New Hotel Development
Independent technology guidance from pre-deal through opening day.
Technology decisions made during design and pre-construction determine what a hotel costs to build, how it performs on opening day, and what it costs to operate for the life of the asset. The systems specified now, and the infrastructure built to support them, will still be in place when the property undergoes its first major renovation. Getting those decisions right, before a single cable is pulled, is far less expensive than correcting them afterward.
Convergent Services works with hotel owners, ownership groups, and development teams from the earliest stages of a project through opening, providing specialized hospitality IT expertise that most development teams do not have in-house, and that no vendor or carrier can provide without a conflict of interest. We have no financial relationship with any product manufacturer, software vendor, or service provider. Every recommendation we make is in your interest alone.
- Realistic technology budgets built before costly change orders become inevitable
- Infrastructure designed for today’s high-density, high-demand guest environments, and tomorrow’s
- Unbiased system selection with no stake in what gets specified
- Installation oversight from a team that has managed hundreds of hotel technology openings
Budget Development & Analysis
Technology budgets built without a clear understanding of how infrastructure and systems interact routinely generate expensive change orders once construction is underway. The gap between what was budgeted and what is actually required, in cabling, power, conduit, or equipment, tends to surface at the worst possible moment, when the project is under time pressure and costs are highest.
We help ownership and development teams build accurate, comprehensive IT budgets before those gaps become problems. Our involvement covers everything from pre-deal due diligence and initial program development through value engineering exercises and post-project reconciliation. When project conditions change, and they typically do, a well-constructed budget framework allows for adjustments ahead of time rather than corrections under pressure at the end.
Our understanding of both hospitality operations and technology systems means we know what each line item in the budget is actually buying, and where it can and cannot be reduced without consequence.
Infrastructure Design & Management
A hotel's physical infrastructure, its cable plant, conduit pathways, telecommunications rooms, and backbone architecture, is the foundation that every guest-facing and operational system depends on. It is also one of the most difficult and expensive elements to correct after construction is complete. Decisions made on the structural drawings have consequences that last for decades.
We design infrastructure to meet current performance standards and accommodate anticipated demand: Cat6A structured cabling, fiber backbone, Wi-Fi 6 and 6E access point infrastructure engineered for high-density guest and staff environments, conduit sizing for future system growth, and telecommunications room layouts that support the full range of systems in scope. The goal is a cable plant that serves your property well not just at opening, but for the full life of the asset.
Our team works directly with architects, electrical engineers, and general contractors to ensure that infrastructure requirements are reflected correctly in the construction documents, reducing the risk of costly field revisions during construction.
Computer Systems — Front of House & Back of House
The applications and systems that guests and staff interact with daily, cloud-based property management, in-room entertainment and streaming, mobile key access, point-of-sale, digital signage, and the integrations that connect them, have a direct and measurable effect on both guest satisfaction and operational efficiency. When they work together seamlessly, they reduce friction and provide management with better information. When they do not, the gaps create ongoing problems that are difficult and costly to address after opening.
We oversee the design and implementation of front-of-house and back-of-house systems with integration in mind from the start. Our work encompasses system selection, interface specifications, vendor coordination, and implementation oversight, ensuring that the technology your hotel opens with performs the way it needs to, across the full range of systems in scope.
Many systems in a new hotel are brand-mandated or carry over from existing ownership relationships. We account for those constraints and concentrate our selection and integration work on the systems where there is flexibility to optimize, helping ensure that the full stack functions as a cohesive whole rather than a collection of individual solutions.
Value Engineering
Every development project encounters budget pressure, and technology systems are rarely exempt from value engineering exercises. The risk is that cuts made without a full understanding of downstream consequences save money in the short term and create operational problems that cost significantly more to address after the property opens.
As an independent firm with no financial relationship with any system vendor, carrier, or manufacturer, Convergent Services is uniquely positioned to guide these decisions honestly. We identify where costs can legitimately be deferred, which systems can be phased in at a later date without meaningful impact on the opening experience, and where proposed cuts will compromise performance in ways that are difficult to reverse.
That independence matters most precisely in this part of the process. An advisor who sells the systems they specify has a financial interest in protecting those line items. We do not. When a system can be deferred, we will say so. When a reduction will create a problem, we will explain why. And occasionally, the right recommendation is simply to do nothing, to defer an investment entirely until the business case is clearer. That is a recommendation we are prepared to make and stand behind.
System Selection
Hospitality low-voltage systems span an enormous range, from guest-facing in-room entertainment, streaming, and connectivity to back-of-house property management, access control, security, point-of-sale, building automation, and the APIs that tie them together. Each category has its own vendors, its own integration requirements, and its own total cost of ownership picture.
We evaluate current market options against your property's specific requirements, brand standards where applicable, and the systems already in scope, whether predetermined by the brand, the ownership group, or existing agreements. Our analysis addresses acquisition cost, integration complexity, ongoing licensing and maintenance, and vendor stability. We present options without a stake in the outcome, and our recommendation is sometimes that the best choice is the one already on the table, or no change at all.
When systems are predetermined, that is the starting point, not an obstacle. Tailoring the remaining systems to integrate cleanly with what is already fixed is often where the greatest functional improvements are available, and it is work we are well-suited to do.
Installation & Testing Management
A system that is correctly designed and properly specified can still underperform if the installation is not carefully managed. Convergent Services provides hands-on installation oversight and testing management across the full low-voltage scope, working directly with on-site technicians, coordinating across trades, and identifying and resolving problems before they become punchlist items or post-opening issues.
Our principals have managed technology installations across hundreds of hotel openings. That experience gives us the pattern recognition to see when a project is progressing as it should and when it is not, and the technical depth to work directly with installation crews to find solutions in the field rather than escalating every issue through layers of project management.
Our involvement during installation allows your development team and hotel operations staff to stay focused on their respective priorities, with confidence that the technology side of the opening process is being managed by people who have done it before.
Not sure which services apply to your project? Tell us what you’re working on and we’ll give you a straightforward assessment of how we can help. Tell us about your project →
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Frequently Asked Questions
When in the development process should I bring in a consultant?
As early as possible, ideally at the pre-deal or early design phase, before decisions with technology implications have already been made. That said, Convergent Services can add value at any point. We are regularly engaged mid-project to provide an independent review of systems already specified, contracts already in place, or budgets already set. Contact us to discuss where your project stands and where we can help.
Do you work with independent hotels, or only national brands?
Both. We have worked with properties across the major national brand families as well as independent ownership groups, boutique properties, and regional operators. The scope and complexity of the technology project is what determines fit, not the flag or the property size.
How are your fees structured?
Our services are provided on a per-project basis with no ongoing retainer requirements. Fees vary depending on the scope and duration of the engagement. We are happy to discuss your project and provide a clear picture of what involvement looks like and what it costs before any commitment is made.
Do you manage installation directly, or only advise?
Both, depending on what the project requires. We can provide design and advisory services only, or we can extend that involvement through full installation oversight and testing management. The scope of our engagement is defined by what is useful to your team, not by a fixed service model.
Whether you’re planning a new build, evaluating an operating property, or somewhere in between, we would like to work with you.
