Case Study

Forum Homini increases direct bookings and ancillary revenue with RoomRaccoon

Viktoria Wunsch

RoomRaccoon · נוֹבֶמבֶּר 28, 2023

Forum Homini is a 14-room boutique hotel located in Letamo Game Farm in the Cradle of Mankind – a historically significant area in South Africa. The hotel offers luxurious accommodation, as well as a restaurant: Roots.

Why it matters: Forum Homini required a hotel management system with an integrated booking engine to help them capture commission-free direct bookings and sell their luxurious extras to guests before they arrived at the property.

RoomRaccoon provides an all-in-one hotel management solution that empowers Forum Homini with all the tools it needs to streamline operations, maximise revenue and create unforgettable experiences for guests.

Top 3 Core Objectives: Forum Homini needed a modern hotel management system to showcase its offering while supporting its business goals.

Increase ancillary revenue: With their previous service provider, Forum Homini was limited in the ways they could advertise their amenities and services to their guests. These included wine and cheese platters, spa treatments, and specials through their restaurant – Roots. Unfortunately, this resulted in missed opportunities to sell these extras to their guests and generate additional revenue. They required an HMS with an automated guest service menu to make it simple to promote special packages and add-ons prior to the guests’ arrival.
Increase direct bookings: Before joining RoomRaccoon, Forum Homini had no online booking tool available on their website, meaning those who did visit were likely to book through OTAs instead. Additionally, taking manual bookings over the phone or email posed risks such as double bookings and required significant amounts of effort from their team. Forum Homini turned to RoomRaccoon to address these challenges and increase its direct booking performance.
Streamline workflow and distribution: Forum Homini relied on an Excel sheet to manually track and update their rates without channel management software. This process was not only time-consuming but also prone to errors. RoomRaccoon’s channel manager provided them with a centralized system to manage and update their rates across various channels, eliminating the need for manual tracking and reducing the risk of errors.

"We didn’t promote our add-ons as much previously because it wasn’t easy - we had to call guests or send them an email manually. With RaccoonUpsell, it’s all automated."

Marlise Davids

General Manager

👍 General Manager Marlise Davids said that RaccoonUpsell was the answer to effectively get more eyes on their ancillary services and generate extra revenue.:

"We didn’t promote our add-ons as much previously because it wasn’t easy - we had to call guests or send them an email manually. With RaccoonUpsell, it’s all automated."

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

General Manager Marlise Davids said, about their decision: "Before we found RoomRaccoon, we ran everything through spreadsheets - which was a nightmare! It takes a lot of time because you are working off a single spreadsheet that needs to work for everyone."

📈 The results: Since implementing RoomRaccoon, the hotel successfully promoted its ancillary services and enjoyed a 41% increase in direct bookings!