Case study – Castlewood Hotels

Join us today as we embark on a deep exploration of Castlewood Hotels' transition to the Guestline Platform, and discover how this forward-thinking move has positioned them as industry leaders in the digital era of hospitality.

For this piece, we had the pleasure to sit down with to speak with Daniel Sangiuseppe, Director of Castlewood Hotels, who shared his valuable insights and firsthand experiences with the Guestline platform.

In this interview, we uncover their reasons for the changeover, the challenges they faced before implementation, and the positive outcomes they have witnessed thus far.

When asked about the driving force behind Castlewood Hotels' decision to transition to a cloud-based system, Sangiuseppe emphasises the desire to bid farewell to on-site servers, backup systems, and the associated IT maintenance.

"We wanted to free ourselves from the burden of managing infrastructure and focus more on enhancing our operations," he explains with enthusiasm.

That said, Castlewood Hotels was in search of a cloud-based solution that seamlessly integrated with their diverse properties while providing consistent performance across various platforms.

For this, Sangiuseppe emphasised the importance of a fully maintained and backed-up system that enabled effortless operations and centralised reporting.

"Guestline came to our rescue with a true multi-property solution that simplifies our workflow and enhances our ability to manage multiple locations efficiently," Sangiuseppe notes with a smile.

One of the most remarkable improvements brought about by Guestline is the enhanced operational efficiency experienced by Castlewood Hotels.

"Our staff members, particularly those involved in back-office functionalities and reporting, can now access information across all our hotels with ease, without the need for multiple windows or complicated remote connections," Sangiuseppe shared.

This centralised accessibility empowered the team to streamline front office processes, finance operations, rate management, and more. In turn, this resulted in increased productivity and streamlined workflows, which keep guests coming back for more.

Castlewood Hotels knows that a seamless guest experience is at the heart of their success throughout all the years they’ve been operational.

Sangiuseppe highlighted the impact of Guestline's pre-check-in feature, which has significantly improved accuracy and speed in completing reservations and guest profiles.

"By identifying and rectifying missing or inaccurate fields before check-in, we have taken guest records to a whole new level of precision and efficiency," he proudly stated.

As a result, these improvements undoubtedly added to heightened guest satisfaction and loyalty, making each check-in a memorable experience.

Moving to the cloud with Guestline has unlocked significant commercial benefits for Castlewood Hotels.

Throughout the interview, Sangiuseppe confidently affirmed that they have witnessed increased revenues, especially with the seamless integration of UpsellGuru, which empowered them to drive upsells more effectively than ever before.

Moreover, the streamlining of operational processes resulted in substantial cost savings, "*Guestline has become our trusted ally, helping us optimise our operations, reduce manual efforts, and generate more revenue while minimising expenses".*

When asked about the most significant improvement to their business, Sangiuseppe highlighted the resilience and mobile accessibility provided by Guestline's cloud platform. "Having our data securely stored in the cloud has given us peace of mind, knowing that our information is protected and always at our fingertips," he says.

This is to say, the ability to access critical information on the go empowered Castlewood Hotels' staff to make informed decisions promptly and cater to guest needs more efficiently, thus aways being one step ahead of the guest’s needs.

Sangiuseppe’s satisfaction with Guestline was evident. To end the interview, he emphasised the advantages of collaborating with a local team that possesses extensive experience in the hospitality industry.

"Guestline's team understands our requirements and continuously works towards improving their products to meet our evolving needs," he concludes with a sense of gratitude.