hoteltech.news August 28, 2026
Hotel TechnologyPublished August 11, 20261 min read

New Hotels Are the Test Labs for F&B Tech Integration

JSBy Joan SanzCurated by Joan Sanz. · August 11, 2026 · Follow on LinkedIn
Voice reading · ~2 min

The Ava Hotel Paso Robles, a Curio Collection by Hilton property that opened in August 2025, is deploying IRIS mobile ordering and digital directory integrated with Toast POS to streamline F&B operations and unlock ancillary revenueAncillary revenueAncillary revenue is what a hotel or airline earns beyond its core sale. Baggage, seat selection, parking, spa, breakfast or late check-out are examples. It usually carries a healthy margin and adds up on the bottom l.... It's a textbook example of how new builds have an edge: they skip the retrofit complexity and embed technology into operations from day one.

This matters because F&B remains the untapped goldmine in most hotels. Mobile ordering solves two real problems at once. Guests get frictionless in-room or poolside ordering without the phone call dance. Your staff gets order accuracy and kitchen visibility instead of scrambled notes. When IRIS plugs into Toast, the data flows clean: no double entry, no reconciliation headaches. That's where you see margin improve and labor get deployed smarter.

Here's my take. New properties like Ava aren't just adopting tech, they're becoming testing grounds for the revenue playbooks that established hotels will copy in three years. When you open green, you choose your tech stack with revenue intent from the start, not as an afterthought. That's a structural advantage. The hotels that see this trend early and start planning F&B tech integration now, whether they're greenfield or renovation, will be the ones running leaner F&B ops and capturing upsellUpsellingUpselling is convincing a guest to move up to a better version of what they were already buying. A room with a view, a suite or a rate with breakfast are typical cases. It raises the ticket without acquiring a new cus... moments their competitors still miss.

Quick questions

What is IRIS and how does it work in hotels?
IRIS is a mobile ordering and digital directory platform that lets guests order food and beverages from their room or around the property via smartphone. When integrated with Toast POS, orders flow directly to the kitchen and billing system, eliminating manual entry and errors.
Why integrate mobile ordering with POS instead of operating separately?
Direct POS integration ensures real-time accuracy, reduces kitchen confusion, prevents order loss, and captures complete guest spending data. Without it, you're managing separate systems and losing visibility into actual F&B performance.
Can existing hotels add mobile ordering or is it only for new builds?
Existing hotels can add mobile ordering, but new properties like Ava Paso Robles have an advantage: they design workflows and staff training around the technology from opening day instead of retrofitting around legacy processes.
How does mobile F&B ordering affect revenue?
It increases ancillary revenue by making impulse purchases frictionless (guests order more when ordering is easy), and improves margins by reducing labor cost per order and food waste through better order visibility.
Is this technology only for upscale hotels like Curio Collection?
No. Mobile ordering and POS integration work across segments. Budget and mid-scale properties see the same operational and revenue gains, though adoption has been slower due to implementation cost and staff readiness.

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