We do the PR, including press office, social media and content management, for a leading technology and experience management company which specialise in delivering smart technology implementation for the UK’s largest hospitality brands. This company’s mission is to give operators the technology they need in order to deliver the service and experience their customers want and need.

For all of our clients, we are constantly keeping our ear to the ground for new developments which will impact their sector, giving them the chance to get ahead of the industry when it comes to responding to current news and trends. In this case, we spotted that the government was set to introduce new legislation, the Employment (Allocation of Tips) Act 2023, which would force hospitality businesses to distribute 100% of gratuities and tips to staff. This is a shift which would impact all hospitality operators, and something our client should be a voice on.

We spent the following weeks working with researchers, commissioning a study of 2,500 hospitality businesses, staff and customers, to gauge their feelings towards the legislation, and how shifts in UK tipping trends towards a more Americanised-style of tipping were impacting all three parties.

The research uncovered that just 28% of hospitality companies were compliant with the new Act, meaning that more than 90,000 businesses had to change the way in which they operate ahead of its introduction in October. The study also found that 42% of hospitality workers had never been told how tips are distributed to staff, and 83% of hospitality businesses polled expect the Act to increase their operating costs by at least £12,000 a year, amid a difficult landscape for the sector.

We also included questions which revealed that many restaurants, pubs and bars were introducing service charges for customers buying drinks from the bar. We flipped these findings into a consumer-led stat, focusing on how these new tipping charges would push the average price of a pint in the UK to over £5 for the first time. This angle secured national pickup, reinforcing our client’s reputation and position as the market leader, while our trade angle ensured that our client was featured in many of the leading hospitality trade media read by their customers and prospects.