Barry Shuler was selected as the 2014 inductee to the HFTP International Hospitality Technology Hall of Fame for his role in developing a model for hotel industry enterprise architecture and IT strategic planning. After a long career as a lead technology strategist for Marriott International, Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company and International Hotels Group, he is currently CIO and IT consulting principal with Design Management Associates, Inc. The induction into the Hall of Fame, which is Hospitality Financial and Technology Professionals' (HFTP) highest level of recognition in the area of technology, will take place at the 2014 Hospitality Industry Technology Exposition and Conference (HITEC®) on Tuesday, June 24 at 8:30 a.m. at the Los Angeles Convention Center in Los Angeles, Calif. USA.

"I have many friends in HFTP, a number of whom have already been inducted into the Hall of Fame," said Shuler. "I honestly never dreamed that someday I might be honored in this way. I am humbled by the selection and truly excited to join this illustrious group."

He is an expert on enterprise architecture, business process reengineering, IT-enabled change, IT metrics, technology convergence and strategic planning for IT. He has been featured in numerous computing and hotel industry articles, and has made contributions to many books on IT. He is also the author of the book, Virtual Travel – Embrace or Expire.

"I know of no individual that I believe is more deserving of this award than Barry," writes Wendell Fox, retired senior vice president for Marriott Intl. "The list of his contributions to the advancement of the use of technology in the hotel industry both from the guest and the hotels perspective is outstanding. Barry has the ability to look beyond the obvious and see what can be or maybe 'what will be' in respect to the use of technology for the consumer and for business."

Within the hospitality industry, Shuler made his entrée to the hospitality industry in 1996 when he joined Marriott as senior vice president of information resources, strategy and planning and CTO. He was responsible for strategic plans and an enterprise architecture that would guide the efforts of an information systems and technology community of over 1,200 IT practitioners; a Marriott annual IT budget in excess of $400 million, and direct influence over hotel owner IT capital and operational expenditure annual budgets of an additional $400 million.

"In addition to being possessed of great vision for the future of hospitality technology, Barry had the unique ability to communicate that vision to those who do not share his technological prowess (which few do)," wrote Lou Paladeau, COO and CFO for TessArae, LLC. "His ability to communicate that vision and make it relevant for senior executives, owners, franchisees and guests is what enabled Marriott to succeed on so many technology initiatives during his tenure."

Shuler not only led within Marriott, but also was a recognized and respected leader in the hospitality and travel industry as a whole. From 2004 through 2008 he served on the board of directors and in executive positions, including president, of Hotel Technology Next Generation (HTNG). HTNG is an organization made up of hoteliers and hospitality technology vendors that promotes the emergence of specifications for interoperability among commercially available and custom developed hotel systems.

Since 1989, 36 individuals have received this award as a reflection of their contributions to the hospitality industry. See the other Hall of Fame inductees.

About HFTP

Hospitality Financial and Technology Professionals (HFTP®), established in 1952, is a hospitality nonprofit association headquartered in Austin, Texas USA with an offices in the EU. HFTP is recognized as a group supporting the finance and technology segments of the hospitality industry with an international network of members and stakeholders. HFTP offers expert networks, educational resources, career development programs, research, leadership opportunities and conferences and events. HFTP produces international events throughout the year, including the world's largest hospitality technology tradeshow and conference brand: HITEC. In addition, it oversees the hospitality-specific Pineapplesearch.com® and the Uniform System of Accounts for the Lodging Industry (USALI), Hotel-Online and Hospitality Upgrade Magazine. For more information about HFTP, visit www.hftp.org.

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