PMS: The Heart of the Hospitality Operating Environment

April 1st, 2025, 10:00 am PT / Category: Interviews

While the PMS is the heart of your tech, it works even better when connected to the rest of the ecosystem, enabling experiences with data.

In this episode of dojo.live, we welcome Jeff Bzdawka, President of Hapi and a seasoned hospitality executive with deep roots at brands like Hyatt. Jeff takes us inside the evolving role of the PMS as the heart of a hotel’s operating environment—where true transformation lies not just in connecting systems, but in harmonizing data to drive meaningful guest experiences. He unpacks why point-to-point integrations fall short, how the industry’s fragmented data landscape is stalling AI innovation, and what it will take to move from siloed systems to a unified ecosystem. From real-life examples of experience enablement to his vision for a “single pane of glass” interface that empowers hotel staff to look up, not down, this conversation reveals how smart connectivity, cloud adoption, and cross-industry collaboration are reshaping the future of hospitality tech.

About Jeff Bzdawka

Jeff Bzdawka, a C-Suite Executive with 30+ years in hospitality technology, excels in innovation, team scaling, and organizational transformation. His leadership roles include President of Hapi, CEO at Knowland, SVP at Hyatt Hotels, and COO of TravelClick, with board positions at Evention and BirchStreet Systems. Additionally, Jeff is currently on AHLA’s HTNG T100 Leadership Team and was recently inducted into HFTP’s International Technology Hall of Fame.

Having experienced both the brand side and the technology side of the industry, Jeff shares in this dojo.live episode how he’s seen PMS systems evolve, how we can better leverage PMS data to create memorable guest experiences, and why he believes data is both the differentiator and the enabler in hospitality.

Listen to the Podcast

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