April 8, 2015 – A deal announced today could benefit travelers hoping for a quick something to eat before a flight, or to buy a meal to take onboard. HMSHost International, which provides food and beverage services to travelers at over 100 airport locations worldwide, has signed a deal with QikServe, which provides technology to the hospitality industry that allows customers to order and pay directly by mobile phone.
QikServes’ so-called ‘Waiter in your Pocket’ app has begun rollout at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol following a successful pilot scheme at the end of 2014. In partnership with HMSHost, QikServe is extending its initial ‘at table’ service to include ‘order ahead’ functionality and ultimately a comprehensive customer engagement and loyalty scheme. At an airport like Schiphol this means that passengers will be able to order ahead while going through security, en route to their gates or when disembarking flights.
The news of a contract win for QikServe comes as the company has just launched version 4.5, a version that adds operator-branded ‘order ahead’ for takeaway or collection to its existing ‘at table’ technology. The QikServe app integrates with Oracle Hospitality’s point of sale (POS) system, meaning that orders appear on the till as if entered by a waiter.
Dennis Hoogreef, senior director IT and facilities at HMSHost International said, “We are seeing future demand for self-ordering options and loyalty and rewards through mobile devices and we are impressed with the speed that QikServe can deliver on this technology.”