In June 2006, John Burns was given his industry's highest honor when he was inducted into the HFTP (Hospitality Finance and Technology Professionals) International Hospitality Technology Hall of Fame.  The Hall of Fame was established to recognize industry visionaries and their impact on the hospitality industry in 1989 and since that time only 28 individuals have been honored with induction. To learn more about the HFTP International Technology Hall of Fame and previous honorees, please click this link to HFTP's website.

Identified by Lodging Magazine as one of the ten hospitality experts changing the travel industry, John Burns established Hospitality Technology Consulting to assist hotels and other travel companies deal successfully with the increasingly complex world of electronic travel distribution.

Born and educated in Canada, Mr. Burns began his hotel management career at university conference centers, first in Ottawa and then in Vancouver, B.C.

In 1980 he joined Hyatt International Hotels, initially serving as Assistant Director of Sales at the 656-room Hyatt Regency Vancouver and later in the chain's corporate office in Chicago as Director of Reservation Services.  In 1986 he accepted the position of Director of Reservations at Phoenix-based Ramada, Inc., later becoming Director of Property Systems Support, with responsibility for all technology at Ramada's owned/managed properties.

Furthering his expertise in hotel reservation technology, in 1990, Mr. Burns joined THISCO (now Pegasus Solutions) as its Vice President-Product Development. Moving to INTRICO he developed that company’s customer service organization for the ill-fated Confirm Reservation System.

Mr. Burns founded Hospitality Technology Consulting in May 1992.  Since then, as HTC's president, he has headed this international consulting service specializing in assisting hotel chains and independent hotels in optimizing their central reservations and electronic distribution programs. Strategic planning of reservations and distribution technology, marketing program optimization in the GDS and on the Internet and successful management of central reservation systems and centers are also core consulting interests.

Mr. Burns, an AH&MA Certified Hotel Administrator (CHA), is a past Board Member of the Hotel Electronic Distribution Network Association (HEDNA) and past chairperson of the that organization's Technology Committee and its Application Committee.  In 2002 he received HEDNA's Outstanding Contributor Award for his support of the association's activities over the past decade.   Burns is also active in numerous other travel organizations including ISHC, HFTP, and HSMAI.  In 2006 he received the International Society of Hospitality Consultants' Pinnacle Award recognizing his expertise as a consultant in his field of specialization.   

He has authored three training programs for the HEDNA as well as numerous articles for hotel and travel industry publications - some now used as course materials by the Cornell University School of Hotel Administration.  Mr. Burns speaks frequently to hotel management, GDS and travel industry audiences.

Mr. Burns and his wife/business partner (Judy) reside in Scottsdale, Arizona.