Cognizant and Whitbread expand relationship

Cognizant and Whitbread have expanded their digital transformation relationship which will see the professional services provider support the hospitality company’s ongoing digital transformation with product design, product management and engineering as Whitbread expands its operations in the UK and Germany.

The renewed relationship will focus on realising Whitbread’s digital growth strategy which looks to deliver an enhanced customer experience.

This follows a major modernisation programme where Cognizant helped Whitbread replace its legacy property management system. As part of this transformation Cognizant reimagined Premier Inn’s e-commerce site and key digital elements such as its business booker and integration services, migrating 900+ hotels’ operations via a phased transition whilst the business continued to successfully operate and service customers.

Thanks to the modernised technology stack and API-driven architecture already delivered, Cognizant can rapidly develop and integrate new features into Premier Inn’s digital channels and its anticipated refreshed mobile customer experience.

The digital transformation envisioned by Whitbread and Cognizant covers all aspects and interaction points of Whitbread customers’ journeys and will enable guests to manage their needs from pre-book, purchasing, check-in, stay and post-stay – with the goal of multiplying direct bookings and unlocking new monetisation opportunities.

This supports Whitbread’s strategic priorities as they look to both innovate in core UK markets and offer a strong digital proposition to grow their brand presence in Germany.

To accelerate the delivery of new digital offerings for Whitbread, Cognizant will be leveraging its AI-assisted software development capabilities and innovation lab to rapidly test and refine new technology prototypes.

“Cognizant has been a long-standing trusted digital partner for us. We are pleased to expand our partnership beyond engineering and delivery services to encompass the full spectrum of digital transformation,” says Harish Rajani, Whitbread’s Director of Change Delivery and Engineering. “Cognizant's thought leadership and cost-efficient nearshore-offshore delivery model perfectly complements Whitbread’s "budget and brilliant" proposition.”

“We are proud to continue our close work with one of the UK’s most trusted and ambitious brands,” says Rohit Gupta, Managing Director UK&I at Cognizant. “Our collaboration to date has reimagined significant parts of Whitbread’s hotel operations, and we are looking forward to creating an attractive digital experience for their customers with a view to help drive bookings and growth across the internationally growing Premier Inn property portfolio.”