Hôtel le Crystal is an independent five-star property working on driving direct bookings and increasing guest engagement among their leisure segment. Direct bookings have been a major focus at the hotel for over two years, with the revenue management and marketing teams working closely together on strategy and delivery. Hôtel le Crystal was looking for a direct booking platform for their website that would allow them to keep up with the innovations of OTAs and provide a more engaging experience on their website. That’s where Triptease came in.
Since going live with the Direct Booking Platform in November 2017, Hôtel le Crystal has experienced, on average:
10.5% month-on-month increase in Average Booking Value
6.6% month-on-month increase in Revenue Per Visitor
"We were previously working with a different direct booking software provider, but when I came across Triptease I was really interested. I could see that their Direct Booking Platform was more complete, and more user-friendly too." - Malika Amer-Ouali, Director of Revenue Management, Hôtel le Crystal
Promising beginnings
While in contact with Triptease, Malika attended the 2017 Direct Booking Summit in New York (which Triptease hosts). "As soon as I attended the summit, I knew Triptease were the right solution for us," Malika tells us. "I returned to the hotel and told my team, "We have to make the switch!""
Once Hôtel le Crystal partnered with Triptease, they were introduced to their personal onboarding manager, Annie. Annie worked closely with the team to ensure that they were trained to get the most out of the platform, as well as answering any questions that came up during the integration.
"The integration was easy and convenient," Malika continues. "It went really well! Annie was great, and took real care to answer all of our questions. She built a great partnership with us at the hotel."
Integrated across the hotel
Hôtel le Crystal has implemented the Triptease Platform across its teams, from reservations to marketing to revenue management. The Disparity Dungeon is used to track disparities across the web, providing a real-time log of every undercut rate for the revenue management team to investigate. The Price Check widget then displays to guests searching for rooms whenever the price is in parity or cheaper direct, providing guests reassurance that they are getting the best price.
Malika also works closely with the marketing department at the hotel to create custom Message Porter campaigns to display to potential guests. Message Porter campaigns can be segmented by any number of different parameters, including browser language, length of stay, check-in date and URL.
"We like the fact that we can target visitors for really specific reasons. People always engage better when they feel like they're being talked to directly!" says Malika.
So far in 2018 at Hôtel le Crystal:
7,400 users have seen a Message Porter campaign
14% revenue uplift from Message Porter
As well as Message Porter, the team at Hôtel le Crystal are leveraging Triptease's Front Desk live chat in order to instantaneously connect with potential guests on the website. Reservations staff have adapted well to using the new medium.
"The reservations staff are really happy with Front Desk - and it's working even better than we thought it would," Malika tells us. "We just didn't expect that so many guests would want to start conversations. It's definitely adding value - and it's been a fun challenge for the hotel!"**
So far in 2018 at Hôtel le Crystal:
1,000 messages have been sent by guests
11,000 Price Checks have been shown within Front Desk messages
"The conversations that come through Front Desk are really converting - guests are asking for reservations and conference bookings, for example. It's a really good thing." - Malika Amer-Ouali
Levelling the playing field
Triptease's Direct Booking Platform is making a real difference to Hôtel le Crystal at a key point in their direct booking strategy.
"We have a real battle with the OTAs, and we know that the commission we pay is very high compared to some brands," Malika told us.
"We felt like we didn't have the leverage to even things out. Triptease finally gives us a tool that we can use to our advantage."
Want to find out more about the Triptease platform? Let us know below - we'd love to chat!
