The Lodge on Loch Lomond Hotel has increased its sales revenue by over £300,000 in the past year with help from the Guestline property management solutions.
The independent family run hotel, nestled on the banks of the Loch Lomond installed Guestline’s Rezlynx PMS, distribution and channel manager, online booking manager, PCI manager and Facebook booking manager to drive occupancy and increase RevPar.
Although occupancy has always been strong at The Lodge on Loch Lomond, their main challenge was to improve on the off peak months. They implemented a new dynamic occupancy led rate strategy with the help of the Guestline team and also added some direct seasonal offers and new experience packages to compliment this strategy. As a result, the hotel has achieved an uplift in occupancy by an average of 15% with this figure rising to over 20% during the off-peak season.
The Lodge on Loch Lomond made considerable improvements to their website which included the addition of a simpler, more effective digital booking facility with the online booking manager. The hotel has also been promoting daily deals exclusively online. All of these strategies have led to an increase in average room rate and a revenue growth of over 50% in online sales over the past year.
The unique destination which offers undisturbed panoramic views of Scotland’s most breathtaking loch has also benefited from an improvement in management processes. The Channel and Distribution Manager has provided the hotel with the KPI reporting required to analyse the online effort and make any necessary adjustments to the strategy. The Rezlynx actual and forecast report is also a key tool for the General DSC_0277Manager to monitor all revenue streams within the business.
Sandra Cunningham, Sales Manager at The Lodge on Loch Lomond, commented: "We’re delighted that the combination of the improved management systems and functions that have been implemented has resulted in such a favourable uplift in occupancy and revenue over the past year. The reporting by rate plan within Rezlynx to further analyse the success of our direct seasonal offers and packages has also ensured the continued growth and development of this area of the business."
The boutique hotel has also been using Rezlynx PMS to manage daily deals more effectively and efficiently which has generated additional sales during off-peak times. Sandra added: "Over the past year, we have run 8 campaigns across Groupon, 5pm and Itison and have directed over 50% of the bookings online through our Online Booking Manager.
"Not only has this improved the process for the customer but has helped us cope with the immediate redemption of the campaign on our Front Desk. Generally, when we launch these campaigns we get inundated with phone calls on the Front Desk which is difficult for our small team to handle and process in such a short space of time. By directing a lot of the bookings online, it helps speed up the process for the customer and doesn’t compromise the customer service we provide on reception at the hotel."
Phil Davidson, Managing Director of Guestline, said: "The hotel’s luxury accommodation that combines the traditional and the contemporary –along with its majestic surroundings - will always prove popular for guests. Our cloud-based systems hopefully add to this overall guest experience by improving the booking procedures and front of house systems. The hotel is a fine example of a property that has taken full advantage of all the functions that the PMS and OBM provide which is evidenced in their outstanding sales and occupancy levels."
