Title

AWS re:Invent 2023 - From modernization to innovation: The tales of two hospitality leaders (TRV201)

Summary

• Greg Land, AWS Global Industry Leader for travel and hospitality, introduces two customer stories: a legacy company's migration journey and a digital native's different path to AWS.
• Best Western (BWH Hotels), represented by Monty Gardner, VP of e-commerce and business intelligence, shares their transition from a legacy Oracle system and data center to AWS cloud services, focusing on business intelligence and a cloud-native revenue management system.
• DoorDash, represented by Jeff Wan, VP of Engineering, Consumer, and Ads, discusses their platform transformation journey, emphasizing reliability, scalability, and flexibility. They moved from a monolithic architecture to a service-oriented architecture with multiple data stores and a cell architecture, achieving significant reliability and cost efficiency.
• Both companies highlight the importance of AWS services in enabling their digital transformation, innovation, and operational efficiency.
• AWS re:Invent sessions and resources are available for further learning and application in attendees' businesses.

Insights

• Best Western's Digital Transformation:

  • Transitioned from a traditional data center to AWS cloud to focus on core competencies.
  • Emphasized the importance of business intelligence in driving transformation.
  • Developed a cloud-native revenue management system, leading to improved recommendations and operational efficiency.
  • Success measured by adoption rates and financial performance comparisons.

• DoorDash's Platform Evolution:

  • Faced challenges with a monolithic architecture and a single large database.
  • The pandemic accelerated the need for a robust, scalable platform.
  • Implemented a service-oriented architecture with domain-specific services and data stores.
  • Utilized AWS services like Aurora, Cassandra, CockroachDB, Connect, and Lex to improve reliability and efficiency.
  • Achieved significant reliability goals and cost savings through AWS tooling and optimization strategies.

• AWS's Role in Transformation:

  • AWS services and solutions are critical in supporting both companies' journeys from legacy systems to modern, cloud-based infrastructures.
  • AWS's partnership and tooling provide the necessary support for companies to achieve their digital transformation goals.
  • AWS re:Invent serves as a platform for sharing success stories, learning from industry leaders, and accessing resources to drive digital transformation in the travel and hospitality sector.