Shiji and Rivalry Tech Partnership Reveals an Unexpected Benefit of Self-Service: More Time for Hospitality

Atlanta, Georgia, USA, August 25, 2026 — Shiji and Rivalry Tech today announced their partnership integrating Rivalry Tech’s hospitality-focused self-service kiosk platform with Shiji’s Infrasys POS, following the successful launch of the first integrated food and beverage kiosk implementation between the two companies in the Americas at Hyatt Regency Savannah.  

Launched in May 2026, the deployment is challenging one of hospitality’s biggest assumptions: that self-service comes at the expense of personal service. By moving routine marketplace purchases to self-service, guests no longer have to wait in the front desk line for snacks and beverages, giving hotel colleagues more time to welcome guests, answer questions and focus on the interactions that define great hospitality. During May and June 2026, 72% of all marketplace orders were placed through the kiosk, while total marketplace orders increased 22% and marketplace sales increased 24% compared with the same two-month period in 2025.

Before the deployment, guests purchasing a snack or beverage often joined the same queue as arriving guests checking into the hotel. Moving those simple purchases to self-service reduced unnecessary waiting while allowing front desk teams to focus on higher-value guest interactions instead of routine retail transactions.

"The biggest impact is that guests no longer need to wait in line. They can get what they need, go back to their room and carry on with their day," said Rachel Moore-Hunt, Area IT Manager at Hyatt Regency Savannah. "At the same time, our front desk agents have more time to focus on the guest in front of them and address the situations that require personal attention."

The hotel was equally surprised by how naturally guests adopted the experience.

"The product is very intuitive," Moore-Hunt said. "Self-service has become such a familiar part of everyday life that guests can walk up and understand how to use it."

The operational improvements also delivered measurable business results. Comparing May and June 2026 with the same 60-day period in 2025, Hyatt Regency Savannah recorded a 22% increase in total marketplace orders and a 24% increase in marketplace sales. During the 2026 period, 72% of all marketplace orders were placed through the kiosk, demonstrating the extent to which guests adopted the self-service option. According to Moore-Hunt, many of those sales may previously have been lost when guests chose not to wait in line for a small purchase.

The deployment integrates Rivalry Tech's self-service kiosk platform with Shiji's Infrasys POS, synchronizing transactions and product information with the hotel's existing point-of-sale environment. The integrated experience also enables guests to charge eligible kiosk purchases directly to their room, extending the convenience of self-service without requiring a separate payment transaction. The solution supports flexible menus, secure payment processing, accessible guest experiences and integration with existing hotel technology, allowing hotels to modernize food and beverage operations without disrupting existing workflows.

"There's a common misconception that self-service makes hospitality less personal. We believe the opposite is true. When technology removes routine transactions, hotel teams have more time for the moments that define great hospitality. Hyatt Regency Savannah has demonstrated what's possible when technology is designed to support people, not replace them. We believe more hotels will discover the same result," said Ryan King, Senior Vice President, Shiji Americas.

"Our kiosks were designed specifically for hotel operations," said Aaron Knape, CEO and Co-Founder of Rivalry Tech. "Working with Shiji allowed us to create an integrated experience that gives guests greater convenience while helping hotel teams spend more time where they create the greatest value, with their guests."

The Hyatt Regency Savannah deployment demonstrates that self-service technology doesn't replace hospitality; it creates more opportunities for it. By allowing technology to handle routine transactions, hotels can reduce friction for guests while giving their teams more time to deliver the experiences people remember long after their stay.