Change is hard to get right in any business, but for hotels, it’s particularly tough. With operations running 24/7, there’s no ‘safe’ window to overhaul systems or processes without risking severe disruption to guests or revenue.
The pressure to keep everything running, from bookings to check-ins, makes the idea of transformation feel almost out of reach.
Yet the risk of standing still is greater. Legacy technology becomes harder to maintain, more expensive to operate, more challenging to integrate, and importantly, unfulfilling customer expectations.
Many hotel operators are reaching a ‘tipping point’, where the cost of keeping legacy systems outweighs the risk of replacing them.
The challenge is making meaningful changes without disrupting the day-to-day operations or compromising your guest experience.
HESITATION IS A HIGH RISK STRATEGY
Many hotel groups still run on legacy systems, inherited through acquisitions and patched together over decades. These systems might still function, but they’re rarely fit for what today’s market demands: smart automation, seamless customer journeys, and faster rollout of personalised offers and experiences.
Technology expectations are rising fast. Many of your customers want to manage their stay entirely from their smartphone, from pre-arrival messages and mobile check-in to digital keys and in-stay automation via chatbots.
Hesitation also comes with hidden costs. Hiring and retaining talent is difficult when teams are stuck using outdated tools. Data management gets messier. Regulatory compliance demands are harder to meet. Cybersecurity risks increase.
The longer you delay change, the more you’re exposed. Guests notice the cracks. And when something doesn’t work, they don’t wait around; they book elsewhere.
APPROACHING TRANSFORMATION IN AN ALWAYS-ON BUSINESS
The best transformation programmes don’t ask the business to stop. Instead, they work around operational rhythms. That means understanding peak booking periods, how teams operate in practice, and what simply can’t be disrupted.
At Gate One, we’ve seen the value of sequencing change — breaking large projects into manageable phases and running early pilots to validate assumptions. It gives organisations room to learn and adapt without betting everything on a single go-live date.
The key is timing: when changes clash or compete for attention, even well-designed systems can create unnecessary strain. Success depends on a clear strategy for how each phase will land, keeping your business running smoothly while bigger change is delivered in the background.
WHERE MAJOR TECHNOLOGY PROJECTS GO WRONG (AND HOW TO GET THEM RIGHT)
Most transformation failures aren’t the result of subpar technology or poor intent. They come from skipping critical groundwork, particularly in preparation and communication.
Data is often the first point of failure. Systems are designed before teams have fully mapped how information flows, how it’s structured, or how it will be used across functions. That creates major issues with integration, testing and adoption.
Plus, in hospitality, where multiple systems are deeply intertwined, poor upfront integration planning can trigger a cascade of technical problems.
| Mistake | Smarter Approach |
|---|---|
| Data models are poorly understood before system design begins | Map existing systems, workflows and data flows in detail |
| Solutions built in isolation from business realities | Bring business stakeholders into the process from day one |
| Local markets and operational experts aren’t properly involved | Collaboratively design solutions that can be localised |
| Integration requirements are underestimated | Use an API-first architecture built for flexibility, not short-term fixes |
Yes, this kind of groundwork takes time. But you’ll avoid costly surprises further down the line.
PEOPLE CAN MAKE OR BREAK YOUR HOTEL TRANSFORMATION PROGRAMME
Building data management maturity is a continuous, incremental, and sometimes arduous process, but high-quality, secure data is fundamental to maintaining the trust of your customers and enabling leading-edge analytics to inform decisions.
Change often fails when the business is left out. Too often, hotel operators deploy systems that work for head office but not for teams on the ground (the ones navigating local tax rules, languages and regulations).
When regional knowledge isn’t built in from the start, transformation becomes harder, slower and more disruptive than it needs to be.
In any programme, frontline staff are your strongest allies. They’re used to solving problems in the moment and adapting to guests’ needs. Bring them in early, and they quickly become champions for change.
These stakeholders need clear, practical information: what’s changing, why it matters, and how it will help them to do their job. That relies on regular communication to keep people informed, prepared and reassured.
Back-office teams may need more convincing. Their ways of working tend to be more embedded, and the impact of change can feel more abstract. The key is showing how new systems will make their day-to-day work simpler, faster and more effective.
Training makes a big difference to business transformation. We’ve found that just-in-time learning, delivered shortly before rollout, keeps knowledge fresh. Train people too early, and that knowledge fades before they get a chance to use it.
Change shouldn’t be delivered top-down, either. People need a way to say what’s working, what isn’t, and what could function better.
Getting something live early can also help. A pilot or minimum viable product (MVP) gives people something tangible to interact with, building momentum faster than a polished system launched all at once.
Transformation is as much about cultural adoption as technical execution. If site leadership and frontline staff don’t see what’s in it for them, your programme can stall – even if the technology works effectively. New systems stick a lot better when the people using them have helped shape them.
HOW GATE ONE REBUILT WHITBREAD’S TECHNOLOGY STACK WITHOUT DISRUPTING OPERATIONS
When multinational hotel and restaurant company Whitbread approached Gate One, it was facing a massive challenge. Its Premier Inn booking platform, responsible for over £2 billion in revenue, was over 40 years old, and only a handful of people knew how it worked.
The system posed a clear risk to business continuity, scalability and future growth.
We started by embedding business decision-makers directly into the process. It wasn’t just a technology project; it was a cross-functional business transformation. A Business Solution Owner forum ensured the voice of operations influenced every design decision.
Instead of switching everything at once, we ran a single hotel pilot. That small-scale launch delivered essential insights into data flows, user training and operational fit. It gave the team the confidence and clarity needed for wider rollout.
With feedback from the pilot in hand, we scaled the programme to help Whitbread:
- Revolutionised an aging entire end-to-end booking and property management stack
- Rebuild the website
- Integrate with 65 other systems with minimal impact
- Train 15,000 employees in carefully timed waves
- Transition 900 hotels without interrupting day-to-day operations
The changes we delivered strengthened Whitbread’s guest experience, improved conversion, increased upselling opportunities and delivered greater operational efficiency. And the implementation of an overall technology stack has greatly improved the long-term scalability, resilience, and flexibility of the business.
The project also changed Whitbread’s culture. The company has established its own internal transformation office using the approach we developed together.
YOUR GOAL: CREATE THE FOUNDATION FOR CONTINUOUS INNOVATION
The systems you build now shape what your business can do next. If your infrastructure isn’t adaptable, integrated and reliable, it limits your ability to improve services, launch new offers or respond to market changes.
We’re speaking to a lot of hospitality leaders exploring the potential of AI. But those tools only add value when the underlying systems are ready. Without clean data and a strong, well-structured architecture, AI can’t deliver meaningful outcomes. You need to walk before you run.
An MVP or pilot approach gives you space to test new ideas at a manageable pace. Internal use cases, like automation, reporting or staff-facing tools, are often a good place to start.
Once you’ve proven what works within your business, you can expand into guest-facing applications with confidence.
TREAT TRANSFORMATION AS A BUSINESS PRIORITY
The hotel groups making the most progress don’t treat transformation as a project with an end date. They build change into the way they work, developing systems, skills and structures that support continuous improvement. It’s part of their DNA.
But getting to this point takes commitment. It means investing in infrastructure that can scale, and in teams that can lead change. Sometimes, it means collaborating with transformation partners like Gate One to bring momentum, clarity and experience to help deliver transformation without disrupting the business.
Once you’ve proven what works within your business, you can expand into guest-facing applications with confidence.
FINAL THOUGHT
In an always-on business, there’s no perfect moment to upgrade your systems and processes. The priority is finding an approach that works alongside your day-to-day operations, building lasting capabilities without slowing your operations down.
That’s how transformation takes hold: not through disruption, but through focused changes that protect your ongoing performance while setting you up for lasting change.
Looking to find an approach that works alongside your day-to-day operations, builds lasting capabilities and doesn’t slow your operations down?
Get in touch to find out how our team help Travel and Leisure businesses shape winning strategies.
