Dan Kornick joined Loews Hotels two years ago as chief information officer. His past experience includes leadership positions at TracFone Wireless, Prudential Financial, Wyndham Hotels & Resorts and Cendant. He is recognized not only for his ability to solve complex business challenges through the use of technology but also for his strong focus on motivation and teamwork.
One of his first initiatives at Loews was to move all the company’s applications and infrastructure – financial, human resources, property management, central reservations, voice and call center platforms, and email – to the cloud. “When I joined the company, we were two or three years behind with updates, and we weren’t taking advantage of our investments,” Kornick said, adding that the benefits of cloud technology include increased stability, security and availability. To achieve the transformation, he and his IT team ran nine projects concurrently so that the project could be completed within a 12-month timeframe.
“It was a huge undertaking from a change management standpoint, a business process standpoint and a technology standpoint, but well worth the effort,” he said. “Now, we’re 100 percent in the cloud and can focus our attention on the guest experience and on making sure team members are more efficient.” What’s more, as the company opens new hotels, there are no worries about the technology foundation. “We’ve gone from defense to offense.”
Kornick is strongly focused on enhancing the customer experience, specifically in giving guests more choices. From the payment side, the IT team recently implemented contactless payment, so that guests can pay from any of the property’s systems and outlets simply by tapping their credit cards or phones. The team has also implemented ‘Chat Your Service’, an SMS solution that allows Loews’ properties to communicate directly with guests. “We text arriving guests, and we can handle any requests or questions they might have via chat,” he said. Guests can also make reservations, order room service, request directions or even ask for suggestions about local restaurants and attractions, no app required. The company has seen an astounding 38 percent engagement rate with the solution. “Everyone is accustomed to texting, regardless of age, so it’s an easy way for guests to ask for help.”
Most recently, Kornick and his team introduced a new guest personalization platform. The centralized database allows key staff to access guest information on their mobile tablets so they can provide a highly customized stay. “A big part of our brand has always been creating memorable guest experiences, but we’re going to make that even better,” he concluded.
