HiJiffy’s conversational AI at PortoBay automates 80% of guest queries, facilitates pre-check-ins, and increases direct bookings and cross-selling.

GUEST EXPERIENCE

This case study showcases the success PortoBay Hotels & Resorts had implementing HiJiffy’s Guest Communications Hub at 15 of their properties. Spanning across the entire guest journey, from answering common questions pre-booking, through the booking process, to the in-stay cross-selling and beyond, the brand observed fantastic results.

Why it matters: Implementing conversational AI across the entire guest journey, PortoBay Hotels & Resorts observed fantastic results: from answering common questions pre-booking, through the booking process, to the in-stay cross-selling and beyond.

PortoBay was one of the early adopters of HiJiffy’s technology. Placing trust in HiJiffy’s technology and confidence in being supported by the team, PortoBay rolled out the conversational AI across all 15 properties and eventually decided to activate the in-stay part of the solution (formerly known as Virtual Concierge, currently available in the Premium plan) for their 5-star hotels as a measure of differentiation and to provide elevated customer care.

Top 3 Core Objectives: Having set a high bar for the quality of guest communications, as well as ambitious revenue and team management goals, PortoBay were looking for a specialised hotel tech solution that would help them achieve key objectives.

Boost direct bookings: PortoBay were interested in opening other booking channels beyond the website environment, as well as introducing an automated guide to their portfolio, all in line with the effort to increase the reach as well as the ease of booking directly.
Automate guest communications: The brand was looking for opportunities to automate various areas of guest communications, including processing in-house requests and booking other hotel services.
Optimise check-in/out procedures: Both to improve the guest experience and reduce workload for the hotel staff, PortoBay wanted to automate promoting filling out pre-check-in forms and a smooth check-out.

Innovators Mentioned

PortoBay Hotels & Resorts

HiJiffy

Nuno da Costa

Head of Central Reservations

PortoBay Hotels & Resorts

Fabíola Pereira

Chief Marketing Officer

PortoBay Hotels & Resorts

"The implementation of this solution has given the organization the opportunity to be present on our guests’ daily path since the channel usage is now very wide. HiJiffy is now a must-have tool for customer care and for driving new business opportunities. In what concerns our team’s experience, we would like to highlight the following key points that have significantly enhanced our efficiency and effectiveness: centralized communication, efficient message distribution, rapid query resolution, and translation capabilities."

Nuno da Costa

Head of Central Reservations

👍 Head of Central Reservations Nuno da Costa said that The implementation of HiJiffy's solution has given PortoBay the opportunity to be present on their guests’ daily path since the channel usage is now very wide.:

"The implementation of this solution has given the organization the opportunity to be present on our guests’ daily path since the channel usage is now very wide. HiJiffy is now a must-have tool for customer care and for driving new business opportunities. In what concerns our team’s experience, we would like to highlight the following key points that have significantly enhanced our efficiency and effectiveness: centralized communication, efficient message distribution, rapid query resolution, and translation capabilities."

⚖️ The selection process: During their research process, Fabíola Pereira evaluated HiJiffy's product differentiators, customer support, and holistic value as a strategic partner and ultimately decided that HiJiffy was the best fit solution:

Chief Marketing Officer Fabíola Pereira said, about their decision: "From the first moment I met Tiago Araújo from HiJiffy, I felt an enormous enthusiasm and confidence in the people behind the project. The product that was presented in 2017 was completely innovative in the sector, and PortoBay was an early adopter of this technology. One of HiJiffy's most interesting skills was its great ability to listen to the customer and focus on bringing solutions. We feel that we co-created some of the solutions, and that is the best thing we can have in a partnership."

📈 The results: Thanks to implementing HiJiffy's solution across the entire guest journey, PortoBay achieved increased restaurant and spa bookings, improved teamwork and time-saving, as well as over 80% of guest queries being resolved independently by conversational AI.

Over 80% automation rate of 83K conversations. In the three years between the summers of 2020 and 2023, HiJiffy’s AI engaged in 83K conversations, resolving over 80% of them without the need for staff intervention, reaching a CSAT score of 82%. The majority of conversations took place on the web chat (55%) and WhatsApp (32%), with the rest taking place on Instagram, Facebook Messenger and Google My Business. PortoBay also noted that reports available within the solution provided useful, actionable insights, such as which questions are asked the most frequently so that the team could adapt the website content and FAQ answers accordingly.
Increased cross-selling and 20% of pre-check-ins. In their 5-star hotels, PortoBay set up automated WhatsApp campaigns with open rates exceeding 82%. Different campaigns encourage filling in pre-check-in forms a day before the arrival, promote booking other hotel services, and share tips for a smooth and quick check-out. As a result of the effectiveness of the automated campaigns, the brand observed an increase in hotel restaurant and spa bookings and 20% of incoming guests filling out the pre-check-in form.
Improved teamwork and time-saving. PortoBay also noted that the solution directly contributed to improving workflows and collaboration between the teams, thanks to helpful features like a centralised omnichannel inbox, team notifications, or automated translations when replying to a guest in a foreign language. The solution users at PortoBay pointed out that high automation levels reduced the need for staff intervention in resolving guest queries, and having visibility of the guests’ interaction history helped in providing the most appropriate responses.