GUSTAAF SCHRILS
CIO, OMNI HOTELS & RESORTS
Gustaaf Schrils is chief information officer at Omni Hotels & Resorts, a privately held hotel company that operates more than 50 properties throughout the United States and Canada. He joined Omni last year after serving as chief information officer at White Lodging and working for more than 20 years in several technology leadership roles at IHG Hotels & Resorts. He is responsible for the development, planning and implementation of the company’s overall information technology strategy, including digital technology, business intelligence and cybersecurity.
One of Schrils’ key initiatives at Omni has been to relaunch the company’s Select Guest Loyalty Program in collaboration with the loyalty and customer engagement team.
Members are now recognized and rewarded based on all the experiences they enjoy during their stay, including dining, golfing, spa visits and retail purchases. The newly revamped program enables guests to achieve higher status faster than ever, which in turn unlocks a variety of member-exclusive benefits, such as early check-in, late check-out, morning beverage delivery, complimentary room upgrades, pressing and shoeshine services, welcome amenities, and access to on-property Loyalty Ambassadors.
Schrils excels in being a transformational business leader. “I believe in empowering personnel at every level, so they can make smart technology choices that support our business objectives.” And more, he enjoys formulating and executing technology-driven business solutions that demystify complexity and streamline processes. “It’s rewarding to develop strategies that simplify operations, especially in this time of rapid change and digital transformation.”
His primary goal for 2024 is gaining market share. On the demand side, he wants to attract more loyalty members, which is what the newly relaunched Select Guest program is all about. “We’ve received great feedback so far, and we’re happy with early results.” On the supply side, he wants the company to be seen more often and in more places than ever. “We want to offer consumers an array of attractive products and services—from golf and skiing to dining and retail—via an increasing number of channels and outlets,” he said. “Our mission is to make it easy for guests to do business with us.”
Network optimization is another goal. “Our guests and associates depend on unlimited internet access. We must increase bandwidth across the enterprise and also make sure there’s an alternate path to the primary access for load balancing and automated failover in case of interruption.” Additionally, cybersecurity is a priority in 2024 and beyond. “We’re moving more of our applications to the cloud for improved security as well as scalability,” he concluded. “Security is a journey, not a destination. We’re constantly investing in technologies that help us safeguard our business and our reputation.”
GUSTAAF’S INDUSTRY PREDICTIONS:
MACHINE LEARNING AND ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE WILL INFLUENCE MORE TOUCHPOINTS.
“This technology will take off, from booking and post-stay on the guest side to recruiting and guest service on the operator side.”
ROBOTICS WILL BE USED MORE EXTENSIVELY.
“This technology will be especially useful in the food and beverage area,” HE SAID.
MORE AUTOMATION WILL BE USED IN FINANCIAL AND HUMAN RESOURCES DEPARTMENTS.
“These functions are largely driven by changing workforce habits and labor shortages.”
