This week at INSPIRE 2021, the 10thannual International Luxury Hotel Assn.’s (ILHA) conference on luxury hospitality, digital tipping platform youtip will team with The Cocktail Guru to power “Cocktails for a Cause,” a digital donation drive designed to support the ServiceSource Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that supports individuals who have disabilities nationwide and finds them employment within the hospitality industry.

The “Cocktails for a Cause” pop-up bar will open on Thursday, Dec. 2nd, at 6:00 p.m. during the Cocktails and Industry Showcase. All tip proceeds will be donated to ServiceSource Foundation. INSPIRE 2021 will be held Dec. 2 and 3 at the Fairmont Miramar Hotel & Bungalows in Santa Monica.

“Cocktails for a Cause will be a fantastic event,” said Patricia Walton, ILHA Director of Partnerships. “Mixologist Jonathan Pogash, founder of The Cocktail Guru, is a real showman. He is well-known throughout the industry for working with luxury hotels to improve their liquor offerings and their bottom lines. The signature cocktails he will craft for attendees will bring a fun element. But it’s the digital tipping platform, youtip, that will be the real buzz. Attendees will experience just how fast and easy it is to use their mobile devices to scan a QR code at the bar and send Jonathan a digital gratuity. At the conclusion of the cocktail hour, Jonathan will donate his tips to ServiceSource. It’s a ‘win’ for our luxury hotel members who will get to experience a much-needed technology, it’s a ‘win’ for youtip to get the exposure, and it’s a ‘win’ for this important charity that is so near and dear to ILHA members’ hearts. We encourage everyone to visit the pop-up bar and contribute to ‘Cocktails for a Cause.’ We cannot thank youtip and The Cocktail Guru enough for hosting this generous event.”

Recently named “Most Innovative Startup of the Year” by Phocuswright, youtip was founded in 2020 to serve as an enterprise system for digital gratuity. Tippers scan a QR code displayed anywhere that is visible and convenient or they can click on links sent directly to them via text or email. Then, youtip pushes collected funds into the businesses accounts to distribute through payroll or directly to employee debit cards. Tippers can also rate service and provide feedback in seconds.

“youtip is hands-down the easiest way to receive tips or make donations to a non-profit,” Pogash said. “Due to the pandemic, we had to take our business virtual (The Virtual Cocktail Guru), and along with that came the need for digital tipping; our customers want to support us even though they cannot see us in person.

“A really cool feature of youtip is that it collects data on tipping behaviors,” Pogash said. “They have proof that people tip more when they can do it digitally. In today’s labor market, any way you can show appreciation for a job well done is critical — especially if it is putting money into employees’ pockets. Not only is digital tipping a huge convenience for luxury travelers, but I believe it will help get hotel and restaurant employees back to work. The Cocktail Guru will be partnering with youtip long after the ILHA Conference, and I hope many luxury hotel companies will be too.”

COCKTAILS WITH A CAUSE RAFFLE

To encourage INSPIRE 2021 attendees to donate to the ServiceSource Foundation, youtip and The Cocktail Guru will raffle off two “Cocktail Bar Kits.” The kits provide everything needed to mix three specialty cocktails, including recipes crafted by Jonathan Pogash, juices, craft syrups, garnishes, and bar tools. Tippers who enter their email addresses will be entered into the drawing. One on-site winner and one “virtual winner” will be chosen. Luxury hoteliers not attending the ILHA INSPIRE 2021 event in person can scan the QR code here to donate and enter the raffle.

“We are honored that ILHA has embraced ServiceSource as an organization that supports individuals with disabilities,” said Lisa Ward, Executive Director, ServiceSource Foundation. “We are very appreciative that ILHA reached out to us and adopted us as their charity of choice. Sourcing labor is critical to luxury hotels today. We understand the struggle that operators are facing, and we are thrilled to work with our hospitality partners to provide a very skilled and dedicated workforce in their time of need. We would like to thank youtip and The Cocktail Guru for their creativity and willingness to support our Foundation through their ‘Cocktails for a Cause’ event.”

INSPIRE 2021 attendees can also support the ServiceSource Foundation and enter the raffle during the “Cocktail Reception around the Fig Tree” at 7:00 p.m. Look for the youtip QR code to donate at that event, sponsored by ILHA Glowing, tabl’eau Filtered Water, and The Cocktail Guru.

“We are eager to introduce youtip to luxury hoteliers at INSPIRE 2021,” said youtip Chief Commercial Officer Sarah Taveprungsenukul. “Because youtip uses technology that already exists in your phone rather than requiring an app download, it is quickly becoming the preferred digital tipping platform on the market. You just scan, tip and go! This app-free solution is a ‘first’ in enterprise operations, and we anticipate that it will change the way tips are transacted for the foreseeable future. We’d like to thank Jonathan for partnering with us and showing just how fun,entertaining, and easy it can be to tip and donate using your phone.”

For more information on youtip, call (855) 907-4899 or email sales@youtip.money.

‍