Case study – U Parkhotel

U Parkhotel is a 72-bedroom property located in the tranquil surroundings of the University of Twente campus in the Netherlands. Located close to the German border and a few kilometres from the vibrant student town of Enschede, its location makes it preferred for professionals and academics making use of the extensive conference and meeting facilities. For those after a more leisurely stay, the extensive campus grounds offer the opportunity to indulge in numerous sporting activities, with many guests choosing to explore the peaceful surroundings and nearby towns by bike.  

U Parkhotel recognised that technology could bring much-needed automation and efficiencies to both the hotel operation and the guest experience. A busy meeting and conference hotel, they could see that their team spent too much time on routine, repetitive processes and administrative tasks rather than focusing on their guests and meetings business. Keen to explore how cloud-based technology could streamline their operation, the hotel looked to the Guestline platform to bring the automation it was looking for. It was important that any system was user-friendly so all departments within the operation could benefit. With the Guestline PMS at the heart of the operation, U Parkhotel recognised they could bring further efficiencies by extending their relationship to include additional Guestline products. The hotel bolstered its tech stack with the addition of GuestStay, allowing contactless check-in and check-out for guests; GuestPay, automating cumbersome finance processes; and the Guestline Direct Booking Manager (DBM), powering their book direct strategy.

‘We knew a cloud-based PMS would help deliver a more efficient operation but by choosing the Guestline platform, we are delighted to say we have seen benefits across all departments within the hotel. The guest experience has greatly improved too’

• Guestline PMS 
• GuestStay
• GuestPay  
• Direct Booking Manager 

The fully integrated platform has removed many of the manual processes across several departments within the hotel, not only the front office. The solution has brought automation to many repetitive tasks that took up the hotel team's time. As a result, staff are less tied up in paperwork and administration and have more time to focus on engaging with and servicing the guest.

GuestStay allows guests to complete registration pre-arrival meaning they can avoid lengthy queues at check-in. They can make their way to their room quicker, creating a better impression of the hotel on arrival and a more seamless start to their stay. The check-out process for guests has been transformed too. Guests can access their bill online before departure and pay from their mobile device in their preferred currency thanks to GuestPay. This avoids stressful queues on check-out leaving guests with a positive last impression of their stay.

GuestPay, fully integrated with the Guestline PMS, has streamlined many back-office processes for the finance team. The automatic update of folios minimises human error and makes for easier reconciliations. As a result, less time is spent by the team investigating unrecognised transactions meaning more time to focus on more value-added tasks and activities.

Keen to boost their direct bookings, ease- of-use and an intuitive interface were key criteria as U Parkhotel looked for a new booking engine solution. The Guestline Direct Booking Manager was the obvious choice, not only offering a streamlined booking process to optimise conversion, but integration with the Guestline PMS means bookers are guaranteed real-time availability and rates. Mobile responsive, fully customisable and with robust upsell opportunities, the DBM has not only led to an increase in bookings but also driven a higher average booking value.

Key to U Parkhotel’s technology selection was a cloud-based system that was easy to use so benefits could be recognised across the whole operation. The Guestline platform, designed to be highly intuitive for users, has meant all departments have quickly become comfortable navigating the system, resulting in operational efficiencies throughout the hotel.