💬 Guest article by Lucy Prothero, Senior Business Development Manager for UK – Enterprise at Profitroom

As part of our Profitroom Talks series, Lucy explores how the hospitality tech industry is shifting toward a more integrated, guest-centric approach, and why collaboration and seamless connectivity are now essential to delivering exceptional guest experiences.

In hospitality we talk a lot about putting guests at the heart of what we do. And as someone who’s spent most of her career at the intersection of tech and travel, I can say with confidence that that mindset is now reshaping the way we deliver technology too.

For years hospitality tech companies have focused on solving specific operational headaches - streamlining check-ins, automating marketing, building better booking engines. These tools have been valuable, no doubt, but they’ve also often been designed in isolation, without considering how they fit together - or what kind of experience they create for the actual guest.

The shift we’re seeing now is exciting. Guests no longer experience a hotel brand one system at a time. To them, everything - website, booking, check-in, spa, dining - is part of one continuous journey. That journey needs to feel intuitive, joined-up and personal. And if the technology underpinning it is fragmented, that experience falls apart.  

As tech providers, that means integration can’t be an afterthought - it needs to be a core part of how we design and build from day one. A great experience for both hoteliers and their guests depends on systems that can talk to each other, share data safely and effortlessly and feel seamless to use.

At Profitroom, we’ve seen first-hand how much of a difference that can make. One of our clients - an independent hotel in the UK - saw reservations increase by over 400% in just a few months after switching to a more integrated system. They didn’t need to change their brand. They didn’t need to build new facilities. They just made it easier for their guests to connect with them. 

That ease of access, simplicity and consistency is what guests want - and increasingly, it’s what they expect. Whether you’re a boutique hotel in rural Scotland or part of a group with properties across Europe, guests are bringing the same expectations they have of retail, travel and media: they want things to work together. They want recognition, relevance and ease at every step.

The good news is that many in our sector are already changing course. We’re seeing more collaboration between tech providers - sharing roadmaps, co-developing solutions, opening up APIs. The era of "one system doing everything" is giving way to something genuinely more interesting: a modular, flexible, guest-focused ecosystem where specialists do what they do best, but everything connects.

That’s why we’ve prioritised partnerships with activity management companies like ResDiary for restaurant bookings and Trybe for spa treatments. These integrations aren’t just technical add-ons, they’re built with the guest journey in mind. When someone books a stay with breakfast, a massage and dinner, they can now arrange all of it in one smooth flow. There’s no friction, no need for follow-up calls or separate booking links. For staff, it means fewer manual interventions. For guests, it means everything just works.  

One of the most encouraging shifts I’ve been part of recently is the openness between tech providers. Competitors are becoming collaborators, because we’re all starting to recognise that the real value isn’t in locking clients in - it’s in giving them the freedom and flexibility to create brilliant experiences. When tech companies start focusing on interoperability rather than control, everyone benefits - especially the guest.

For hoteliers, this means thinking differently too. When choosing new systems, integration shouldn’t be a footnote. It should be one of the first questions you ask. How will this work with your PMS, your CRM, your loyalty programme? Can it pull existing guest data into marketing campaigns? Will it let your spa and restaurant availability show up in one cohesive package? Is it going to make things easier, not just for your guests, but for your team?

It’s also about shared philosophy. Are your tech partners building with this guest-first mindset? Are they talking to each other? Are they interested in being part of something collaborative? Because if they’re not, delivering a truly joined-up experience is going to be much harder.

The future of hospitality tech isn’t going to be defined by who has the most buttons. It’ll be defined by who makes things simplest - for guests and hoteliers alike. The tech winners will be those who make systems share, not just store; who turn data into stories, not just statistics; and who put the focus back where it’s always belonged: on giving someone a stay they’ll remember for the right reasons.

This is what inspires me. The collaboration I’m seeing now across our industry is a world away from where we were even five years ago. It shows that we’re growing up - not just building smarter systems, but building better relationships with the people who use them. And when tech supports genuine hospitality, rather than just digitising it, that’s when incredible things happen.

As a guest, it's the kind of experience we all want. As a tech provider, it’s exactly what we should be building. And as someone who loves this industry deeply, I think it’s the future we’ve been waiting for.

Watch Lucy’s Profitroom Talks episodes — 4 short, insightful videos focused on helping hotel groups improve operational efficiency, embrace integrations, and deliver tech that works for both teams and guests.

Sign up once to unlock the full series.