Just a minute’s walk from Ximen MRT Station, Sotetsu Grand Fresa Taipei Ximen offers a modern stay enriched with Japanese hospitality, right in the heart of bustling Taipei.
Since opening its doors in February 2024, spacious and well-appointed guest rooms as well as proximity to one of the city’s most vibrant areas have rapidly made it win over a devoted following of enthusiasts, with couples being especially smitten with the hotel.
All 200 of the hotel’s guest rooms, which range from basic doubles to luxurious triples, are comfortable. In addition to amenities like Japanese-style nightwear, and a multilingual TV system, every room has premium Serta beds, an air cleaner, and high-speed Wi-Fi.
In addition, visitors can avail themselves of the hotel’s convenient self-service kiosks, which provide a seamless arrival by avoiding delays.
Public areas in the hotel are also of note. Multi-day stays are made easy through the ice machine and self-service laundry, while a minimalist lounge area offers an unobtrusive setting for business or unwinding. Apart from the free coffee at lobby level, customers enjoy the convenient presence of the nearby 7-Eleven store.
With this combination of comfort, effectiveness, and neighborhood accessibility, Sotetsu Grand Fresa Taipei Ximen is a modern stay tailor-made for the modern traveler.
The hidden cost of manual communication
Creating a stay that connects with local culture and is remembered for a long time to come is more important than providing guests with just comfort at Sotetsu Grand Fresa Taipei Ximen. In an attempt to immerse the visitors in Taipei culture, the hotel frequently hosts events in the premises and combines them with interesting internet promotions.
Their usual patrons, mostly couples, enjoy cozy, personalized, and special experiences.
But as bookings grew, the team was confronted with a growing problem: front desk personnel were manually handling guests for a considerable amount of time. Because of this absence of efficiency, the team embarked on finding an alternative.
“We needed a way to streamline communication between the front desk and guests because it takes up a lot of time,” says Jimmy Tang, Revenue Management Manager.
By adding GuestJoy through SiteMinder, the team was able to automate guest messaging, reducing the level of manual effort but still maintaining the friendly, engaging tone.
Elevating revenue and efficiency
To enhance operations and power better decisions, the hotel embraced several SiteMinder products: Channel Manager, Insights, Hotel App Store, and Guest Engagement. Tang, who has worked with various properties, was already familiar with SiteMinder.
“All the hotels I work with use SiteMinder. It’s easy to use, intuitive, and works for both beginners and experienced users,” he says.
One of the clearest wins was automating pre-arrival confirmations, saving over 30 hours of front desk time each month by reducing manual guest communication.
“Even that alone has made a huge difference,” Tang adds. With time freed up, staff can focus more on personalizing service, leading to happier, more satisfied guests.
GuestJoy’s upsell feature has also been a revenue driver, especially for luxury or resort-type hotels. Tang conservatively estimates being able to generate total revenue 1-2% higher with manual upsell offers alone.
“From a return on ad spend perspective, achieving a 10:1 return is not difficult,” he notes.
The staff has also seen solid performance from other Guest Engagement (formerly known as GuestJoy) tools, utilizing it for feedback surveys. Having integrated it with Google Maps, they noticed a huge spike in review activity: receiving 28 new reviews in two weeks, a 200% boost from their usual rate. For lower-rated feedback (three stars or below), guests are encouraged to share their feedback internally so that the team can learn and improve without affecting their public image negatively.
Tang also suggested how the Guest Engagement tool can be beneficial for hoteliers who would like to grow their TripAdvisor reviews, which enlarge their chance to participate in Travelers’ Choice Awards Best of the Best Hotels and improve their property image in general.
On the analytics front, SiteMinder Insights has become an indispensable tool for revenue management.
“I keep the dashboard open all the time,” Tang shares. “It helps me monitor real-time booking trends and identify unusual activity, like pricing issues across channels. It’s an essential tool for sharpening data instincts.”
Although the SiteMinder mobile site is easy to use, Tang observes that some basic features are easier to use through browsers. Nevertheless, being able to access it on the go is a plus.
Overall, SiteMinder has streamlined Sotetsu Grand Fresa Taipei Ximen’s ability to operate more efficiently, reduce overbookings, and optimize direct bookings and top-line revenue.
“I can do more in less time. The system has made my job easier, and our guests are happier for it,” Tang continued.
Looking ahead, the hotel is eager to see SiteMinder’s IDeS collaboration implemented in Taiwan, which they believe will deliver even greater value to operations in the domestic market.
SiteMinder is proud to support Sotetsu Grand Fresa Taipei Ximen on their journey toward even greater excellence and guest satisfaction!