He began his career at Wyndham more than 23 years ago in the company’s Canada contact center and has worked his way up through the ranks. When it comes to IT there, he has done everything from leading a complete redesign of core IT processes to overseeing the onboarding of technology for new brands.
Yet, some of Mahar’s most significant achievements have taken place more recently. “In the last five years, we’ve implemented innovative solutions that have helped set our company and our franchisees apart from the competition,” he said, noting that Wyndham has closed all of its data centers and moved 100 percent into Amazon Web Services, which has enabled the company to be more nimble and more scalable to support the growth of the business.
Last year, he and his team also revamped Wyndham’s contact center technology to make it more customer focused. Another big achievement was the launch of Wyndham Connect, a generative AI platform that supports guests throughout their stay. They are greeted by the platform, receive a confirmation, and are given opportunities to upgrade, check in early or take advantage of special packages— all of which offer incremental revenue opportunities for owners and more personalized experiences for guests.
During their stay, guests can also leverage the platform to ask for support. “They can find out when the pool closes, request more towels or schedule a spa appointment,” he said. Front desk staff monitor the interactions, so that if the AI assistant can’t answer a question, a human will intervene.
Mahar’s initiatives have had an enormous impact on the way Wyndham’s IT organization operates. “Because we’ve consolidated our core platforms and modernized our tech stack, we now have time to focus on bigger picture items,” he says, including solving critical business problems and coming up with innovative ways to serve owners and guests.
The result is a new business model that has moved the Wyndham IT team from delivering on projects to running a product organization. “We reach decisions more quickly and we’re more aligned on strategy,” he said. “This has been a huge win for everyone.”
For 2025 and beyond, Mahar and his team have big plans for the Wyndham Connect platform, with a continued focus on guest engagement—providing customers with more curated offers and personalized experiences. “Consumers increasingly want travel experiences that are tailored specifically to their interests and preferences, and we intend to deliver.”
MIKE’S INDUSTRY PREDICTIONS:
GENERATIVE AI WILL CHANGE THE WAY PEOPLE SHOP FOR TRAVEL. “GENERATIVE AI WILL BECOME A TRAVEL ASSISTANT, AND GUESTS WILL USE IT FOR INSPIRATION.”
TRAVELERS WILL EXPECT MORE FOR LESS. “GUESTS WILL INCREASINGLY WANT UNIQUE EXPERIENCES TO BE INCLUDED AS PART OF THE STAY,” HE SAID.
HOTELS WILL MOVE TOWARD MORE INTEGRATED PLATFORMS THAT CAN MANAGE MULTIPLE ASPECTS OF THE BUSINESS. “THIS WILL HELP HOTELS STREAMLINE OPERATIONS AND USE DATA TO IMPROVE BUSINESS PERFORMANCE.”
