Hotel management challenged by seasonality in the mountains
When Ana Sánchez joined Snö Hotels as Revenue Manager over five years ago, she encountered an exciting challenge; helping to build a hotel chain from scratch that specialised in snow and mountain destinations – using the right technology from day one.
“We had seen in other hotels the problems that arise from not having the right tools: manual availability updates, lack of communication between systems, overbookings… We knew we needed a solid technological infrastructure from the beginning,” Ana explains.
Snö Hotels, founded in 2017, currently manages 15 establishments with 970 rooms and 92 apartments distributed throughout the most beautiful valleys of the Pyrenees and Galicia. Among its properties are the Hotel and Apartments Snö Mont Romies in Salardú, the Snö Hotel Aragón Hills in Formigal, and the Hotel Pazo O Rial in Vilagarcía de Arousa. The chain specialises in mountain and snow tourism, with marked seasonality that requires maximum operational agility, maintaining an average rate of €110 and 57% occupancy during the season.
Channel manager and PMS integration crucial for seasonal hotels
When Snö Hotels designed its business model in 2017, the team identified the unique challenges they would face as a chain specialised in mountain destinations. The extreme seasonality of snow tourism, where demand fluctuates drastically according to weather conditions, required an agile technological foundation.
The diverse portfolio would need a system capable of managing multiple operations without additional complexity. “A good snowfall can trigger demand in a matter of hours,” notes Ana, explaining why agility was a fundamental requirement in their planning.
The distribution strategy was also designed with a forward-looking vision. They knew they would need a presence on both traditional OTAs and channels specialising in snow tourism, and that manually managing this diversity would be unsustainable for a growing chain. The decision to implement a channel manager integrated with their PMS from the start was not coincidental, but a strategic decision based on the founding team’s previous experience.
“What led us to seek these solutions was mainly the need to automate processes so we could dedicate more time to strategy and less to repetitive administrative tasks,” comments Ana, explaining the philosophy that guided the choice of Suitech PMS and SiteMinder’s channel manager.
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PMS and channel manager integration enabled smooth automation
Snö Hotels focused on implementing a fully integrated tech stack, where the hotel management system and distribution platform functioned as a single solution. This strategic decision allowed them to avoid problems like fragmentation that affects many hotel chains.
Real-time two-way integration became the heart of their operation.
“The moment any change occurs in a reservation, the information automatically flows to all sales channels. Everything happens in the background, without staff having to intervene,” explains Ana.
This perfect synchronisation encompasses inventory, rates, restrictions, and reservations, creating a truly unified workflow.
The power of this integration really became evident during critical situations. Ana recalls an exceptional snowfall that completely transformed demand:
“We were able to adjust our rates in minutes and see them reflected instantly across hundreds of channels. While reservations came in, the system automatically managed availability in real time. We achieved full occupancy at premium rates without a single overbooking or manual intervention. It was a perfect weekend from both operational and revenue perspectives.”
40% more room nights and reduced OTA dependency
Snö Hotels’ technology investment has generated an extraordinary impact in all areas of the business.
Direct channel growth
The direct channel experienced spectacular growth: from 8.42% to 10.5% of total reservations in just one year, representing a 40% increase in room nights.
“This direct channel growth not only improves our margins but allows us a closer relationship with our customers,” explains Ana. Currently, the direct channel represents nearly 30% of the chain’s total reservations.
Distribution optimisation
While the sector average maintains a 70-80% dependency on traditional OTAs, Snö Hotels has managed to reduce it to 50%. This diversification has also allowed them to increase their presence in specialised mountain tourism channels, capturing higher-value customers with longer stays and higher average spending.
Transformative operational efficiency
The chain manages its 15 establishments and 2,500 beds with a remarkably reduced team, has virtually eliminated overbooking problems, and has freed its staff from repetitive administrative tasks.
“We’ve been able to manage our growth without needing to proportionally increase administrative staff,” highlights Ana. “This allows us to invest in what really makes a difference: the guest experience and training our team in customer service.”
Real-time availability management in practice
The true test of any technology is in its practical application, and Snö Hotels has concrete examples that illustrate the power of its integrated ecosystem. One of the most significant achievements was solving the connection with Viajes Baqueira Beret, a strategic partner for their mountain hotels.
“Before, we had to update availability manually through their proprietary platform, which consumed time and generated risk of errors. Now, all our beds are for sale in real time without any manual intervention,” explains Ana with satisfaction.
Managing season openings represents another perfect example of how technology adapts to the particularities of the snow business. Meteorological uncertainty is an inherent part of this sector, and agility is crucial.
“There are times when we don’t have certainty that a station will open until the day before. Imagine what it meant before to manually notify each channel, update rates, manage existing reservations… Now, in a matter of minutes we can open or close sales on all our channels simultaneously. This immediate reaction capability has allowed us to capture last-minute demand that we previously lost and, at the same time, avoid compromising situations when conditions aren’t adequate,” details Ana.
Hotel revenue management integral to a digital transformation
Snö Hotels isn’t content with its current achievements and is already working on the next phase of its digital transformation. The chain is implementing automated management of allotments and guarantees, a crucial aspect for optimising relationships with tour operators during high season. In parallel, they’re advancing in the integration of direct rate uploads from the PMS, which will eliminate one of the last processes that still requires some manual intervention.
“Every technological improvement we implement has a clear objective: freeing up more time for the human element,” reflects Ana.
“What I value most about this entire technological ecosystem is that it allows us to focus on what really matters: guest attention. We’ve experienced a profound transformation, moving from reactive management, where we constantly put out fires and solved operational problems, to truly proactive management. Now we can anticipate our customers’ needs, personalise their experience, and dedicate our resources to creating memorable moments instead of managing administrative processes.”
This continuous evolution reflects Snö Hotels’ philosophy: technology isn’t an end in itself, but the means that allows them to offer exceptional experiences in Spain’s most spectacular mountain destinations.
Thank you, Ana, for the amazing feedback and we wish Snö all the best in the future!