HEATHER GRIFFIN
SENIOR DIRECTOR OF TECHNOLOGY MANAGEMENT, BWH HOTELS
Heather Griffin is senior director of technology management at BWH Hotels (BWH). She joined the company in 2010 as senior manager of online client solutions, where she led the company’s online travel agency (OTA) operations team. Two years later, she moved into the technology department and was named to her current position in 2016. She now leads multiple product delivery teams and oversees critical business applications, including the company’s property management system gateway, central reservations system, interfaces and backend processes, global distribution system, OTA distribution and more. Prior to joining BWH, she spent 13 years at Pegasus Solutions.
Griffin is especially proud of her role as a founding member of the company’s ‘Women in Technology’ group, a place for women to share their career challenges, milestones and successes. “Together, we seek solutions, provide guidance and support, and uplift one another,” she said. And while the group is female-focused, its mission is far reaching. “The topics we’ve taken on and the successes we’ve experienced extend well beyond our group of members.”
One of Griffin’s recent technology initiatives at BWH was the migration of its Tier 1 applications to the cloud, which took place in 2023. Simultaneously, she and her
team implemented new database technologies, enhancing scalability and fine-tuning performance to surpass the company’s response time expectations. A critical aspect of the evolution involved a dedicated focus on upskilling teams, which helped ensure proficiency in the new technologies associated with the cloud migration. This strategic effort has enabled the company to transition to a more self-sustained product team model, fostering agility and facilitating a faster time to market.
From the beginning of her career—when she helped implement the first OTA connection at Pegasus—distribution has been a passion. “I’m constantly amazed by how far the industry has come and all we’ve achieved, especially regarding how we connect,” she said. “I’m also proud of our continued focus on optimizing distribution to accommodate our wide range of partners and the volume we currently support.”
On Griffin’s agenda for this year is the modernization of BWH’s distribution systems. She plans to implement cloud-native technologies to further scale the systems for future growth. Additionally, in 2024 and beyond, she and her team are focused on their contributions toward the company’s larger technology team goals that streamline the guest journey, including additional payment options on BWH’s booking channels, mobile key for the company’s mobile app, and guest messaging. “We want to meet or exceed our customers’ expectations,” she said. “And that means providing them with a frictionless experience from booking to check-out.”
HEATHER’S INDUSTRY PREDICTIONS:
DATA WILL TAKE ON A LARGER ROLE.
“We’ll increasingly leverage data to make informed decisions, maximize revenue and provide customized guest experiences.”
THERE WILL BE A FOCUS ON DATA PRIVACY AND SECURITY.
“As we continue to grow our data lakes, we’ll need to evaluate our privacy and security policies to make sure they align with guest expectations,” SHE SAID.
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE WILL CONTINUE TO GROW.
“We’ll leverage the power of AI to gain efficiencies for front desk staff, allowing them to focus on guest needs.”
