TECHNOLOGY
Stuck
In The Middle
With You
MIDDLEWARE SOFTWARE ISN’ T THE SEXIEST TECH, BUT IT’ S PIVOTAL, CONNECTING SYSTEMS AND ALLOWING HOTELS TO RUN EFFECTIVELY.
By DAVID EISEN
What is middleware software, you may ask? Not knowing— or caring, for that matter— wouldn’ t be a sin; no, middleware software isn’ t seductive technology, but if a hotel is going to operate effectively, it’ s a piece that is as necessary as a comfy bed or strong water pressure.
Think of middleware software like a bridge. What does a bridge do? It connects things together, allowing seamless movement and flow from one place to another. The hotel industry is a people’ s business; it’ s also a business that needs technology tools to run. These tools include the property management system, point of sale, phone system, mobile apps— middleware, then, plays a crucial role by ensuring that data moves quickly, securely and consistently between these systems.
One of the biggest reasons middleware is so essential is the sheer number of systems hotels rely on. Consider that a single hotel can use more than 20 different software applications and the industry as a whole features more than 500 software tools across some 30 categories. That’ s a lot of balls to juggle.
Middleware software can be thought of as a glue that binds them, or, as John Owen, the one-time CEO of TigerTMS, refers to it:“ software oil [ that ] lubricates the system without adhesion to any of the component parts.”
No matter how one defines it, there are a smattering of companies that are earnest in this business of joinery. HOTELS puts the spotlight on five that are taking middleware to the top.
72 hotelsmag. com July / August 2025