News Briefs

AVaStar and Electro-Media Design arrive at HITEC Indianapolis today with a bold message for hoteliers: It’s time to stop treating AV as a cost center. In Booth #908 at the Indiana Convention Center, June 17 to 19, the audiovisual partners will show that with the right operational structure and support, in-house AV programs can deliver measurable ROI while strengthening guest loyalty.

“Every hotelier is talking about ROI and loyalty in 2025 — and rightly so,” said Jeff Loether, Founder of EMD. “But what’s often missed is how much of that hinges on audiovisual operations. When AV systems are down or underutilized, it’s not just an operational failure — it’s a revenue and reputation risk.”

AVaStar is changing that conversation. Designed specifically for hotels and event venues, AVaStar is the first AV operations platform that empowers existing staff to take ownership of audiovisual systems, increase efficiency, and capture previously overlooked revenue opportunities.

Here's What ROI Looks Like With AVaStar:

• Improved efficiency from trained, empowered staff translates to faster response times, fewer tech failures, enhanced productivity, and better event outcomes.
• Pop-up and add-on rentals are captured and tracked, increasing ancillary revenue without adding headcount.
• Properly maintained systems stay in service longer, reducing downtime, guest complaints, and capital replacement costs.
• One projector rental per month can cover the monthly AVaStar subscription fee — turning the platform into a self-funding asset.

“For many hotels, AV services is like the wild west — understaffed, undertrained, and under-documented,” said Eric Bracht, Managing Director of AVaStar. “Our platform gives them a playbook. That structure is what generates ROI and loyalty. Meeting planners return to venues that make them look good.”

At HITEC, attendees will see firsthand how a centralized AV operations system can drive revenue and build guest satisfaction across departments — from meeting and event rooms to public areas, food & beverage outlets, and other guest amenity spaces.

AVaStar is also offering a complimentary three-month trial of the program (a $2,285 value) to HITEC attendees who visit Booth #908 or schedule a meeting by July 31, 2025. The trial includes full platform access, onboarding, and live expert support.

Relay is proud to announce the launch of RelayM™, our latest breakthrough in frontline communication technology, debuting at HITEC 2025. This powerful new addition to our product portfolio bridges the gap between Relay+™ and RelayX™. Based on the RelayX design, RelayM delivers enterprise-grade performance in a form factor that is 35% smaller, making it one of the smallest 5G devices in the market.

Engineering Excellence in a Compact Design
RelayM is an engineering marvel. We challenged ourselves to deliver the core performance and functionality of RelayX in a dramatically streamlined package – optimized for the unique demands of hospitality environments. While RelayM is compact, it still integrates critical communication, panic, and location awareness into a single, simplified device. Building on the success of Relay+, RelayM offers an evolved design that enhances usability and effectiveness in day-to-day hospitality operations. A new integrated screen provides instant visibility into channel, connectivity, and battery status.

RelayM's size is particularly helpful for housekeepers and mobile staff, as the portable device can easily be clipped to a shirt or worn on a lanyard. This ensures more consistent use and employee protection, all in one holistic tool that addresses both safety and communication needs. RelayM boasts all the capabilities of our previous generation models and more. This includes the TeamTranslate™ feature that has helped escalate our adoption among more than 4,000 hotels, resorts and casinos nationwide and over a million locations tracked.

A Market Leading Approach to Connectivity
RelayM — like RelayX — maintains three active connections simultaneously at all times, including WiFi 6E plus 5G dual cellular connections. To ensure the strongest and most reliable connectivity, it monitors the signal of each network 50 times per second to automatically select the strongest network. It has a backup for the backup, and virtually eliminates communication dead spots.

This approach is critical for safety and consistent communication, especially in large, sprawling hospitality environments. "There were a number of dead zones in the hotel, where we would lose signal… areas that in the past, our communication would drop. We no longer have dead zones," notes David Palumbo, General Manager of Raleigh Marriott City Center and Relay customer. "Our cellphones, as an example, had dropped in the past but because of Relay, we completely eliminated the dropping of the calls."

TeamTranslate: AI-Powered Communication
Central to RelayM's value is our award-winning TeamTranslate™ feature, recently recognized on Fast Company's 2025 World Changing Ideas list. This AI-powered live translation supports more than 30 languages, enabling instant voice translation with the push of a button without separate apps or devices.

For hospitality's diverse workforce, TeamTranslate creates safer, more productive, and inclusive environments by eliminating language barriers and ensuring every team member can participate confidently.

Performance That Doesn't Compromise

Other RelayM features include:

All-Shift Battery Life: Thanks to the new, larger 1780 mAh battery, with 32% more capacity and 25% longer talk time than before, RelayM can cover even the longest shifts, now with 10-16 hours of usage on a single charge.

Crystal Clear Audio: Features the same high-quality 2-watt speaker as RelayX, providing 50% improved perceived loudness than our previous model. And RelayM's new and improved advanced noise cancellation ensures crystal clear communication even in the most challenging hospitality environments—whether it's over noisy vacuum cleaners, in bustling lobbies or restaurants, or on loud city streets.

Military-Grade Durability: Built to MIL-SPEC 810H standards with IP66 and IP68 ratings. Waterproof, dustproof, and able to withstand 5-foot drops onto concrete.

Setting New Industry Standards
RelayM showcases our commitment to continuous innovation and setting new industry standards. By combining cutting-edge engineering with cloud technology and AI-powered features like TeamTranslate, we're driving the evolution of frontline communication technology.

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.

VoicePlug, a leading Voice AI provider for restaurants, has been selected by Back of the House Inc., the acclaimed restaurant group founded by Adriano Paganini. The partnership brings VoicePlug's advanced conversational AI solutions to flagship brands including Super Duper Burgers, with plans to extend across the entire Back of the House portfolio.

Back of the House chose VoicePlug for its ability to manage complex restaurant interactions, integrate seamlessly with systems, and enhance guest experiences while improving operations.

"We've always looked to push the boundaries of how technology can elevate the guest experience without compromising on hospitality," said Adriano Paganini, Founder and CEO of Back of the House. "VoicePlug stood out among AI providers with its deep understanding of restaurant workflows and a practical, elegant solution to some of our biggest challenges."

VoicePlug automates voice interactions across phone, drive-thru, kiosk, and mobile, enabling staff to focus on hospitality and guests to receive consistent, prompt service.

"We're honored to be chosen by Adriano and the Back of the House—a group that's known for pushing culinary and service innovation," said Jay Ruparel, CEO of VoicePlug. "This partnership reflects our shared vision of blending high-touch hospitality with intelligent automation."

The initial rollout will begin with Super Duper Burgers, a beloved Bay Area burger brand known for its high-quality ingredients, sustainability, and local charm.

"Super Duper is all about fast, quality service with heart," said Edmondo Sarti, CEO. "VoicePlug's AI lets us handle more orders without losing the personal touch. It's a smarter, better way to serve our guests."

This partnership marks VoicePlug's continued growth as forward-thinking brands adopt conversational AI to meet evolving guest expectations and boost efficiency. 

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. 

Duetto launched The Revenue & Profit Operating System: a platform designed to bring together all revenue and profit tools in one place.

Powered by automation, advanced algorithms, artificial intelligence (AI), and both hotel booking and third-party data, this represents a major move beyond traditional revenue management systems (RMS) thinking, putting revenue and profit at the heart of the hotel ecosystem.

"We have always prided ourselves on being at the bleeding edge of revenue management, and that innovation is not slowing down. We believe it is time for an entirely new category in hotel tech. One that puts revenue and profit front and center,” said David Woolenberg, CEO at Duetto. “We’ve built an operating system designed to help hoteliers move faster, think smarter, and unlock growth in every part of their business.”

A Shift in the Industry

The Revenue & Profit Operating System is a platform that brings together every part of the hotel revenue and operations – pricing, forecasting, reporting, group optimization, loyalty, and profit insights – all under one roof.

This means hotels unifying every revenue stream, not only rooms. It means optimizing across transient, group, and events. It means connecting F&B, meeting, and ancillary services into one single revenue strategy. It means making faster, smarter decisions with less manual work by using smart automation and AI. It means using a connected platform that can break down silos across data, departments, and decisions.

It means that revenue and profit won’t be managed but optimized.

Alongside the launch of The Revenue & Profit Operating System, Duetto unveiled several product innovations:

• GameTime: A streamlined RMS built for select-service chains and enterprise hotel brands with limited-service properties, GameTime simplifies rate updates, automates pricing, and delivers portfolio-wide visibility – unlocking more revenue with less manual work.
• Advance, reinvented: Duetto’s dynamic pricing recommendations got sharper. Now powered by AI, Advance detects unusual demand patterns, identifies high-opportunity stay dates, and automatically recommends the best pricing to maximize revenue – all in a sleek new interface.
• Profit insights with HotStats: With the strategic acquisition of HotStats, Duetto now includes in-depth benchmarking and market intelligence across the full P&L, offering a holistic view into the topline revenue along with strategic profit-driving actions.