Oxford Collection Hotels

Francis Nunziata is a senior technology executive responsible for leading and managing the strategic direction, planning, implementation, and optimization of all information technology systems within a luxury hospitality organization. His expertise in the industry includes a deep understanding of technology trends, strong leadership skills, and the ability to align IT initiatives with the overall business goals and objectives. He has extensive experience in driving innovation, optimizing IT infrastructure and costs, ensuring data security, and supporting the digital transformation efforts of organizations.  

In an exclusive interview with Travel and Hospitality Tech Outlook, he shared his invaluable insights about the role of IT department in the hospitality industry as well as the ensuing challenges.

Could you provide a brief overview of your experiences in the industry and your roles and responsibilities in the organization that you are currently part of?

I serve as the vice president of information and technologies at Oxford Collection Hotels. We are a hospitality company that operates 17 hotels across California, Washington, Oregon, and Idaho. As the vice president of IT, I am responsible for ensuring the security of the data and the information that we process for our guests and employees. Furthermore, my role centers around shaping the strategic direction of the organization with a particular emphasis on technology, products, and services that we offer.

During my two-year tenure in this position, we have worked on a variety of important issues, including migration from being in the cloud to back on premises for our private branch exchange (PBX) system. Along with this, we have transitioned to handling a new property management system dedicating significant time to enhance our compliance efforts and fortify organizational security.

“One should not view IT solely as a department whose job is to fix printers and answer helpdesk tickets. IT provides a lot of value and feedback on the selection of new technologies and services as well as identifies efficiencies for business.”

I develop and execute a comprehensive IT strategy that aligns with the organizations overall hospitality goals and objectives. Likewise, we remain cognizant of new emerging technology trends, assessing their potential impact on the industry, and providing strategic guidance on technology investments and digital transformation initiatives.

What would you say are some of the challenges and trends that you see in the market today?

The challenges are surrounding mobile devices and the expectation of high-speed internet. It is an issue that permeates every aspect of our business, from our guests to the back of the house. As hosting programs, applications, and services on the internet becomes increasingly prevalent, the availability of high-speed internet has become an undeniable and crucial necessity. Guest feedback, in this regard, is taken into consideration as it relates to the speed and quality of our internet service, and we take measures to solve problems quickly.

Regarding market trends, we presently do not utilize any mobile app for our services. However, we acknowledge the persistent demand from our guests for such an application. At present, we are collaborating with multiple partners to assess the feasibility of developing a mobile app specifically tailored for our guests. 

Could you talk about some of the latest projects that you have been working on and the strategies you have implemented?

One of the major projects that we are working on as an organization is related to security and compliance. As a hospitality business, we are expected to implement compliance requirements like Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards (PCI DSS) and the new version of PCI 4.0, which will become an official requirement starting from March 2025. To this end, we have been working proactively to get ahead of these requirements and are focused on implementing solutions that would both meet and exceed the requirements for that compliance.

We are implementing tools and identifying the most cost-efficient methods to meet these requirements, like multi-factor authentication. This is particularly pertinent when we are faced with specific circumstances like hourly front desk employees that work in California. In their case, we have to provide special accommodations for them to be able to meet and exceed these requirements and still be able to function.

Could you provide your views on the future of the hospitality industry?

With AI and Chat GPT rising to prominence, an automated chatbot will, in all likelihood, be introduced into the hospitality space in the near future. An AI chat bot that is capable of communicating with individuals as naturally as Chat GPT would prove to be highly beneficial for the industry. This would help to both offset the labor shortages that we are currently dealing with and aid us in serving our guests in a coherent and efficient manner.

What would be your advice to fellow professionals in the industry?

I have two pieces of advice that are very important for any IT professional working in the hospitality industry. Firstly, one should not view IT solely as a department whose job is to fix printers and answer helpdesk tickets. IT provides a lot of value and feedback on the selection of new technologies and services as well as identifies efficiencies for business. As a result, working very closely with the other departments in that capacity can bring value to what professionals do in the IT department.

Moreover, security remains our organization's foremost priority, and it should be equally paramount for any organization, regardless of its size. Most cybersecurity industry experts emphasize that it is not a matter of "if" an organization will experience a breach, but rather "when" it will happen. Making the best efforts to mitigate such potential threats is probably the most judicious thing an IT professional can do.