By Sarah Mattimoe, Marketing Manager, Hudini
The hospitality technology landscape is evolving fast. From AI-powered tools to hyper-personalized guest experiences, the market is buzzing with innovation. Yet, with so many players competing for attention, just having the best product is not enough to wow and win a customer.
At Hudini, we work closely with some of the world’s most forward-thinking hotels, and we’ve learned that great tech needs great storytelling. To cut through the noise and build real partnerships with hoteliers, hotel tech companies must go beyond feature lists and focus on clarity, outcomes and connection.
Here are five practical tips to better market hospitality technology in today’s competitive and value-driven environment:
1. Align sales and marketing from the inside out
Marketing and sales are two sides of the same coin. But when they’re not aligned, on messaging, tone, or even basic brand positioning, the disconnect is obvious to customers.
Sales teams are often closest to the customer and have valuable insights into the language customers – for us the hoteliers – use, the challenges they face, and the outcomes they seek. Marketers, on the other hand, are responsible for building the brand and crafting campaigns that resonate across channels.
At Hudini, we treat alignment as a strategic priority. From regular joint planning sessions to feedback loops and shared KPIs, we ensure that our messaging is consistent from first touch-point to final pitch. This internal clarity creates external confidence.
2. Sell the outcome, not the feature
I wholeheartedly believe in the power of a compelling story, one that is customer centric and clearly demonstrates impact. Hoteliers aren’t just looking for technology, they’re looking for solutions that solves their problems, save costs, drive revenue, empower their teams and deliver a better guest experience. By showing how your product meets that need, your messaging becomes not only more relevant but far more persuasive. It’s tempting to focus on features and what you can offer, but it’s far more powerful to highlight the outcomes your technology delivers.
Does it reduce check-in time by 40%? Does it help staff identify upsell opportunities in real time or automatically resolve common guest requests?
3. Be relatable: speak the language of your customer
Tech-speak and industry jargon can alienate the very audience you’re trying to connect with. Instead of starting with what your platform does, start with why your customer might need it in the first place. Is there a growing guest demand for mobile check-ins? Are staff shortages making automation essential? Are GMs under pressure to drive ancillary revenue with fewer resources?
By grounding your messaging in real-world business challenges and by speaking directly to the daily pressures that your buyers face, you build trust and relevance. Often, it’s not the IT department making tech decisions but business leaders that need a problem solved. Content should feel like it was written for your business customer, not for an IT specialist and definitely not for other tech vendors.
4. Invest in education, not just promotion
Even the most advanced tech will fall flat if the customer doesn’t fully understand it, or in our case how to market it to their guests (who are the customers of our customers). This is especially true when the procurement process doesn’t involve the hotel’s marketing or operational teams from the start.
At Hudini, we’ve found that customer enablement is just as critical as product development. That’s why we provide tailored training materials for all departments, adapted to different levels of technical fluency. From housekeeping to the executive team, we ensure everyone knows how to leverage the platform to its full potential and within their own context.
Good education turns buyers into champions and great champions into long-term partners.
5. Tailor your message: one size doesn’t fit all
Every stakeholder in a hotel speaks a slightly different language. The head of IT might want to know how your solution integrates with the existing PMS. The GM is likely more interested in operational efficiency or increased revenue. The marketing director? Guest engagement and brand consistency.
Effective marketing means adapting your content to suit different roles and needs. Whether it’s pitch decks, case studies, or demo videos, personalization should go beyond the product experience, it should be embedded in how you communicate its value. This also applies to global versus regional audiences. What resonates with a luxury resort in Dubai might not apply to a boutique hotel in Barcelona. Context is everything.
Looking Ahead: Marketing for the New Hospitality Era
As hotels become more data-driven and guest expectations rise, the bar for tech providers is getting higher. AI driven tech trends like personalization, robotics and “value tech” technology that delivers measurable ROI, are pushing vendors to rethink not just what they build, but how they market it.
With AI, our solutions have become more complex and evolve at a speed that we have never seen before. It’s no longer enough to periodically launch new features and hope customers take notice. Tech companies need to become storytellers, educators, and trusted advisors in order to stand out.
The good news? By aligning internally, focusing on outcomes, being relatable, investing in education, and tailoring your approach, you can break through the noise and create real impact.
