notitur.com August 29, 2026
Hotel TechnologyPublished August 29, 20261 min read

AI won't replace the hotelier, it gives them the tool to execute

JSBy Joan SanzCurated by Joan Sanz. · August 29, 2026 · Follow on LinkedIn
Voice reading · ~2 min

Javier Ortiz, partner at Sextaplanta, made it clear in his latest talk: technology is not the strategy, it's the tool to implement it. Coming from someone who has spent years advising hotels, that should calm those who see every new software as a threat or a sunk cost.

Ortiz points out that the barriers to adopting new technology in hotels are not only economic or technical. There's a management component that weighs more: how you select, implement and use it. Complex integrations, hidden costs, lack of technical knowledge and ROI doubts appear when the team doesn't have a clear goal for the tool, not because the tool is bad.

My take: the hotel industry still confuses buying technology with having a digital strategy. They are not the same. Buying a new PMSPMSThe property management system is a hotel's core software. It handles reservations, check-in and check-out, room assignment, billing and the status of every stay. It is the operational heart that most other tools plug... is not strategy, it's a purchase decision. Strategy is knowing what problem you want to solve, for which customer, and with which process. Only then does technology make sense.

The good news is that this view opens a door: technology can be the enabler of a well-thought strategy, not the other way around. The hotelier who sits down to define their business model before signing a contract with a vendor is already ahead.

Quick questions

What does Javier Ortiz say about hotel technology?
He says it's not the strategy, but the tool to implement it. Adoption barriers come from how it's selected, implemented and used, not just cost or technical issues.
What are the barriers to adopting hotel technology?
Complex integrations, implementation costs, lack of technical knowledge and ROI doubts. But also a lack of prior strategic clarity.
How should a hotel choose its next technology?
First define the business model and the processes to optimize. Then look for the tool that fits that strategy, not the other way around.
What's the difference between technology and digital strategy?
Strategy is the what and the why: which problem to solve, for which customer. Technology is the how: the tool to execute it. Buying software without strategy is just spending.
Is technology a threat for hoteliers?
No. If used as a tool of a clear strategy, it helps execute the hotelier's vision. The trouble is imposing it without process or defined goal.

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