Involving Your Team in Tech Selection Is the Difference Between Adoption and Abandonment
Hotel technology decisions rarely fail because the software is “bad.”They fail because the people expected to use it were never part of the decision.
In an industry as complex and interconnected as hospitality, technology impacts every team, from the front desk and housekeeping to revenue, sales, IT, finance, and leadership.When those voices are excluded early, adoption suffers, implementation drags, and the return on investment quietly erodes.
More hotel leaders are recognizing that successful tech outcomes start with inclusive, intentional decision-making, and the results speak for themselves.
Culture First, Technology Second
At Staypineapple Hotels, technology selection starts with the people who will use it every day,not just the people approving the purchase.
“End-user team members had the loudest voice in evaluating new tools to ensure adoption and buy-in.” — Dina Belon-Sayre, President, Staypineapple Hotels
By bringing end users into the conversation from the very beginning, Staypineapple ensured new technology fit real workflows, practical needs, and how teams actually operate, not just leadership expectations.This early involvement created a sense of ownership long before implementation began, leading to smoother rollouts, stronger adoption, and tools that genuinely support the hotel’s culture rather than disrupt it.
And while Staypineapple proves that listening to end users works in practice, they’re far from alone in this approach. Across the industry, consultants are seeing the same pattern play out again and again: when hotels bring their teams into the tech conversation early, implementations move faster, resistance drops, and adoption stops feeling like an uphill battle. Spoiler alert:it’s not magic. It’s involvement.
Early Engagement = Smoother Implementation
That same theme came through clearly in our conversations with consultants who see implementations succeed and fail every day.
“When it comes to tech implementation, one of the most critical steps is to engage your team early on. Hotels are multifaceted and extremely complex, with many departments relying on different systems. Introducing new technology affects everyone. By involving your team from the beginning, you gather feedback, address concerns, and ensure the technology solves real problems.” — Jody Jacobson, Integrated Hospitality Consulting
Early involvement doesn’t slow decisions, it sharpens them. Teams feel ownership, concerns surface sooner, and the selected solution actually fits the workflow it’s meant to support.
A few data points to show people-first tech decisions pay off.
87% of employees report being satisfied with workplace technology when it supports how they actually work, highlighting the importance of usability and alignment with real workflows. Source: Capterra, Technology Adoption & Employee Satisfaction Survey
Employee resistance is one of the top reasons technology initiatives fail, ranking higher than budget or tooling issues in digital transformation efforts. Source: MyHub Intranet, Digital Transformation Statistics & Failure Factors
82% of hoteliers using modern, integrated cloud platforms report improved staff productivity, a key indicator that tools aligned with operations drive real efficiency. Source: Hospitality Upgrade, Breaking Through Hospitality’s Resistance to Tech Change
User-centered technology selection improves adoption, usability, and long-term success, according to studies across complex operational industries where frontline staff are involved early in procurement and configuration. Source: National Library of Medicine (NIH), User Involvement and Technology Adoption in Complex Systems
How Affixify Supports Team-Driven Tech Decisions
Pre-Built Feature Libraries Each software category includes a curated, ready-to-use feature library so teams don’t have to start from a blank spreadsheet. Faster alignment, better conversations, and fewer missed requirements.