Hospitality Net caught HITEC’s 2025 conference. Bernard TanSenior Vice-President of Commercial Strategy and Technology and chief commercial officer at Castle Resorts & HotelsTo hear how hoteliers are dealing with the challenges that come from scaling technology to different property types.
A 40-year heritage and a fragmented technology stack
Castle Resorts & Hotels, headquartered in Hawaii, is the state’s only locally owned and managed hotel group with over 15 properties across five Hawaiian islands and New Zealand. The sister brand, Chase ‘N RainbowsTan manages over 100 vacation rental properties.
He has been at Castle for less than two years but has over 20 years’ experience in hospitality and consulting. His first task is? Map the tech stack
We had to list everything, who connects with what, where and how they all interconnect.
Tan explained.
The real pain started to surface then.
Four or five PMSs and no one source of truth
We use up to five different PMSs
Tan said. Some of these were inherited from previous owners.
Although all PMSs are now cloud-based systems, they represent a significant barrier when it comes Enterprise-level IntegrationYou can find a wide variety of property types from resorts, hotels and vacation homes.
It becomes extremely complicated when we discuss sales, digital marketing and distribution.
Ten systems for each property, with duplication between tools
Each property operates on a standard basis. Ten or more systemsBooking engines, revenue management software and email marketing tools are all available. But consistency is rare.
Three or more property groups may use the same email system
Tan said. Others don’t. So we duplicate messaging in multiple systems
.
This duplication results in lost time, fragmented campaign, and an ongoing struggle to maintain operational effectiveness.
Integration is the biggest barrier to progress
Tan identified that despite the many technology vendors and platforms at hoteliers’ disposal, Tan had identified Integration As the main bottleneck for digital transformation.
We are not looking for miracles but rather a system that works together.
He said.
I cannot use a tool that does not integrate with my existing stack. I’m forced into compromise.
The growing trend towards “all in one” hospitality tech platforms is not a panacea.
It can be tempting to stick with one vendor. What happens when you want to change vendors? You are locked in.
There are no free trials and there is friction, misalignment or alignment.
Tan has also brought to light a deeper problem: gap in understanding Vendors and customers:
I’m afraid I might have forgotten something important to say when I spoke with a vendor.
This mutual blindspot, coupled with the lack of trial options in the industry and its long sales cycles, slows progress. He said that after signing a contract for three years, you may find out three months later that it is not right.
What the industry requires
Tan believes the breakthrough will be when onboarding new hospitality systems is as easy as Installing an App on Your Phone, click, install, integrate.
He remains focused until then on change management, careful adoption, and making sure every new system is adding value. Clear operational value Castle Portfolio before rolling it out.
Bernard Tan
SVP of Commercial Strategy and Technology at Castle Resorts & Hotels
Castle Resorts & Hotels
