Distribution and e-Commerce at Warwick Hotels and Resorts

Alan Gonzalez is a seasoned hotel electronic distribution and digital marketing professional with decades of experience in project and reservation management operations. His leadership skills and in-depth knowledge of social media management have helped him become a prominent name in the hospitality and tourism space.

In an interview with CIOReview, Gonzalez sheds light on how clear and effective communication with vendors and customers can pave the future of the hospitality sector.

Can you shed some light on your journey prior to joining Warwick Hotels and Resorts?

My professional career started during my college years when I worked in reservations for a hotel group. After completing my marketing degree, I joined Leading Hotels of the World, where I started in reservations and worked my way up to manage their global distribution systems department. I was then offered the position of an account manager, handling top clients such as Four Seasons, Kempinski Hotels, Swiss Hotels, Peninsula, and Savoy Group in London.

  ​The goal is to offer seamless communication and service at every stage of the customer journey, from booking to pre-checkout and post-stay interactions.   

During my tenure, the company underwent technology migrations, moving the central reservation systems to Pegasus Solutions, a hospitality technology provider. Pegasus Solutions noticed my efforts and asked me to join them to manage hotel supply customers in the northeast region of the U.S. During this period, Warwick Hotels and Resorts was one of my customers who approached me with an opportunity that appealed to me. I wanted to experience the hotel side of the business, which was different from what I had been involved in so far.

Can you walk me through your key responsibilities at Warwick Hotels and Resorts?

I currently handle electronic distribution, online partnerships, digital marketing, and e-commerce. I work closely with third-party partners, website providers, and internal teams to ensure efficient and optimized technology connectivity. My responsibilities involve collaborating with the sales and marketing group and revenue management team at the different Warwick hotels spread across the world. I also lead the digital marketing department, which was established to take a proactive approach to manage website content, social media, search engine marketing, and optimization. In 2016, we developed our own loyalty program, integrated with a CRM system, which allows us to connect with our customers through email marketing, surveys, reputation management solutions, and other touchpoints.

What initiatives are you undertaking to enhance the online visibility of Warwick Hotels and Resorts and boost direct bookings?

We aim to reduce the cost of acquisition and encourage direct bookings by offering personalized services and communication based on customer preferences. While we value partnerships with online travel agencies like Expedia and booking.com, we also encourage direct bookings through our loyalty program, ensuring guests have the best possible experience. The goal is to offer seamless communication and service at every stage of the customer journey, from booking to pre-checkout and post-stay interactions.

How do you collaborate with departments within the organization to align the distribution and e-commerce efforts with the company’s overall business objective?

We conduct regional calls once or twice a month and global calls every two months. Prior to COVID, we used to hold face-to-face meetings twice a year, but now we primarily rely on virtual calls. We have a yearly calendar of activities to communicate our initiatives and campaign details to all the hotels. Our robust technology stack implemented before COVID has significantly contributed to our success in online and direct bookings. This technology allows us to communicate efficiently and swiftly without being concerned about bandwidth costs associated with emailing thousands of recipients.

We have also invested in a fully responsive Americans with Disabilities Act and General Data Protection Regulation-compliant website. We have always been ambitious with our CRM and communication strategies. When the hospitality industry struggled during the pandemic, our technological foresight propelled us to a better position, helping maintain tailored communication with our customers.

What is your sage advice to budding professionals in the industry?

Staying grounded is essential. You need to listen to your global customer base and incorporate their feedback. At the same time, communication is a two-way street. Listening and talking to your customers is vital to fostering understanding and collaboration.

Staying ahead of the curve is a necessity in this line of work. This involves exploring the potential of new technologies and challenging our current providers to ensure they meet our needs. The best technology will yield results only if we communicate our needs and issues to vendors. Similarly, the more informed your employees are, the more engaged they will be in the technology available.