Case Study

Revolutionizing Hotel Operations: How Zipper Hotel runs with 80% fewer staff using Like Magic

Antonia Bernhardt

LIKE MAGIC · 4月 10, 2025

The Zipper Hotel & Apartments, a 168-room property in Düsseldorf that opened in November 2023, is being operated by only six staff members – 80% fewer than traditional hotels of its size. Leveraging the innovative Like Magic platform, Zipper Hotel has streamlined operations, improved guest satisfaction, and maintained high service standards, all while embracing modern technology and a lean team structure.

Why it matters: “Like Magic allowed us to operate with just six staff members, without compromising guest experience. The platform is easy to use, fun to work with, and has revolutionized how we run our hotel.” — Otto Konstantin Lindner, Co-founder, The Zipper

Zipper Hotel & Apartments implemented the Like Magic platform, integrating a booking engine, guest platform, employee interface, and monitoring tools into one centralized system. The platform automated daily tasks, allowing the ultra- lean team to manage 80% of operations from a single dashboard. Guests can handle everything – from check-in, ordering food, requesting additional linen or pillows, to creating keyless room passes and more – directly from their smartphones. With a traffic light notification system and real-time monitoring, staff can quickly address issues and focus on personalized guest experiences. Key features like WhatsApp integration for guest communication and keyless room access further enhance both operational efficiency and guest satisfaction.

Top 3 Core Objectives: Zipper's objectives were to efficiently manage a large 168-room hotel with a minimal staff of six, achieving an 80% reduction compared to traditional staffing levels, while maintaining high-quality guest services. Additionally, they aimed to meet modern guest expectations for digital, instant communication, and ensure staff motivation and proficiency despite the lean team structure

Operational efficiency: Managing a large hotel with minimal staff
High quality service: Ensuring high-quality guest service despite a lean team
Employee satisfaction: Maintaining employee motivation and knowledge

"“Like Magic allowed us to operate with just six staff members, without compromising guest experience. The platform is easy to use, fun to work with, and has revolutionized how we run our hotel.” — Otto Konstantin Lindner, Co-founder, The Zipper"

Otto Konstantin Lindner

Co-Founder

👍 Co-Founder Otto Konstantin Lindner said that LIKE MAGIC enabled us to run our hotel efficiently with a lean team, transforming operations while maintaining an excellent guest experience.:

"“Like Magic allowed us to operate with just six staff members, without compromising guest experience. The platform is easy to use, fun to work with, and has revolutionized how we run our hotel.” — Otto Konstantin Lindner, Co-founder, The Zipper"

⚖️ The selection process: During their research process, Tobias Sebastian Oberdieck evaluated LIKE MAGIC's product differentiators, customer support, and holistic value as a strategic partner and ultimately decided that LIKE MAGIC was the best fit solution:

Managing Director Tobias Sebastian Oberdieck said, about their decision: "“But what I think is really interesting is the useability of the platform, as it is easy to understand and fun to work with. We may be operating with numbers that would have previously constituted a ‘skeleton crew’, but with Like Magic, we are genuinely able to operate just as efficiently and productively as a team of 30.”"

📈 The results: The Zipper Hotel & Apartments achieved an 80% reduction in staff, operating a 168-room property with just six employees, while maintaining high guest satisfaction ratings of 4.6/5 on Google and 8.8 on Booking.com. Additionally, 70% of guests preferred using WhatsApp for seamless communication, and staff training was streamlined to just 1.5 days.

80% fewer staff while maintaining operational efficiency
4.6/5 rating on Google, 8.8+ on Booking.com
Easy to understand and use - employees have fun to work with. Fully trained staff in just 1.5 days.