The scenario
Meridian Collection Hotels has shortlisted Ariane for a 200-property rollout. The product demo went well. The contract is on the table. Meridian’s VP of Guest Experience has three demands before they sign.
- Portfolio
- 200 full-service hotels, North America and Western Europe
- Segment
- Upper-upscale and upscale
- Tech stack
- Oracle Opera Cloud, Dormakaba and ASSA ABLOY locks
- Contract ask
- 5-year agreement · pilot at 4 properties Q4 2026 · full rollout by end 2027
- Budget
- $12M approved for guest experience modernisation
1Will it work on day one?
2Will property 200 match property 1?
3Will it be delivered when promised?
1
Question 1 of 3
Will it work on day one?
Define it concretely
What does “works on day one” mean — not just “the kiosk functions” but what the guest experience actually looks like from the moment the contract starts. What counts as working?
What Ariane needs to have in place
Think across functions: product stability, deployment testing, staff training, integration verification, support coverage on day one...
Where is the current gap?
Be honest. Where does today’s process fall short of this standard?
2
Question 2 of 3
Will property 200 match property 1?
Define it concretely
What does “matches” mean — the guest UX, configuration, support response time, interface language? What would an auditor or a travelling loyalty member notice if properties were inconsistent?
What Ariane needs to have in place
Standardized deployment process, configuration templates, quality checks, training, how we catch drift over time...
Where is the current gap?
Where does today’s model introduce variation — and how do we remove it?
3
Question 3 of 3
Will it be delivered when promised?
Define it concretely
What is the unit of delivery — one property at a time, a batch? What milestones exist between contract and go-live? What triggers the clock?
What Ariane needs to have in place
Where do timelines slip today, what’s in our control vs. the client’s, how do Sales commitments connect to Delivery capacity...
Where is the current gap?
What’s the most common reason a deployment runs late — and what would fix it?
Ariane’s three commitments to Meridian
One commitment per demand. Name it. Date it.
1
Day one
2
Consistency
3
On time
Biggest risk to all three — and how we’d mitigate it
5 minutes to present.Walk the room through your three commitments. Name your biggest risk. Make them believe you.