MTG provides technology services to Rosen’s seven properties, which total more than 6,300 rooms and suites, as well as to area trade shows and conventions. He first began his career at the company seven years ago and is responsible for managing and optimizing the organization's technology infrastructure and data systems. Prior to joining Rosen, he held senior-level technology positions at Infor, Agilysys, Trump Hotels and Pinehurst Resort. For more than 20 years, he has authored industry-related articles for a number of publications, including Hospitality Upgrade. In 2015, he was inducted into the Hospitality Financial and Technology Professionals (HFTP) Hall of Fame.

One of Schubach’s primary achievements at Rosen was to reinstate a sense of normalcy and order to the IT department following the pandemic. “After more than two years of emergency deferment of every capital project, a lot of work had piled up,” he said. Additionally, IT staff had been slashed by 50 percent. He has slowly reestablished the department and currently has a full complement of employees. “I’ve helped rebuild and restore an organization that was forced to take a long hiatus. It’s a low-key contribution, but I think it was a significant one.”

At the same time, he has partnered with Infor to move Rosen’s premises-based software systems to the cloud. “They’ve done a lot to help us move forward,” he said. The migration will offer improved scalability, enhanced data security, better integrations, reduced costs and automatic updates. “Hotels tend to hang on to their legacy systems until they are practically inoperable,” he said. “You get so entrenched in the technology that you can’t imagine making a change.”

The cloud migration project began more than a year ago and will be completed within 18 months. So far, Rosen has gone live with payroll, general ledger, enterprise accounting and human resources. Golf and spa reservations and hotel operations will go live this year, and supply chain management is slated for early 2026. “I’m walking a fine line, trying to make this change with the least amount of business and cultural disruption as possible,” he said, adding that managing expectations is a huge part of the process. “It’s like building an airplane in midflight.”

As for the future, Schubach believes the piecemeal assembly of IT infrastructures will soon be replaced with another overarching form of organization. “I don’t know what it is quite yet, but I feel it coming,” he said. “It’s probably time to look at a generational leap. The old approach is nearing the end of its lifecycle.”

MICHAEL’S INDUSTRY PREDICTIONS:

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE WILL SLASH LABOR COSTS. “AI’S PRIMARY FUNCTION WILL BE TO MAKE LESS LABOR MORE PRODUCTIVE AND ELIMINATE
JOBS. IT’S CAPITALISM.”

TECHNOLOGY WILL DIMINISH THE NEED FOR BUSINESS TRAVEL. “COLLABORATION TECHNOLOGIES THAT PROLIFERATED DURING THE PANDEMIC HELPED REDUCE THE NEED FOR BUSINESS TRAVEL, AND THAT TREND WILL CONTINUE,” HE SAID, ADDING THAT CONSUMERS WILL SPEND MORE MONEY ON LEISURE AND WELLNESS TRAVEL INSTEAD.

TECHNOLOGY WILL HELP PROVIDE HIGHLY EXPERIENTIAL TRAVEL. “TRAVEL APPS WILL CRAFT PERSONALIZED TRIPS THAT TAKE INTO ACCOUNT EVERYTHING FROM INTERESTS AND INCOME TO AGE AND PHYSICAL LIMITATIONS.”