Tucked along Calle de Mariano Abasolo in the historic centro of Oaxaca de Juárez, Mexico, Hotel Azul Oaxaca is far more than a place to sleep. It is a living gallery and boutique hotel where every suite has been individually conceived by a celebrated Oaxacan artist. From the luminous Suite Toledo, its headboard crafted from kites made at the Centro de las Artes de San Agustín, to the geometric energy of Suite Villalobos and the minimalist elegance of Suite Dubon, each space tells a distinct creative story.
Guests can also enjoy Cocina Azul restaurant, the charming interior patio, Campante Bar, Salón-Galería, and Pabilo Café, creating a full sensory experience rooted in Oaxacan culture and craftsmanship.
Since 2021, Hotel Azul Oaxaca has been utilising SiteMinder’s platform to bring the same level of excellence to its online presence as it does to every detail of the guest experience.
We spoke with Orlando Jimenez Mendoza, Assistant General Manager, who oversees operations and distribution at Hotel Azul Oaxaca.
Visibility gaps in a competitive market
For a boutique property of Hotel Azul Oaxaca’s calibre, in a hospitality landscape growing more competitive by the day, reaching the right guests at the right moment required more than word of mouth.
The property needed to strengthen its online reputation, expand its digital footprint, and attract a broader pool of potential travellers, all while maintaining the attentive, personalised service that defines the brand’s experience. Without the right tools to surface the property across key platforms and gain meaningful insight into market trends, revenue opportunities were being left on the table.
Finding a smarter way to grow online
The team at Hotel Azul Oaxaca wanted a solution that would be powerful enough to drive growth yet practical enough to fit the realities of a small-to-medium boutique property.
“SiteMinder stands out as a practical, efficient platform with an easy-to-use channel manager, making it ideal for managing small and medium-sized properties,” says Orlando.
Alongside this simplicity, the inclusion of metasearch capabilities through SiteMinder’s Demand Plus offered a clear path to greater online visibility and audience reach. Reliable, responsive customer support further reinforced that SiteMinder was the right long-term technology partner for the hotel.
Turning reach and data into real results
With SiteMinder’s platform in place, Hotel Azul Oaxaca gained the tools to compete more confidently in the digital marketplace. Guest acquisition became more controlled and efficient, giving the team centralised oversight of inventory and rates and freeing up time and focus for guests.
“The reach of metasearch extends our audience, allowing us to attract more potential guests,” mentions Orlando.
“This broader reach not only boosts our bookings but also helps us maintain a competitive edge in the ever-evolving hospitality market.”
Through Channels Plus, the hotel has also been able to simplify the commercial side of expanding across channels.
“It means saving time for the sales department, it helps us to get closer to new allies and connections are more fluent through SiteMinder. We love that the commissions are now established and we don’t need to lose more time with that topic,” Orlando shares.
Being present on several channels through Channels Plus has also created a strong sales opportunity for the hotel, while having one inventory for everything and unifying all rates has been a major advantage.
These gains were not only about visibility. SiteMinder’s data and analytics opened up a richer view of demand and behaviour that had previously been difficult to access.
“The insights gained from SiteMinder’s analytics are invaluable. They provide us with a deeper understanding of market trends and guest preferences, enabling us to refine our marketing strategies and tailor our services to better meet guests’ expectations,” explains Orlando.
Make your boutique property impossible to miss online
Hotel Azul Oaxaca grew revenue and bookings by combining centralised distribution with the audience reach of metasearch. SiteMinder gives boutique hoteliers the same edge — more visibility, smarter data, less manual work.
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The hotel has also seen value from SiteMinder GDS, which has enabled easier access to the valuable corporate travel market.
“Sharing our sales information through SiteMinder in real time for the sales agents, it’s a great step we took since visibility and acting immediately is currently helping us to capture clients more easily and allowing us to reach the business segment. The implementation of GDS has allowed us to even have reservations from airlines,” Orlando notes.
The cherry on top has been the unfailing support received from SiteMinder.
“Whenever we encounter issues or require assistance, the support team is prompt, knowledgeable, and genuinely helpful.”
Knowing that expert help is always available allows the team to keep operations running smoothly and to focus their energy on guests.
The team is also beginning to explore the mobile app. As Orlando shares, “SiteMinder’s app is something we are still discovering, but we are sure that it will help us in a positive way keeping information such as Dynamic Revenue Plus recommendations, today’s reservations, and our rates readily available.”
Growth that goes beyond the numbers
Since implementing SiteMinder’s platform, Hotel Azul Oaxaca has seen a significant uplift in revenue, a stronger online presence, and a meaningful increase in bookings, all while maintaining the seamless, artful guest experience the property is known for.
The partnership between hotel and tech provider has matured into a more strategic, data-informed way of running the business, enabling the team to make bolder commercial decisions with greater clarity. The result is a property that is more discoverable, more profitable, and better equipped to adapt to changing demand, powered by efficient distribution and metasearch visibility.
“For any hotelier looking to optimise their property management and stay ahead in the competitive hospitality landscape, SiteMinder is a highly recommended choice,” says Orlando.
SiteMinder is proud to support Hotel Azul Oaxaca’s success and looks forward to further growth in the future.
