ROI.
Joining PPDS’ ever growing SoC family, the Philips 135HDL6015IA is compatible with Philips Wave – the evolutionary cloud-based remote device management ecosystem – putting users fully in control of their display fleets, 24/7. Unlocking the power, versatility and intelligence within Philips Professional Display fleets, the benefits of Philips Wave include, but are far from limited to, simplified installation and setup, monitoring and control, firmware upgrades, managing playlists, and setting power schedules, saving time, energy, and environmental impact.
Jeroen concluded: “At PPDS, our entire existence is centred on designing and delivering solutions built exclusively around the needs and requests of our customers. For us, we don’t look at legacy, we look at the present. And the future. With our growing Philips LED range, we have a family of solutions to satisfy even the most complex and challenging requirements, helping to make lives simpler.
“There is no point in having the best display if you can’t get it in the room. We are incredibly proud to have debuted our new ultra-flexible and adaptable Philips Unite LED 6000 Series All In One for the hospitality industry here at HITEC 2025.”
- 6/12/2025
Starbucks Pilots GenAI Tool for Frontline Employees
At its Leadership Experience event earlier this month, Starbucks announced its first generative-AI powered solution to support its frontline employees is being piloted in 35 locations.
Green Dot Assist is a virtual assistant built to help baristas in real time. Instead of flipping through manuals or searching for answers, partners can now ask questions on in-store iPads and receive instant, conversational responses.
"With this new solution, we’re simplifying access to essential information in the flow of work for partners, making their jobs a little easier while they build confidence and expertise. For example, if a barista needs a quick reminder of the ingredients for a seasonal beverage, Green Dot Assist provides guidance in seconds—helping partners feel confident in delivering exceptional customer service," according to an annoucement on its website.
Starbucks says this marks a significant step forward in its commitment to streamlining operations, reducing friction, and giving partners more time to focus on crafting beverages and connecting with customers.
WATCH the Starbucks annoucement. - 6/16/2025
HITEC 2025: Hotel Internet Services Rebrands at Touchstone 1
Hotel Internet Services (HIS) has officially rebranded as Touchstone 1. The rebrand is being revealed at HITEC 2025 in Indianapolis at Booth 1400, where the company is debuting its new name and visual identity. The rebrand reflects the company’s evolution over the last 22 years and its expanded focus across multiple industries, including hospitality, multifamily, senior living, student housing, healthcare and more.
Founded in 2003 at the dawn of hospitality Wi-Fi, the company quickly emerged as a pioneer, introducing industry-first solutions that set the standard for connectivity, network security and guest entertainment. Over the years, it has developed proprietary IPTV systems, advanced streaming platforms, cutting-edge Wi-Fi hardware and software platforms, and IoT-based integrations—all designed to enhance the user experience.
“The name ‘Hotel Internet Services’ has been a successful brand, but no longer captures who we’ve become or where we’re going,” said Gary Patrick, CEO of Touchstone1. “Touchstone1 encapsulates everything HIS has always stood for: raising the bar not just for technology, but for experiences—making them more human-centric, reliable and future-forward. ‘Touchstone,’ a tool once used to test the purity of gold, symbolizes the high standard we set for ourselves and the industry. And the ‘1’signals our mission to be the first choice in innovation and service.”
Touchstone1’s new identity is anchored in the tagline: “A Higher Level of Connection.” It reflects the leading-edge technology the company delivers as well as its core goal of building stronger, more human-centered digital experiences.
At HITEC the company will showcase the next evolution of in-room entertainment. Attendees will get hands-on demonstrations of HIS’s most advanced solutions, including the Smartroom guestroom entertainment platform with seamless, secure TV Casting.
- 6/16/2025
Zucchetti North America Launches Lybra Assistant
Zucchetti North America is proud to launch a next-generation revenue management system (RMS) to the North American market at HITEC Indianapolis boot 2903: Lybra Assistant combines real time demand data, advanced machine learning and a user-friendly interface to deliver actionable insights, automated rate recommendations and complete control over hotels’ revenue strategy.
Lybra Assistant is a leading RMS in Europe with more 1600 hotels already using the system – all of which have experienced significant improvements in revenue and increases in operational efficiency; in fact, many hotel clients experienced up to 17% RevPAR increases within 6 months of implementation – and it is now available for North American hotels. By adopting Lybra Assistant, hotels can save up to 1,000 hours of manual work per year.
Lybra Assistant is ideal for all properties with more than 20 rooms, from independent hotels and branded groups, and those offering both leisure and business segments. The RMS simplifies revenue management by tracking real-time pick-up trends, monitoring competitor rates and receiving data-backed price recommendations for the next 365 days – all automatically updated across all online distribution channels.
Unlike traditional RMS which primarily use historical, competitor and market data to provide pricing recommendations, the Lybra Assistant algorithm also analyzes millions of flight searches (obtained from integrations with leading metasearch booking channels) and booking pace to anticipate future demand from key feeder markets before it materializes. This enables proactive engagement with potential guests in high-demand feeder markets before it becomes apparent to competitors – an important tool to remain profitable, even offseason or during times of weakened demand.
- 6/16/2025
Chris Turner Promoted to CEO of Yum! Brands
Yum! Brands, Inc. today announced that its Board of Directors has unanimously elected Chris Turner, 50, as Chief Executive Officer, effective October 1, 2025.
Turner, who currently serves as Chief Financial & Franchise Officer for Yum! Brands, will succeed current Chief Executive Officer David Gibbs, who, in March 2025, informed the Board of Directors of his intention to retire in the next year after 37 years with the Company and a successful tenure as CEO.
Turner has served as Yum! Brands' Chief Financial Officer since 2019 and expanded his role to include Chief Franchise Officer in 2024, with responsibilities for finance, corporate strategy, supply chain, franchise standards and support. In recent years, he has been instrumental in driving bold actions that leverage Yum!’s scale, such as accelerating the Company’s digital and technology transformation through initiatives like the establishment of Byte by Yum!, an AI-driven restaurant technology platform; launching a centralized, global Supply Chain Center of Excellence; and the creation of Saucy by KFC, a bold new restaurant concept.
He has worked closely with Gibbs and the entire Yum! Brands leadership team to drive growth through unit development, deliver strong shareholder returns and foster a people-first culture of collaboration.
“It has been the privilege of a lifetime to lead Yum! Brands and work with such passionate, talented people across our global system throughout my almost 37 years with the Company,” said Gibbs. “I’m incredibly proud of what we’ve accomplished together and am confident that the best is yet to come. During my time partnering with Chris, he’s demonstrated deep knowledge of our business, strong values and a clear commitment to our growth. I can’t think of a better person to guide Yum! into its next chapter, and I look forward to supporting a smooth and successful transition.”
Gibbs has served as Yum! Brands’ CEO since January 2020. As CEO, Gibbs was instrumental in architecting and leading the Company’s digital transformation and tripled the pace of Yum! Brands’ annual net new unit development, leading to nearly 61,000 restaurant units worldwide. Gibbs also successfully navigated the Company through the COVID-19 pandemic and an increasingly complex operating environment, making Yum! a top performer in the restaurant industry. During Gibbs’ tenure, digital sales surpassed $30 billion in 2024, with over 50% of sales through digital channels.
Gibbs remains CEO until September 30, 2025, and will serve as an adviser to the Company until the end of 2026 to ensure a seamless transition.
- 6/16/2025
HITEC 2025: Vingcard Unveils Modular, Fully Integrated End-to-End Hotel Technology
At HITEC 2025 booth 3006, Vingcard, an ASSA ABLOY company, is showcasing its expanded portfolio of hospitality technologies—highlighting how modular, fully integrated solutions are driving the next generation of efficiency, personalization, and service quality.
Vingcard’s solution portfolio now features several distinct categories that are each tailored to specific hotel operational needs. Each category also includes solutions that can either be integrated with a property’s other technologies or serve as a standalone platform, with customization options available that can seamlessly align with specific business needs:
Access Management- Utilizing the latest advances in cloud technology to provide a highly flexible and scalable system able to receive automatic software and encryption updates against unauthorized room entry threats. Future-ready solutions also feature Mobile Access compatibility with personal device digital wallets.
Asset Tracking- Hotel staff can now instantly determine the precise real-time location of equipment, amenity rentals, F&B items and more, saving time and minimizing the risk of theft or loss. The same technology can also be deployed to equip employees with location-based alert devices to ensure rapid assistance during an emergency.
- Energy & Guest Room Management- Advanced smart devices such as thermostats, lighting and occupancy sensors ensure that hoteliers can automatically minimize utility costs while maintaining a welcoming guestroom environment that can be seamlessly personalized to individual preferences. Being unveiled at this year’s HITEC is an all-new cloud-native energy management infrastructure that leverages existing Wi-Fi infrastructure to make deployment both easy and at low cost.
- Networks & Connectivity- From WLAN access points and gateway devices to satellite authentication and the latest in Passpoint technology, properties can now effortlessly design and deploy an internet experience that always lives up to guest expectations. HITEC attendees will have an opportunity to learn about the new Nomadix Internet Gateway EG 5K, designed for midsize properties and capable of providing up to 5 Gbps of internet bandwidth for as many as 5,000 simultaneously connected devices. The solution also features enhanced energy efficiency abilities.
- Cloud & Middleware- In addition to access management, Vingcard’s cloud technology expertise also extends to providing advanced integration hub software that leverages the cloud to create a seamless and easily managed ecosystem of disparate solutions. Examples include guestroom entertainment platforms, PBX systems, PMS solutions, elevator controls and energy management devices.
- Operations Management- Whether for the front office, housekeeping, laundry, maintenance, F&B operations or guest requests, Vingcard provides the real-time based and mobile device-compatible task tracking technology that ensures no responsibility slips through the cracks. Able to be customized according to various hotel task management needs, Vingcard’s task management technology can be leveraged to change a room’s status, charge minibar purchases, enter claims, report issues or lost items and much more.