Samee Zafar (Director, London) spoke with Cenk Temiz, CEO of Protel Holding, to discuss the future of hospitality technology, the evolving role of ISVs, and the opportunities presented by cloud technologies, AI, and data. Cenk also shares his ambitions for Protel’s international growth and his perspective on leadership, technology, and innovation.

1. Tell us about your new role and your key goals in the position?

I recently joined Protel Holding as CEO after spending the last few years in Kuwait as CEO Advisor to KNET, the country's national payment system infrastructure. Before that, I spent many years in Turkey's payments ecosystem, including leading the development and growth of TROY, Turkey's domestic card scheme. Throughout my career, my focus has been on technology, digital transformation, building local capabilities, and taking businesses to the next stage of growth.

My role at Protel Holding is ultimately about building on a very strong foundation and taking the company to its next stage of growth. Protel has more than three decades of experience in hospitality technology and a strong position in the Turkish market, so my first priority is to understand the business deeply, listen to our customers and employees, and build on what already works well. At the same time, I see significant opportunities to accelerate our growth, particularly around cloud technologies, AI, data, customer experience, and our relationships with global technology partners. I also want Protel to look beyond Turkey and strengthen its position as a regional hospitality technology player. My goal is therefore not simply to grow the business but to build a more scalable, innovative, and internationally competitive technology company while preserving the customer trust and sector expertise that have been at the heart of Protel's success.

2. What’s the outlook for the ISV industry, especially in the hospitality sector?

My background has largely been in technology businesses operating at the intersection of infrastructure, platforms, financial services, and digital transformation. Moving into hospitality has given me a different perspective on how technology directly impacts day-to-day operations and customer experiences. I see hospitality as an industry where the next wave of technology adoption will be particularly significant because hotels and restaurants are increasingly looking for integrated, cloud-based, and intelligent solutions rather than standalone applications.

I am very positive about the outlook for ISVs, particularly in hospitality. The industry is moving from traditional, largely on-premise systems toward cloud-based platforms that can connect operations, payments, guest experience, data, and analytics. I believe the next phase will be driven by the combination of cloud, AI, and interoperability. AI, for example, will increasingly move beyond being a standalone feature and become embedded across hotel and restaurant operations—from revenue management and forecasting to personalized guest experiences, staff productivity, and decision-making. At the same time, customers will expect their technology providers to integrate seamlessly with a much broader ecosystem of partners and services. For ISVs, this creates a significant opportunity, but it also raises the bar: the winners will be those that combine strong technology with deep industry knowledge, reliable implementation, and excellent customer support. In hospitality, technology ultimately has to make the operation simpler, more efficient, and more profitable.

3. What do you do in your spare time?

Outside of work, I enjoy activities that allow me to be creative and spend time with people. Cooking is probably my favorite way of spending my spare time. I enjoy it almost as much as I enjoy eating! I like trying new recipes and techniques, but what makes it really enjoyable for me is inviting friends over and cooking for them. I often experiment with a new dish and then have friends become the “test kitchen” and give me their honest feedback. There is something I really enjoy about the combination of creativity, craftsmanship, and bringing people together around a table. It is also a great way to completely switch off from work.

4. What book are you reading?

I have always been interested in understanding not only how businesses and technologies develop, but also why societies, institutions, and individuals behave the way they do. So my reading tends to move between business, economics, history, and psychology rather than focusing on one particular genre.

At the moment, I am reading a few books in parallel. One is The Narrow Corridor by Daron Acemoglu and James A. Robinson, which explores the relationship between the state, society, and individual freedoms. I am also revisiting ideas from Why Nations Fail, particularly around institutions and the reasons some economies and societies are able to create sustainable growth while others struggle. On the psychology side, I am reading Yaşam Hikâye mi? (Is Life a Story?) by Turkish psychologist Mine Özgüzel, which looks at how we construct and interpret our own life stories. I find the combination quite interesting because, in different ways, all of these books are about understanding what drives people, organizations, and societies—and I think that perspective is valuable for anyone leading a company.