Hapi Taps Two Hospitality Technology Veterans for VP Roles

Ben Heiland has joined as VP of Business & Professional Services and Cesar Mendoza as VP of Solutions Design & Development, filling crucial positions that solidify Hapi’s standing as the leading solution for system connectivity and data streaming.

Company logo

Hapi, the industry’s leading platform for fast and cost-effective connectivity between systems, is excited to announce the appointment of two hospitality technology industry veterans: Ben Heiland as VP of Business & Professional Services and Cesar Mendoza as VP of Solutions Design & Development. 

Heiland and Mendoza will be a perfect addition to Hapi’s mission to power innovation in the hospitality industry by connecting systems and sharing data securely and at scale. Leading the Professional Services team, Heiland will ensure the successful delivery of services that continue to exceed Hapi client expectations. Overseeing solutions design and development, Mendoza will be responsible for the evolution of Hapi’s system architecture and front-end solutions to meet the needs of a dynamic industry. These additions push Hapi to over 700 years of combined hospitality experience, a cumulative experience unparalleled for a team of this size. 

“Hapi is purposely built by people who understand the intricacies of the hospitality business so hoteliers can trust that the solutions we deploy meet their specific needs,” said Luis Segredo, founder and CEO. “As we partner with more hotel companies to solve their integration and data streaming challenges, we’ll continue to source the most talented individuals who are passionate about driving innovation across hospitality.”

 “We are proud to welcome Ben and Cesar, two hospitality technology veterans that add to our all-star lineup of deeply experienced team members,” added Brian Erdman, EVP of Product and Engineering.

Heiland brings 15 years experience in both hospitality and technology, having served in several roles on both the hotel operator and supplier sides. In his most recent position as VP of Hotel Technology for Graduate Hotels, he was responsible for developing the overall technology strategy and standardizing the technology stack for approximately 40 properties. Prior to Graduate, he worked for Two Roads Hospitality as the IT Business Partner accountable for a collection of 70 independent hotels and resorts. Earlier, Heiland worked for Oracle deploying various Opera products.

Mendoza began his tenure at Hyatt Hotels as the technical lead for the Online Check-in team, showcasing his skill in leading projects that enhance the customer experience. In his nearly eight years with the company, he rapidly ascended from Senior Software Developer to Senior Application Developer Manager. He was instrumental in providing free internet access to hotel guests, leading the team responsible for this pivotal service enhancement. His visionary approach to hospitality services was further exemplified as he headed the Digital Key team, successfully overseeing the launch of the first implementation of Hotel room key in Apple Wallet. This trailblazing project, a collaborative effort involving numerous stakeholders, marked a significant milestone in Hyatt's commitment to digital innovation under Mendoza's leadership.

The addition of Heiland and Mendoza brings a wealth of expertise to Hapi, allowing the company to continue providing hotel companies access to critical guest and transactional data via: 

  • The Hapi Integration Platform is a Cloud Data Hub that exposes event streams and transactional APIs from hotel systems at scale. 

  • Hapi Data Platform stores normalized hotel system data in a secure and scalable fashion in AWS. 

  • Hapi Guest seamlessly integrates hotel data into Salesforce CRM, allowing hotel companies to deliver enhanced, personalized guest journeys.

The company recently announced new infrastructure in partnership with AWS that provides hotel companies access to critical guest and transactional data in revolutionary ways. Newly built in the Amazon AWS environment, the Hapi Data Platform can provide data from technology systems “at rest,” or in storage, that hotel companies can access quicker. Now, hotel brands can connect directly to a stream of data or consume the data on their terms. For Hapi’s efforts, the company recently received the Travel and Hospitality ISV Partner Competency designation from AWS.  

Today, top hotel brands like Hyatt Hotels & Resorts, Great Wolf Resorts, IHG and Sonesta Hotels & Resorts are relying on the Hapi Integration Platform to push and pull data from disparate Property Management Systems throughout their portfolio into one central data stream. With comprehensive APIs,these brands and others gain unprecedented insights into guest behavior and property activities. 

For more information on how Hapi can put your data to work for you, visit Hapi Cloud.

 

About Hapi

Hapi is the hospitality industry's leading platform for fast and cost-effective connectivity between technology systems, allowing hotel companies access to critical guest and transactional data. Hapi exposes event streams and transactional APIs from hotel systems at scale; stores normalized hotel system data in a secure and scalable fashion in AWS; and seamlessly integrates hotel data into Salesforce CRM, allowing hotel companies to deliver enhanced, personalized guest journeys. Hapi serves 7,000 hotels globally, including IHG Hotels & Resorts, Sonesta Hotels, Accor, Hyatt Hotels, Rosewood Hotels, Margaritaville and SH Hotels and Resorts.