The pace of change is driven by technology and technology is an enabler of hospitality experiences. Hotel Business sat down with Jeff Bzdawka to gain insight into his journey from SVP of global hotel technology at Hyatt to CEO of meetings and events data provider Knowland to his current role as president of Hapi, a data integration specialist.
Why did you select Hapi for your next journey working in technology?
Taking a step back, I consider myself a hotelier first, and my passion lies at the intersection of hospitality and technology. In other words, how can technology be used to enable change and scale service efforts? As I considered opportunities after the sale of Knowland to Cendyn, I focused on the three priorities that have driven my career: people, vision and value. While I considered other opportunities, Hapi most closely aligned with these priorities:
- People: After nearly 10 years in business, Hapi is approaching 100 expert colleagues in nearly 20 countries with more than 800 years of collective experience in hospitality and hospitality technology. The Hapi team understands the industry we serve.
- Vision: Hapi strives to enable limitless opportunities in hospitality that are free from technology barriers. This vision closely aligns with my drive for connecting technologies to ensure hoteliers gain the most out of their purchases.
- Value: The Hapi team and our solutions create unparalleled value for hoteliers and hospitality technology providers by removing the time-consuming and often frustrating process of integrating divergent systems.
Having the opportunity to be president of “Hapiness” is a priceless privilege, and I don’t take it lightly. I am thrilled to be part of ensuring our industry can use technology in ways it never dreamed of.
How have the past 100 or so days gone with the Hapi team?
It has absolutely flown by, and I am happy to say that my perceptions of Hapi and the team have already been validated. I have been lucky to work with so many talented and dedicated teams throughout my career, and the team at Hapi is intently focused on finding better ways to drive business outcomes for our customers and partners. I am also impressed by the level of trust that exists, not only internally but with those customers and partners. It has been a joy to see that Hapi is viewed as a trusted advisor and an extension of many customer teams.
What would you like to accomplish as president of Hapi in the next six months?
I believe in embracing a beginner’s mindset, but the pace of change is unlike anything we have ever seen and will continue to intensify. Therefore, we all must continue to learn, embrace change and be open to new ways of enabling experiences.
Because Hapi provides the connective tissue between hospitality technology providers and hoteliers, I look forward to continuing the expansion of our partner network, effectively removing friction points in the hospitality technology landscape, while increasing the number of experiences we enable.
Another key metric for me is enabling exciting guest experiences. I always come back to the guest. As we forge new client partnerships, I look forward to helping them create something new and unique, something the OTAs can’t deliver, that will really differentiate their business and have a direct impact on the guest experience.
Do you have any advice for past hoteliers looking to branch into working in the tech sector?
A funny thing happened on my way to becoming a general manager, and that opportunity uncovered a passion for technology. Sometimes, it is necessary to step out of our comfort zone. Those of us who have, have discovered that opportunities often present themselves in unconventional ways. Hoteliers are creative, innovative leaders, often with the heart of an entrepreneur.
I am not your typical SaaS leader; I’m a hotelier, first and foremost. However, I truly believe our industry could benefit from more hoteliers who join the ranks of hospitality technology providers. But remember that doing technology for the sake of doing technology misses the mark. Technology needs to be used to drive business outcomes and enable experiences.
What do you see as the most significant challenges facing today’s hoteliers?
The list of challenges and opportunities facing hoteliers is long, but I will focus on one: How can AI be effectively and efficiently applied in hospitality? While AI has vast potential, much work remains to realize the intended benefits, and it starts with having access to relevant and timely data.
At the risk of being provocative, I also see an under-realization of technology’s intended benefits. I challenge hoteliers and hospitality technology providers to collaborate better to ensure that what has already been deployed delivers the expected benefits. For instance, once it is installed, does it continue to work? Is there proactive monitoring of the entire experience? Are hotel colleagues adequately and continuously trained to use the technology to improve the guest journey?
Many and more questions will come as we dive into AI and its potential benefits, but hospitality is an amazing industry with plenty of opportunity. From an entrepreneurial perspective, many don’t take the time to understand the complexity of the business, while others get frightened away by that complexity. In many instances, complexity breeds opportunity. As we enter a new year and what promises to be a new era for technology, I look forward to seeing how our spirit, tenacity and patience will advance our industry. Hang on, folks; it’s going to be a raucous, bumpy, but thoroughly enjoyable ride. I look forward to sitting in the seat next to you!
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