In this episode of Hospitable, host Rob Napoli sits down with Tiago Alves of Belmond to unpack one of the most ambitious digital transformations in global hospitality. From fragmented PMS systems to a unified, cloud-based platform, with 40+ integrations and an in-house API layer, Belmond’s journey is a masterclass in data unification, change management, and making hospitality tech actually work for people.
Topics Covered
- From duplicated guest profiles to a single source of truth
- Why Belmond built its own API & integration layer
- The role of “property champions” in driving adoption
- Legal, tax & compliance realities of cloud PMS across multiple countries
- Lessons from delayed go-lives—and what they’d do differently
- How Belmond automates the predictable so staff can focus on guests
If you're leading a PMS migration, building a hotel tech stack, or struggling with data silos, this episode is a blueprint you can’t afford to miss.
Timestamps
00:00 Cold Open: Building a Connected Ecosystem
01:14 Meet Tiago & Belmond’s Tech Award
02:12 “Just Another Tech?” – Why This Project Mattered
03:23 20 Years in Hospitality Tech
04:27 Who is Belmond? A Diverse Luxury Portfolio
05:14 The Problem: Fragmented PMS Databases
06:42 Finding the Right Partner in a Legal Landscape
08:20 Involving Cross-Functional Teams from Day One
10:00 Property Champions & Local Ownership
11:37 Balancing Standards & Local Needs
13:19 Change Management & Tech Aversion
19:03 Delays & Building an In-House API Layer
22:35 Scaling to 40+ Integrations
26:05 Go-Live Realities: Migration & Cleanup
29:06 Owning the Data Pipeline
31:38 What Tiago Would Do Differently
36:26 Automating the Predictable to Free Up Staff
44:18 How to Reach Tiago & Closing Thoughts
