Interview with Prince Thampi, Founder & CEO of Hudini

Introduction 

Hudini is a global smart hospitality solutions provider with a comprehensive digital transformation platform for the hospitality industry. Powered by a proprietary middle-ware BUS that leverages DATA and AI, Hudini enables hotels to deploy advanced digital guest engagement through a seamless device agnostic front end to increase guest engagement and hotel revenues.  

 The platform works across all touch points of the guest journey from online booking, mobile check-in and digital room keys to in-room services, communication, check-out and payments. Hudini supports a hotel’s operations in the guest journey from pre-arrival to post-departure. The front end is a customizable and easy-to-use multi-channel user interface on mobile, web, tablet, chat TV etc. 

As the Founder of Hudini, what inspired you to setting up the business?  

It all began with my experience running a software business providing services to the travel industry, predominantly in the airline space and eventually in hotel tech, which gave me valuable insights into the industry and technology landscape. I also travel frequently and stay in hotels, from where I gained the guest perspective.  

Whenever I was traveling, I noticed that airlines had advanced consumer facing digital solutions, but hotels did not. Some hotels offered digital engagements through tablets or television, but these were very limited in scope, not scalable, not easily maintainable nor affordable. I realized that there was this big gap in the market and saw an opportunity to create an affordable and scalable guest-facing application. The challenge in the hospitality industry is that a large number of siloed applications power hospitality operations. There are no open standards or interoperability between these systems, resulting in islands of guest data. This demanded advanced technology that allows experimentation and constant changes.  

 What is your vision for Hudini and how will technology drive future innovation in the hospitality industry?  

Our vision for Hudini is to become the industry standard in guest-facing digital transformation by delivering smart solutions for a connected guest journey from pre-arrival to post-departure. After a record year of unprecedented growth in 2022, we are well on our way to becoming the leader of digital transformation in the hospitality industry.  

 The hospitality industry relies on its ability to connect people and the places they visit to create memorable experiences for its guests. In its revitalization post-pandemic, the industry is realizing the impact of technology on a guest’s stay, and the potential it holds to increase customer loyalty and create additional revenue. Digital transformation goes way beyond automation and optimization. It’s about how hoteliers rethink the way they operate, restructure their teams, adapt to a culture of innovation, leverage technology, and even redesign spaces, to take their hotels to new heights.  

In my view, the immediate change in hotels’ guest experience will be the redefinition of the check-in experience and in some cases even disappearance of the check-in desk. This will, however, require the hospitality tech stack to be open and interoperable, delivered over a choice of channels, and deployed with the right security and infrastructure considerations to ensure a fast and secure experience for travelers. The hotel check-in and check-out process has for too long been a bottleneck in the ability to deliver a smooth and seamless guest experience, but with the right mindset and openness to change traditional processes, as well as the right technologies, this is possible.  

 Who and where are your customers?  

Our customers are hotels and resorts across multiple segments all over the world, from luxury to mid-range properties. Currently, our customer base counts over 400 hotels across 25 countries. Hudini is trusted by some of the world’s leading hotel groups, and we have doubled our partner portfolio over the past twelve months to include Taj Hotels and The Leela group in India, SH Hotels & Resorts in the United States, Pestana in Portugal, Edwardian in London, RCD Hotels in Mexico and the Caribbean, and Accor across different geographies, in addition to signing a partnership agreement with the Institute of Hotel Technology (ITH), the body that represents Spain’s national accommodation sector with over 16,000 hotels.  

Who are your partners and which functionalities are integrated in the Hudini platform?  

The Hudini platform has over 100 pre-built integrations across all functionalities. Our partner integrations are swift and easy to deploy while also being ideal in function for each hotel property’s distinctive tech stack requirements. Our key integration functions include PMS, POS, CRS, CRM, Door Key, GRMS etc. with partners such as Oracle, Infor, Salto, Assa Abloy, Honeywell, Lutron, Micros Symphony, Infrasys, Hotsos, Alice, etc. All these integrated features combine to create an efficient platform with a comprehensive suite of services that can be tailored to each hotel’s individual needs.  

How do you define the Hudini company culture?  

The Hudini culture is defined by our people, who are primarily young, informed individuals in the tech industry. We have bold aspirations and appeal to talents who are up to the challenge of redefining hospitality across the world. We value freedom, flexibility in work culture, and the ability to intellectually engage, learn and grow.  

The five core values that guide our actions are customer centricity, accountability, collaboration, openness and fail-fast. We believe in being decisive and moving from decision to action quickly. If we invest in something that turns out to not work for us, we move on. “Failing fast” applies across the entire organization. Based on kindness and fairness, we prioritize objectivity over popularity, aiming to create an environment where everyone takes personal responsibility.  

 What is the one piece of technology you can’t live without when you travel?  

Connectivity. In hotels and on planes. I always prefer airlines that provide Wi-Fi. Being connected is crucial, especially in being able to run a global business without interruptions or delays. It is vital for me to be in constant contact with employees, customers and partners all over the world.