Five Tech Fails That Can Wreck a Guest Stay (And How to Keep One Step Ahead)
Jason Pullo
Founder, ESP, a NexusTek company
The personal touch will always matter in hospitality: warm welcomes, local details, and real conversations. But today, even the best human service can’t overcome a room that won’t unlock, a system that crashes mid-check-in, or staff stuck refreshing screens instead of serving guests.
Across hotels, campgrounds, RV resorts, and marinas, customers now expect more than charm. They count on smooth digital check-ins, secure payments, fast and reliable connectivity, and smart access that works without a second thought. The best tech fades into the background. The worst kind steals the spotlight—for all the wrong reasons.
As properties adopt more cloud platforms, connected devices, and AI-powered tools, the margin for error shrinks, not just for the guest but for the team running the show. Even one glitch can send the guest experience off course. That’s why staying ahead of trends like mobile access, automation, and integrated operations isn’t just about convenience.1 It’s how smart operators keep teams focused, guests happy, and feedback five-star.
Guests won’t remember your thread count if the tech trips them up. We’ve rounded up five tech pitfalls and how to make sure they don’t steal the spotlight in your next review.
The Wi-Fi That Drops Right Before a Guest’s Video Call
Your rooms are spotless. The welcome was warm. The amenities hit every mark. But if the Wi-Fi cuts out mid-stay, that’s what guests will remember. And it’s not just their streaming that takes a hit. That same network powers mobile key access, smart-room controls, payment systems, staff communication, and in-room service tools. When the Wi-Fi goes down, it doesn’t just slow down the guest. It stalls everything behind the scenes.
Avoid the tech trip-up:
Start with a network designed specifically for hospitality, built to handle high guest demand, Internet of Things (IoT) devices, and daily operations, all without dropping the signal. Smart traffic management, strong property-wide coverage, and modern network architecture are what keep the stay seamless. If your team is troubleshooting connectivity more than delivering service, it’s time for a network design that works as hard as your staff.
The PMS That Crashes at Peak Check-In
Your property management system (PMS) is the central hub of hospitality operations. It handles reservations, manages rates, and syncs with your point of sale (POS), keyless entry, and housekeeping tools. Your PMS should be able to keep everything running in rhythm, from front-of-house to back-of-house. But if your PMS is outdated, disconnected, or overly manual, it can’t keep pace with today’s fast, flexible guest expectations. Whether it’s missing key integrations, requiring duplicate data entry, or lacking the tools your staff needs in the moment, a limited PMS creates extra work behind the desk and confusion in front of it. The result: more manual fixes, more guest friction, and less time spent actually delivering hospitality.
Avoid the tech trip-up:
Choose a cloud-based PMS that integrates seamlessly with your booking engine, POS, guest messaging tools, and mobile access platforms. Ensure it’s intuitive for staff and scalable as your property grows. And don’t forget the safety net. A disaster recovery plan ensures you’re ready when something goes wrong. If you’re still juggling logins or re-entering guest data across systems, your PMS might be slowing you down more than you realize.
The “I Swear I Booked” Moment
A guest shows up with a confirmation number. Your system draws a blank. Whether it’s a missed sync, online travel agency (OTA) delay, or back-end data tangle, the result is the same: a trust gap you now have to close. These issues aren’t just operational; they can open the door to compliance missteps and brand damage.
Avoid the tech trip-up:
System integration should be real-time, centralized, and built to keep data aligned across every booking channel. Clean interfaces, proper training, and accurate record-keeping also make compliance reporting easier. If your team is playing detective at the front desk, your data flow might need a closer look.
The Card Data Compromise
There’s nothing more damaging than a security breach involving guest payment data. It’s not just a technology issue. It’s a reputation, compliance, and legal issue. A single incident can lead to chargebacks, penalties, and long-term guest hesitation.
Avoid the tech trip-up:
Modern cybersecurity in hospitality means layered protection, from secure payment gateways and encrypted guest data to regular audits and PCI compliance. Real-time monitoring and access control add extra guardrails, helping you stay ahead of emerging threats.
If your security strategy is mostly password resets and antivirus software, it’s time for a more resilient approach.
The Late-Night Lockout with No One to Call
It’s 2 a.m. A guest can’t get into their room. The mobile key isn’t working. The front desk is down to one person. And there’s no one available to troubleshoot. These aren’t catastrophic failures; they’re everyday tech hiccups that become big guest frustrations when your team doesn’t have the tools or support to respond in the moment.
Avoid the tech trip-up:
Not every issue is a full-blown outage. Sometimes it’s a jammed integration, a software timeout, or a digital tool that needs a reset. The fix isn’t just technical. It’s operational. Build in clear escalation plans, reliable off-hours support, and recovery steps your staff are trained to handle with confidence, no matter the hour.
If your night shift is left guessing, it’s time to rethink your approach to tech resilience—and how you prepare your team to manage it.
When Tech Works, Guests Notice Everything Else
The best guest experiences don’t happen by accident. They’re supported by stable, secure systems built to keep up with your pace. Whether running a single property or overseeing multiple sites, avoiding tech pitfalls means thinking beyond fixes and planning for what’s next.
That’s where ESP, a NexusTek company, can help. We work directly with hospitality organizations to build, support, and optimize the technology that powers every part of your guest journey. From your front desk to your infrastructure, and everything in between, we help properties stay ready, responsive, and guest-focused.
Our work spans the full hospitality IT lifecycle, including technical support, project management, business consultation, security services, compliance reporting, disaster recovery, cloud services, network design, and guest room technology.
From first consultation to long-term support, we work alongside your team to ensure your tech does what it should: keep things running smoothly, so your staff can focus on service, and your guests can focus on enjoying their stay.
Want to learn more about how we support hospitality IT behind the scenes? Visit our team at nexustek.com/esp.
Reference
1. EHL Hospitality Insights, Key Hospitality Technology Trends to Watch in 2025, December 2024.
About the Author
Jason Pullo
Founder, ESP, a NexusTek company
Jason Pullo is a seasoned technology entrepreneur with a passion for transforming the hospitality industry through innovative IT solutions. As Founder and CEO of Enterprise Solutions Providers, he leads the company’s vision and growth, helping hotels navigate everything from new builds and brand transitions to large-scale renovations. Since launching the firm in 2003, Jason has played a key role in the technology strategy behind more than 1,000 hotel acquisitions. His journey began at just 18 years old as an IT manager for a trade show company, and he’s since led major projects like a multimillion-dollar hotel renovation in New York City, delivering guest-centric technology with measurable business impact.