Director of Information Technology, Openings and Transitions

About the role

The Director of Information Technology, Openings and Transitions leads technology readiness for new hotel openings, property transitions, major renovations, and high-risk activation programs. This role requires a strong builder-operator with fluency in modern work practices, including AI tools, automation, dashboards, structured data, and disciplined project controls.

Responsibilities

• Own technology opening readiness across six linked dimensions: best-in-class standards, modern tools and controls, infrastructure readiness, hotel systems readiness, operational readiness, and executive control.
• Create repeatable workflows for status reporting, issue triage, document control, requirements extraction, readiness scoring, UAT planning, defect categorization, and knowledge transfer, using AI and automation where they make the work better.
• Protect data governance, privacy, cybersecurity, and approval boundaries when using AI tools; never expose sensitive property, guest, employee, commercial, or security information to unapproved tools.
• Continuously improve the opening playbook based on lessons learned from each project, including what worked, what failed, and what should become the standard for the next opening.
• Own one integrated technology opening schedule across construction turnover, low-voltage delivery, network readiness, hotel systems, operational training, UAT, cutover, and hypercare.
• Drive activation and configuration readiness for the modern hotel technology stack, including PMS, POS, payments, spa, CRM, revenue, procurement, finance, HR/timekeeping, engineering, housekeeping, guest messaging, sales/catering, reporting, and related interfaces.
• Coordinate vendor configuration sessions, data collection, role-based access, user provisioning, testing windows, cutover plans, support model, and training calendars.
• Ensure system design supports data quality, reporting, auditability, privacy, security, and scalable operating standards across the collection.
• Back into technology deadlines from the operational training calendar, not only from the opening date.
• Prepare local super-users and handover materials so property teams can operate after opening without depending on heroic corporate intervention.
• Own cutover, go-live, stabilization, defect burn-down, and hypercare transition from project mode to steady-state support.
• Ensure opening plans include secure-by-design network architecture, role-based access, MFA/SSO where applicable, PCI readiness, vendor access controls, endpoint standards, logging, and incident response paths.
• Communicate simply and directly with executives, ownership, project teams, property leaders, and vendors.

Qualifications

• Proven leadership of hotel openings, property transitions, major renovations, or complex multi-system technology activations.
• Deep understanding of hospitality technology dependencies across low-voltage infrastructure, networks, cloud/SaaS platforms, hotel systems, payments, interfaces, cybersecurity, and operational training.
• Hands-on comfort using AI tools, structured trackers, dashboards, meeting synthesis, decision logs, automation, and practical workflows to produce better, faster, clearer work.
• Ability to create order in ambiguous, schedule-constrained environments with construction, vendors, ownership, operations, staffing, and training all moving at once.
• Strong vendor management, executive communication, documentation discipline, and escalation judgment.
• Comfort traveling frequently during opening-critical windows and working directly with on-property teams.

Additional Information

This role may be based in Bethesda, MD and offers a base salary range of $165+, contingent on experience, skill set, and dialogue with the Home Office team. It includes a comprehensive medical, dental, vision and voluntary benefits, 401k employer match, employer paid life insurance, employee assistance program and a team member hotel stay program.