Kempinski Information Technology Conference 2011

The conference took place in early July at the fabulous 5-star Kempinski Grand Hotel des Bains located in St. Moritz, Switzerland, and only a few walking minutes from the famous lake.

How to satisfy the increasingly technology-savvy hotel guest? How to make the hotel become a natural extension of the guest’s home/office? 

How do you secure the hotel from cybercriminal attacks? How should you make sure credit card data at your property is secure? 

How to switch to above property and hosted solutions and which model should you choose? How to manage connectivity and deliver enough bandwidth to the guest? How to optimise hotel efficiency and enhance hotel infrastructure? 

And how do you manage all this when technology budgets are under pressure? If these questions above preoccupy your mind frequently, you are more than likely a Hotel IT Manager. You are not alone, we are here to help you keep up-to-date with the latest technological advancements in the industry.

It is in this spirit, that we present you our Special Dossier on the Kempinski IT Managers Conference in St. Moritz, Switzerland - a highlight overview of the group’s IT Strategy set up by the Senior Vice President-IT for Kempinski Hotels Jeremy Ward and his team.

During 6 days, 50 IT Managers from all over the world benefited from cutting-edge educational sessions, informative roundtables, challenging teambuilding exercises, immersion with different technology solutions presented in the showcase room and had the opportunity to win gifts through a charity auction in support of the Stop Tuberculosis campaign. The group’s best IT practices were explained, the 5-year IT strategy and the implementation of various company-wide systems and solutions were introduced and a host of guest speakers both internal and external to Kempinski presented the latest trends in both IT and hospitality.

We would like to warmly thank Jeremy Ward, Sabina Schütterle, Colin Lubbe, and all of the Kempinski team for our great experience and giving us the honour of participating in their internal event. During the Kempinski IT Managers Conference, we’ve learnt a lot of interesting things but above all, we’ve found  a very unique corporate culture of consciously supporting their people to come up with new ideas. The hospitality industry is about relationships and human interaction will never be replaced by technology. The networking opportunities this conference presents are invaluable.

Our special thanks and sincerest compliments go to the host of the conference, General Manager of the Kempinski Grand Hotel des Bains, Rupert Simoner. Not to mention the hotel facilities, our gorgeous suite and the Spa experience, we were impressed with the high-level of service and a very relaxing atmosphere. And thanks go to the concierge team who go the extra mile to satisfy the guest and of course all of the staff who are extraordinarily friendly and welcoming.

If you didn't have a chance to attend The Kempinski IT Managers Conference or just want to relive all the memories of the event, please check out our dossier

Welcome Remarks from Jeremy Ward, Senior Vice President – IT at Kempinski Hotels 

• Taking luxury to new levels : interview with Colin Lubbe, Chief Financial Officer at Kempinski Hotels S.A
• “I want to create something and not to administrate...” : interview with Rupert Simoner, GM of the Grand Hotel des Bains and Host of Kempinski IT Managers Conference in St. Moritz

Kempinski IT Strategy:

• About Kempinski IT Strategy 
• To switch or not to switch? : interview with Alexander Gundlak, Director of Collaboration and Web Services at Kempinski Hotels
• Kempinski Hotels see their future in the cloud : interview with Sophie Pommois, Director Hotel Information Systems at Kempinski Hotels
• Guest-Room Technologies - Interview with Stefan Bader, Director Hotel Technologies at Kempinski Hotels 

Regional Directors of IT about the Conference