Linchi Kwok, Ph.D.

The advance of technology has transformed the way how restaurants and hotels operate the business. When almost everything, from reservations, productions, and service delivery, to the collection of payments, can all be performed by machines , restaurants and hotels must also reconsider how they may better utilize the space for smooth operations.   McDonald’s opened a new restaurant that looks like an Apple Store McDonald’s, for example, revealed a flagship store that looks like an Apple Store in Chicago, roughly two months after the company opened a brand new $250 million headquarter in the Windy City’s up-and-coming neighborhood known for its trendy restaurants,. McDonald’s flagship store has a series of new designs, including: The restaurant is located in a glassy, 19,000-square-foot building. More open space is featured for self-order kiosks, mobile order and pay, delivery, and even table service, the services that become increasingly important across the U.S. loca

Bigger usually means better, especially when it comes to hotel loyalty programs . Otherwise, why are hotel chains building bigger travel reward programs ?     The combined Marriott-Ritz-Starwood program will take effect on August 18 Marriott’s acquired the Ritz-Carlton Hotel Group in 1995 and then the Starwood Hotels and Resorts in 2016, but it was not until this April that  the company announced its plan to combine the three independent reward programs ---  Marriott Rewards ,  the Ritz-Carlton Rewards  and  Starwood Preferred Guest  (SPG) under one big operation, with a tentative date set in August.  The  merger  of these three travel  reward programs brought a combined membership of 110 million travelers into the new program. By contrast, the  Hilton Honors Program has about 70 million members.   The most recent update is Marriott’s combined reward program will take effect on August 18 . Starting on August 18, travelers will be able to book reward stays in the compan