Rebuilding The Hotel Experience From the Inside Out
Most people don’t think about hotel technology.
They just feel it - when it works, and especially when it doesn’t.
Long queues. Paperwork at the desk. Systems that don’t quite connect. For guests, it’s friction. For hotel teams, it’s constant pressure.
For Ella Blake, it was something she’d seen from every angle.
From Butler To Builder
Ella’s career started in London, working as a butler at Hotel Café Royal - right at the high-end of guest experience.
It was there she saw how hospitality really works behind the scenes.
“I got to see the mechanics of it all - how everything comes together to create that experience.”
Back in New Zealand, she moved through front office, operations, marketing, and business development roles. The throughline was always the same: great people, great intent - but systems that didn’t quite keep up.
Teams weren’t using tools - they were working around them.
“There’s always band-aid solutions. Teams just figuring out the fastest way to get to the end point.”
That gap - between what hospitality could feel like and what it actually was - became the starting point for Altitude.
The Problem Behind The Front Desk
Hotels today run on complex tech stacks. Booking systems, property management systems, door locks, guest messaging, payments - often all disconnected.
That fragmentation creates ripple effects everywhere:
- teams under pressure
- manual workarounds
- inconsistent guest experiences
Altitude was built to solve that at the system level.
“It’s really the glue that connects guests, teams and systems.”
The platform brings everything together into a single, cohesive layer - creating a seamless digital experience for guests while reducing operational load behind the scenes.
The goal is simple: let guests get on with their stay.
Not Every Hotel Is The Same
One of the biggest gaps in the market wasn’t the idea of digital guest experience - it was how rigid most solutions were.
“No two hotels are the same,” Ella explains. “They’ve all got different systems, different setups, different experiences they want to deliver.”
Altitude’s answer is flexibility.
Hotels can switch features on or off depending on their needs, building a version of the platform that fits their property - not the other way around.
Underneath that is a strong two-way integration framework - pulling in clean data, automating service, and removing repetitive tasks from already stretched teams.
It’s not just a tool. It’s infrastructure.
Built With Customers, Not For Them
From day one, product development has been shaped directly alongside customers.
Instead of layering features on top of existing problems, the team works with operators to rethink how things should work altogether.
“It’s about understanding the gap - and then thinking about the future version of that.”
That often means challenging long-standing habits in the industry. Not just digitising processes, but redesigning them.
To stay focused, the team runs everything through a simple filter:
- does it improve guest experience?
- does it drive revenue or loyalty?
- does it reduce pressure on teams?
If not, it doesn’t make the cut.
Different Markets, Different Value
Altitude’s early traction came from small to mid-sized hotel groups - typically three to ten properties - where the impact is immediate and measurable.
New Zealand was the starting point. But it was never the endgame.
As the company expanded into Australia and Southeast Asia, something became clear: the problem is universal, but the value shifts.
In Australia and New Zealand, a key driver is cost - reducing wage pressure and operational overhead.
In Southeast Asia, it’s about experience - helping hotels express their brand digitally and elevate the guest journey.
Same platform. Different priorities.
Changing Behaviour In A Time-Poor Industry
One of the biggest challenges hasn’t been building the product - it’s been shifting mindset.
Hospitality is fast-paced and resource-constrained. Even when better systems exist, adopting them can feel like another burden.
“A lot of it was helping operators see what the future could look like beyond what they’re used to.”
That’s starting to change.
As more hotels see the impact - faster check-ins, reduced workload, better guest engagement - the category is maturing. What once felt optional is becoming expected.
Much like airport kiosks transformed travel, digital guest experience is becoming the new baseline.
Learning To Build A Company, Not Just A Product
Like many founders, Ella has had to learn fast - and often in real time.
From product thinking to customer support systems to fundraising, much of it has been built from scratch.
“It’s been a big learning curve,” she says. “You don’t know what you don’t know.”
One of the biggest shifts has been embracing progress over perfection.
Getting comfortable with “good enough” has allowed the team to keep moving, iterate quickly, and avoid getting stuck.
That mindset has been especially important during their current capital raise - a process that’s helped bring clarity to every part of the business.
“It’s been like a full-time job - but also a really valuable exercise. It forces alignment.”
Preparing For Scale
With a strong pipeline building across multiple markets, Altitude is now focused on scaling what’s already working.
That starts with the team.
Key hires across operations, sales support, customer success, and marketing will unlock the next phase of growth - allowing the company to better support customers and expand faster.
Their model is already proving effective: land in one property, prove value, then expand across the group. From there, customers often adopt more of the platform over time.
Building With The Right Support
Along the way, support from the startup ecosystem has played a key role.
Through Founder Catalyst, access to experienced mentors, and guidance from MC, their Entrepreneur-in-Residence at Ministry of Awesome, the team has been able to sharpen their focus - not just on product, but on building a scalable business around it.
“Having that sounding board - someone to help prioritise what actually matters. MC has been amazing in helping us balance product and business priorities.”
As Altitude develops its product, the right support ensures the business side isn’t an afterthought, positioning the company for sustainable growth and what comes next.
“We’ve been able to access a wide network of mentors and advisers. The generosity and insight have been critical as we get ready for the next stage of growth.”
What Comes Next
With global expansion underway and a platform built for flexibility, Altitude is aiming to redefine how hotels operate.
Not by replacing what exists - but by connecting it.
Because in an industry built on experience, the difference isn’t just in the service.
It’s in how seamlessly everything works together.