The Technology Director has left the server room, and Hospitality is better for it

This week at NoVacancy London, I had the pleasure of listening to a thought-provoking panel hosted by Jane Pendlebury (HOSPA) alongside Andrew Evers, Gavin Allison, Liz Dixon and Barry Thomas, CHTP.

The discussion explored the increasingly commercially critical role of the Technology Director — and it confirmed what many of us across hospitality have been sensing for some time:

Technology leadership in hotels has fundamentally changed.

What was once viewed as a back-of-house support function is now firmly embedded in commercial strategy, guest experience and owner value. And frankly, it’s about time.

(The reflections below build on insights shared during the panel, combined with my own experience working across hotel operations, revenue and technology transformation.)

From “keeping the lights on” to driving the business

One of the clearest themes from the panel was the shift away from traditional, infrastructure-heavy IT roles. As discussed on stage, many technology leaders today are no longer focused on cables and servers, but on how technology enables business outcomes.

Cloud adoption, platform ecosystems and AI have removed much of the heavy lifting from on-property teams. What remains — and what matters most — is the ability to:

• Translate business needs into technology strategy
• Connect systems into a coherent guest journey
• Demonstrate measurable commercial impact

In other words, technology leaders must now be bilingual, fluent in both tech and hospitality operations.

Data is no longer a by-product, it is an asset

Another powerful insight from the panel was the growing recognition of data as a board-level asset. The pandemic accelerated digital adoption, but AI has exposed a new reality: without clean, connected data, transformation stalls.

Panelists highlighted the increasing focus on integrating cloud applications to create a unified guest experience and deliver meaningful reporting.

From my operator and commercial background, I would add this:

• Data only becomes valuable when it changes behaviour
• Dashboards don’t drive performance — decisions do
• And decisions require cross-functional alignment

Hotels that treat data as a shared commercial asset, not an IT output, will move faster.

The new skills profile: business first, technology second

Perhaps the most striking shift discussed on the panel was in recruitment.

There was strong consensus that future CIOs and technology leaders will be business people first, a view that strongly resonates with what we are seeing across progressive hotel groups.

In today’s environment, the most effective technology leaders demonstrate:

• Commercial curiosity
• Storytelling capability
• Cross-department influence
• Risk and security awareness
• Operational empathy

Technical depth still matters, but it is no longer sufficient on its own.

At Focus on Hospitality, we see this especially clearly in multi-property groups where success depends on breaking down silos between IT, revenue, marketing and operations.

Business-led technology must be the starting point

A phrase rightly emphasised during the discussion was business-led technology.

• Start with the outcome
• Work backwards to the solution

It sounds simple, yet many organisations still fall into the opposite trap: buying platforms first and searching for value later.

The panel reinforced the importance of defining success metrics upfront, whether revenue uplift, productivity gains or guest satisfaction, and validating technology decisions through structured proof-of-concept approaches.

This discipline will only become more critical as AI investment accelerates across the sector.

So… can today’s Technology Director become tomorrow’s CEO?

The panel closed with a fascinating question, and opinions were mixed, but also aligned.

My perspective, building on the debate:

In the right organisation and skillset, absolutely.

Hospitality is ultimately a commercial, operational and people business. Technology now touches all three.

We are already seeing more commercially minded technology leaders sitting at the executive table, working closely with owners, development teams and revenue functions. As the role continues to mature, the pathway to broader leadership will only widen.

But it will favour a specific profile:

• Not the technologist who stays in the server room
• The one who steps into the business

Final thought

Credit to Jane Pendlebury, Andrew Evers, Gavin A., Liz Dixon and Barry Thomas, CHTP for a candid and timely discussion at NoVacancy.

The message was unmistakable: the Technology Director is no longer a support role — it is a strategic growth lever.

For hotel leaders, the priority now is ensuring their technology function is not just technically strong, but commercially embedded, operationally fluent and relentlessly focused on guest impact.

Because in modern hospitality, technology doesn’t just enable the experience.

It helps define it.

Author

Alessandra Leoni, Focus on Hospitality
Helping hotels embrace innovation with empathy, purpose, and confidence.

Alessandra Leoni is Head of Hospitality at Focus Group, leading the Focus on Hospitality division. With over 30 years of hospitality experience including roles as General Manager and commercial leadership positions, Alessandra brings genuine operational understanding to technology strategy. Focus on Hospitality supports 300+ hotels across the UK with technology solutions including WiFi infrastructure, cyber security, telephony, and managed IT services.

Contact: [email protected]