Nov 10, 2026

Avolta Wins Global “Future of Retail Award” for Digital Innovation in Airport Dining

QR code order-and-pay platform recognized at DFNI’s 2026 Frontier Awards for enhancing convenience and the traveler experience in HMSHost restaurants across North America

BETHESDA, Maryland (Nov. 10, 2026) – QR code order-and-pay platform recognized at DFNI’s 2026 Frontier Awards for enhancing convenience and the traveler experience in HMSHost restaurants across North America.

Avolta, the leading global travel retail and food & beverage player behind Dufry, HMSHost, and Hudson, was awarded the “Future of Retail Award” at DFNI’s 2026 Frontier Awards, one of the industry’s most established awards programs, for its next-generation QR code order-and-pay platform, currently live in approximately 250 HMSHost-operated restaurants across North America.

Developed to address the specific needs of airport travelers, the platform offers guests a convenient and intuitive way to browse menus, place orders and pay directly from their mobile devices. By simplifying key steps in the dining journey, the solution helps reduce one of the most common challenges of airport dining: managing time before boarding. Guests set the pace of their journey from the moment they sit down. By scanning a QR code at their table, menu imagery helps them decide quickly, order additional items at their convenience, and pay the moment they need to depart. This flexibility gives travelers greater control over their dining experience, while allowing team members to focus on the personal service and hospitality that remain central to the guest experience.

“Our QR code order-and-pay platform is about more than convenience — it reflects our commitment to transforming the airport dining experience through thoughtful digital innovation,” said Atousa Ghoreichi, Avolta’s Senior Vice President, Digital, North America. “We’ve invested in strengthening this platform with a clear purpose: to remove friction for travelers, empower our teams to deliver great hospitality, and create a seamless experience that fits naturally into our operations. The result is a user-friendly, scalable platform that travelers have embraced and gives travelers more control.”

The initiative reflects Avolta’s approach to innovation: applying technology where it delivers tangible benefits for travelers, supports operational efficiency and complements the service provided by its teams. It also demonstrates how solutions developed in response to local market needs can contribute to Avolta’s broader ambition to continuously enhance the traveler experience.

This award marks Avolta’s second consecutive win in the category following last year’s recognition of Club Avolta, its global loyalty program that has grown to more than 21 million members globally since its October 2024 launch.