The overhaul of its property management system (PMS), point of sale and customer relationship management (CRM) system has been quite quick, according to Ksenia Tarasova, CRM and brand loyalty manager for Penta.
“We’re trying to achieve this new advanced tech stack where we can actually have the seamless communication, the seamless experience for the guest. Everyone is going towards that, but it's really difficult to do right,” she said.
In a studio interview at Phocuswright Europe 2025, Tarasova said that integrating legacy and new data remains the biggest challenge, especially in making the data useful for personalized communication and enhancing the guest experience.
Penta’s CRM strategy focused on zero-party data, ensuring that it only uses information guests have willingly provided to remain compliant with regulations and be non-intrusive.
Tarasova was joined in the discussion by Julian Leitner, founder of hotel CRM specialist Smart Host, who said that CRM technology adoption remains low across the industry, adding that properties putting the systems to good use improve guest retention.
“What we see, especially when hotels switch PMS for example, is usually they don’t bring data with them, they start from scratch. The value a CRM can add to the guest journey will increase over time, but it will not be zero to 100 on day one. CRM is becoming more of a topic than in the past … and I believe that in the future having a CRM will be just as normal as having a PMS.”
Both companies are now also experimenting with artificial intelligence (AI), with Penta testing AI-generated guest summaries and using it within call centers to capture contextual guest information. Smart Host, meanwhile, is developing AI tools for front-desk staff and personalized marketing.
The discussion also touched on the evolution of loyalty, moving beyond traditional levels of gold, silver and bronze and balancing instant perks versus points collection.
See below for the full discussion with PhocusWire’s Linda Fox:
Phocuswright Europe 2025 Executive Interview: Hospitality tech for today's guests
Tags: Phocuswright Europe 2025, Ksenia Tarasova, Penta Hotels, technological transformation, artificial intelligence (AI), Julian Leitner, Smart Host
