Case Study Annebrook House Hotel, Mullingar, Ireland
Direct bookings at Annebrook House Hotel skyrocket by 30%, thanks to a revamped two-way integrated strategy
Hotel overview
Annebrook House Hotel is a luxury 4 star hotel in Mullingar, Co. Westmeath with 111 rooms, suites and apartments. The hotel offers a range of dining options from Berty's Bar to fine dining in the Old House Restaurant and is popular with both corporate & leisure guests
Challenges/requirements:
- Old PMS system with Hotsoft was very outdated, and the hotel had received no updates in 10 years, since the original system was installed in 2007. The hotel was working on an old version of the software and they knew the server needed to be upgraded. A cloud-based system was a priority.
- Processes were all manual, and becoming outdated, the reporting was basic and didn’t meet the requirements from the weddings and events side of the business. Manual reports were being compiled for this which took up a lot of staff time when they should have being focusing on the next sale.
- Manual uploading of reservations and rates limited the capabilities of the reservations team, they required a revamped reservations strategy that offered flexibility, live availability, and which communicated with the website and OTA’s.
Solutions:
- Guestline Rezlynx Cloud PMS
- Guestline Channel Manager
- Advanced C&B
Berty Dunne, Proprietor, Annebrook House Hotel:
"Guestline’s Rezlynx PMS is fresh, current and extremely user friendly and in addition to being cloud-based, it simply ticked all the right boxes. There is a logic to the system, it just makes sense and this is certainly attributed to the fact that the majority of the Guestline team are ex hoteliers which means they know and understand the running of a hotel, the quirks that go on day to day and the challenges we face - it’s a win / win relationship.
The Guestline team, from the initial sale, through to support, have been fantastic. The training was excellent, the hotel staff felt relaxed, everyone from a manager to a member of the reception team was trained the same way and in a friendly manner. No one was afraid to ask questions. We have had a very positive experience with Guestline and this is evident across the property. Rezlynx Property Management System makes our working day much more efficient and productive and we have been benefiting from the results since installation.”
Benefits:
Cloud-based PMS
Access to a cloud-based system has transformed how the hotel operates. They now have the ability to log in anywhere, remotely from home or whilst off-site, and view live rates and availability. They were now selling in real time, meaning that their website were working more efficiently for them.
Operational efficiencies
The automation of processes has reduced costs and enhanced staff efficiencies. Staff find the systems intuitive, multi-functional and easy to use and eliminates manual, tedious data entry. Secure payments can now be processed through the system, accepting deposits eliminating a physical credit card machine.
Transformed reservation system saves time
Two-way integration eliminates manual uploading of rates. They can send out rates instantly to OTA’s, for last minute availability and keep the website live, allowing the team to yield improved rates and drive occupancy. This has transformed the hotel’s reservation system and taken the pressure off staff, particularly the front desk team, saving them huge amounts of time, which is now better spent with the guest.
30% increase in direct bookings
Direct bookings have skyrocketed by 30%, with average nightly rate and occupancy up, thanks to a new live availability strategy. Plus, an integration with GuestRevu now helps the property to achieve lifetime customers, receive direct and honest feedback and circulate automated pre and post stay emails to guests. The pre-stay emails have helped upsell dinner reservations, cocktail making classes and other on-site activities which has increased spend per guest.
Accurate reporting
Reporting is now instant and is streamlined into one platform. Feedback from all departments is positive, from finance through to the kitchen and assists heads of departments at crucial meetings with easy to read reports.
Everyone gets a piece of the (revenue)pie
The Advanced C&B offering lets the hotel upload individual packages - the process is easy for staff and operationally it works well. When you break down the costs, it allows all departments to contribute to the revenue budget. Clustering group bookings and costs allows the team to tailor packages, particularly for weddings, hen parties etc. and provides a more accurate bottom line.
Scalable solutions
With possible expansion plans on the horizon, the hotel needed a cloud-based solution that was scalable, intuitive, efficient, easy for new staff to learn and with an API and various product integrations could grow with the hotel into the future.