Cloud Migration is Inevitable

Jessie Burgess, Executive Vice President, CIO at G6 Hospitality LLC

1) Can you illustrate how technology is revolutionizing than ever thought before in 1-2 business segments in your work environment and is so critical for your business to succeed.

We’re undertaking a major transformation of our technology platforms at G6 Hospitality and our brands. This effort all falls under our IT 2.0 program. The objectives of this program are to 1) be “cloud-first” in our deployment and transition of technology platforms, 2) reduce the amount of technical-debt within our environment, inherited from older, monolithic systems and architecture platforms, and 3) increase our ability to respond quickly to business needs with scalable, extensible systems. A few of the initial projects under IT 2.0 include our move to the advanced, cloud-based HotelKey PMS and our major effort to rebuild our CRS and distribution platform interconnectivity in the cloud with Above Property.

2) How is the role of IT changing at your company, and, with it, your role as CIO/CXO?

The role of IT at G6 Hospitality is moving from simply enabling business processes to extending the business capabilities. In order to do this effectively, we need to first know the business. As an IT leader, my role also involves ensuring my team understands and has a passion for the hospitality industry and, more specifically, our brands.

3) What is the best example of IT’s new role at your company? Can you share on some of the things you have done in driving process transformation efforts—while tuning and elevating IT's relationship with the business.

There are few areas of a business more heavily dependent on having advanced technology resources deployed in a highly interconnected environment, while requiring shorter cycles for enhancements. We’ve been able to work very closely to deliver a world-class brand website, an advanced mobile app, a new rate management platform, and better interconnectivity to our distribution partners. We’re now on the threshold of moving our entire CRS and call center booking platform to the cloud. This would have been much more difficult to execute within the older, siloed environments of the past.

Adopt a proven project methodology to ensure the strategic objectives of your efforts are clear, valid, and effective

4) A final question, what’s your advice to a CIO/CXO starting out in your industry?

I would provide the following advice to a new CIO in the hospitality industry:

1. Become a student of your industry and your brand. You will likely be surrounded by industry experts who are passionate about your business. They will know the hidden strengths and weaknesses of your operations. These strengths and weaknesses provide a tremendous opportunity for effective technology solutions.

2. Adopt a proven project methodology to ensure the strategic objectives of your efforts are clear, valid and effective. In addition, a solid project methodology, when applied with discipline, can help to ensure the fidelity of your objective is not lost across the implementation timeframe.

3. Don’t be afraid to try a new approach. Organization to explore new possibilities. Establish a solution-based, “can-do” attitude that encourages your work with your team to help build this as a culture within your IT organization.

4. Knowing when to bring in outside expertise and resources will be beneficial to both you and your team. Outside experts help you by providing a different perspective and new techniques. Outside resources are also helpful to your team through facilitating faster implementation and adoption of new technologies while

5.Allowing the core team to maintain the existing workload and pace. The subsequent transition of these new technologies to the core team can then be done more easily and seamlessly.