Why Hospitality Expertise Still Matters in an AI-Driven Industry

Artificial intelligence is transforming hospitality technology at an unprecedented pace. From automation and forecasting to revenue optimization and operational efficiency, hotels today have access to more data and more powerful tools than ever before.

Yet as technology becomes increasingly sophisticated, one factor remains essential: understanding hospitality itself.

To explore how the industry is evolving, we spoke with John Lingos-Webb, VP Global Partnerships at Duetto, a leading provider of revenue strategy solutions for the hospitality industry. Our conversation focused on the future of hospitality technology, the growing role of AI, and the importance of trusted partnerships built on deep industry expertise.

Beyond Technical Skills: The Value of Hospitality Expertise

Today’s hospitality technology landscape is more connected than ever. Hotels rely on a growing ecosystem of property management systems, revenue management platforms, distribution channels, payment providers, and guest experience solutions, all of which need to work together seamlessly.

For technology providers, delivering value increasingly depends on understanding both the technology and the operational realities behind it.

This was one of the key reasons Duetto chose to partner with Sirma.

“We were looking for a company that had experience in hospitality,” explains Lingos-Webb.

Since 2024, Sirma has supported Duetto across a range of strategic initiatives, helping accelerate integrations, expand engineering capacity, and strengthen delivery across complex hospitality environments.

The partnership has contributed to integrations with leading vendors in the hospitality space, while also supporting implementation projects, certification activities, and core product development initiatives.

That combination of technical expertise and industry understanding has enabled Sirma’s teams to integrate quickly, collaborate effectively, and contribute across a variety of initiatives as an extension of Duetto’s own organization.

Trust as a Foundation for Growth

As hospitality technology ecosystems continue to expand, trust becomes increasingly important.

For Duetto, the goal was never simply to add development resources. It was to find a partner capable of working independently, taking ownership, and contributing to long-term growth.

“We didn’t want a technology collaborator that we had to actively manage,” says Lingos-Webb. “We wanted one that we could train, collaborate with, and then trust to act on their own.”

Over time, the relationship evolved from an initial team augmentation model into a broader engineering partnership supporting integrations, product initiatives, and ecosystem development. According to Lingos-Webb, trust has played a central role in that evolution.

“Being trustworthy was really important for us because that builds trust with our partners, the partners they’re integrating with, and across our internal teams as well.”

AI’s Role: Better Decisions, Better Execution

While AI continues to dominate industry conversations, Lingos-Webb believes its greatest value lies in helping people make better decisions.

“It needs to be focused on better decision-making and better execution.”

For hospitality organizations, that means bringing together more data, improving visibility, and helping teams respond faster and more effectively.

Rather than replacing people, AI should enhance their capabilities and enable them to focus on higher-value activities.

“If we bring more pieces of data together to make better decisions, and we make workflows faster, decision-making and execution improve.”

At the same time, Lingos-Webb hopes the industry remains focused on what makes hospitality unique.

“I hope hospitality doesn’t become overly reliant on technology, so we still have the wonderful people throughout the industry.”

Looking Ahead

As hospitality technology continues to evolve, organizations will increasingly look for partners who combine technical excellence with a genuine understanding of the industry.

For Duetto, that combination has helped support growth, accelerate integrations, and expand delivery capabilities across an increasingly connected hospitality ecosystem.

Asked to describe the partnership in a single phrase, Lingos-Webb’s answer was simple:

“It’s been a reliable, scalable partnership for us that delivers consistent results.”

In a rapidly changing industry, those qualities remain as valuable as ever.

About Connected Conversations

Connected Conversations is a Sirma interview series spotlighting leaders who are redefining Travel & Hospitality through data, intelligence, and meaningful collaboration. Because in the end, it’s not about systems talking to each other. It’s about people connecting ideas – and turning complexity into clarity.