Cloud-hosted PMS Lakeside Hotel & Spa Case Study
Cloud-hosted PMS for Lakeside Hotel & Spa
About the company:
Set in an idyllic location, the luxurious four-star Lakeside Hotel proudly nestles on the shores of Lake Windermere commanding stunning views. The Lakeside Hotel has 75 rooms, a luxury pool and spa, two restaurants and a bar that reflect a complimentary mix of modern and traditional decor.
Challenges:
Lakeside previously used a local server based system and needed to change to a cloud hosted system.
They wanted to automate more processes and required a solution that integrated all operational aspects of managing a hotel – from bookings and channel distribution to finance and marketing.
The previous vendor was remote and lacked support and product expertise.
Solutions:
- Rezlynx PMS
- Online Booking Manager
- Channel Manager
- PCI Manager
Benefits:
Online bookings and channel exposure:
Online bookings have doubled in the 6 months since the system was installed, with 70% of their bookings coming direct.
OTA bookings have also increased due to ease of use and greater control over the online travel agents.
With their integrated online booking and channel distribution platform, availability, bookings and rates are automatically updated on their PMS and across multiple channels. The platforms are fully integrated so bookings, regardless of their source, are automatically transferred into their PMS.
Accessibility of the system:
As the systems are cloud hosted, the staff benefit from the flexibility of logging on from any tablet or pc, on or off site.
Housekeeping can access the system on an iPad to see when guests have checked in and if they require any Z-beds or cots. This reduces calls to/from the front desk and enables early check-ins and for housekeeping to prioritise their workload accordingly.
Housekeeping can also log maintenance jobs on the system and update the product list so the available number of Z-beds and cots is updated.
Support and contact:
The team enjoy easy access to Guestline’s UK Support team to get assistance as and when required. The Support team answer all queries and are knowledgeable on all aspects of the system functionality. The hotel benefits from being kept up to date with any system maintenance work.
Billing and reporting:
It is easy to post charges to specific accounts and move items around on the screen. Reports (including end of week/day, commission and OTA reports) are easy to access and provide in-depth data and analysis.
Automation and ease of processes:
Lots of processes are now a lot quicker to undertake. For example, it is quick and easy to confirm a booking – previously the team manually sent out confirmation emails and paid in their deposits at the end of day on PDQ machines.
The confirmation emails are now automatically distributed to guests and with the secure payment gateway, the hotel can take deposits straightaway. This saves the team time, ensures they are PCI compliant and allows them to dedicate more time to guests.
Rates:
Rates and packages are easy to set up and administer across their own website and the channels they connect to. Rates have increased across the channels thanks to the ease of flexing / managing rates which is now an automated process across the channels.
Guest profiles:
Front desk can create guest profiles with comprehensive notes on guests’ preferences and their booking history to help improve the guest experience that the hotel delivers.
Training and installation:
Day to day hotel operations were not disrupted during the installation of the systems. The staff found the system easy to pick up and learn - even when it’s only used sporadically which is the case for some members of staff.
"The Guestline systems have made a huge difference to our business. The systems are multi –functional and there are lots of short cuts helping us save time and resources every day. There is still lots to learn as we’re discovering new functionality every day! We’re looking forward to the opportunities that are ahead of us to get even more out of the system that we currently do."