Why “Best-in-Breed” Beats “All-in-One”: Inside the Tech Partnerships Powering Modern Hospitality

At this year’s EventCamp panel, GoTab CEO Tim McLaughlin joined leaders from Tripleseat, PeopleVine, and Mews to unpack a question many operators ask:

“Why not just build everything in one platform?”

Their answer? Because being great at one thing—and integrating seamlessly with others who are equally great—is what makes hospitality technology work smarter.

The Myth of the “All-in-One” System

Tripleseat’s Director of Strategic Partnerships, Emily Van Dievender-Young, opened with a simple analogy familiar to every event operator.

“When a client asks you to handle the floral, entertainment, and photography for their event, you probably introduce them to your trusted vendors,” she explained. “You rely on partners who are best in what they do—because that’s how you deliver the best guest experience.”

That same philosophy applies to technology. Rather than trying to be an all-in-one solution, each partner on the panel—Tripleseat, GoTab, PeopleVine, and Mews—focuses on what they do best, then connects through open APIs to deliver a seamless experience for operators and guests alike.

Open APIs and Open Partnerships

For GoTab’s Tim McLaughlin, openness isn’t just a feature—it’s a business philosophy.

“Open APIs are a requirement today,” McLaughlin said. “We integrate with more than 200 platforms. If you have to sign a contract to get access to data, it’s not open. We want to make sure operators can connect what they need, when they need it.”

That commitment to openness led GoTab to become the only POS that directly integrates with Tripleseat, simplifying how operators manage event deposits, line items, and payments across systems. McLaughlin shared how that partnership began—with a real-world problem from his own household.

“My wife runs two brewery-restaurants and loved Tripleseat,” he said. “But she wanted it to connect with her accounting and inventory tools. Because she already used GoTab, we reached out and made it happen.”

Staying in Your Lane—and Owning It

Mo Balaji Akintunde, Global Head of Revenue at PeopleVine, put it simply:

“We know our lane, and we stay in it. We help operators manage memberships and loyalty programs, but we lean on our partners for POS, PMS, and event management. That’s how we deliver what’s best for the customer.”

By connecting with platforms like GoTab, PeopleVine, and Tripleseat, hospitality groups with multiple experiences under one roof—restaurants, clubs, hotels, spas—can finally see the full picture of their guests.

Partnerships like these don’t just align technically—they align philosophically. “We all share a belief in serving the operator,” Akintunde added. “Because when the operator wins, so does every guest who walks through the door.”

Listening to Operators, Building What Matters

Every product update starts with one thing: listening.

When a Chicago hospitality group with 13 venues needed an integrated POS and membership solution, PeopleVine and GoTab teamed up to make it happen. “It’s not about checking boxes,” said Akintunde. “It’s about asking, ‘What’s the easiest step that will make the biggest impact for the operator and the member?’”

McLaughlin echoed that approach with an example from GoTab’s partnerships with RFID self-pour systems like PourMyBeer.

“A food hall pouring 200 kegs a week needed a unified system across vendors. That forced us into a partnership—and it’s now one of the most valuable for both our clients and theirs. Each integration starts with a real-world problem, not a sales pitch.”

The Evolution of Integration

Partnerships don’t stop at version one. As Mews’ Senior Sales Director Carson Forster explained, “Integrations are never one-and-done.”

Basic data syncs are table stakes; the real value comes from depth. “It’s not just that a guest can charge their restaurant tab to their room,” Forster said. “It’s that the next morning, the financial controller can see every outlet’s revenue in one place.”

Tripleseat’s latest collaboration with GoTab takes that one step further. McLaughlin revealed a new feature that automates event tab creation directly from Tripleseat.

“With one button, it creates the tab, pulls in the line items and deposit, and depletes inventory in real time,” he said. “It’s about making it effortless for staff while keeping accounting accurate.”

Building for Flexibility, Not Fragility

A question from the audience touched on a common concern: Doesn’t adding more tech make operations fragile?

McLaughlin offered a pragmatic answer.

“Always ask what’s core to your business. If events are only 10% of your revenue, maybe you don’t need deep integrations. But if they’re central, that’s where you invest. Even for us, we keep our stack to five systems or fewer. It’s about smart simplicity, not unnecessary complexity.”

Akintunde agreed, adding that sometimes manual processes help identify what’s truly worth automating. “Once the cost of labor outweighs the cost of tech,” he said, “that’s when it’s time to scale with software.”

Where Partnerships Go Next

From open APIs to shared roadmaps, every panelist agreed: partnerships are about people as much as platforms.

Whether it’s Tripleseat helping event teams stay organized, GoTab connecting ordering and payments, PeopleVine powering memberships, or Mews managing guest stays, the future of hospitality tech depends on collaboration—not consolidation.

“Hospitality is about people,” said Akintunde. “Technology should make it easier for us to serve them.”

Key Takeaways

• Best-in-Breed Beats All-in-One: Focused tools, when integrated, outperform monolithic platforms.
• Open APIs Are the Foundation: Real openness means accessible data—not locked contracts.
• Partnerships Start with Listening: The best integrations solve real operator pain points.
• Iterate, Don’t Imitate: The most valuable integrations evolve alongside customer needs.
• Technology Should Disappear: When the tools work, guests and staff can focus on the experience, not the process.

GoTab is the Entertainment Commerce Platform built for multi-experience hospitality. Through flexible ordering, payments, and open integrations, GoTab helps operators serve smarter—connecting tech that works together, not in isolation.