Senior Manager - IT Hotel Opening & Transition

Senior Manager – Hotel Opening & Transition

Corporate Technology | Hospitality

About the Role

We are looking for an experienced Senior Manager – Hotel Opening & Transition to lead the technology readiness of new hotel openings and property transitions.

This is a corporate hotel technology role responsible for ensuring that each hotel is fully ready from an IT applications, infrastructure, network, systems integration, cybersecurity, and guest technology perspective before opening.

The role is involved from the hotel development and construction stages through system implementation, commissioning, testing, hotel simulation, go-live and stabilization, before transitioning technology operations to the hotel team.

Reporting to the Director – Hotel Opening & Transition, you will work closely with Corporate Technical Services, Corporate IT, hotel General Managers, department heads, owners, developers, vendors and hotel IT teams.

Key Responsibilities

Hotel Opening & Transition

• Lead end-to-end technology readiness for new hotel openings, conversions and property transitions.

• Develop and manage the technology implementation plan, key milestones, dependencies, risks and opening-readiness requirements.

• Coordinate technology activities from development and construction through pre-opening, opening and post-opening stabilization.

• Ensure smooth handover from corporate-led implementation to hotel IT and operational teams.

Systems & Applications

• Coordinate the selection, configuration and implementation of approved hotel technology applications.

• Oversee system integrations and interfaces between hotel applications.

• Ensure applications are properly configured, tested and ready for operational use.

• Coordinate user acceptance testing, hotel simulations, commissioning and go-live activities.

IT Infrastructure & Network

• Work with Corporate Technical Services, vendors and project teams to ensure IT infrastructure meets corporate and brand requirements.

• Oversee readiness of network services, connectivity, server and cloud environments, Wi-Fi and other hotel technology infrastructure.

• Ensure infrastructure is commissioned and tested before hotel opening.

Guest-Facing Technology

• Coordinate the implementation and readiness of guest technology solutions.

• Ensure guest-facing systems are properly integrated, tested and aligned with the hotel operating model and brand standards.

Security, Standards & Compliance

• Ensure hotel technology complies with corporate cybersecurity requirements, technology standards and approved architecture.

• Review implementation against agreed infrastructure specifications, operating controls and corporate policies.

• Identify technology risks and drive corrective actions before opening.

Stakeholder & Vendor Management

• Partner with hotel General Managers and department heads to understand operational requirements and opening priorities.

• Work closely with owners, owner representatives, developers, consultants and technology vendors.

• Monitor vendor deliverables, implementation schedules and technical dependencies.

• Provide clear progress updates and escalate critical risks affecting opening readiness.

Training, Documentation & Handover

• Ensure hotel users receive appropriate system training before opening.

• Confirm operating procedures, system documentation, configuration records and support contacts are in place.

• Establish the post-opening support and escalation model.

• Monitor systems during the stabilization period and ensure outstanding issues are resolved before formal handover to hotel operations.

Qualifications & Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, Engineering or a related field.

• Strong experience in hotel IT, hospitality technology, hotel openings, system implementation or technology project management.

• Experience supporting new hotel openings, hotel conversions or property transitions is highly preferred.

• Good understanding of hotel IT infrastructure, networking, applications, integrations and guest-facing technologies.

• Familiarity with hospitality systems such as Property Management Systems (PMS), Point of Sale (POS), Central Reservation Systems (CRS), interfaces, Wi-Fi/network infrastructure and other hotel operational platforms.

• Experience managing technology vendors, consultants and implementation partners.

• Strong project management skills with the ability to manage multiple hotel projects and deadlines simultaneously.

• Able to work effectively with hotel operations, corporate teams, owners and technical specialists.

• Strong problem-solving, communication and stakeholder-management skills.

• Good command of written and spoken English.

• Ability to travel domestically and internationally based on hotel opening and transition requirements.

What We’re Looking For

You will be a good fit for this role if you:

• Understand both technology and hotel operations.

• Enjoy building a hotel technology environment from development stage through opening day.

• Can translate corporate technology standards into practical hotel solutions.

• Are comfortable coordinating multiple stakeholders across corporate, hotel, owner and vendor teams.

• Stay calm and solutions-focused during critical pre-opening and go-live periods.

• Take ownership and are willing to be hands-on when an opening requires it.

Why Join Us?

This role offers an opportunity to play a key part in bringing new hotels to life. You will work across hotel developments and transitions, collaborate with senior stakeholders and technology partners, and directly influence the technology foundation that supports both guest experience and hotel operations.