Partnerships key to technology rollouts

Successful technology rollouts require partnership and a problem to be properly defined, was the message from the latest HOSPA webinar, supported by Barclaycard Payments.

Attendees heard about Kew Green Hotels, who recently completed a major POS transformation across more than 40 hotels in just 12 weeks.

Toby Hill, F&B director, Kew Green Hotels, discussed how, when he joined the company in early 2025, the existing platform was creating operational frustration and limiting future growth. He said: “What we needed was a platform that could grow with the guests' needs, the industry and how it's changing fundamentally and very quickly. So we needed something that was a lot more flexible. I went to the big people first, and after about four, I was completely baffled

“There are certain platforms that come recommended to certain brands, but what I really needed was to trust a provider. That's what I fundamentally needed to do. And I'm not saying I didn't trust the others, but I needed somebody that was going to take my hand and walk me through this.”

Lauren Lanik, relationship director, Barclaycard Payments, said that the first point of call was understanding the wider operational picture rather than focusing solely on technology. She said: “Because I already had the relationship with Kew Green, I already understood the complexity of the estate, how all of the different components needed to slot together, what were the current operational pain points they faced.

“We're not just purely looking at POS and payments. What's the bigger picture here, and how can we then define an integrated, scalable model that's gonna take that forward for them?”

By taking a broader view, the project was approached as a connected business transformation, with Lanik describing herself as: “the orchestrator of that little ecosystem we created”.

The project's success, according to both speakers, relied on clear ownership, regular communication and a shared commitment to outcomes. “We all had taken our own individual ownership of our part in the rollout, and everybody was singing off the same hymn sheet,” said Lanik.

Hill added: “It was all about the customer. I can't stress enough how everybody jumped on board and said, ‘we've just got to make this work’.”

Hill said that the initial implementation had become a foundation for wider innovation, hailing the integration with Kew Green’s operational model. Lanik confirmed this, adding: “This wasn't just a POS or payments implementation, it was about designing something that would work in perfect harmony and I think once you really understand that, what brought everything together, and meant that I could deliver the solution at scale and roll out at pace in a structured, way.”

Hill concluded: “You've got to have somebody taking you through this. You won't know everything about it, so reach out, get the experts to support you on this.”