Smart service in practice: Evaluating the impact of digital ordering and POS integration at Crowne Plaza, part of the IHG Hotels & Resorts
Infrasys POS
Stellaris Digital
Asia Pacific
Area of operation
1
Number of properties
152
Number of rooms
Accommodations
Museums
Attractions
Catering establishments
Crowne Plaza, implemented Shiji’s Infrasys POS and Stellaris Digital Dine to streamline Food & Beverage operations and enhance the guest experience. The integrated system enables mobile and QR-based ordering across outlets, with 95% of room service and poolside orders placed digitally.
As a result, the hotel improved order accuracy, reduced manual workload for staff, and gained real-time operational insights, creating a more efficient and guest-centric F&B ecosystem.
As guest expectations evolve, technology has become the quiet engine behind effortless service and memorable dining. For a full-service hotel managing multiple venues, from restaurants to in-room and poolside experiences, the real challenge lies in maintaining consistency, efficiency, and profitability without losing the personal touch that defines great hospitality.
To address these challenges, Crowne Plaza, part of the IHG Hotels & Resorts portfolio, adopted Shiji’s Infrasys POS and Stellaris Digital Dine, a powerful integration designed to optimize order flow, eliminate manual inefficiencies, and empower guests through self-service ordering. The result is a connected F&B ecosystem that delivers real-time communication, seamless payment handling, and data-driven operational insights.
The Study
In collaboration with the Crowne Plaza, part of the IHG Hotels & Resorts, Shiji conducted a focused evaluation of how integrated restaurant technology can optimize service and operational performance across multiple dining outlets.
The study aimed to determine how a connected POS and digital ordering platform could improve service delivery, operational consistency, and guest experience within a full-service hotel environment. Specifically, it assessed the impact of this technology on order accuracy, staff productivity, guest satisfaction, and centralized data management.
Participants:
Lynn Clemente, Director of Culinary and F&B Services, IHG Hotels
F&B Management Team, Crowne Plaza
Technology Partner: Shiji Group
Methodology
The study draws on qualitative interviews with key stakeholders and operational observations from the Crowne Plaza F&B leadership team. As the property implemented Shiji’s systems from the outset, comparisons are based on historical benchmarks and professional experience across similar IHG properties.
Analysis focused on:
Order accuracy and processing efficiency
Guest engagement and satisfaction
Staff productivity and workload reduction
Reporting and data utilization
“The mobility and ease of use have significantly improved order handling and reporting efficiency across venues,” Lynn Clemente, Director of Culinary and F&B Services, IHG Hotels.
Key Findings & Insights
Operational Efficiency & Staff Productivity
Before adopting Infrasys POS and Stellaris Digital Dine, F&B teams often struggled with manual order-taking, delayed communication between service points, and double-handling of payments.
Today, Infrasys POS’s mobile accessibility, via iPads and handheld devices, has streamlined these processes dramatically.
Orders can be taken and payments processed on the spot, eliminating paper trails.
Real-time syncing between outlets ensures accuracy and communication efficiency.
Reduced manual input enables staff to focus on guest engagement rather than administrative tasks.
Accuracy & Reliability
With 95% of room service and poolside orders placed directly through Stellaris Digital Dine, order errors have been virtually eliminated.
This automation reduces miscommunication between guests and staff and ensures that requests are transmitted instantly to the kitchen and service teams.
Key Impacts:
Fewer missed or incorrect orders
Smoother delivery flow
Reduced need for signature or physical payment handling
System Integration & Data-Driven Management
Infrasys POS integrates seamlessly with Crowne Plaza’s existing hotel systems, centralizing reporting and operational oversight across multiple outlets.
This integration minimizes manual data entry and ensures consistent performance insights that can be shared across the broader IHG network.
“This setup allows for centralized data management, making it easier to track performance, share insights, and maintain consistency across outlets,” Lynn Clemente
Guest Experience & Service Consistency
The introduction of Stellaris Digital Dine has redefined guest convenience. Guests can now browse menus, place orders, and make payments directly from their mobile devices, whether in-room or poolside.
Results:
“Stellaris Digital Dine allows guests to order and pay from their own devices, promoting convenience while easing staff workload,” Lynn Clemente
Financial & Resource Efficiency
By deploying QR code ordering at the pool, Crowne Plaza eliminated the need for dedicated order-taking staff while maintaining (and even increasing) sales throughput. Although implemented from the hotel’s opening, prior experiences indicate strong financial efficiencies in similar IHG setups.
Observed Benefits:
Reduced labor costs at pool outlets
Improved order capture and upselling potential
Higher operational scalability with fewer resources
Metrics Summary
Metrics
Outcome
Guest Digital Ordersy
95% of in-room and pool orders via Digital Dine
Order accuracy
Near elimination of manual input errors
Staff Productivity
Reduced manual workload and increased engagement time
Payment Efficiency
Seamless room charge and digital payments, no paper or signatures
Reporting & Oversight
Centralized data management and real-time insights
Resource Optimization
No poolside staff required for order-taking
Conclusions
The partnership between Crowne Plaza, part of the IHG Hotels & Resorts and Shiji Group exemplifies how digital transformation in hospitality can drive measurable gains in efficiency, accuracy, and guest satisfaction. Through Infrasys POS and Stellaris Digital Dine, the hotel has created a unified F&B ecosystem that simplifies operations, empowers guests, and supports data-driven decision-making.
Looking forward, the Crowne Plaza Sydney team envisions continued innovation in digital guest engagement, sustainability practices, and scalability across IHG’s broader network, positioning the hotel as a leader in smart hospitality technology adoption.
Solutions Implemented:
The hotel deployed Infrasys POS in conjunction with Stellaris Digital Dine to deliver a fully integrated in-room dining and F&B ordering ecosystem. The key components of the solution include:
A guest-facing Digital Dine interface enabling browsing, customization, and ordering of in-room dining menus via personal devices.
A multilingual, intuitive user interface designed to align with global guest expectations and reduce friction.
Seamless backend integration with the Infrasys POS system, ensuring real-time order syncing, accurate routing of orders, and efficient payment processing.
Reduced touch-points for guests, enhancing privacy and convenience by allowing self-service ordering and payment without requiring staff to manually take the order or process the transaction.
Interested in taking the next step?
About
Crowne Plaza, part of the IHG Hotels & Resorts
Located in the heart of Sydney, Crowne Plaza is part of the IHG Hotels & Resorts global brand.
The hotel delivers a premium guest experience through a blend of modern comfort, technology-driven convenience, and exceptional service standards, catering to business and leisure travelers alike.
About Shiji Group
Shiji is a global technology company dedicated to providing innovative solutions for the hospitality industry, ensuring seamless operations for hoteliers day and night. Built on the Shiji Platform—the only truly global hotel technology platform—Shiji’s cloud-based portfolio includes Property Management System, Point-of-Sale, guest engagement, distribution, payments, and data intelligence solutions for over 91,000 hotels worldwide, including the largest chains.
With more than 5,000 employees across the world, Shiji is a trusted partner for the world’s leading hoteliers, delivering technology that works as continuously as the industry itself. That’s why the best hotels run on Shiji—day and night. While its primary focus is on hospitality, Shiji also serves select customers in food service, retail, and entertainment in certain regions.For more information, visit shijigroup.com
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