ⓘ Featured image: Marwan Saab (CEO) (L), and Giles Wright (CPO) from Opaala
Dubai, UAE-based Hospitality-tech startup Opaala is currently making waves in the industry as it proves to be the answer to the challenges hotels and food & beverage venues currently face by significantly boosting their revenue. The innovative, smart service system has come in as a solution to help the hospitality industry improve efficiency and guest experience. With its advanced platform which has been integrated into multiple venues across the UAE, and internationally, Opaala also perfectly suited to tackle the pitfalls the hospitality industry pitfalls following the COVID-19 outbreak, providing a contactless experience that both guests and staff appreciate while helping venues grow their sales. Since its launch, the startup has successfully turned things around for all partner venues with significant increases in revenue.
Opaala was born out of the desire to bring a solution to the many issues hospitality venues face on a daily basis, be it lack of staff or high-volume of customers, which oftentimes leads to missed orders and results in loss of sales. Opaala’s interactive menu platform changes the traditional ‘8-step service model’ by reducing staff costs, eliminating service wait times, and increasing revenue through a contactless, app-free, mobile-powered solution. With Opaala, customers can simply scan a QR code and browse through high-design, interactive menus where they can place orders, enter dietary requirements, request for the assistance of a waiter, and call for the bill all through their mobile browsers. Being browser-based removes the need to download a mobile application, can be seamlessly integrated into the venue’s POS system and can be customized for branding needs. Venues can also host daily and hourly specials on their interactive menus, and schedule them for future events, which allows venues to organically market their offerings at the time of ordering. Further simplifying the ‘going-out’ experience, Opaala offers automatic bill-splitting, making it easier for guests and venues to clear the cheque effortlessly. These unique features have been the core success of Opaala’s smart service system.
Since its launch earlier in 2020, Opaala has demonstrated the power of its platform with increased revenue and high number of sales streaming through its system, allowing for restaurants, nightlife spots, hotels, beach clubs and entertainment businesses to use its technology to reach their maximum business potential. With an additional 50 partnerships on their way, the startup has already partnered with 45 venues in 6 countries, with 41 of them situated in the UAE including Dubai World Trade Center, Nikki Beach Hotels & Resorts, Zabeel House The Greens, Lah Lah Restaurant, RIVA Beach Club, Anantara Hotel & Resort, Akiba Dori, Jumeirah Hotels, Nightjar in Al Serkal, North 28, Akiba Dori, and more. Since Opaala reached its initial milestone of AED1,000,000 in flow through the platform, the smart service company is seeing a double month to month flow growth. Partners of the platform are seeing on average a 12% to 20% increase in revenue, however, venues that are taking advantage of Opaala’s many unique features and customization options are experiencing an impressive 25% increase through clever use of modifiers to upsell, utilizing the scheduled deals option, promptly updating their menu with available and unavailable items, and including beautiful photography.
The General Manager of Zabeel House hotel, a partner of Opaala, shared,
“Opaala has added considerable value to both LAH LAH and Social Company in terms of revenue generation, ease of service and customer goodwill. The team at Opaala are very quick at providing outstanding service and support at all hours which allows us to use the system to its fullest potential.”
In parallel, Nightjar has seen a dramatic increase in sales since reopening using Opaala despite the restrictions of COVID-19 and limited capacity at the venue. Leon, the Managing Director of Nightjar, in a statement, revealed,
“After the initial mandated shut down period, we re-launched with a refined service model, streamlined product range, reduced manpower and significant social distancing in place. The key-stone communication tool to sell ‘the new model’ was Opaala, and the positive effect of re-booting using this innovation was immediate and tangible. The most significant metric is that we have increased sales to peak season levels at the lowest point of the season, which is Dubai’s summer, and all this during a pandemic. With orders posted directly to our POS there is faster table turn; with visually rich content ‘slower sellers’ are now moving, with digital suggestive prompts more sides are being clicked, and strategically positioned top sellers are simply selling more. If the supply chain is interrupted, we can switch out-of-stock off at the flick of a switch; new menu items and promotions are just as easy”
Thanks to the help of Opaala’s platform, venues have not only seen a rise in revenue, but gained more time for employees to apply their skills towards other important tasks. Servers have found more time to focus on duties such as organizing orders, delivering to customers, helping colleagues around the venue, cleaning, and more. Due to the efficiency of Opaala’s ordering platform, a trend has risen for beachclub clients who used to have five to six staff members roaming the area to take orders, whereas now only two are needed. Businesses have been able to improve their work environment and make better use of their time.
In recent developments, Opaala has secured an additional 40 new partnerships which are set to kick off during the month of September, taking the hospitality-tech startup to new heights. These partnerships include restaurants, entertainment businesses, hotels, and more.
Opaala can be used across the hospitality industry, including restaurants, cinemas, hospitals, food courts, in-room and within lounges and beach cabanas at hotels, stadiums and events arenas.
