Cognizant and Whitbread have announced an expansion of their ongoing collaboration to further enhance the hospitality company’s digital transformation. This extended partnership will focus on product design, management, and engineering as Whitbread continues to grow its operations in the UK and Germany.
The renewed relationship aims to advance Whitbread’s digital growth strategy, delivering an improved customer experience across its brands, including Premier Inn. This latest phase builds on a substantial modernization project where Cognizant overhauled Whitbread’s legacy property management system. During this transformation, Cognizant redesigned Premier Inn’s e-commerce platform and essential digital services, such as the business booking tool and integration services, successfully transitioning operations for over 900 hotels without disrupting service.
With the new technology stack and API-driven architecture already in place, Cognizant can quickly develop and integrate new features into Premier Inn’s digital channels, including an updated mobile customer experience.
The envisioned digital transformation will cover all aspects of Whitbread customers’ journeys, enabling guests to manage their needs from pre-booking and purchasing to check-in, stay, and post-stay. The goal is to increase direct bookings and unlock new revenue opportunities.
Whitbread’s strategic priorities include innovating in the UK market and enhancing its digital presence to grow its brand in Germany. To accelerate the introduction of new digital services, Cognizant will leverage its AI-assisted software development capabilities and innovation lab to swiftly test and refine new technology prototypes.
Harish Rajani, Whitbread’s Director of Change Delivery and Engineering, expressed his enthusiasm about the expanded partnership: “Cognizant has been a long-standing trusted digital partner for us. We are pleased to extend our partnership beyond engineering and delivery services to encompass the full spectrum of digital transformation. Cognizant’s thought leadership and cost-efficient nearshore-offshore delivery model perfectly complement Whitbread’s ‘budget and brilliant’ proposition.”
Rohit Gupta, Managing Director UK&I at Cognizant, shared his excitement as well: “We are proud to continue our close work with one of the UK’s most trusted and ambitious brands. Our collaboration to date has reimagined significant parts of Whitbread’s hotel operations, and we are looking forward to creating an attractive digital experience for their customers to help drive bookings and growth across the internationally growing Premier Inn property portfolio.”
As Whitbread and Cognizant move forward with their enhanced partnership, the focus remains on delivering cutting-edge digital solutions that elevate customer experiences and drive growth in key markets.
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