Two Oxford hotels increase direct booking rates by over 25% with Cloudbeds

REVENUE MANAGEMENT

Sanj Gidda is not your ordinary hotelier. With a history in auto-tech, he is now setting his sights on improving guest experience within the hospitality sector. As the Director for both the George Street Hotel and Bocardo Hotel, located in the heart of Oxford, Sanj is keen to maintain the same high standards that his parents, Hardeep & Sukey, established within the business and take this forward into the next digital chapter, with a particular focus on guest experience & digital transformation.

Why it matters: Sanj wanted to replace the properties’ legacy on-premise PMS with a modern cloud-based solution that would allow him and his team to access the system from anywhere, anytime. They began researching solutions and partners that could remain agile in an unpredictable market and provide the functionality both properties needed to thrive, while having the leadership to pivot through challenging times.

Cloudbeds ended up being a great fit and was implemented in March 2022. Sanj says, “the working culture between Cloudbeds and our team has been phenomenal, and I’ve been so pleasantly surprised with the depth of knowledge Cloudbeds brought to the table.”

Top 3 Core Objectives: The George Street Hotel and Bocardo Hotel achieved a notable increase in direct booking rates by over 25%, relied on 24/7 cloud-based access for operational efficiency, and used enhanced data visibility for effective Average Daily Rate (ADR) management.

Direct booking growth: Achieved a 25% increase in direct bookings, strategically decreasing reliance on external booking platforms.
24/7 Cloud Access: Prioritized constant cloud-based system access to maintain operational continuity and flexibility.
Data-Led ADR optimization: Used data to streamline Average Daily Rate (ADR) management, aiming for better revenue and pricing.

Innovators Mentioned

Cloudbeds

Sanj Gidda

Director of the George Street Hotel and Bocardo Hotel

George Street Hotel and Bocardo Hotel

"Cloudbeds is highly empowering and transformational for properties that have limited IT resources since they’re making it available right off the shelf."

Sanj Gidda

Director of the George Street Hotel and Bocardo Hotel

👍 Director of the George Street Hotel and Bocardo Hotel Sanj Gidda said that Cloudbeds provides an empowering and transformative tool for properties with limited IT resources, simplifying their access to advanced technology:

"Cloudbeds is highly empowering and transformational for properties that have limited IT resources since they’re making it available right off the shelf."

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

Director of the George Street Hotel and Bocardo Hotel Sanj Gidda said, about their decision: "Cloudbeds seamlessly manages many aspects of our commercial data flows, including Google integration into key channels, without us having to invest extensive time configuring each one."

📈 The results: Direct bookings at the hotel increased by over 25%, and the direct booking rate significantly improved from 6% to over 38%. This reduction in reliance on online travel agencies (OTAs) resulted in higher occupancy and revenue.