Black Boy Inn’s Two-Decade Partnership with Guestline Driving Operational Excellence
Seamless operations are paramount to a hotel’s success.
For over two decades, Black Boy Inn has been a stalwart in the industry, navigating its way through shifting technology trends in hospitality and evolving customer demands. Central to this journey has been their partnership with Guestline and The Access Group, a relationship forged in the pursuit of operational excellence.
The Black Boy Inn use The Guestline Platform, GuestPay, GuestStay, Guestline Distribution, Access EPoS, Collins, RotaReady and CPL, all powered by The Access Group.
As Black Boy Inn embraced Guestline's solutions in 2004, they found a trusted ally in streamlining their operations. With The Guestline Platform at the helm, Black Boy Inn integrated its systems, transforming how it managed guest experiences.
In our recent conversation with John Evans, from Black Boy Inn, we delved into the intricacies of the hotel’s journey and how Guestline's suite of cloud-based solutions has been instrumental.
From overcoming challenges of disparate systems to embracing the latest in hospitality technology solutions to achieve operational excellence without any headache, Black Boy Inn's story is one of resilience and innovation in the hospitality industry.
John offers a candid perspective on how Guestline has been a true partner in their journey towards industry excellence. We invite you to delve deeper into the world of Black Boy Inn, Guestline, and hospitality technology solutions.
Can you give us an overview of Black Boy Inn's journey with Guestline and The Access Group over the past 20+ years, and how it’s evolved?
Initially, we operated multiple hotels and back then our booking system was pretty manual - think employees manually entered bookings from faxes and phone calls. It was not optimal, with overbookings and lost faxes causing more than a few issues.
Then along came Guestline and it changed everything.
We transitioned from clunky PC-based systems to a sleek cloud-based solution. Suddenly, we had real-time visibility into all our hotel operations. No more second-guessing or worrying about guest numbers.
In fact, one of the standout features of The Guestline Platform is its enhanced security. Late-night check-ins used to keep us on edge, fearing potential cash mishandling by staff. But with everything tracked in real-time, those worries disappeared, and we could trust that our finances were in order.
Could you elaborate on the specific Guestline products and services that Black Boy Inn uses?
First up, we have got our card terminals and GuestPay solution, which are absolute lifesavers. With GuestPay, we can easily send bills to our guests, they can settle them online, and we can even get invoices sorted out, stress-free. Guestline as a whole is a standout product for us. We've dabbled with other solutions in the past, but nothing comes close to the power and versatility of Guestline.
One of the things we love is how seamlessly it integrates with our other systems. Every customer who walks through our doors is managed via Guestline, allowing us to collect valuable data for things like sending out newsletters to our audience.
They've recently been acquired by The Access Group, which means we have access to a whole suite of Access Group software running in our hotels.
The best part? Guestline integrates with all of it seamlessly. Partnering with Guestline goes beyond the software - it's the entire package that comes with it, making our lives and jobs a lot easier..
What were the challenges or pain points that Black Boy Inn faced, and how has Guestline addressed these?
Where do I start? Before we brought Guestline on board, we had our fair share of headaches. I mean, just imagine trying to run a hotel without the right systems in place - it was a bit of a nightmare. With the introduction of Guestline Distribution, things started looking up. Before that, we were at the mercy of OTAs.
But Guestline Distribution gave us back control over our bookings and revenue. This has been especially valuable since the pandemic hit, as having that type of control has been a lifesaver.
Do you believe AI will have a role in shaping the hospitality industry as we know it?
Oh, absolutely; I truly believe AI will revolutionise how we do things in hotels and the hospitality industry as a whole, for that matter.
From face to voice recognition, the possibilities are endless. Imagine regular customers being identified automatically, with intuitive questions asked before they even step foot in the door. That's why tools like Guestline's Kiosks are so important - they're the future.
How would you describe Black Boy Inn's overall experience with Guestline?
It’s always been top-notch. Their products are incredibly helpful and backed by an excellent, dedicated support team. If we have ever needed support, they've been quick to resolve things. Will Marner has been our main point of contact and he's been wonderful.
In general, dealing with large companies can be very frustrating because you never know who you'll end up talking to. It's like playing a game of roulette, asking the same questions to different people and still not getting a straight answer. This makes the whole interaction feel impersonal, which is not the hospitality way of doing things. But I truly can't fault Guestline's products and services.
They've been invaluable to us, and we wouldn't hesitate to recommend them to anyone in the hospitality industry.
What ongoing relationship does Black Boy Inn maintain with Guestline?
Having a dedicated account manager means we always have a point of contact who's ready to introduce us to any new solutions that Guestline has developed. Plus, their proposition manager is always keen to hear our thoughts and discuss upcoming propositions that could benefit our business in the future.
For us, it's all about that personal touch. We're looking for a one-stop shop to provide all the operational systems we need to run our business smoothly. And with Guestline now part of the Access Group, the collaboration has become even more enticing.
Can you share any notable success stories or outcomes that Black Boy Inn has achieved through its partnership with Guestline?
One of our biggest wins has been reducing our reliance on OTAs.
Don't get me wrong - OTAs have their place, but let's just say their commission rates weren't exactly our favourite topic of conversation – let alone the VAT overcharges.
So, we decided to take matters into our own hands. We started charging a bit more for bookings made through OTAs - think of it as a little extra something to cover those commission fees. Lastly, we threw in a little incentive for guests booking directly through our website - a free breakfast.
And you know what? It worked. We've seen a real shift in our booking patterns, with more and more guests choosing to book directly through our website. The OTAs are still there, of course, but they're becoming less of a big deal compared to our direct bookings.
How does Guestline adapt and evolve its offerings to meet the changing needs of Black Boy Inn?
Guestline is always on the move, continually tweaking and fine-tuning its products to keep up with the dynamic landscape of the hospitality industry. It's as if they've got their finger on the pulse of what we need before we even know we need it.
And that's the thing about Guestline, right? They don’t just provide a quality product - rather, a solution that evolves with us, meeting our needs every step of the way.
Looking ahead, what are the key areas of growth or improvement that Black Boy Inn aims to focus on, and how will Guestline help achieve these?
One of the big ones for us is leveraging technology to enhance the guest experience. We're talking about things like kiosks and AI, making it easier than ever for guests to check-in and get the information they need quickly and efficiently.
Take the kiosks, for example. We're already seeing the benefits of having them in place - guests can breeze through check-in without having to wait in line at the reception desk.
And with AI in the hospitality industry on the horizon, we're excited about the potential for even more seamless interactions. Imagine guests being able to send a link beforehand so that when they arrive, they can head straight to their room without missing a beat.
And that's where Guestline comes in. They've already proven themselves to be leaders in the field when it comes to innovative solutions for cloud-based hotel management software (and hotel technology, as a whole), and we're confident they'll continue to play a role in helping us achieve our goals.
Whether it's integrating new features or providing top-notch support, we know we can count on them to be there every step of the way.
Jonathan Lee, Product Manager at Guestline added
"Our relationship with Black Boy Inn is built on trust, collaboration, and mutual success. I've had the privilege of witnessing firsthand the impact our solutions have had on their business. From optimising operations to driving revenue growth, it's been a rewarding journey."
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See how you, too, could benefit from a fully integrated, seamless platform
"As Black Boy Inn embraced Guestline's solutions in 2004, they found a trusted ally in streamlining their operations"
"With everything tracked in real-time, those worries disappeared, and we could trust that our finances were in order."
"Guestline Distribution gave us back control over our bookings and revenue."
"Their products are incredibly helpful and backed by an excellent, dedicated support team."
"With Guestline now part of the Access Group, the collaboration has become even more enticing."