Swiss-Belhotel Plan to Hit 360 Hotels | Swiss-Belhotel Technology | THINC Indonesia | Matthew Faull
In this interview with Travel And Tour World at THINC Indonesia, Matthew Faull, Executive Director and SVP of IT & Distribution, E-commerce, and other commercial aspects at Swiss-Belhotel International, discusses the technology powering the group's ambitious expansion and how it balances innovation with the human side of hospitality. Key highlights: 1. Matthew Faull has been with Swiss-Belhotel International for about 15 years, with prior experience in dot-com businesses. Swiss-Belhotel International has set an ambitious target to reach 360 hotels by 2028. 2. To scale technology without compromising security, the company relies on a fine-tuned internal team plus established partners capable of scaling from hundreds to thousands of hotels, tailoring onboarding to each property's characteristics and destination. 3. Recent innovations include a completely rebuilt website, a new Swiss-Belhotel app, and a brand-new CRM system fully integrated with both making it easier for guests to find and book hotels. 4. The new CRM system allows the company to offer frequent guests better benefits, services, and discounts, while helping hotels tailor experiences based on guest preferences. 5. Technology spend has grown every year, with the sharpest growth in the last 18 months, driven largely by the new CRM system and investment in AI-linked systems to help staff serve guests faster and more efficiently. 6. Faull stresses that while technology is critical for staying competitive, the human touch remains equally important, tech should empower people, not replace personal guest interaction. 7. Swiss-Belhotel's proprietary distribution technology, built with partners over the years, gives wide distribution reach from major OTAs and wholesalers to long-tail travel agents helping level the playing field for partners and maximize hotel exposure. 8. As a mid-size, family-led hotel group, Swiss-Belhotel can make more agile, passionate decisions around sustainability, local community engagement, and creating destination-authentic guest experiences, while still meeting international standards. 9. On career paths into hospitality, Fall believes people from diverse educational and professional backgrounds, including IT, can succeed in hotels with the right attitude, respect for colleagues and guests, and a genuine desire to deliver good guest experiences. 10. His advice for young people wanting to start a hotel business: go in with open eyes, understand what's needed to deliver a good guest experience, operate efficiently, and clearly define your target market before building. About Travel And Tour World: Travel And Tour World is a global travel media platform covering travel, tourism, hospitality, aviation, MICE, cruise, and luxury travel, with readership across 195 countries. [Swiss-Belhotel International, Matthew Faull SVP, Hotel technology innovation, Swiss-Belhotel app, Hotel distribution technology, Swiss-Belhotel International 360 hotels by 2028, Swiss-Belhotel CRM app website rebuild interview, How Swiss-Belhotel scales technology for new hotels, Hotel proprietary distribution technology OTAs, Family-owned hotel group technology investment, Advice for starting a hotel business young generation, Swiss-Belhotel International SVP IT, Swiss-Belhotel CRM system, Matthew Faull hotel technology, AI in hotel operations trend, Hotel CRM technology trend 2026, Family-owned hotel group growth trend, Hotel app booking technology innovation, Hospitality technology investment growth] #swissbelhotel #hoteltechnology #hospitalityinnovation #TravelAndTourWorld #hotelindustry