1 Make sure the tech fits the brand

Technology should never be used for its own sake, the panel agreed. It’s crucial that it makes the business better and harmonises with the brand. “We run any potential tech through our brand filters. What does our guest want, what do our team want, and what does our brand represent?” said Tom James, managing director of Bill’s. “Some technology that looked really good—especially from a finance director’s perspective—just wasn’t going to work with our guests.” Gavin Adair, CEO of Rosa’s Thai, gave the example of an aborted trial of order-and-pay tech. “We pulled it because it wasn’t on-brand… it just didn’t feel right for us.”

2 Have a team mindset

Any new innovations need to make the job of frontline teams better, said Sarah Venning, global chief digital and data officer at Merlin Entertainments. “It’s easy to be seduced by something that’s super-shiny and looks like it will pay back beautifully. But if it makes anyone’s jobs harder it’s going to bomb… you’ve got to have thought through how it’s integrated into their day-to-day work.” She added: “The fundamental thing here is innovation as a team sport and as a mindset.” Teams can be resistant to change, and Tom James said Bill’s had solved the problem by starting tech roll-outs with the most risk-averse staff. “We used them as the ambassadors. We took them on the journey and showed our goal was to free them up to spend more time with guests and on the floor… it had a ripple effect through the business.” 

3 Get the right skills 

Businesses need the right skills if they are to find the right technology. “Not everyone is going to have the resources for a digital team with loads of people, but it’s really important to have enough depth of knowledge to buy [digital solutions] smartly,” Sarah Venning said. A fusion of IT and marketing skills is essential—and the crossover between the two is much bigger than it used to be. “You find technologists now who are steeped in the customer, and marketeers who deeply understand data… you’ve got both sides of the coin.”

4 Remember the human touch 

Innovation doesn’t mean automation, and it’s vital that new solutions don’t diminish the face-to-face interactions that make visits to restaurants, pubs and bars special. “When we talk about using technology to help with labour productivity or connecting with our consumers, we’re not talking about taking the hospitality out of hospitality… we’re enhancing it,” said Jane O’Riordan, chair at Caravan, Red Engine and Turtle Bay and chair of the session.

5 Combine data with gut feel

While data is a big part of decision-making now, instinct is still vital. “I’m a technologist so you wouldn’t expect me to say this, but I’m still a believer in the highly refined gut,” said Sarah Venning. “But the gut is far, far improved by incredible data… it means you can focus your judgement on a narrower range of choices rather than a scattergun approach.”

6 Don’t be stifled by growth 

The spirit of innovation comes easily to start-ups. But it’s crucial to sustain it as a business grows, said Gavin Adair. “The challenge I had [after joining Rosa’s] was how to help them grow without losing the innovation that is at the heart of everything they did. Yes, innovation is about taking costs out and doing things more efficiently, but really it’s about entrepreneurship … It’s a little bit more difficult in a bigger business—but even more important.”

7 Learn from other industries

Some of the best inspiration for innovation comes from outside the four walls of hospitality. Tom Jamessaid: “I’ve taken a lot of leads from other industries like retail and tourism for how important it is to have a really robust digital strategy for data analytics, personalisation and talking to our audience in the right way.” Sarah Venning added: “People come to us for emotional reasons… [But] there are other adjacent industries that are using technology and data in an incredible way to meet those emotional need states.”

8 Collaborate

Collaboration can accelerate innovation. Jane O’Riordan introduced the work in this area of the Hospitality Sector Council, which has run an innovation workshop to share new solutions to productivity challenges. The next phase of work is on filling gaps in knowledge through peer-to-peer learning and regional working groups, with special focus on positive use of AI and consumer data. “Democratising data is important for all of us to make better decisions,” O’Riordan said. You can sign up to receive updates from the Hospitality Sector Council here.

Peach 20/20 thanks its headline partners on the 2024 Leaders Summit: Access, CGA by NIQ, Diageo, Fourth, Nutritics, Sona and Zonal; premium partners Chapman Ventilation, Crunchtime, Toast and Uber Eats; event partners Airship, Bird & Bird, Brakes, Cardlytics, Coca-Cola Europacific Partners, Feed it Back, Freeths, Gusborne, Harri, Kitch, Lucky Saint, Mapal and The National Restaurant, Pub & Bar Show and Toggle; and charity and association partners Be Inclusive Hospitality, Only A Pavement Away, Tim Bacon Foundation and UKHospitality.