Why Hotel Tech Companies Should Hit Investor Events

There's a famous quote often attributed to Henry Ford: “If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses.” That same logic haunts hotel tech companies that spend all their time at hotel operations conferences pitching to hoteliers who ask for incremental features.

But the real decision makers for big tech deals are often investors and asset managers, not GMs. According to Hotel Technology News, the companies that win large-scale contracts are the ones showing up at investment conferences where capital allocators ask: “Does this tech increase asset value?” Instead of selling a faster PMS, they sell a higher RevPAR and a better exit multiple. That's a completely different conversation.

Too many vendors confuse who uses the tech with who buys the tech. The GM may love your app, but if the ownership group doesn't see a return on capital, you'll never close. Start spending time where the money lives: ALIS, NYU Investment Conference, the Hunter Hotel Conference. The ROI on that shift will show up in your deal size.