LODGING recently spoke with 2025 International Hospitality Technology Hall of Fame inductee Luis Segredo, CEO of Hapi (Hotel API) and Data Travel, LLC, which created the platform. Hapi is designed to simplify the complex hospitality technology landscape by connecting hoteliers and solution providers at scale.
Upon receiving that honor from Hospitality Financial and Technology Professionals at HITEC 2025, Segredo discussed the company’s growth, guiding principles, and the people and practices—especially a reputation for integrity and fair play—that have enabled him to be a successful developer of hospitality technology solutions, including Hapi. “I’ve had the fortune of being involved in a lot of change in this industry over the years, and leading a group that’s doing that. I really give the credit to the teams that have worked with us, including the customers that put their faith in us.” He also mentioned the role of “kismet—being in the right place at the right time.”
In addition to appreciating the induction, Segredo expressed his excitement about Hapi’s momentum in recent years. He highlighted how part of the company’s growth—the number of hotels using the platform has doubled over the past six months—has been linked to the development of capabilities initially created for legacy systems at large enterprises, including Wyndham and IHG. “Ours is not always a product-first approach,” Segredo explained. “Over the years, we’ve built a lot of capabilities specifically requested by individual customers, then turned around and structured it to be repeatable for others.”
Moving forward, Segredo’s plan is to continue to grow Hapi’s adoption at both large and small hotel groups. “In addition to bringing in more large hotel groups based on our success with others, there is automatic growth connected to the growth of the hotel groups we already service,” he said. “With new customers, like a new hotel company, we deploy an initial use case in the first year; then in the second half of the second year, we map out a program for the enterprise.” Beyond merely expanding, Segredo also aims to help the hotel industry evolve by essentially removing the effort that makes it hard for hoteliers to focus on driving innovation and value. “When a customer says, ‘I just need you to take care of this so I can run faster,’ it’s music to my ears,” he said.
Fair Play Pays Off
Hapi CEO Luis Segredo reflected on his journey up to this point and offered advice for those who wish to follow a similar path. He said that those who think they can succeed by taking undue advantage of others should reconsider. Segredo attributed much of his own success in the industry to trusting relationships built on fair play. “The positive reputation I’ve built in the industry hinges on our ability to create solutions by integrating with other partners in such a way that the outcome was fair for all partners, including the hoteliers,” he explained. “I think being fair and open—unlike those who try to create moats for themselves by closing off or otherwise controlling ecosystems for their own advantage—is a better way to go. I know it has helped me, and I encourage that in others.”
