Here's a truth I've seen play out dozens of times: hotels partner with a generic IT provider, expect hospitality-grade support, and end up frustrated when things fall apart during a busy weekend.
The problem isn't that these IT companies are bad at their job. It's that hotel IT support requires a completely different approach. Your property runs 24/7. Your systems: PMS, POS, door locks, guest WiFi: are interconnected in ways that a standard office setup simply isn't. And when something breaks at 11pm on a Saturday, you can't just "try again Monday."
If your current IT support for hotels feels like it's always one step behind, you're probably making one (or more) of these seven mistakes. Let's fix that.
Mistake 1: Ignoring Hospitality-Specific Systems
Generic IT providers know Microsoft 365. They know printers and email servers. But ask them to troubleshoot an integration issue between your Property Management System (PMS) and your point-of-sale terminals, and you'll likely get a blank stare.
Hotels rely on a complex ecosystem of specialist software: Opera, Mews, Guestline, Lightspeed, and countless others. These systems need to talk to each other seamlessly. When they don't, you get double bookings, pricing errors, and front desk staff manually patching gaps that should be automated.
How to fix it: Partner with an IT provider who understands hospitality-specific systems inside and out. They should know your PMS, your booking engine, your channel manager: and how to keep them all playing nicely together.
Mistake 2: Poor WiFi Infrastructure for Guests vs. Back-Office
This one catches hotels out constantly. When occupancy hits 100%, guest devices flood the network. If your guest WiFi and back-office systems share the same infrastructure without proper segmentation, everything slows down: including your PMS, payment terminals, and reservation system.
I've seen front desk teams unable to check guests in because the network was overwhelmed by streaming traffic from rooms upstairs. That's not a guest experience problem: it's a network architecture problem.
How to fix it: Ensure your network uses VLANs (Virtual Local Area Networks) to separate guest traffic from operational systems. Your PMS and payment processing should always have priority bandwidth, regardless of how many devices are streaming Netflix in the rooms.
This isn't a "nice to have": it's essential for any property serious about delivering a frictionless guest experience.
Mistake 3: Lack of 24/7/365 Availability
Hotels don't sleep. Your IT support shouldn't either.
Yet many properties are stuck with providers who operate standard office hours: 9 to 5, Monday to Friday. What happens when your booking engine crashes at 2am? Or your key card system fails during a Saturday night check-in rush? You're left waiting, and your guests are left frustrated.
How to fix it: Demand round-the-clock support as a baseline, not a premium add-on. The best hospitality IT solutions include 24/7/365 monitoring and response because providers in this space understand that downtime at midnight costs just as much: if not more: than downtime at midday.
If your current provider can't guarantee out-of-hours support, it's time to have a serious conversation.
Mistake 4: Weak Cybersecurity & Compliance
Hotels handle sensitive data every single day: guest names, addresses, passport details, payment card information. That makes you a prime target for cybercriminals.
And yet, cybersecurity is often an afterthought. Passwords are weak. Multi-factor authentication isn't enabled. Staff click phishing links because they've never been trained to spot them. One breach can cost you thousands in fines, destroy guest trust, and land you in the headlines for all the wrong reasons.
PCI-DSS compliance isn't optional if you're processing card payments. Neither is protecting guest data under GDPR.
How to fix it: Start with the basics: enable MFA on all email and cloud accounts. Conduct regular security audits. Train your team to recognise threats. And work towards Cyber Essentials certification to demonstrate to guests and insurers that you take security seriously.
Mistake 5: Reactive vs. Proactive Support
Waiting for something to break before you call IT is like waiting for a fire before you install smoke alarms. It's expensive, stressful, and entirely avoidable.
Reactive support means you're always firefighting. A server fails, bookings are lost, and your IT provider scrambles to restore service while your team apologises to guests. The cost of IT downtime in hospitality is significant: not just in lost revenue, but in damaged reputation.
How to fix it: Shift to a proactive support model. This means:
- 24/7 monitoring of your systems to catch issues before they escalate
- Regular maintenance and patching to prevent vulnerabilities
- Performance reviews to identify bottlenecks and inefficiencies
- Scheduled updates so you're never running outdated software
The goal is simple: fix problems before your guests: or your staff: ever notice them.
Mistake 6: No Cloud or Backup Strategy
What happens if your on-site server dies tomorrow? Can you recover your guest data, reservation history, and financial records? Or would you be starting from scratch?
Too many hotels operate without a proper backup strategy. Data lives on a single machine, with no redundancy and no disaster recovery plan. It's a ticking time bomb.
How to fix it: Implement a robust cloud backup solution with automated, regular backups stored off-site. Test your recovery process periodically: because a backup you can't restore is no backup at all.
Cloud-based systems also offer flexibility. Staff can access what they need from anywhere, which is invaluable when managing multiple properties or supporting remote workers.
Mistake 7: Failing to Train Staff on New Tech
You've invested in a shiny new PMS. It has automation features, mobile check-in capabilities, and integrations with your channel manager. But six months later, your front desk team is still doing everything manually because no one showed them how to use it properly.
This happens more than you'd think. Complex systems require proper training: not just a one-hour onboarding session, but ongoing education as features evolve and staff turn over.
How to fix it: Budget for training as part of any technology investment. Work with your IT provider to deliver:
- Initial onboarding that covers all relevant features
- Refresher sessions when updates roll out
- Documentation your team can reference day-to-day
- A point of contact for questions that inevitably arise
Technology is only as effective as the people using it. Don't let your investment gather dust.
The Benefit of a Specialist Partner
Here's the bottom line: generic IT support will always struggle to meet the unique demands of hospitality. Hotels need a partner who understands your systems, your pressures, and your guests' expectations.
At Hotel IT Company, we specialise exclusively in IT support for hotels and spas. We've seen these seven mistakes play out across properties of all sizes: and we've built our services specifically to prevent them.
From 24/7 support and proactive monitoring to cybersecurity compliance and staff training, we deliver hospitality IT solutions that actually work for the way you operate.
Ready to stop firefighting and start thriving? Get in touch for a no-obligation IT health check. Let's make sure your technology is helping( not hindering( your guest experience.))
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