Crave Interactive Ltd., a United Kingdom-based tech developer of in-room tablets for hotels, is expanding its operations to Las Vegas by opening an office in the city, according to a press release.
The expansion follows a recent placement of Crave’s tablet products at the Aria, along with several other signings across the U.S., Latin America and the Caribbean.
“Crave is fast becoming the global market leader in providing the sort of guest-facing digital technology which is rapidly becoming an essential element of high-end hospitality,” said Gareth Hughes, CEO and founder of Crave Interactive. “Our new Las Vegas office will further fuel our expansion in the Americas.”
Crave’s second-generation tablet, the T2, specifically designed for hotel room use, offers guests an array of functionality in one device: room service menus, directories, telephone ordering, push messaging and several other uses.
The company formed in 2009. Its T2 device has seen placement in several resorts across the U.S. and the globe, including the Montage Beverly Hills in Los Angeles, Mayton Inn North Carolina and other establishments in Costa Rica, Mexico and St. Lucia.
“The last year has been a real watershed, both for Crave’s expansion as a business and for the developing importance of in-room tablet-based technology in general,” Crave commercial director Tim Butterworth said. “There seems to have been a sudden realization across the luxury hospitality sector that this sort of tech is well on its way to becoming a standard guest requirement.”
Las Vegas in top 10 for
staycations: report
Las Vegas tourists love coming to this city to gamble, be entertained and take in the sights. But there could also be a reason for locals to love the city of Las Vegas.
According to a recent report from WalletHub, a personal finance website, Las Vegas is in the top 10 for best places to have a staycation — coming in at No. 7. Las Vegas fell behind several regions in Florida, including the No. 1 staycation spot, Orlando. That was followed by Fort Lauderdale and Tampa, which rested at No. 3.
On the other side of the country, Salt Lake City was No. 4, followed by Scottsdale. The No. 6 best staycation city goes back to the southeast: Atlanta.
WalletHub compared 150 U.S. cities for the study, using 28 metrics. Some of those included movie and bowling costs, golf courses, frozen-yogurt shops and spas per capita, along with the cost of housecleaning services.
Las Vegas leads the pack on many of these metrics including per capita nightlife options and shopping centers, in which the region was No. 1.
Las Vegas also was No. 1 for the number of zoos and aquariums per capita and spas and wellness centers per capita. The city was also No. 1 per capita in cultural attractions, which included theaters and concerts.
On the downside, Las Vegas ranked 77th on beer gardens per capita and 76th in tennis courts. The city came in 11th in public golf courses per capita.
Scientific Games wins lottery bid
Las Vegas-based Scientific Games, a developer of technology-based products and associated content for the gaming, lottery sector, along with the interactive market, announced it was chosen to bring its instant lottery games to consumers in Belgium.
Scientific games received a one-year contract near the end of May, with options to extend the agreement for up to three years.
“One of the primary reasons we selected Scientific Games is the results experienced by several other major lotteries in Europe with instant game products,” said Jannie Haek, administrateur délégué for Loterie Nationale Belgium. “We believe that Scientific Games’ consumer insights, marketing strategies and the innovation they are bringing to instant games will be a means to entertain our players and grow revenues for Loterie Nationale.”
Scientific Games provides 75 percent of the world’s instant game retail revenues, supplying 23 of the globe’s top 25 markets, according to a recent release.
Scientific Games also reported a 31 percent five-year sales growth, from 2009 to 2014, in the United States’ global instant game market, valued at $80.4 billion.
“Instant products, often supported by interactive second-chance drawings on mobile and web, continue to be the largest year-on-year revenue growth for lotteries in many jurisdictions around the world,” said John Schulz, senior vice president, global instant products for Scientific Games. “Our expertise with instant games is unrivaled, and we believe we can empower Loterie Nationale with the analytics, strategy and creativity to entertain Belgian players and grow sales.”
