Sodexo Introduces Robotic Hot Food Kiosks Across the U.S. with ART Partnership

Sodexo Introduces Robotic Hot Food Kiosks Across the U.S. with ART Partnership

By Nishang Narayan

Published on May 4, 2024

Sodexo, a global leader in food services and facilities management, has partnered with ART, a specialist in robotic technology, to launch an extensive network of robotic hot food kiosks across the United States. This initiative marks a significant advancement in the food service sector, leveraging cutting-edge technology to redefine convenience and quality in dining.

Starting March 26, 2024, the Just Baked Smart Bistro kiosks, developed by ART, will be available at various Sodexo-served client sites, including industries such as healthcare, education, and corporate settings. These state-of-the-art kiosks will offer an array of gourmet hot food options—from giant cinnamon rolls and White Castle Cheeseburger Slider 4-packs to bao buns and breakfast sandwiches—all prepared at the touch of a button.

Husein Kitabwalla, CEO of Tech & Services and Food Transformation at Sodexo North America, expressed his enthusiasm about the partnership, stating, "Our commitment to innovation is underscored by integrating ART’s Just Baked Technology into our services. This collaboration not only enhances our food offerings but also aligns with our goals of utilizing AI to push the boundaries of traditional food service."

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Ben Porter, CEO of ART, highlighted the benefits of this collaboration, noting, "Partnering with Sodexo allows us to tap into a vast network of food service operations, bringing unparalleled convenience and sophisticated analytics that optimize operations and deliver exceptional food experiences around the clock."

The Just Baked Smart Bistro kiosks are designed with compact efficiency, offering a diverse menu that caters to various tastes and dietary preferences. By incorporating advanced analytics and machine learning, these kiosks streamline operations and ensure a consistent, high-quality dining experience for consumers.

This deployment is part of Sodexo's broader strategy to enhance its technological capabilities in food services, promising a new era of dining convenience that is accessible 24/7 across a wide range of venues, including colleges, hospitals, airports, and more.

For further details on the Just Baked Smart Bistro technology and to explore partnership opportunities, visit www.justbakedkiosk.com.


Hotels Migrate from RFID to BLE door Locks to Stay Relevant

Hotels Migrate from RFID to BLE door Locks to Stay Relevant

By Manu Vardhan Kannan

Published on April 2, 2026

The hospitality industry is entering a new phase where legacy technologies are being left behind. With support for older systems like magstripe and traditional RFID locks gradually coming to an end, hotels are now faced with a clear decision to upgrade.

What was once considered modern is now becoming outdated.

RFID locks, while reliable in the past, no longer meet the expectations of today’s mobile first guests. Key cards are easily lost, duplicated, or demagnetized, and maintaining these systems is becoming increasingly difficult as industry support declines.

In contrast, Bluetooth Low Energy locks [BLE] are built for the way guests travel today.

With BLE, smartphones become secure digital keys. Guests can check in before arrival, skip the front desk, and access their rooms instantly. The experience becomes seamless, fast, and completely contactless.

Security is also significantly enhanced. BLE locks use advanced technologies like AES 128 encryption and mutual authentication, making them far more secure than traditional key based systems. Hotels gain the ability to issue and revoke access remotely, monitor usage, and maintain full control in real time.

Global leaders such as Onity, Dormakaba, SALTO and ASSA ABLOY VingCard are already driving this shift, making BLE locks the new benchmark for modern hotels.

However, upgrading to BLE locks is only part of the transformation. To truly deliver a connected and seamless guest journey, hotels need a platform that brings access, services, and operations together.

This is where products like GuestEzee are playing a key role globally.

GuestEzee is a comprehensive guest management platform designed for the digital era of hospitality. It enables guests to complete check in before arrival, use their mobile phones as room keys through BLE integration, and access all hotel services through a single app. From in room dining to service requests, everything becomes faster, simpler, and more intuitive.

For hotels, GuestEzee integrates with multiple PMS systems, door lock technologies, and F and B POS platforms. This flexibility allows it to work across all types of properties, from independent hotels to large chains and serviced accommodations. It reduces operational dependency on the front desk while enhancing guest satisfaction and efficiency.

With solutions like GuestEzee now available worldwide, the adoption of BLE locks has become easier, more scalable, and more practical for hotels of all sizes.

The shift from RFID to BLE is no longer optional. It is a necessary step toward building smarter, safer, and more connected hotels.

Because in today’s hospitality landscape, the experience begins at the door, and the future opens with BLE.


Palaniappa Electronics Launches Hepi TV for Smarter Hotel Rooms

By Hariharan U

Published on March 28, 2026

In today’s hospitality landscape, guest experience goes far beyond comfort, it directly impacts reviews, repeat stays, and overall revenue. Addressing this shift, Palaniappa Electronics has introduced Hepi TV, a smart in-room hospitality solution that transforms the traditional guest room television into a powerful, revenue-generating platform designed exclusively for hotels.

Powered by the Palaniappa’s Hepi TV Box, the system replaces passive television viewing with an intuitive home screen built around four smart components that focus on convenience, upselling, and operational efficiency.

One of the standout features is interactive restaurant ordering directly from the TV. Hotels can upload their restaurant menus with visually rich video backdrops for each dish, along with pricing. Guests can browse, select items, choose quantities, and confirm orders using the remote. Once placed, the order is instantly shared via WhatsApp with the kitchen team, room service staff, and management, allowing faster processing and billing without any phone calls. This seamless experience encourages impulse ordering and helps increase F&B revenue.

Hepi TV also simplifies room service requests through one-click options available on the screen. Services such as requesting towels, toiletries, laundry pickup, or spa bookings can be placed instantly. Each request is sent via WhatsApp to the relevant department with the room number, enabling quicker response times. The system also generates service usage reports, helping hotel teams understand guest demand patterns and improve planning.

 Another key feature is cab and tour booking through the TV interface. Guests can request transport or tours directly from their rooms, triggering alerts to both the hotel and partnered operators. This adds convenience for guests while opening up commission-based revenue opportunities for hotels.

 On the entertainment front, the Hepi TV Premium Package offers access to all paid HD channels across languages, removing the limitation of single regional DTH packs. Popular OTT platforms are available on the same interface, with complete privacy protection as guest login details are automatically erased at checkout. Adding a personal touch, the guest’s name is displayed on the TV screen from check-in to checkout, creating a warm and premium welcome.

Hotels can further use the platform as a marketing tool by uploading up to six branded 4K videos to promote services, offers, or facilities, turning every TV into an in-room communication channel.

All these features are available at ₹400 plus GST per TV per month, with no capital investment required, as the Hepi TV box is provided free of cost. For hotel owners and general managers, Hepi TV positions itself not as an expense, but as a smart investment that enhances guest experience, improves operational control, and generates additional revenue.

Palaniappa Electronics continues to strengthen its standing as a trusted partner for hospitality electronics, known for reliable quality, timely delivery, and dedicated support. Trusted by multiple hotel brands, the company remains a preferred name in the hospitality industry for innovative products and dependable service.

For more details, contact Palaniappa Electronics | Mr. Muthu at 9003045685 or muthu@palaniappagroup.com.


Samsung Hospitality TV HG Series: The Smartest, Safest Choice for Modern Guest Rooms

By Author

Published on February 12, 2026

In today’s hospitality landscape, the guest room TV is no longer just an amenity - it’s a critical touchpoint for security, experience, and cost control, and the Samsung Hospitality TV HG Series, purpose-built for hotels, delivers exactly what hoteliers need: guest data protection, operational savings, and premium entertainment.

Guest OTT Security - A Feature No Other Brand Offers: One of the most overlooked risks in hotel rooms is OTT login security, where guests log into personal streaming accounts and forget to sign out, exposing credentials to the next occupant, but Samsung HG Series solves this by design because every time the TV is switched off using the remote, all OTT login credentials are automatically erased, ensuring complete protection of guest data - a unique security feature that competing hospitality TVs simply do not offer.

TV as a Secure Internet Hotspot – Smarter Than Wi-Fi: With a LAN connection to the TV, the Samsung HG Series can act as a secure wireless hotspot, allowing guests to connect via a one-time OTP displayed on the TV screen, delivering full traceability of internet usage mapped to room, guest, date and time while enabling massive cost savings by reducing the need for multiple routers and access points.

200+ Live Internet Channels – No Extra Hardware: The HG Series offers 200+ live internet channels across news, entertainment and lifestyle, eliminating the need for IP TV systems or traditional set-top boxes.

No Set-Top Box Required – OTT Is Already Inbuilt: With all major OTT apps inbuilt, hotels benefit from zero STB rental costs, cleaner rooms with less wiring and faster, simpler guest usage.

One Remote, Clean Look, Better Experience: For properties that still retain set-top boxes, Samsung HG TVs support single-remote operation, removing the clutter of multiple remotes and avoiding cheap, flimsy STB remotes, thereby preserving a premium room aesthetic.

For GMs and Property Owners, the Samsung Hospitality TV HG Series is not just a television - it’s a security-first, cost-efficient, guest-centric solution designed exclusively for hotels, and if guest privacy, operational savings, and a premium in-room experience matter, it’s time to see the Samsung HG Series in action.

For more details, contact Palaniappa Electronics | Mr Muthu at 9003045685 or muthu@palaniappagroup.com 

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