How Hospitality Brands Use Data Integrations

Can integration hubs save the day? In the near to mid-term, any full-service 3-4-5-star hotel will need over 100 plus APIs (application programming interface) with third-party tech applications and solutions to be able to function and meet the basic needs and wants of today's tech-savvy travelers. These include AI-enabled and powered applications like Agentic AI and chatbots, contactless guest experience, mobile locks, issue resolution apps, guest messaging, virtual concierge, IoT devices and utility management, smart room technology, entertainment hubs, CRM programs, CRs, RMS, Channel Managers, etc. LLMs like ChatGPT and Google's Gemini need to enable Personal AI Agents to communicate and do a handshake with hoteliers' own AI Agents or with AI connectivity middleware platforms like the Model Context Protocol (MCP) and Agent-to-Agent (A2A). There are over 5,000 established hotel tech vendors around the world working around the clock to develop new and innovative solutions to common problems or applications to elevate service delivery in hotel operations, guest communications, revenue management, marketing, etc. Historically, to access these much-needed third-party solutions and applications required lengthy and expensive integrations that "had the effect of dissuading hoteliers from actively seeking out tools that would enhance their business and the guest experience, because they knew that even if they found a great solution, integrating it would feel like more trouble than it's worth," as per Mews PMS CEO Matt Welle. So, what is the solution? Can integration hubs, PMS-related or third-party Integration hubs, step in and solve this urgent industry need? Luckily for our industry, the solution is already here in the form of two types of third-party technology integration platforms: Cloud PMS with Open API like Opera Cloud PMS, StayNTouch, Protel, CloudBeds, Mews, etc. and their integration platforms, and Independent integration hubs, like APS, NoniusHub, SiteMinder, Impala, IreconU, Hapi, and the new type of AI connectivity middleware hubs like the Model Context Protocol (MCP) and Agent-to-Agent (A2A). I believe the PMS-centric tech stack will continue to dominate hotel technology in the future, but what kind of a PMS? A cloud PMS with its Open API and integration hub that solves the problem of connecting to the myriad of third-party applications, in addition to lower upfront costs, efficiencies, higher productivity and data security. Good examples: The Oracle Hospitality Integration Platform (OHIP) with 3,000 API capabilities, StayNTouch Integration Hub with 1,100 APIs; Protel Air PMS Marketplace - 1,000 APIs, Cloudbeds PMS - 300 APIs, apaleo PMS Store, etc. Accor adopted Opera Cloud citing its OHIP platform as one of the main benefits of their decision. What should the 650,000 hotels with legacy PMS or no PMS at all do? I see two options: * Switching to a cloud PMS * Partnering with a third-party integration hub.

The Hospitality Data That Nobody Uses Most hospitality brands think they understand their guests because they track the usual performance numbers. That's surface level. The real insight sits in the behavioral data that almost every property collects without even realizing it. I'm talking about the tiny signals that reveal what guests actually want, what slows them down, what annoys them, and what inspires them to spend more. This data is everywhere, and almost nobody uses it in a meaningful way. Here’s where the opportunity lives. Your guests tell you how to increase revenue through their patterns. How long they linger in the lobby. When they return to their room. Where they avoid walking. When they browse your app and immediately exit. How often they pass a restaurant without looking inside. These behaviors are not random. They're emotional decisions, and they're loaded with financial implications. When you understand the emotion behind the behavior, your ROI becomes predictable instead of reactive. If you want to turn this into real growth, start analyzing the data that shows friction. Look at the moments when guests cluster in certain areas and ask why. Look at the times when guests repeatedly ask your team the same questions. That means your communication failed somewhere. Look at what time people naturally crave food or drinks and match your promotions to their real patterns instead of pushing offers on your preferred schedule. This is behavioral revenue management, and it works every single time because it is built on truth, not on assumptions. Here’s a tactic almost no one uses. Review app engagement curves daily. If guests only stay on your app for a few seconds, that tells you your design is not helping them complete the actions that matter. Fix those pathways and you will see more bookings for experiences, more upgrades, more outlet spend, and more repeat visits. Another tactic is to study foot traffic through your public spaces. If a hundred people walk past the bar and only three sit down, the issue isn't demand. It's energy, layout, lighting, or service. Fixing that can double revenue in a week without touching your marketing budget. A weekly behavioral insights meeting should be mandatory. Bring one insight from tech, one from operations, one from F&B, and one from housekeeping. Compare patterns, not opinions. You'll start seeing emotional blind spots that cost you money. The fixes are simple, but the impact is immediate. This is how you create ROI from intelligence instead of luck. The brands that win over the next decade will be the ones that understand behavioral data better than their competitors. Not the ones with the loudest campaigns. Not the ones with the prettiest videos. The winners will be the ones who know what their guests feel, when they feel it, and why they act the way they act. That's where real revenue comes from. --- If you like the way I look at the world of hospitality, let’s chat: scott@mrscotteddy.com

Speed is good. Had a chance to talk with Josh Henegar, Corporate Revenue Director at 1859 Historic Hotels, Ltd about his CRS-CRM integration. The Frankenstack of tech he was working with prior to SHR gave only: • Guest data stuck in silos • Email delivery delays of hours/days • Manual workarounds eating up time • "Large part of the challenge we had with delivery times" With SHR's CRS and CRM (previously known as Windsurfer and Maverick), he gets: - Instant data sync: "Whatever landed in Windsurfer ended up in Maverick immediately" - Real-time guest profiles: Guest information showing up in CRM instantly - Seamless troubleshooting: Easy cross-checking between reservation and marketing data - Unified workflow: No more jumping between disconnected systems The Insight: "Everything was quicker. You know, the guest information was showing up in the CRM immediately. That was definitely not the case with the other guys." The Real Value: It wasn't just about efficiency. Integrated systems meant: • Better guest experience (timely communications) • Staff could focus on hospitality, not data entry • Reliable operations during peak times Josh's Bottom Line: "Speed is good." When your CRS and CRM work as one system, you're not managing technology - you're delivering hospitality. The Lesson: Don't just buy best-in-class point solutions. Find systems designed to work together from day one.

Your Hotel's Data Can Now Talk Back. Are You Listening? AI Connectors Are Quietly Reshaping Workflow. Most Hotel Teams Don’t Know It Yet ChatGPT Connectors now allow in-chat access to your apps like Google Drive, Outlook, SharePoint, and GitHub. That means your data, guest feedback, marketing calendars, revenue reports, can be pulled directly into the conversation. No more tab switching. No more digging through folders. Just answers, instantly. What this means for hotel commercial teams: This is your chance to shift from tool overload to integrated intelligence. Instead of jumping between systems to build your next forecast or campaign, Connectors let you ask a single question and have your files, emails, and insights respond together. All of this happens within one AI-driven thread. The power here isn’t just the feature. It’s the change in behavior. It’s about training your team to think differently. To ask better questions. To make smarter, faster decisions. And if you’re serious about owning your direct channel, this matters. So how should hotel commercial teams respond? ➡️ You need to become AI-literate. ➡️ You need to be strategic. ➡️ You need to stay curious. ➡️ And you need to be ready to test new workflows that bring marketing, revenue, and ops into alignment. Here are 5 takeaways to move forward: 1️⃣ Get hands-on. Start using Connectors with your own marketing and revenue data. You don’t need a perfect plan. Just get started and explore. 2️⃣ Upskill your team. Make AI literacy part of how you train and onboard. It’s not about writing perfect prompts. It’s about using AI with confidence. 3️⃣ Rethink productivity. Look at where your team repeats work across tools. Then begin integrating those efforts to save time and reduce friction. 4️⃣ Experiment with structure. Create workflows that connect your PMS exports, guest surveys, or social feedback to ChatGPT for real-time insights. 5️⃣ Make it real-time. Use Connectors to turn “we’ll check on that” into “here’s what the data says.” Do it while the conversation is still happening. It’s about commercial agility. It’s about responding to demand shifts and guest behavior without delays or missed signals. If you have questions on how to apply this in your hotel or want help building smarter workflows, training your team, or driving direct revenue with AI reach out. 📢 Consider me a gig member of your team. Also, if you want to learn more about Growth Advisors International Network - GAIN, DM me.

Hotels That Don’t Control Their Guest Data Will Lose the Next Decade. In 2025, ownership isn’t about property. It’s about data. For decades, hotels gave up guest relationships to OTAs, loyalty platforms, and third-party booking engines. Now, that’s the biggest liability. Smart operators today are asking: → How do we collect and control direct guest data? → How do we personalize offers before they book elsewhere? → How do we move beyond occupancy to lifetime value? Data is the new front desk. Here’s what winning hotels are already doing: Building direct-to-guest apps and booking ecosystems Using AI to customize experiences based on real behavior, not surveys Offering loyalty experiences, not just discounts Using first-party data to drive upsells, dining, spa, retail, and return stays The future isn’t "sell the room." It’s "own the relationship." Hotels that understand this now will outgrow competitors who are still chasing heads-in-beds metrics. What’s one way hotels could use guest data more intelligently today? #HotelTech #GuestExperience #DataOwnership #KenPatel