Sébastien Long

We’re proud to share a small but meaningful milestone, 30 staff members at Hotel Sky are now actively using the tipped digital wallet. This forms part of a new initiative we’ve launched to support hotels and other larger employers in offering digital tipping solutions to their teams. From concierge staff to porters and housekeeping, many of these workers rely on tips as a key supplement to their income - but in a world moving away from cash, it’s getting harder for guests to show appreciation. According to recent studies and informal polls in South Africa: Most hotel guests tip between R10 and R50, depending on the service and the role. Housekeepers typically receive between R20–R50 per day, if tipped at all. Concierges or porters may receive once-off tips of R10–R100, depending on the guest experience. However, many guests don’t carry cash, meaning tips often go unshared - not because of unwillingness, but due to inconvenience. That’s where digital tipping can make a difference. By offering staff a secure, cashless wallet, we’re helping bridge the gap between a guest’s good intentions and an employee’s well-deserved reward. To the team at Hotel Sky - thank you for embracing this solution and for all you do behind the scenes to create exceptional guest experiences. And to other hotels and businesses: if you’re interested in rolling this out to your team, we’d love to talk.

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After being back on the road again, this report was of great interest to me as I see how hotelier's are thinking about the future of hospitality and their guest experiences... To find out what's hot in Hospitality these day's, we surveyed 40,000 consumers and 8,000 businesses across 27 countries. We learned that:  - Self-check-in is the top improvement guests want to see in 2025 (Rise and leave is my motto) - 35% of guests have used an AI assistant to make travel-related decisions (I'm ready for it to make all my booking decisions for me) - Direct bookings are on the rise (Brand direct leads to greater rewards and promotions, sorry OTAs) Learn more, including insights from citizenM hotels, Belmond, and Oetker Hotels here 👉 https://bit.ly/44Hq0If

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***BIG NEWS*** The UK government just launched PISCES, a new capital markets framework enabling private companies to trade shares on an intermittent basis. It is a promising move to support startups, scale-ups, and pre-IPO companies, offering liquidity without the burden of going public. PISCES enables capital flexibility, supports talent retention, aligns with global trends in tokenisation. However, I believe that intermittent liquidity may be a challenge tour traditional investors, at least in the short and medium term. Success will largely depend on execution quality, market education and platform adoption. #innovation #tokenisation #UKtech #fintech #capitalmarkets

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The UK hospitality market is evolving — and long-term stability has never been more important. At OYO, our company service (long-term lease) model continues to gain strong momentum across the UK. In particular, Sunday Hotels has delivered an outstanding first quarter — with growing interest from owners who value: - Strong covenant strength - Proven and consistent payment history - Long-term lease security -Professional revenue management & distribution - Potential uplift in asset valuation - Transparent and fair commercial structures Our partners are choosing us not just for occupancy — but for stability, structure, and scalable growth. We understand that every hotel is unique. Whether you operate an independent hotel or a portfolio, we structure deals that are: • Fast to close • Commercially fair • Operationally efficient • Designed for stable, long-term growth If you are considering leasing your hotel in London or across the UK, I would be delighted to have a confidential discussion. 📩 jonit.kumar@oyorooms.com Let’s build long-term value together. #OYO #SundayHotels #UKHotels #HotelLeasing #HospitalityInvestment #HotelOwners #LongTermGrowth

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Why Digital Tipping Is Becoming a Retention Strategy — Not Just a Payment Method In boardrooms across the hospitality industry, one topic continues to dominate executive conversations: Retention. From hotels to enterprise food service groups, operators are investing heavily in training, onboarding, and culture, yet many still struggle with turnover in frontline roles. What’s often overlooked is one of the most powerful drivers of engagement: Immediate financial recognition for exceptional work. Historically, tipping has existed outside of a structured workforce strategy. It was informal, cash-based, and largely invisible to management teams. But digital tipping changes that paradigm entirely. When gratuities are captured and distributed through compliant digital platforms: • Employees feel seen for their individual contributions • Managers gain insight into performance trends • Operators can correlate service quality with earnings • Recognition becomes data-driven rather than anecdotal In other words, tipping becomes a signal of performance. We’re now seeing forward-thinking hospitality brands leverage digital tipping data alongside guest feedback to: • Identify top performers • Incentivize excellence • Optimize staffing models • Improve guest satisfaction scores • Reduce voluntary attrition It transforms gratuities from a passive outcome into an active lever for retention. In an environment where attracting and retaining service talent remains one of the industry’s greatest challenges, enabling real-time, transparent tipping isn’t just a technological upgrade. It’s a workforce investment. And the organizations that treat it as such are already seeing the difference, not only in employee tenure, but also in the consistency of the guest experience delivered across their properties. If your organization hasn’t implemented digital tipping yet, schedule a demo with one of our specialists at eTip.com to see how leading hospitality operators are strengthening retention while empowering their teams. #HospitalityIndustry #HotelManagement #HospitalityLeadership #EmployeeRetention #DigitalTipping #GuestExperience #HospitalityTechnology

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Rights issues and parent support are back in focus, and they matter for investors. A rights issue allows existing shareholders to buy additional shares, usually at a discount, so institutions can raise capital quickly. The trade-off is clear: participate to maintain your stake, or face dilution. Parent company support, on the other hand, involves capital injections from a holding or foreign parent. This strengthens balance sheets, signals confidence, and often limits dilution for minority shareholders. For investors, these moves present both opportunity and risk. Discounted rights issues can offer attractive entry points, while stronger capital positions reduce long-term risk and support future growth. Dilution alone is not value destruction. What matters is whether the new capital is deployed effectively, into lending, risk management, and sustainable earnings growth. At a market level, this trend reflects a maturing capital ecosystem. Regulation is forcing stronger balance sheets, investors are being offered clearer risk-reward choices, and weaker institutions will either consolidate or exit. Capital strength is no longer optional, it is the price of credibility. https://lnkd.in/daXmm5yp

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Revolutionising Hospitality Payments: GPFS Brings Crypto to Leading Hotel Chains ✨ At GPFS, we are proud to be at the forefront of innovation in hospitality payments. We are working with some of the world’s top hotel chains to integrate crypto payment solutions, ensuring that guests can now pay for their stays and services using digital assets such as USDT… This move aligns with the growing demand from tech-savvy travellers who expect speed, flexibility, and global accessibility in every part of their experience. Why Crypto Payments? Hospitality is about creating seamless experiences. Traditional payment methods often come with hidden fees, delays, and currency conversion headaches. Crypto solves these challenges by offering: • Instant Settlement – Payments are processed in real time, reducing waiting times for both the customer and the hotel. • Lower Transaction Fees – Crypto transactions are often more cost-efficient than Visa or Mastercard, with savings passed on to both businesses and guests. • Global Accessibility – Guests from anywhere in the world can pay with USDT, without worrying about fluctuating exchange rates or bank restrictions. • Security & Transparency – Blockchain ensures every transaction is secure, traceable, and tamper-proof. We believe the future of hospitality will be borderless, digital, and frictionless. By adopting USDT and other crypto solutions, hotels are not only enhancing the guest experience but also positioning themselves ahead of the curve in a rapidly evolving financial landscape. At GPFS, our goal is to bridge the gap between traditional finance and digital assets, ensuring smooth integration for businesses and effortless transactions for customers. ⸻ 📩 For more information on how GPFS can help your hotel integrate crypto payments, contact: • ✉️ gemma@gpfs.io • 📞 +44 7710 874698 • 🌐 www.gpfs.io

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Family Offices Are Moving — But Not for the Reasons Most Assume There’s a growing narrative that family offices are “leaving London”. The reality is more nuanced — and far more strategic. What we’re actually seeing is not flight, but re-configuration. Principals are becoming more mobile. Operations are becoming more distributed. Decision-making is becoming sharper, not looser. Families are separating: *where they live *from where their teams sit *from where their capital is deployed Tax matters, of course — but so do security, governance, lifestyle, talent density, and time zones. And increasingly, so does time discipline. The most interesting shift isn’t geography. It’s mindset. Family offices are: *reducing ambiguity *tightening agendas *avoiding speculative meetings *and designing structures that work before people get on planes Time is now treated as a luxury asset — not something to be spent on exploratory conversations without clear intent. This has implications for everyone around them: advisers, operators, consultants, hospitality groups, and service partners alike. The question isn’t: Where should a family office be based? It’s: How should it operate when capital, people, and opportunity are globally mobile by default? I’m curious to hear perspectives from: *family office principals *next-gen family members *operators supporting UHNW families *and those designing cross-border structures What are you seeing change — quietly — beneath the surface? Where is London still winning? And where is it being out-engineered? Open to debate, challenge, and thoughtful disagreement. #FamilyOffice #UHNW #WealthStewardship #PrivateCapital #GlobalMobility #Governance #LongTermThinking #QuietLuxury #Westshore #TimeAsCapital

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"Is a cheaper restaurant booking system really the best option?" 🤔 That question came up in a meeting yesterday, and it's one many restaurant owners ask especially when margins are tight and there are systems on the market for basic entry systems. But here is the real consideration: 💭 If you're running a busy venue, juggling no-shows, trying to fill gaps midweek, running events, promoting set menus, and relying on social and Google to drive traffic. Then you're not looking for just a booking system, your also looking for a mix of bookings and a growth tool. 🚀 Before deciding based on price, ask yourself: 1. Is it helping reduce no-shows ❌ or are empty tables costing you hundreds each month? 2. Can it turn one-off guests into regulars 🔁 through easy retargeting and remarketing? 3. Is it discoverable on Google Reserve 📲 so you are visible when people search "best brunch near me"? 4. Can you track which of your marketing efforts actually convert 📊 into bookings and revenue? 5. Is it optimising your tables, or are you missing out on bigger party bookings? 🍽️ Do you and your team actually use it confidently, or is it just there? Yes, premium systems like Dojo Bookings are not the cheapest, but that investment should drive more bookings, boost ROI, and make your operation smoother. 💡That's exactly what they are there for. And with a free 30-day trial and full setup included, you have nothing to lose. If it does not deliver value, walk away. ✌️ 🔍 Don’t just ask “How much does it cost?” Ask: “What am I missing out on if I go cheap?” Are you truly getting everything you need from your current booking system? #RestaurantOwner #HospitalityGrowth #BookingSystems #NoShows #GoogleReserve #MarketingROI #DojoBookings #HospitalityTools #RestaurantSuccess #SmartHospitality

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