Centralizing IT for Improved Guest Experience

Most systems say they “integrate” access control, visitor management, and room bookings. Proximity actually connects every step of the journey—from the parking gate to the breakout room. There’s a growing gap between how people move through buildings and how legacy systems were designed. Point solutions handle fragments of the experience: a parking tool here, a visitor kiosk there, a separate room booking app, and an isolated access control system that doesn’t really know who’s coming or why. Proximity is different. We treat visitors, attendees, and access as one continuous workflow—not a patchwork of disconnected tools. Because our platform natively links conference and meeting attendees to dynamic access control, every person associated with a meeting can be automatically mapped to the right spaces, at the right times, with the right level of access. That means you can choreograph the entire experience: --> From parking access and vehicle gates --> Through turnstiles and lobby security checks --> Into meeting rooms and adjacent spaces like restrooms, coat storage, lounges, and breakout areas All powered by just-in-time keys that only work when and where they’re supposed to. In practice, this looks like: --> Attendees automatically pulled from calendar invites or registrations into Proximity’s access graph, without manual data entry. --> Visitors receiving clear, multi-stage communications with parking instructions, entry points, and way finding before they arrive. --> Time-bound, scoped credentials that activate as the guest approaches, carry them through parking, turnstiles, and security, then gracefully expire when the meeting ends. --> Granular access that covers everything they need for the meeting—lobby, floor, meeting room, restrooms, coat room, and breakout space—without over-permissioning the rest of the building. For owners and operators, this isn’t just a better guest experience. It’s a new level of operational control. You reduce front desk workload, tighten security, and capture high-value data about how people actually move through your asset—data that feeds into utilization, amenity planning, and portfolio strategy. Whether Proximity is front-ending your existing access control or powering doors and readers directly, the outcome is the same: one platform that understands who is coming, where they’re going, and how to get them there seamlessly. From parking gate to meeting room to breakout space, Proximity doesn’t just open doors. It orchestrates the entire experience.

What if your mobile app became the ultimate key to your entire hotel experience—everything at your fingertips, from check-in to checkout, powered by AI? Imagine walking into your hotel room, and instead of fumbling with wall panels or remote controls, you open your app and seamlessly control everything—from adjusting the blinds and lights to setting the perfect room temperature. No more waiting for room service or calling the front desk for a reservation; it’s all done with a few taps on your phone. Now, imagine adding AI into the mix. The app doesn’t just remember your preferences—it anticipates them. Powered by AI, it learns from past stays, picking up on subtle details about what makes you comfortable. It knows your preferred room temperature, the meals you enjoy, or the time you prefer to check out. The app customizes the entire experience, offering tailored suggestions before you even ask. This vision of a mobile-first, AI-powered hospitality experience would create a seamless, personalized guest journey. It’s not just about offering convenience; it’s about connecting with guests intuitively and naturally. This approach would complement the essential human component of hospitality, which is core to the industry’s success, while also opening new opportunities for collaboration. Think about it: Companies in other industries—like AC providers or curtain vendors—could develop products that integrate seamlessly into this mobile-driven environment. Much like how Nest and Alexa have revolutionized the smart home, suppliers could create products that enhance the guest experience and work in harmony with these intelligent systems. Beyond that, this shift to mobile-first, AI-driven systems could also transform the hospitality workforce. Evolving existing roles and creating new hospitality career tracks focused on technology and data-driven guest experiences would not only upskill employees but also elevate the industry's overall service level. While this is a reimagined future of hospitality, it raises important questions for tech developers and hospitality leaders about how AI and mobile tech can elevate the guest experience. If you’re working on similar solutions or want to explore how such innovations could be implemented, let’s connect—I’d love to offer insights and help shape the future of hospitality tech.

Your hospitality company doesn't have a people problem. It has a systems problem. You've got a GM who can "read the room." A server who remembers regulars' drink orders. A front desk agent who somehow makes every guest feel like family. And the day they leave? Your scores drop. Your reviews mention it. Guests notice. That's not hospitality. That's a dependency dressed up as culture. I worked for St. Regis and Fairmont. Guests would say, "I don't know how you do it." They'd step out of their car. The doorman greeted them by name. By the time they reached the front desk, someone was already saying, "Welcome back, Mr. Knight—how was your flight?" It felt like magic. It wasn't. Behind the curtain: radios, pre-arrival notes, and playbooks that made precision look human. The best hospitality doesn't feel like a system—but it's built on one. Here's where to start: Pick one guest touchpoint that matters—arrival, checkout, service recovery, whatever breaks most often when someone's out sick. Map it. Write down every step. Every handoff. Every piece of information that needs to move from one person to another. Then ask: "What would need to be true for a brand-new hire to execute this at 80% on day one?" That's your first system. Because the guest experience isn't as strong as your best employee. It's only as strong as the systems that hold it up—even when that employee's gone. Great hospitality doesn't happen by accident. It happens by architecture.

 𝙒𝙝𝙮 𝙃𝙤𝙩𝙚𝙡𝙨 𝙈𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝘽𝙪𝙞𝙡𝙙 𝙖 𝙆𝙣𝙤𝙬𝙡𝙚𝙙𝙜𝙚 𝙃𝙪𝙗 𝘽𝙚𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝘼𝙪𝙩𝙤𝙢𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝘼𝙄 I agree that AI-powered communication is a game-changer for hotels. But here’s the truth: AI is only as good and effective as the information it has access to. Before diving into automation, hotels must first centralize and structure their knowledge—including amenities, services, policies, and local recommendations—into a comprehensive knowledge hub. This isn’t just a technical step; it’s a hospitality must. 𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗲’𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗽 𝗶𝘀 𝗰𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹: ✅ 𝗕𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗚𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 – AI can only provide accurate, helpful responses if it has complete, up-to-date information. A well-structured knowledge base ensures guests get the right answers instantly. ✅ 𝗠𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗺𝗶𝘇𝗲𝗱 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘁𝘀 – Without a solid knowledge foundation, AI responses may be vague or incorrect, leading to more calls, emails, and, thus, unhappy guests. ✅ 𝗦𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 & 𝗘𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝘆 – Once all relevant information is in one place, AI can automate FAQs, personalize guest interactions, and free up staff for high-value tasks. ✅ 𝗕𝘂𝗶𝗹𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗙𝘂𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 – A structured knowledge hub makes it easier to integrate AI-driven chatbots, voice assistants, and other automation tools as technology evolves. This is exactly where GIATA DRIVE comes in. The single source of truth, where hotel information is stored—ranging from room categories to facts and descriptions—is automatically translated and used to accurately respond to guest inquiries in real time. 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗸𝗲𝘆 𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗮𝘄𝗮𝘆? AI is only as smart as the data behind it. So, hoteliers, I encourage you to invest in a knowledge hub first to ensure AI doesn’t just respond but truly helps. #ai #hotels #hospitality #HospitalityTech #HotelInnovation #GuestExperience

Speed is good. Had a chance to talk with Josh Henegar, Corporate Revenue Director at 1859 Historic Hotels, Ltd about his CRS-CRM integration. The Frankenstack of tech he was working with prior to SHR gave only: • Guest data stuck in silos • Email delivery delays of hours/days • Manual workarounds eating up time • "Large part of the challenge we had with delivery times" With SHR's CRS and CRM (previously known as Windsurfer and Maverick), he gets: - Instant data sync: "Whatever landed in Windsurfer ended up in Maverick immediately" - Real-time guest profiles: Guest information showing up in CRM instantly - Seamless troubleshooting: Easy cross-checking between reservation and marketing data - Unified workflow: No more jumping between disconnected systems The Insight: "Everything was quicker. You know, the guest information was showing up in the CRM immediately. That was definitely not the case with the other guys." The Real Value: It wasn't just about efficiency. Integrated systems meant: • Better guest experience (timely communications) • Staff could focus on hospitality, not data entry • Reliable operations during peak times Josh's Bottom Line: "Speed is good." When your CRS and CRM work as one system, you're not managing technology - you're delivering hospitality. The Lesson: Don't just buy best-in-class point solutions. Find systems designed to work together from day one.