The first session of the June edition of the TECH Matchmaker Webinar Series, titled “Hotel Tech Procurement & Integration Strategy,” brought together three seasoned hospitality leaders to unravel the complexities of sourcing, evaluating, and implementing hotel technology in today’s rapidly evolving landscape.

Featuring Ahmed Hafez, Corporate Director of IT at Jannah Hotels & Resorts; Li Hawkins, Managing Director at Insight Out Consultancy; and Nadia Purkayastha, Regional Head of Revenue at Premier Inn Middle East, the conversation spanned the full lifecycle of technology adoption—from identifying the business case for change to ensuring post-implementation success.

Together, the panelists offered an invaluable blueprint for hoteliers navigating the crowded and often confusing tech marketplace.

Phase 1: Search & discovery – Set your compass before choosing tools

Led by Li Hawkins, this foundational phase underscored a common industry misstep: rushing into a tech purchase without first clarifying business objectives. Li emphasized that technology must serve long-term goals, not just short-term fixes.

One of the most dangerous pitfalls? Selecting a specific product—like a PMS or CRM—before fully understanding what the business needs to solve or where it plans to grow. Instead, Li encouraged hotels to begin with a strategic self-assessment: Why are we looking for a new system in the first place? Whether it’s to reduce OTA reliance, improve operational efficiency, or enhance guest personalization, every tech initiative must be anchored to a well-defined business “why.”

This clarity should then guide every subsequent decision, from which vendors to evaluate to what integrations are required. Importantly, Li cautioned against viewing tech solutions in isolation. Scalability and interoperability—especially data-sharing across systems—are critical to building a future-ready ecosystem.

“Make sure your tech choices serve your future—not just your present.” — Li Hawkins

Phase 2: Comparison & requirements matching – Structure the selection to minimize bias

In this phase, Nadia Purkayastha offered a methodical approach to moving from a broad list of vendors to a targeted selection of solutions that actually meet operational needs.

The first step is to define functionality—what must the system do to be effective? For those replacing an existing tool, this means evaluating both the pain points and the positive features of the current system. For those adopting something entirely new, this often begins with vendor webinars and demos to understand the possibilities.

From there, Nadia emphasized building a clear matrix of must-haves and nice-to-haves, and assigning weighted scores to each. Her team at Premier Inn used ExploreTECH’s comparison tool to evaluate solutions across roughly 30 criteria, allowing them to objectively compare vendor offerings. This kind of score-based framework not only sharpens internal alignment but also protects against being swayed by persuasive demos or sales charm.

She also stressed the importance of involving cross-functional stakeholders—IT, finance, operations, and commercial—to ensure all requirements are captured from the start. By aligning internally before reaching out to vendors, the evaluation process becomes more collaborative and less chaotic.

“Objective scorecards help eliminate bias and focus the decision on what really matters.” — Nadia Purkayastha

Phase 3: Selection & implementation – From vendor chosen to tech operational

Ahmed Hafez took the discussion into the trenches of implementation, where the best-laid plans are tested in real-world execution. According to Ahmed, the journey begins with honest internal acknowledgment that current systems are no longer fit for future purpose. Once leadership agrees, cross-functional buy-in must be secured early to ensure smoother rollouts down the line.

However, successful implementation isn’t just about timelines and technicalities—it’s also about psychology. Teams often resist change, especially when it requires abandoning familiar systems. IT departments may be ready for innovation, but operations or finance may hesitate. That’s why Ahmed recommends identifying a strong internal project owner—ideally someone involved from the comparison phase—who understands both the technical and business sides of the project.

Another key consideration is flexibility in planning. Even the most detailed project timelines encounter delays. From vendor deliverables to integration dependencies, unexpected hurdles are the norm, not the exception. Building in buffer time is essential.

Lastly, Ahmed flagged the importance of reading the fine print in vendor contracts. He cautioned against hidden price hikes, rigid exit clauses, and vague implementation obligations. A clear scope of work, built around real-life use cases and cross-departmental input, is the best defense.

“Choose tech for the next 3–5 years. You only want to do this once.” — Ahmed Hafez

Final reflections: Align strategy, empower people, plan for tomorrow

Each speaker brought a unique vantage point, but all agreed on one thing: hotel tech procurement is no longer a tactical IT function—it’s a strategic, organization-wide decision with long-term implications.

Li Hawkins urged hoteliers to treat technology selection as a strategic lever, not just a systems upgrade. Alignment with business goals is non-negotiable.
Nadia Purkayastha highlighted the importance of defined KPIs and structured evaluation to stay focused and avoid distraction.
Ahmed Hafez emphasized the human side of implementation—from leadership buy-in to comprehensive training—as key to driving real adoption.

As hotels prepare for their next budget cycle, this session offered timely and actionable insights to help them invest smarter, scale faster, and ultimately, deliver better experiences—both for their teams and their guests.

Register for our next session: AI-Powered Hotel Operations

Strategic, not sporadic: Rethinking hotel tech procurement & integration