Australian beach resort increases direct bookings by 30% with SiteMinder

For more than 20 years, Surfers Beach Resort 2 has been helping travellers enjoy convenient and luxurious accommodation in the heart of Surfers Paradise, Queensland, Australia.

With 18 rooms available to book, hotel guests are able to select a layout and price point that works for their trip in this lively seaside destination.

As this hotel increased its reach to a global audience, it quickly became clear to the hotel’s manager, Elaine Gray, that new technology had to be implemented to continue to move the business forward.

The Challenge

Hotel inventory management became overwhelming

Being a small boutique hotel in Surfers Paradise, Elaine often found it difficult to accept bookings directly over the phone or online. More travellers from around the globe were researching this hotel for their stay and the risk of overbooking was growing all the time. In addition, when Elaine tried to implement her distribution strategy and increase the number of online travel agents that the brand advertised on, her inventory management grew even more complex.

In speaking with previous managers, the hotel operator decided that the best thing to do was search for a hotel technology solution that would provide the property with the services it needed for an affordable cost.

The Solution

An online booking engine with a channel manager held the answer

While there were many technology solutions available to choose from, Elaine found that the recommendation from the previous manager was the best fit for the property.

SiteMinder offered both TheBookingButton and The Channel Manager, which help hotels accept direct bookings online and distribute live room availability and rates to agents across their entire distribution network.

Working together, this combination forms a cohesive connection between the property management system, the online booking system and the online distribution system. There was no other technology solution that offered everything in one convenient location. Suddenly, the risk of overbooking rooms was positively reduced.

In addition to offering the services that Surfers Beach Resort 2 needed for its property, SiteMinder also was the most affordable solution. Elaine liked that the technology was available for a low, flat monthly rate, without compromising when it came to customer service.

The hotel was able to implement the new system with ease, which was much appreciated – and the staff at the hotel also know that customer support can be contacted via one phone number, whenever needed.

The Result

Direct bookings increased by 30%

Surfers Beach Resort 2 has been using SiteMinder for the past three years, and the results are astounding. Elaine reports direct bookings are up by 30% at the hotel, which has significantly boosted the revenue they earn per booking. In addition, the overall efficiency of the hotel’s business operations has improved by nearly 80% since they began using SiteMinder.

Both directly and indirectly, SiteMinder has helped improve the profitability of the hotel and offered other benefits as well. As SiteMinder has streamlined operations and improved efficiency, the manager and her team can focus on interacting more with guests.