Re-engineering the infrastructure of hotel tech is more complex than people think

At first glance, hotel tech might not sound like the most technically challenging industry in the world.

But according to MeetingPackage CTO Juan Gutiérrez Plaza, that perception disappears very quickly once you step behind the scenes.

“People think it’s just about booking rooms. But the reality is completely different. Hotels already operate with many systems, providers, payment solutions, and workflows that all need to work together seamlessly.”

That complexity is exactly what drew him to MeetingPackage. “When you work in hotel tech, you’re dealing with integrations, automation, payments, AI workflows, data synchronization, and reliability challenges all at once,” he says. “There’s a lot happening underneath the surface.”

For engineers who enjoy solving complex real-world problems, that creates an environment full of opportunities.

Some careers move in a straight line

Juan Gutiérrez Plaza’s didn’t.

“Twenty-four years abroad. Half of my life, basically.”

Why MeetingPackage

Over more than 20 years building technology across Europe, Juan has worked in environments ranging from Nokia and cybersecurity companies to startups, scale-ups, and high-growth SaaS businesses. He has helped companies scale engineering organizations, modernize ways of working, and navigate periods of rapid growth and transformation.

So why MeetingPackage?

“The opportunity felt very clear,” he says. “The company has ambition, a growing market, and genuinely interesting technical challenges.”

For Juan, the combination of hotel tech complexity, startup energy, and AI-driven transformation made the decision easy.

“When I spoke with the team, I immediately felt the passion and momentum. I just wanted to be part of it.”

Building systems that connect an entire industry

One of the biggest engineering challenges in hospitality is that no hotel ecosystem looks exactly the same.

“You can’t simply replace everything a hotel already uses,” Juan explains. “Your platform needs to integrate with existing systems and make everything work together reliably.”

That means handling complex business logic, large data flows, and ensuring systems continue operating smoothly even when external dependencies fail.

It creates interesting engineering challenges around:

●  Integrations

●  Data synchronization

●  Distributed systems

●  Automation

●  Reliability

●  Scalability

“From an engineering perspective, those are genuinely interesting problems to solve,” he says.

And now, AI is opening an entirely new chapter for the industry. For a long time, technology wasn’t the top priority in hospitality. That’s changing very fast  and at MeetingPackage, AI is already deeply embedded into both product development and engineering workflows.

“We’re very open to experimenting with AI. Engineers here have the opportunity not only to learn modern ways of working, but also to shape them.”

Building a culture of ownership

MeetingPackage operates in a fast-moving environment, something Juan believes is energizing for the right people. “We are a startup,” he says. “Things move quickly. Priorities evolve. We deploy multiple times a day.”

For engineers who enjoy ownership and fast feedback loops, that pace creates opportunities to make an impact quickly. “We want people who can take responsibility end-to-end — from understanding the problem to deploying the solution.”

Built around remote work — engineers across multiple countries. Everything is designed to support that way of working.

That flexibility is closely connected to Juan’s leadership philosophy.

“I believe in giving people trust from the start.”

Instead of controlling every detail, his focus is on enabling teams to succeed. “My role is to remove blockers, support people, and help teams grow. I want people to truly own what they do.”

The kind of people who thrive here

According to Juan, the people who succeed at MeetingPackage are adaptable, curious, and excited about solving real customer problems.

“This isn’t just about writing code anymore,” he says. “The real value comes from understanding context, solving the right problems, and using technology intelligently.”

For engineers looking to work on complex systems, AI-driven workflows, and meaningful industry transformation, he believes MeetingPackage offers something unique.

“If you’re ambitious, curious, and excited about building things that matter,” he says, “this is the kind of place where you can have a real impact.”

“We’ve only scratched the surface of what’s possible.”