Case Study

Kora Living’s journey to 60% online check-ins, increased cross-selling, and automating 83% of guest queries with HiJiffy’s conversational AI.

Tiago Araújo

HiJiffy · דֵצֶמבֶּר 12, 2024

This case study explores the success Kora Living had implementing HiJiffy’s Guest Communications Hub across their entire guest journey, from pre-booking to arrival and all the way to departure. They achieved fantastic results by combining their focus on the exceptional guest experience with openness and confidence in embracing automation powered by conversational AI.

Why it matters: Learn about the solutions Kora Living was able to roll out at their properties using HiJiffy’s conversational AI, including automated WhatsApp campaigns that boosted the number of online check-ins and increased revenue from cross-selling.

HiJiffy’s Guest Communications Hub uses a proprietary conversational AI specialised in hospitality to respond to and streamline incoming queries from various platforms into a centralised inbox. It empowers hoteliers to automate communications and procedures, increase revenue and improve overall guest experience. A Spanish hospitality brand Kora Living implemented the solution across the entire guest journey, from pre-booking to arrival, through the in-stay to departure, at two properties: Kora Green City (180 studios & apartments), an urban aparthotel in Vitoria-Gasteiz, and Kora Nivaria Beach (122 villas & apartments), a seaside resort in Tenerife. Kora Living also benefits from available HiJiffy integrations with other hotel management systems they use, such as a booking engine, a PMS, and a contactless check-in service.

Top 3 Core Objectives: Kora Living was looking for a centralised, reliable, all-in-one solution for automating guest communications and boosting revenue.

Automating procedures: The brand wanted to encourage guests to do check-ins and check-outs online to reduce the volume of work for Front Desk staff and improve the guest experience by removing the necessity to wait at the reception.
Increasing upselling revenue: Kora Living has a wide range of available facilities and experiences that hotel guests can book to enhance their experience. The goal was to be able to send automated cross-selling campaigns via WhatsApp to reach their guests with the offers.
Improving guest experience: Having flexibility at their core, Kora Living wanted to optimise their communication channels to provide immediate, 24/7 answers to most incoming queries while having a possibility for their teams to take over when needed.

"HiJiffy has enabled us to optimise the reception staff at Kora Green City. We are a hotel where we rely on technology to automate many of our processes, but we are very clear that our customers value most human warmth, which is our statement (Friendly & Flexible Living). With HiJiffy, our reception team controls the conversations and incidents that do not have to be automated, and at the same time, they have an ally that gives them the necessary time so that once our guests arrive at our accommodation, they feel part of a big family. This close and humane treatment is what allows us to position ourselves in all Kora Living branded accommodation as one of the best rated in the destination."

Ixone Muxitu

Front Desk Manager at Kora Green City

👍 Front Desk Manager at Kora Green City Ixone Muxitu said that While HiJiffy aids in automating tasks at Kora Green City, its additional value lies in enabling reception staff to prioritise genuine human interactions, solidifying the brand’s reputation for friendliness and flexibility.:

"HiJiffy has enabled us to optimise the reception staff at Kora Green City. We are a hotel where we rely on technology to automate many of our processes, but we are very clear that our customers value most human warmth, which is our statement (Friendly & Flexible Living). With HiJiffy, our reception team controls the conversations and incidents that do not have to be automated, and at the same time, they have an ally that gives them the necessary time so that once our guests arrive at our accommodation, they feel part of a big family. This close and humane treatment is what allows us to position ourselves in all Kora Living branded accommodation as one of the best rated in the destination."

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

Brand Manager at Kora Living Iñigo Boulandier said, about their decision: "We did a small market analysis beforehand, but having such good references from several hotel managers and being convinced by the demo, we felt it was the right tool. HiJiffy is a solution that has allowed us to automate a large part of the communication system in our two hotels, to have a 24-hour sales assistant that is operational and generates revenue, gives us metrics that help us to know our guests better and what they want to experience in a Kora Living accommodation. Being a tool that works via API has allowed us to automate other processes such as automatic sending of WiFi keys, access to electronic lock keys during check-in, etc."

📈 The results: Kora Living observed great results in facilitating online check-ins, increasing cross-selling revenue, and automating answering FAQs.

Over 55% of all check-ins at Kora Living properties are done online. Thanks to seamless integrations between HiJiffy and Kora Living’s hotel management systems (their PMS and a digital check-in service), the brand was able to send automated online check-in campaigns on WhatsApp ahead of the guests' arrival. With over 80% open rate on this channel, Kora Living achieved an online check-in rate of 60% at Kora Green City and 55% at Kora Nivaria Beach. Subsequently, the queues were significantly reduced at the front desk on guest arrival, and the reception teams could dedicate their time and attention to what is core to the brand: offering personalised care to the guests. Such developments positively impacted both the guests (improved customer care) and the staff (reduced repetitive tasks). Such developments had a positive impact on both the guests (improved customer care) and the staff (reduced repetitive tasks).
Increased upselling through WhatsApp campaigns with 80% open rates. Kora Living used HiJiffy’s Guest Communications Hub as a central platform to communicate the range of experiences and services available to book. The brand observed increased reservations made since implementing WhatsApp campaigns, from one-off seasonal campaigns to regular ones scheduled throughout the year.
Automation of 83% of guest queries with an 85% CSAT score. During 12 months (August 2022 - July 2023), HiJiffy’s conversational AI implemented at Kora Living properties engaged in over 45,000 conversations with an automation rate of 83% and a CSAT score of 85%. Using HiJiffy’s Guest Communications Hub throughout the entire guest journey, Kora Living automates sending personalised campaigns at the right time, from check-in and welcome message campaigns, to varied cross-selling campaigns promoting their experiences, to check-out and feedback campaigns.