Is Your Hotel Tech Ready for What’s Next? | roommaster
Mark Bloomquist and Steven Burman explain how the reimagined roommaster helps independent hotels win more direct bookings, put AI to practical use, and choose a PMS built for where they’re headed
roommaster's CRO and Director of Sales discuss their reimagined cloud PMS on The Modern Hotelier podcast, covering direct bookings, AI tools, and platform selection for independent hotels.
Photo by roommaster
CLEARWATER, Florida (October 19, 2026) In a recent conversation with The Modern Hotelier podcast, roommaster Chief Revenue Officer Mark Bloomquist and Director of Sales Steven Burman discussed what modern hotel technology should really mean for independent hotels. They talked through how hotels can win more direct bookings, where AI actually helps, and what to look for in a property management system, along with how the reimagined roommaster is built around all three. The full episode is available now on YouTube.
What “Modern” Hotel Technology Should Really Mean
“Modern” is a word heard across hotel technology. In the episode, the roommaster team defines it as a platform that serves hoteliers today and adapts to what comes next. For roommaster, that meant reimagining a platform hotels have trusted for 30+ years. The result is roommaster’s modern hotel PMS, a cloud PMS that runs three times faster and is built around 60% fewer clicks.
“What the industry wants is a simple, all-in-one platform: one business to call, one bill to pay,” said Mark Bloomquist, Chief Revenue Officer at roommaster. “roommaster has built a platform with everything a hotel needs to run its business, and when a hotel needs something more, roommaster integrates with those who do.”
How Hotels Can Win the Guest Before the OTAs Do
Steven explained that OTAs and direct channels play different roles. OTAs give a hotel visibility and help new guests discover it, while direct channels turn that interest into commission-free bookings and a guest relationship the hotel owns. The roommaster Booking Engine places a hotel’s direct rate in Google metasearch through roommaster Hotel Metasearch, right next to the OTA price. Hotels using the Booking Engine see up to 40% more direct bookings.
“OTAs are important. They get a hotel exposure, and being seen is the first part of any brand’s journey,” said Steven Burman, Director of Sales at roommaster. “But once guests see a hotel, driving them to book directly is what really matters. When a guest sees $300 on an OTA and $280 direct with the hotel, that’s exactly where roommaster wants to send them.”
Let AI Handle the Wi-Fi Questions So Your Team Can Wow Guests
Mark shared a practical view of AI: it can take on the routine questions that fill a front desk’s day. Tools like roommaster Concierge, an AI voice agent that answers guest calls 24/7, are built with that purpose in mind.
“AI is meant to free people up to do what they’re best at, and that’s the guest experience, creating an environment that’s fun, welcoming, and friendly,” Mark said. “It’s not there so someone can answer the phone and give out the Wi-Fi password.” The same thinking shapes the company’s support, where account managers check in with every customer at least once a quarter.
How to Choose a PMS That Grows With Your Hotel
Switching a property management system is one of the biggest decisions a hotel makes. Mark encouraged hoteliers to start with a clear picture of their own goals before comparing vendors. As a modern PMS and unified hospitality platform, roommaster is designed to grow with properties of every size.
“The key is choosing a PMS for where a hotel is going, not just where it is today,” Mark said. “roommaster is the same great PMS it has always been, but now it’s built to grow with hoteliers today, tomorrow, and into the future.” It’s the clearest expression yet of the company’s promise: Hospitality, Simplified.
Watch the full episode on YouTube at www.youtube.com/watch?v=gSHANsDJSmw. Learn more at www.roommaster.com or request a demo at www.roommaster.com/book-a-demo.
About roommaster
roommaster is a hospitality software company built by hoteliers, for hoteliers. With 30+ years in the industry and a team carrying 125+ years of combined hands-on hotel management experience, roommaster powers thousands of hotels worldwide with a unified suite of products, including its Hotel PMS, Booking Engine, Channel Manager, Payments, Hotel Website Builder, Hotel Guest App, Revenue Management, and AI Concierge. Backed by 24/7 hospitality-trained support and a 97% client retention rate, roommaster delivers on its promise: technology that serves hospitality, not the other way around. Learn more at www.roommaster.com.