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There is so much technology out there to help hospitality professionals today, but how do you evaluate the providers and solutions out there to figure out what's a good fit for you in your business? Then, once you've made a decision, how do you implement that technology so that it drives the results you want?
If you’re like me, your LinkedIn newsfeed is full of posts about hotel technology right now because one of the biggest trade shows in the U.S., HITEC, is taking place in Charlotte next week. But whether or not you're attending that show, I invite you to join me in getting a unique perspective on hotel tech today from Kari Anna Fiskvik, the SVP of Technology at Strawberry, one of the most innovative hospitality brands in the world. I found her process for selecting technology partners especially insightful.
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A Better Way To Evaluate, Buy & Implement Technology
Kari Anna Fiskvik
Kari Anna Fiskvik is the SVP of Technology at Strawberry, one of the most innovative hospitality brands in the world. Today, she shares her unique perspective as a top technology leader who worked for years outside the industry and is now building a world-class technology program in hospitality. You can listen to us here on the podcast, and I’ve summarized a few of my top takeaways below.
Should you build or buy your technology?
Kari Anna doesn’t have a hard and fast rule around this but believes you shouldn’t have to build something you don’t have to build. That makes sense, right?
“We're trying to get that mix right all the time,” she told me. “We do have a great team of fantastic developers, but for standardized systems like accounting, ERPs, and even PMSs, there are a lot of great companies out there that have been doing this for a long time. And they are tech companies and we are a hospitality company.”
And that distinction is key for her….
Everyone says that everyone is becoming a tech company, but come on, [our industry is] not. We're not a tech companies. We don't think “tech fast.” We think “hospitality fast” and then we use technology - and that's fine.
Takeaway: It’s crucial to recognize the core strengths of hospitality businesses versus technology companies. Kari Anna advises against building in-house tech solutions if existing products can effectively meet your needs. Leverage external expertise so you can focus on excellence in hospitality!
Put this in action:
Assess Your Needs: Evaluate which parts of your operations are (truly) unique and might benefit from custom-built solutions, versus those that can utilize standardized tech products.
Focus on Your Core Competencies: Allocate resources towards enhancing guest experience and operational efficiency, using technology as a supportive tool.
How to evaluate technology partners
Evaluating technology companies you could partner with can be difficult - I’ve seen this over and over again as a buyer of enterprise technology, even though I spent a decade building and selling technology myself.
Kari Anna suggests a people-first evaluation process. "You have to choose a partner that you think will be able to understand your business and also scale their business and product to the shift of technologies. It's almost like you're evaluating people and partnerships more than the actual technology - though, of course, the technical platform is a very big part of it. I also think in a world where you can do whatever you want to with this kind of technology and integration; it is the culture and the chemistry between you and your partner that will define if you get somewhere or not."
Takeaway: Evaluating potential technology partners requires more than just assessing their products. It's crucial to consider their ability to innovate, their cultural alignment with your business, and their commitment to the partnership and mutual growth.
Put this in action:
Assess Innovation Capacity: Look for partners with a proven track record of keeping up with advancements in technology.
Evaluate Cultural Fit: Spend time with prospective partners to deeply understand their values, approach to business, and how they treat their people.
Check Industry Reputation: Review ratings in industry publications (HotelTechReport is a good resource) and gather feedback from other businesses like yours.
Implementation strategy
Buying technology is one thing. Implementing it is another - and this is where many well-intentioned projects go wrong. For Kari Anna, flexibility is key:
One of the most useful things I learned when I started project management is that there is no template to do project management that fits every project. Every project is different because the people involved in each project are different people. So adapt to the people that you're actually working with.
She then went on to talk about her approach to implementation, which starts with a clear strategy but then uses phased rollouts, the use of microservices, and the flexibility to adapt based on real-time feedback.
Put this in action:
Plan for Phased Rollouts: Start with a smaller set of properties to implement new tech, learn from these rollouts, and then scale up.
Use Microservices: Adopt a modular approach to technology to allow for easier updates and scalability.
Gather Continuous Feedback: Regularly collect and analyze feedback from the initial rollouts to improve subsequent implementations.
Ensure Team Coordination: Maintain robust communication and coordination among teams to handle the rapid pace and complexity of the rollout.
Change management
One of the biggest takeaways I had from Kari Anna was her focus on change management.
With new processes and systems, only 30% is about the tech. It's 70% change management and people.
So how can you navigate this?
“Be patient, be friendly, be nice, take people's concerns seriously, even if it feels to you like a stupid concern and you know that isn't really a problem, because it is a problem to the person you're talking to."
Takeaway: Effective change management is essential when implementing new technologies. It involves addressing people's concerns, being patient, and adapting your approach to fit each project's unique dynamics.
Put this in action:
Listen Actively: Take the time to understand and address the concerns of everyone in your organization.
Be Patient and Supportive: Recognize that change can be difficult and provide constant support and encouragement.
Identify Champions: Leverage enthusiastic employees to help drive adoption and support their peers.
Customize the Approach: Adapt change management strategies to fit the unique needs and dynamics of each team and project.
More for you
If you’d like, you can hear more of the Strawberry story here - I love how expansively they’re thinking about hospitality:
A few more episodes on hotel technology:
And that’s a wrap! This email was handmade for you—it took me 57 minutes to write this. If you found it helpful, I’d be very grateful if you could forward it to a friend or colleague who might also enjoy it.
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A few final things:
If you have any thoughts, ideas, questions, or suggestions for Hospitality Daily, please reply to this email. I’d love to hear from you.
If you’d like a private community where you can discuss things like this and ask other hotel operators and investors questions that you can’t just Google or ask ChatGPT, the Hospitality Daily Huddle might be a good fit.
If you have a product or service that would benefit the hospitality professionals who read, listen to, and watch Hospitality Daily, let’s work together to help you help more people.
Thank you for reading, and I’ll see you here tomorrow.
-Josiah
