Marcelino Fernandes, Head of IT at St. Giles Hotels, shared how he’s driving digital transformation across the group’s London properties. From migrating to Opera Cloud and strengthening cybersecurity to piloting mobile keys and AI-driven services, he’s leveraging smart technology to enhance efficiency, personalise the guest journey, and futureproof hotel operations—without compromising the human touch.
Q – Can you walk us through your day as the Head of IT for St. Giles Hotels?
A – My day as Head of IT for St. Giles Hotels is dynamic and focused on ensuring seamless technological operations across all our properties based in London. It begins with a comprehensive review of system performance, with a particular focus on our Property Management Systems (PMS) and financial systems, to proactively identify and address any potential issues. A significant portion of my time is dedicated to collaborating with various departments to align technology with our guest-centric goals and address their specific operational needs. I also dedicate time to exploring and implementing innovative solutions that streamline operations and enhance the guest experience. Cybersecurity is paramount, so I work closely with our security partners to continuously monitor and strengthen our multi-layered protocols, ensuring compliance and safeguarding our guests’ data.
Marcelino Fernandes
Head of IT, St. Giles Hotels
Q – Can you share your vision for how technology can enhance the guest experience at St. Giles Hotels?
A – Our vision is to leverage technology to create a truly seamless, personalised, and secure experience for every guest, anticipating and exceeding their evolving expectations. We are strategically focused on implementing solutions such as mobile guest keys, online check-in, and self-service kiosks to expedite arrival and departure, minimising wait times and providing a frictionless journey. By integrating these technologies with our PMS Opera Cloud, we aim to deliver a consistent and efficient experience whilst empowering guests with greater control over their stay.
Q – What role does data play in improving guest satisfaction and personalising their stay?
A – Data is fundamental to our strategy for enhancing guest satisfaction and personalising their experience at St. Giles Hotels. Through Opera Cloud’s robust analytics and integrations with our CRM platforms, we effectively gather and analyse guest preferences, stay patterns, and feedback. This data enables us to recommend tailored room preferences, dining options, and customised amenities. We also use it to deliver dynamic, personalised promotions that resonate with individual guests and to identify opportunities to introduce new services that align with their expectations for convenience and a memorable stay.
Q – How do you address cybersecurity concerns to ensure guest data is protected?
A – We employ a comprehensive, multi-layered cybersecurity strategy to rigorously protect guest data and maintain compliance with PCI-DSS, PII, and GDPR regulations. A key component of this strategy is the implementation of tokenisation technology within PMS, which replaces sensitive payment information with unique tokens, significantly mitigating the risk of data breaches. Our Cloud-First Strategy allows us to leverage advanced security features, including encryption, threat detection, and automated security patching, to bolster our security posture. We also conduct regular penetration testing, provide ongoing employee training, and perform security audits to ensure our systems remain resilient against emerging cyber threats.
Q – Can you discuss any recent technological advancements or innovations that have been implemented at St. Giles Hotels?
A – One of our most significant recent advancements has been the successful migration of our PMS to Opera Cloud. This has significantly improved system reliability, facilitated seamless third-party integrations, and enhanced our overall operational efficiency. We have also achieved PCI-DSS compliance through the implementation of tokenisation, ensuring the highest level of security for guest payment data. Currently, we are focused on exploring and implementing mobile key technology, online check-in solutions, and self-service kiosks to streamline the guest arrival experience and reduce the workload on our reception teams. These innovations are designed to enhance guest convenience whilst empowering our staff to deliver more personalised and attentive service, which is fundamental to our company’s culture at St. Giles Hotels.
Q – How do you collaborate with other departments to integrate technology seamlessly into the guest experience?
A – Effective collaboration across departments is essential to the successful integration of technology at St. Giles Hotels. I work closely with department heads and their teams to ensure smooth adoption of new technologies and to streamline their business processes. This includes conducting joint testing and simulations to proactively identify and address any operational challenges before full-scale deployment. I also collaborate with our Revenue Management team to integrate dynamic pricing models and our Security & Compliance partners to uphold robust data protection protocols. Regular feedback loops across departments are crucial to ensuring that technology enhancements align with both guest needs and our operational objectives.
Q – What strategies do you use to keep up with the rapidly evolving technology landscape in the hotel industry?
A – In the fast-paced world of technology, continuous learning and proactive innovation are essential. I actively participate in leading global hospitality technology conferences and maintain close relationships with technology vendors and industry experts to stay at the forefront of emerging trends. We regularly evaluate innovations such as mobile guest solutions, AI-driven personalisation, and IoT-based room automation to assess their potential to enhance guest satisfaction and drive operational efficiency. We also foster a culture of experimentation and are actively working on piloting new technologies like self-check-in kiosks and mobile key solutions to thoroughly evaluate their effectiveness before widespread implementation.
Q – How is St. Giles Hotels leveraging AI and automation to streamline operations and enhance the overall guest experience?
A – AI and automation are powerful tools for streamlining operations and enhancing the guest experience. We are exploring AI-driven solutions to handle routine enquiries, provide personalised recommendations, and deliver tailored services. The implementation of mobile keys and online check-in will soon enable guests to bypass traditional check-in processes, reducing wait times and providing greater convenience. As we integrate AI, we are also mindful of data privacy and security, ensuring that our systems and processes comply with all relevant regulations and protect guest information. While automation through technologies like AI can improve efficiency, it is important to implement these in a way that complements, rather than replaces, the human element of service that is central to the hospitality.
Q – Can you share any success stories where technology has significantly improved the guest experience at St. Giles Hotels?
A – One notable success story is the migration of our PMS to Opera Cloud, which has facilitated seamless integration with various third-party solutions and significantly improved system uptime and operational efficiency. At our London property, this upgrade contributed to a 25% reduction in check-in times, enhancing overall guest satisfaction and enabling our reception staff to focus on providing personalised service. Additionally, our adoption of dynamic revenue management systems has led to a 12% increase in RevPAR, demonstrating the effectiveness of technology in optimising pricing and tailoring offers to guest preferences.
Q – How do you envision the future of technology shaping the hotel industry?
A – I believe the future of technology in the hotel industry will be defined by hyper-personalisation, frictionless experiences, and AI-powered automation. Guests will increasingly expect seamless, mobile-first interactions, including online check-in and mobile key access. Kiosks will also play a significant role in check-in/check-out processes, particularly in certain hotel settings. We will also see greater use of IoT devices to enable personalised room settings and AI-powered real-time service adjustments. Automation technology will enhance data security and transparency, whilst voice-activated smart rooms and biometric-based check-ins will further redefine convenience. At St. Giles Hotels, we are committed to embracing these innovations to optimise our operations and consistently exceed the expectations of our guests.