“Kallpod is a simple communication platform for the hospitality industry that offers guests immediate service with the press of a button,” said Steven Barlow, chief operating officer of Kallpod and a 2004 graduate of Alabama.
Barlow stressed the simplicity of Kallpod and its importance for Bryant-Denny Stadium.
“A one- or three-button Kallpod sits on a table in a restaurant or outside by the pool or in a stadium skybox, and when a guest wants service, all they need to do is press a Kallpod button,” Barlow said. “Immediately, a silent and direct signal is sent to their server who receives a vibration with the location and message displayed on the server’s KallWatch via radio waves.”
Kallpod’s messages to the waiter or server can range from customers wanting the bill or a refill. Barlow, who covered the restaurant sector on Wall Street as an institutional equity analyst for seven years, said he has seen success with Kallpod.
“Having launched in 2012, we discovered that the hotel and resort industry embraced our technology the fastest,” he said. “They are the most sophisticated, most operations- and service-oriented and view Kallpod as an additional customer service tool that enhances and differentiates the experience for guests.”
Kallpod is already with many large hotel brands, including Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts and Marriott. As for Alabama, Barlow said he saw Bryant-Denny Stadium as a new opportunity.
“Since UA is my Alma Mater, I very much wanted Bryant-Denny to be the first sporting venue to utilize our technology,” he said. “Given the prominence and respect UA commands nationally and the significant investments and innovation the University has made to facilities recently, UA was a high-profile partner we very much wanted to team up with.”
Austin Wetzel, a freshman majoring in finance, said he sees Kallpod as an added luxury for high-paying Crimson Tide fans.
“This just adds to the fan experience,” he said. “This also adds to the fact that Bryant-Denny Stadium is the nicest college football stadium in the country.”
Kallpod equips almost 20 Skyboxes with Kallpods for the remaining games of this season. After this period, the University will evaluate a rollout of the communication tools across all Skyboxes before next season.
“We aim to fully accommodate and cultivate clients as partners for the long-term by creating a custom solution,” Barlow said.
