HTNG Europe & Hotec EMEA are partnering to convene leading hoteliers, procurement specialists and technology partners from across Europe in a joint event set to run Oct. 30-31 at the Hotel Cascais Miragem Health & Spa in Cascais, Portugal. The two-day event will include hands-on demos of the latest in hospitality technology as well as insights from more than 30 industry leaders.
Ahead of the conference, Mustafa Gokcen, head of IT for the Cheval Collection of serviced residences, shared some insights on the benefits of incorporating technology into hotel operations.
The Cheval Collection includes three brands: Cheval Residence, Cheval Maison and My Locanda. Although the company launched 40 years ago, it has expanded to 14 properties in London and Edinburgh and a number of properties signed for 2024 and 2025. “With the rapid growth came a need for overhauling our technology stack—our digital guest journey, digital platforms, guest-facing technologies, etc.,” Gokcen said. The process of overhauling the stack has included shifting to cloud-based technologies, leveraging artificial intelligence—both guest-facing and back-of-house—and implementing a new app and loyalty program. “So I am busy with the technology roadmap that we will start implementing starting Q1 2024.”
When considering new technologies, Gokcen said he has to consider a range of questions. “What are the additional features we can get? How will we get a response to our investment? What [are] the value adds?” Security, redundancy and resiliency are also important factors, he added, as is the overall cost of the new technology under consideration.
“All these systems that we are designing at the moment can quickly increase and decrease as part of the resources at a moment's notice,” Gokcen said, noting that transitioning to cloud-based technologies has helped bring properties online—metaphorically and literally—much faster. “We actually eliminate that additional lead time because … when a new property opens, the property needs an additional new five servers.” By transitioning to the cloud, Gokcen said he could add capabilities without placing orders, waiting for lead times, dealing with customs and handling invoices. “My cloud environment can grow or shrink anytime I want.” This ability, he added, helps the company convert hotels much faster than they had been able to before, requiring weeks rather than up to a year.
Gokcen attends as many industry events as he can in a bid to catch up with colleagues from other companies. He appreciates the “chance to discuss what they are doing, what they are implementing, how they are adapting to the new technology that becomes available.” He also enjoys networking with vendors, learning what they have to offer and how hotel companies can benefit from new products and services. “I have a need [to meet with representatives from] almost every category, starting from [property-management systems] to [point-of-sale] systems to networking distributors to cloud distributors and payment gateways.” With the Cheval Collection continuing to grow, he added, he hopes to have these conversations sooner rather than later.
Compared to other industries, Gokcen believes that hospitality is reluctant to leverage emerging technologies, which he acknowledged can be due to financial concerns. “We need to be a bit open [to] change,” he said, encouraging other industry leaders to think of ways they can implement new technologies into a hospitality environment. New developments can have benefits, he argued, from financial to features.
HTNG Europe & Hotec EMEA will run Oct. 30-31 at the Hotel Cascais Miragem Health & Spa in Cascais, Portugal. Buyers and suppliers can register here.