Building a tech stack can be a complex process requiring careful planning if you’re a hospitality business with over 100 staff.
A well-designed tech stack can help your hotel or restaurant business streamline operations, increase efficiency, and improve guest experience. Like Honest Burgers, a famous British burger chain, you can build a tech stack by combining applications that work well together and give you a streamlined experience.
In this blog post, we’ll walk you through building the perfect hospitality tech stack, from identifying your business needs to selecting the right software and implementing them seamlessly into your operations.
Step 1: Identify your business needs
Identify your organisation’s needs and map out the areas of your hospitality business that need tech solutions or upgrades. HR, Finance, Marketing and Operations are all areas of your business that may require a tech solution.
Remember that several business units could share overlapping business needs. For example, HR and Operations would both expect a workforce management tool that covers the following:
Payroll
Recruitment
Leave Management
Employee Onboarding
Rota planning
Demand planning
Internal Comms
Employee Relations
Whereas a Learning and Development tool would be explicitly needed for HR, and an inventory management tool would be specifically required for Operations.
Step 2: Research available solutions
Once you’ve identified your business needs, research the available solutions on the market that can address those needs.
You’ll likely weigh the pros and cons of using a best-of-breed approach or choosing an all-in-one solution. There are many strong arguments in favour of going with a best-of-breed approach. When chosen correctly, a best-of-breed tech stack of deeply integrated systems can act like one platform— each part providing best-in-class functionality.
Step 3: Evaluate potential vendors
Here are some factors to consider when evaluating vendors:
Ease of use: is the software intuitive and user-friendly?
Integrations: will the solution integrate with other systems I currently use?
Customer support: what level of support is offered? Is there 24/7 customer support available?
Scalability: can the solution grow and adapt as your business expands?
Cloud-based: is the solution API-first, based on an open API, accessible, future-proof and affordable?
Reputation: what do existing customers say about their solution?
Implementation: what level of implementation support is provided? Is there a straightforward implementation practice in the solution’s business?
Step 4: Implement and Integrate Your Tech Stack
Once you’ve selected your solutions for your tech stack, it’s time to implement and integrate them into your systems. This is a critical step, as poor implementation can lead to disruptions, delays and inefficiencies. Here are some best practices to follow:
Plan the implementation carefully and communicate the plan to all stakeholders involved.
Train your staff on using the new software to ensure a smooth transition.
Monitor the implementation closely and be prepared to make adjustments as needed.
Ensure all systems are appropriately integrated to avoid duplicate data entry and other inefficiencies.
Step 5: Continuously Monitor and Evaluate Your Tech Stack
Building a hospitality tech stack is not a one-time process. Your tech stack also needs to adapt as your business grows and evolves. Continuously monitoring and evaluating your tech stack will help you identify areas for improvement and optimise your operations. Remember the following points:
Regularly review your tech stack to ensure it meets your business needs and goals.
Stay current on new software solutions that may be better suited to your business.
Ask for feedback from your staff and guests to identify areas for improvement.
Be willing to change and upgrade to stay competitive and meet evolving guest expectations.
By following these five steps, you’ll be well on your way to building a hospitality tech stack that caters to the individual needs of your business and enhances the overall guest experience.
Don’t wait any longer — start building today! If you need help getting started or identifying which solutions will work best for your business needs, Deputy is here to help. Reach out and see how we can assist you in creating a tech stack that works! 
