Bruce Hoffmeister, Global Chief Information Officer of Marriott International

Episode Overview

Among other topics, Bruce discusses the following issues with Metis Strategy:

• Discussion on the unique paths taken by Bruce as a CIO, and the benefits of a financial background in a tech-oriented position
• Marriot’s digital business, and the role of IT and its partnership with other departments to facilitate technologic development and to create the best guest experience
• The opportunity, because of smart devices, to communicate with customers and connect with them at all points of their journey, and to allow guests to interact with the company in the ways that they want to
• The future of loyalty programs for hotels, and the changing habits and desires of younger travelers, and the implication those changes have on hotel’s programming
• Marriot’s structure of IT, and the benefits of having an outward-focused technology system that possesses a better understanding of the overall business
• Eye on the trends: An “invisible” technology system, in which technology is able to meet customers’ needs so well that it is almost invisible in its seamless and effortless execution

Bruce Hoffmeister’s Biography:

Bruce is Global Chief Information Officer for Marriott International, where he holds global accountability for all business information technology resources.

With Marriott since 1989, Bruce brings a vast and diverse set of experiences to this role. He was previously Senior Vice President, IR Shared and Application Services, leading the effort to drive sustainable efficiencies within the technical infrastructure that supports the computing resources for Marriott’s worldwide operations. In addition, he directed the development efforts to replace and update the Sales and Marketing, Event Management and Revenue Management systems in order to optimize profits across the total hotel, increase the efficiency of the selling process and enable the delivery of superior events.

Beginning his career at Marriott as a Senior Financial Analyst for Development Finance, Bruce has held various finance and accounting roles within the Development, Information Resources, and Lodging functions. He has also held the position of Senior Vice President, Global Revenue Management where he was responsible for developing and leading the company’s worldwide pricing, inventory management and selling strategies.

Bruce holds bachelor degrees in mathematics and biology, with a minor in computer science, from Thomas More College, as well as a masters of business administration degree, with concentrations in finance and accounting, from the Owen Graduate School of Management, Vanderbilt University.

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