IRIS, the global leader in digital ordering for the hospitality industry, has unveiled a host of new features across its mobile ordering and guest experience platform, all developed to deliver a more secure, responsive and integrated experience for both operators and their guests.
Demand for mobile ordering from both staff and guests continues its upward trajectory. Indeed, the 2025 State of Hotel Guest Tech Report from Hotel Tech Report highlights that millennials are 57% more likely to be influenced by hotel technology. As such, IRIS has invested in building and enhancing its platform to better equip operators for such expectations.
IRIS are continuing to build on their existing Open Tab feature. Open Tab enables guests to start a tab, order multiple rounds, and then settle the bill in a single payment transaction at the end. Now, the already-popular feature is more secure than ever, both for the guest and the hotel.
Traditional restaurants and bars require users to create a user name and password to verify their identity when ordering multiple rounds. However, IRIS integrates with the hotel’s PMS, allowing them to instantly validate that a guest’s name and room number match what is already in the system. By linking with the PMS database, IRIS can seamlessly confirm a guest’s identity without any further action required from them. Furthermore, as hotel staff already know to keep guests’ names and room numbers secure, there is also no need for any additional training.
Whereas this first half of the feature ensures only the guest who started the tab can add to it, the second half ensures that the guest can’t walk away without paying. The PMS also confirms whether the guest has left a card on file with the hotel. If they have, then the hotel has the means to reclaim any outstanding balances. If not, then the user can still place their order, but not as an open tab.
All the security administration happens behind the scenes to give go ahead for order and payment in one step, paving the way for greater spending – more relaxed ordering and enhanced guest experience and loyalty, especially for longer term guests. Day guests also have the option to set up an open tab with a pre-authorized credit card on arrival to manage orders and payments in the same way as residential guests.
With the new digital staff ordering feature, staff can take digital orders themselves on any device, mitigating the need to walk back and forth to POS stations to manually upload orders. Ideal for guests preferring waiter-service or for fine-dining environments, staff can simply log in via their mobile device to take orders which are then sent directly to the POS, accelerating the speed of service, driving efficiency across order processing, and reducing errors and transaction time.
Any item or price changes will simultaneously update both the guest and staff-facing versions of the menu to ensure live and accurate functionality. Working with the Open Tab solution, both guests and staff can access and add to an existing tab via the table number to manage the same order and settle the bill with one payment at the end.
IRIS has also enhanced its Advance Ordering functionality with a new Amenities ordering option, designed to support operators and guests who wish to order items ahead of arrival. For example, flowers to the bridal suite, groceries for a villa on the day of arrival or a birthday cake as part of an afternoon tea reservation. Operators can customize items and lead times in line with their own operational capabilities. Orders can also be placed during a guest’s stay to further drive order volumes and revenues.
An accessible and efficient way for operators to access the guest’s second wallet and drive revenue beyond the room. Customers who are not necessarily guests and may wish to send a gift to a guest are sent a separate amenities link through which they can order and pay securely.
David Molofsky, Product Manager at IRIS, comments: “As demand for mobile ordering grows from both guests and operators so too does the expectation of its capabilities. We always approach the development of any new functionality with a focus on supporting and enhancing both the guest and staff experience. The new security and ordering enhancements both reduce ordering friction and create a more engaging and seamless experience, in addition to supporting larger order volumes and growing revenue channels that in turn increase profitability beyond room revenue.”
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