Too Many Choices, Too Little Clarity: How Hoteliers and Consultants Navigate Today’s Tech Maze

Choosing the right technology for your hotel isn’t just about features or price tags.  It’s about cutting through the noise. The options have exploded, and with that comes confusion, fatigue, and FOMO (fear of missing out on “the next big thing”).

So how are industry pros making sense of it all? We asked a few consultants and hotel leaders how they navigate the sea of vendor choices, what makes tech “stick” once it’s live, and what they really look for in a lasting partnership.

Navigating the Overwhelm

When faced with hundreds of tech options, most experts start with people not products.

• Talk to your network. Word-of-mouth recommendations, HITEC conversations, and professional events remain the go-to discovery tools. Blogs, podcasts, and yes, even ChatGPT (we see you 👋) are also part of the mix.

• Learn by comparison. Some thrive on the sourcing process itself, benchmarking competitors and identifying who truly delivers the best value. This is where Affixify shines with our curated match dashboard.

• Simplify the chaos. As one consultant put it: “Simplify. Best of breed. Partnerships.” The goal isn’t to try everything but to align the right solution with your specific problem, which is why Affixify is tailored to product features because all challenges are not created equal.

• Trust collaboration over hype. The best partners aren’t the loudest advertisers; they’re the ones willing to co-create success and focus on long-term value, not just a quick activation.

What Makes Tech Stick

Implementation doesn’t end when the system goes live.  That’s when the real work begins.

• People: “A tech solution sticks when people adopt it, processes align with it, and leadership reinforces it.” Training, communication, and clear “why” moments drive adoption.

• Process: The tool must make work easier, not harder. Integrations, SOPs, and change management can make or break success. We heard recently about how new tech doesn’t mean just “lift and shift”; your processes should evolve to support your new tech, where it makes sense. The new technology should modernize what you’re doing, not just replace the current tech.

• Reinforcement: Leadership has to champion the solution, embed it into reporting and decisions, and celebrate wins.

The thread across every response? Adoption and support. Whether it’s having property-level champions, on-site vendor training, or long-term account management, success lives in follow-through, not setup.

What Defines a Great Tech Partner

To close, we asked: What separates a good vendor from a great one? Across the board, the answer was clear: partnership.

A great vendor acts like part of your team:

• They’re proactive, transparent, and adaptable.

• They listen, communicate clearly, and solve problems collaboratively.

• They invest in your long-term success, not just the initial sale.

The best partners bring innovation and hospitality heart, customer-centric support, hospitality-focused features, open communication, and a willingness to learn alongside their clients. They value relationships over transactions and integrity over ego.

As one expert summed it up:

“There’s no time in hotel tech to get stuck in a blame game. The best partners own mistakes, work toward resolution, and keep moving forward.”

Our Fabulous Contributors

🧩 Jody Jacobson — Integrated Hospitality Consulting

🧩 Bill Muench — AG Hospitality Consulting 

🧩 Sue Graves — Experience Alive, LLC DBA SG Consulting 

🧩 Jessica Hayes — Hayespitality / Agilysys 

🧩 Gregg Hopkins — Get Hoppy Consulting 

🧩 Lauren Epstein — Dragonfly Strategists 

🧩 Melissa Jurkoic — Benson Consulting, Inc. 

🧩 Ron Strecker — RW Consulting 🧩 Kate Cortez — Sonesta International Hotels 

🧩 Becky Vealey — Greenwood Hospitality

At Affixify, we love seeing how hoteliers and consultants approach tech decisions with curiosity, creativity, and care. Because in the end, technology isn’t the solution, connection is.