Resource · Technology

The CIO’s Vendor Evaluation Scorecard

Most hotel-technology selections are won on the demo and lost in year two. Score every vendor across the dimensions that actually predict success: the framework we use in vendor selection and due diligence.

How to use it: score each criterion 1–5 for every vendor, weight the dimensions by your own priorities (the suggested weight is a starting point), and compare like for like. The number starts the conversation. It doesn’t end it.

01

Strategic fit

Weight: High
  • Solves a real, named priority for the business, not a capability looking for a problem./ 5
  • Aligns with your technology roadmap and where the group is heading, not just today's gap./ 5
  • Has an executive sponsor who will still care about it in eighteen months./ 5
02

Product depth vs. the demo

Weight: High
  • The workflow you actually need is production-grade today, not a roadmap promise or a slide./ 5
  • Reference customers exist at your scale and complexity, and you have spoken to one unaccompanied./ 5
  • The roadmap is credible and funded, not a wish-list assembled for your deal./ 5
03

Integration & architecture

Weight: High
  • Integrates with the PMS, POS, CRM and systems you actually operate: proven, not theoretical./ 5
  • Open, documented APIs; no rip-and-replace of things that work; no hostage data./ 5
  • You keep ownership of your data, and can get it out cleanly if you leave./ 5
04

Commercial model & total cost

Weight: Medium
  • Pricing is transparent, and you have modelled three-year total cost: implementation, integration and support included./ 5
  • The commercial model rewards your success, not just the signature (watch for shelfware)./ 5
  • Exit and renewal terms are clear before you sign, not discovered at renewal./ 5
05

Security & compliance

Weight: High
  • Certifications and controls match your risk profile and your markets' data-residency rules./ 5
  • Clear data ownership and processing terms; no ambiguity about who holds guest or operational data./ 5
  • An honest breach and incident history, and a straight answer when you ask for it./ 5
06

Delivery & support

Weight: Medium
  • A real implementation track record at properties like yours, with references who survived go-live./ 5
  • In-region, in-language support with SLAs that mean something, not a ticket queue twelve time-zones away./ 5
  • The internal effort they ask of your team is realistic and named up front./ 5
07

Vendor viability

Weight: Medium
  • Funded or profitable enough to still be here, and investing, across the life of your contract./ 5
  • Tenure and leadership stability; you're not the experiment that proves the model./ 5
  • You understand your concentration risk if this vendor becomes critical to operations./ 5

Reading the score: a vendor who scores 4–5 on strategic fit and integration but 2 on viability is a very different risk from the reverse, and both can look identical in a demo. The scorecard exists to surface exactly that, before the contract, not after.

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