A Defensible Hotel Technology Buying Process

Start with the operating problem rather than a vendor name. Define what is failing today, which teams are affected, and which outcomes would justify a technology change. Then map those outcomes to software categories and required capabilities.\n\nScreen for eligibility before scoring preference. Products that cannot meet a mandatory requirement should not outrank eligible products because of unrelated strengths. After eligibility, apply weighted scoring to the factors that matter most to the property.\n\nMaintain an evidence trail for material claims. Record the source, date, confidence and whether the information is vendor-claimed or independently verified. This makes future reviews faster and reduces dependence on memory or sales presentations.\n\nUse the shortlist to drive structured demos. Ask each vendor to demonstrate the same real workflows and answer the same implementation questions. The final decision should connect product fit, evidence confidence, implementation risk and commercial terms.