TMB delivered a large-scale IT infrastructure and Microsoft 365 migration programme for a multi-property hotel group. The project covered 11 hotels and a head-office/above-property user group, with approximately 420 users in scope.
The programme involved transitioning the group away from its existing IT environment and establishing a new, dedicated cloud-first environment. This included new user hardware, network and security infrastructure, Microsoft 365 services and the migration of business data, while maintaining access to the operational systems required by each hotel.
The project scope included:
- 11 hotel properties and associated domains
- Approximately 420 users
- Microsoft 365, email, OneDrive, SharePoint and Teams data
- End-user devices
- Firewall and network infrastructure
- Point-of-sale connectivity
- Hotel operational systems
- Central and above-property users and shared mailboxes
Project Planning and Management
The programme was structured as a phased, hotel-by-hotel rollout, beginning with an initial property before progressing through clusters of four, three and three hotels.
Engineering leads were briefed on the common network, firewall, POS and migration design before being divided into deployment teams for the wider rollout.
Regular pulse meetings were held throughout the programme to coordinate the client, incumbent provider and technical teams, manage user and data migrations, and resolve dependencies.
Particular consideration was given to central functions such as marketing and reservations. Although some of these users were physically based within individual hotels, they operated as part of the wider head-office/above-property organisation and required access to resources spanning multiple properties.
Solution Delivered
TMB delivered a new cloud-first IT environment across the hotel group, including:
- 160 new desktops and 36 laptops
- New firewall and network infrastructure
- WatchGuard firewalls
- Separate network segments for hotel administration and point-of-sale environments
- Microsoft 365 migration covering mailboxes, OneDrive, SharePoint and Teams data
- Migration of hotel-specific email domains and shared mailboxes
- Validation of critical applications during migration
- Support for central teams requiring access to resources across all 11 hotels
The solution was designed to move users away from the former Citrix environment and reliance on on-premise servers, while retaining the connectivity and access required for day-to-day hotel operations.
Project Rollout
The migration was deliberately phased so that individual hotels could be transitioned while the wider group remained operational.
Infrastructure was prepared in advance, with engineers travelling to each property for the cutover. Onsite support included setting up new devices, assisting users with sign-in and network configuration, and confirming that migrated data was accessible.
At the first property, the old and new environments needed to operate alongside one another because some users and systems still depended on the legacy Citrix environment while others were moving to the new environment. Separate networks were therefore maintained during this stage of the transition.
Challenges and Considerations
A key challenge was managing a substantial technology transition across live hotel environments, while allowing individual properties to continue operating throughout the project.
Key considerations included:
- Coordinating the transition between the incumbent and new IT environments
- Managing Microsoft 365 and business data migration
- Maintaining hotel-specific networks, domains and operational systems
- Supporting legacy and new environments concurrently during parts of the migration
- Managing shared mailboxes and access requirements spanning multiple hotels
- Supporting central reservations and other above-property functions
- Coordinating onsite engineering across multiple properties
These requirements meant careful coordination between the client, incumbent provider and technical teams was essential throughout the programme.
Outcome
The completed programme provided the hotel group with a dedicated cloud-first IT environment, refreshed user hardware, new network and security infrastructure, and migrated Microsoft 365 services.
The phased implementation allowed the transition to take place while hotels remained operational, with hotel-specific cutovers rather than a single group-wide change.
The new environment also distinguishes between hotel-level and central functions, enabling centrally managed teams to access the appropriate organisation-wide resources even when physically based within individual hotels.
Feedback from the hotels has been very positive, particularly around the service provided and the ability for users to work from different locations without being dependent on on-premise servers.
