Alexey's Story: Building Hoteza's Technology and the Team Behind It
From his early days as a telecommunications engineer to helping shape Hoteza's first products and building the team behind them, Alexey Chizhikov has been part of the Hoteza story since 2009. Here, he looks back on the people, ideas, and milestones that brought the company to where it is today, and shares what he is most proud of and what lies ahead.
Q: Alexey, how did your professional journey begin?
I started working quite early. By my second year at university, where I was studying engineering, I was already combining my studies with a job as an engineer in the telecommunications industry. By the time I graduated, I had gained broad experience across several areas, including engineering, programming, DevOps, and tech team management.
Some of my telecommunications projects involved hotels, which is how I first learned about the company that preceded Hoteza. In 2009, Nikolay Beloshitsky invited me to join the team.
Q: What made you choose Hoteza over a more traditional corporate career?
I could have pursued a CTO role at a larger telecommunications company, but I was drawn to the freedom and creativity of a smaller team.
"It was a chance to build something meaningful rather than follow a traditional corporate path."
Hoteza offered a family-like atmosphere, the opportunity to take ownership of my area of the business, work on diverse projects, and travel internationally. That combination was hard to resist.
Q: How did Hoteza take its first steps?
Our team grew naturally alongside our products. Inspired by the first iPhones, we saw new potential in mobile technology and launched our first hotel app to bring the guest experience straight to their phones. As the project evolved, we set out to unite the mobile app with interactive hotel TVs under a single system, while building the first version of the Hoteza TV Classic Metro interface inspired by Microsoft’s minimalist design. Step by step, these solutions came together, laying the foundation for Hoteza TV and shaping the future of the Hoteza Guest Journey platform. Finally, the strong relationships we had already built with hotels through our predecessor company gave us the trust we needed to bring this new guest-facing technology to market.
Q: Looking back, what stands out to you from those early years?
One of the most rewarding things is seeing that the people who joined us early on have stayed with the company for many years. Our first engineers, developers, and designers became part of Hoteza’s long-term journey, growing alongside the company and contributing to its development.
"When you're building something from scratch, the team is just as important as the product itself."
Looking back, it's wonderful to see how our individual professional journeys became intertwined with Hoteza's story.
Q: How did Hoteza's solutions develop and expand over time?
My experience as an integrator, along with the help of several industry contacts, laid the foundation for HSIA – High-Speed Internet solution.
Tablets also became part of our offering. When interactive TV solutions were particularly popular in China, we developed a tablet-based solution for that market.
Hoteza has always been built on a unified backend platform. As we gradually introduced new products, including Digital Signage, Mobile Check-In, and other solutions, the platform continued to evolve, eventually becoming a comprehensive Guest Journey ecosystem.
"Over the years, our technical team has built a truly strong and flexible product. We can integrate with almost any type of equipment and deliver deep customizations to meet the specific needs of individual hotels."
Q: How has Hoteza expanded globally?
As our product gained recognition, we worked more closely with international partners to enter new markets besides Europe. Together, we expanded our presence across the MEA and APAC regions. In recent years, we’ve been actively developing the American market, where we see significant potential for Hoteza.
Our close collaboration with one of our partners also led to the development of the GRMS solution and the creation of Roomio. Today, these solutions are installed alongside Hoteza in many hotels, complementing our core offering.
Q: What has helped Hoteza strengthen its position?
Over the years, we have significantly improved not only our product but also our internal processes and the way we present our solutions. We have built dedicated Product and Project departments, strengthening our product development, project management, and deployment capabilities. We have also established a consistent design language, professional presentations, and polished product demos, while continuing to structure and optimize our business processes.
Industry recognition, including awards from HotelTechReport, and international certifications have further strengthened our credibility. All these improvements help position Hoteza as an attractive and reliable technology partner for major hotel groups as we continue to grow internationally.
Q: Hoteza has grown a lot over the years. What are the main priorities for the company and your team in the coming years?
Hoteza has reached a mature stage, but there is still plenty of room to grow and improve. In the coming years, I'd like us to focus on developing our people and keeping the team motivated, while ensuring smooth cross-coverage and backup across key processes.
Q: After all these years at Hoteza, what are you most proud of?
I'm most proud of our team and the way we work together.
"With such a strong and dedicated technical team, we approach challenges with the mindset that almost anything is possible."
We're able to integrate our solutions with a wide range of third-party systems, and what I appreciate just as much is that our specialists genuinely care about what they've built and continue to improve it every day.
We've also created a friendly atmosphere where everyone can share ideas openly and turn them into reality. Working on international projects makes things even more exciting, giving us the chance to learn from different experiences and take on interesting challenges. It's great to see how much we can achieve when everyone works together towards a common goal.
Q: What do you enjoy doing outside of work? Are there any dreams on your wish list?
Family is a big part of my life, and I try to spend as much time with them as possible. I have two sons, aged 13 and four and a half, and my wife works too, so finding time for my own hobbies can sometimes be a challenge!
I'm a big fan of sports and outdoor activities. I truly believe cycling is a must for everyone who wants to stay healthy and enjoy life for as long as possible. I also love sailing, kitesurfing, and CrossFit.
There are still plenty of adventures on my wish list. When my younger son gets a little older, I hope to make two dreams come true: a sailing trip around the Adriatic Sea and heli-boarding in the Alps.
All in all, I'm really excited about what the future holds, both for my family and for Hoteza. I'm sure there are lots of great things ahead, and I'm looking forward to being part of that journey!
