Sandos Hotels & Resorts: +20% Increase in Direct Bookings in Less Than a Year

OPERATIONS

Sandos Hotels & Resorts operates six all-inclusive hotels in Spain. Until October 2025, its digital presence in the Spanish market was overshadowed by the global Sandos Hotels & Resorts brand, which also includes properties in Mexico. Sandos.es did not exist as a standalone brand: it lacked a distinct identity, its booking engine was not tailored to the needs of the European—particularly the Spanish—market, and its website conversion rate was low. Direct bookings accounted for less than 5% of total reservations. In October 2025, Sandos partnered with Neobookings with a clear objective: to establish Sandos.es as a dedicated brand for the Spanish market, strengthen its direct booking strategy, and build long-term guest loyalty. One result stood out from day one: at no point did bookings decline during the transition. On the contrary, direct bookings have grown steadily and consistently since the new strategy was launched. Although Sandos has been working with Neobookings for less than a full season, the results already demonstrate the impact of a focused direct booking strategy.

Why it matters: Migrating to a new platform while a hotel is fully operational is a genuine business risk. This case proves that, when executed properly, a platform migration not only avoids disrupting direct bookings but can accelerate them from day one. It also demonstrates that building visibility for a hotel brand in a mature and highly competitive all-inclusive market like Spain is entirely achievable—with the right technology, the right strategy, and the right partner.

Sandos Hotels & Resorts, with 6 hotels in Spain, implemented the Neobookings booking engine, a dedicated website, NeoLoyalty (Programa MÁS with points and tiers), NeoCallCenter with 5 agents, quote management and a Channel Manager with an external connection to Dingus. With this set-up it runs its Spanish-market brand independently from the global brand, handling direct booking, phone support and loyalty management from the same system.

Top 3 Core Objectives: Sandos needed to establish a dedicated presence in the Spanish market by launching Sandos.es, a website built specifically for local guests. From that foundation, the goal was to develop a true direct booking strategy—one focused not only on increasing direct sales, but also on building long-term guest loyalty.

Brand Positioning: Develop a dedicated digital experience for the Spanish market while maintaining consistency with the global Sandos brand. The new website was designed to maximize conversions through intuitive navigation and a seamless booking journey.
Driving Direct Bookings: Grow the direct booking channel by increasing the share of direct reservations and reducing reliance on third-party intermediaries. Ensure a smooth platform migration with no disruption to sales, while enabling performance tracking from day one.
Guest Loyalty: Strengthen guest loyalty and encourage repeat stays through a market-specific loyalty program featuring exclusive tiers and benefits. The objective was to make direct booking more rewarding while building stronger, long-term relationships with guests beyond third-party channels.

Innovators Mentioned

Sandos Hotels & Resorts

Neobookings

Aixa Iglesias Coma

Destination Sales Director

Sandos Hotels & Resorts

"What we value most about Neobookings is the commitment of the entire team from day one. They are true professionals and a pleasure to work with. We've felt supported throughout the entire process, which has given us great confidence. The migration involved a complete change of domain, website, and booking engine, and it was carried out seamlessly. We've never been met with a simple 'no'. Whenever something wasn't possible, the team always proposed a practical alternative. They work closely with our external partners, keep us informed about new developments, stay on top of industry trends, and consistently look ahead to anticipate future needs and challenges."

Aixa Iglesias Coma

Destination Sales Director

👍 Destination Sales Director Aixa Iglesias Coma said that Neobookings delivered a seamless migration, outstanding support, and a proactive partnership that has given us the confidence to grow our direct booking strategy.:

"What we value most about Neobookings is the commitment of the entire team from day one. They are true professionals and a pleasure to work with. We've felt supported throughout the entire process, which has given us great confidence. The migration involved a complete change of domain, website, and booking engine, and it was carried out seamlessly. We've never been met with a simple 'no'. Whenever something wasn't possible, the team always proposed a practical alternative. They work closely with our external partners, keep us informed about new developments, stay on top of industry trends, and consistently look ahead to anticipate future needs and challenges."

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

Destination Sales Director Aixa Iglesias Coma said, about their decision: "Before making our decision, we carried out a comprehensive evaluation of the leading providers in the market, and we chose Neobookings for several reasons. Their solution met all of our requirements while offering additional features, and any functionality that wasn't already available could be developed. It was a modern, agile solution that stood out from the rest. Equally important was the team's flexibility, transparency, and honesty in the way they presented and delivered their proposal."

📈 The results: In just a few months of partnering with Neobookings, Sandos Hotels has achieved consistent, measurable growth in direct bookings. Without disruption during the migration, the company established Sandos.es as a dedicated brand for the Spanish market, launched a fully integrated direct booking ecosystem, and continues to work hand in hand with the Neobookings team to optimize performance and drive growth.

Immediate and sustained growth in direct bookings: 1. October–December 2025 (first months after implementation): +15% growth in direct bookings compared to the same period the previous year. 2. January–May 2026 (by booking date): +16% growth in direct bookings. 3. January–April 2026 (by stay date): +20% growth in direct bookings compared to the previous year. Direct bookings continue to show a strong upward trend ahead of the peak season.
A dedicated digital ecosystem for the Spanish market. Launch of Sandos.es, featuring a fully optimized booking engine, including a call center module, an intuitive user experience, a conversion-focused website, and clear positioning tailored to the Spanish market.
A fully operational loyalty program: Deployment of NeoLoyalty, a fully customized loyalty platform powering the MÁS Program, with membership tiers, points accumulation, and balance management designed to reward direct bookings and strengthen long-term guest relationships.