Two of the hotel industry's most prominent executives have today been announced the first ever leaders for the Software Resource Team of Hotel Technology Next Generation (HTNG), the membership association that unites the world's hospitality companies and technology innovators to solve industry challenges.

Having led all votes, the co-chairs of the newly-established Software Resource Team are David Chestler, Executive Vice President – Global Enterprise Sales & Business Development at SiteMinder, and John Bell, Founder and President of AjonTech LLC.

Both offer more than thirty years' experience in the hospitality industry. Chestler is a renowned figure, having served in various senior roles, including at BirchStreet Systems, Pegasus Solutions, Visual Data Corp and, most recently, Sceptre Hospitality Resources. Today, he plays a key role in the global development of SiteMinder, a company continually driven to positively disrupt the industry through its leading online distribution and direct booking technology.

Bell founded Ajontech LLC after 35 years in the IT Industry and 12 years at Marriott where he served as the Enterprise Architect. He created the architectures for many of the hotel giant's systems – including its website, and mobile and services-oriented infrastructure. In 2012, he helped to create a secure payment framework for the hotel industry. Bell is the co/author of several software development books and is also an Associate Professor for the Center of Applied Information Technology at Towson University. In addition to HTNG's Software Resource Team, he co-chairs the HTNG Secure Payments Framework working group and SOA Reference Architecture working groups for the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers and the Open Group.

Douglas Rice, Executive Vice President & CEO at HTNG, says the two appointments are testament to Chestler and Bell's demonstrated leadership within the hotel technology space.

"Chestler and Bell have a strong track record of developing solutions to increasingly complex technology challenges – and, importantly, embody tremendous passion and knowledge of our industry. They each bring impressive credentials with regards to innovation in the hotel technology space and we are delighted to have them lead this initiative for us," says Rice.

Established in 2014 and operating within HTNG's Software Forum, the Software Resource Team will be a place for HTNG members to explore new technologies, to debate the potential use of a technology or approach in the hospitality industry and to research open questions. Deliverables – to be led by Chestler and Bell – will include educational webinars, industry frameworks, best practice documents and the creation of new software workgroups to support paradigm shifts such as cloud computing, mobile devices, and geolocationing.

About SiteMinder
SiteMinder is one of the global hotel industry's leading providers of online distribution and direct booking technology. Founded in 2006, SiteMinder offers award-winning, cloud-based distribution products – including the world's largest channel manager, a booking engine, PMS/CRS integration and GDS connection tools – to help hotels increase online revenue, streamline business processes and lower operational costs.

Driven by a no-contract, commission-free business model, SiteMinder's robust product suite and exceptional client support has made the business one of the most recognizable in the industry. In addition to its global head office in Sydney, SiteMinder has operations in Bangkok, Cape Town, Dallas and London, and more than 14,000 customers in over 140 countries. For more information about SiteMinder and its market-leading products, visit www.siteminder.com.

About AjonTech LLC
Ajontech is a technology services company that supports clients in the areas of Enterprise and Solutions Architectures, Information Security and Software Development. For more information about Ajontech LLC, visit ajontech.com.

Maria Cricchiola
Director of Brand Communications & PR
+61 2 9056 7415

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