Hotel Mesikammen nets a broader audience with Oracle Hospitality Distribution

MARKETING

There are many reasons why, as manager of Hotel Mesikammen in Finland, I opted to become an early adopter of cloud-based technology and switched to OPERA Cloud property management system in 2019 – and embraced its new hotel distribution solution just this past summer. But the simplest explanation is this: They both make work so much easier. And trust me, that’s important when your property is almost in the middle of nowhere.

Why it matters: Our location is away from major cities, which would make getting spare parts really challenging if your on-premises server blows up. Since we switched to OPERA Cloud, maintenance and software updates are no longer a worry.

OPERA Cloud Distribution is a global pricing and channel management solution allowing chains or hotels a single system of record for availability, inventory and pricing. OPERA Cloud Distribution provides hotel chains, brands, independents and representation companies with a seamless activation and management of their hotels’ pricing and distribution to increase their revenue, reducing cost and complexity.

Top 3 Core Objectives: In an increasingly digital world where travelers’ buying behavior continues to shift online, it was essential for us to broaden our hotel channel management – without straining our small staff of six hotel workers. Historically, most of our bookings have been achieved directly, either through our website or the old-fashioned way – customers would just call us. In fact, two years ago, 70 percent of our bookings came from phone calls, nearly all Finnish families making reservations. With Oracle Hospitality Distribution, a new hotel room booking software, we have the opportunity to diversify our customer mix significantly, and we’re already witnessing a change.

Save Time: In the past, we had used a couple of OTAs manually, including Booking.com, but avoided others because it was impossible to spend the time to update them individually. But with the addition of Distribution, we don’t have to teach anyone to go to Booking.com and do this and that, because now all things happen in OPERA Cloud. We only have to set our rates once in OPERA Cloud, and they automatically become available to Booking.com as well as Expedia.
Enhance Connectivity: The availability of Expedia was an additional incentive for us to get Oracle Hospitality Distribution. We had not used Expedia before, but adding it required no extra work and we believe Expedia has greater appeal to a broader European market.
Single View for Efficiency: Combined with Simphony, which orchestrates our food and beverage operations, we gain a single, universal view of guest activity and behavior on our property and its dining establishments. And the mobile capabilities of both solutions allow us to work productively and efficiently from anywhere at any time.

Innovators Mentioned

Hotel Mesikammen

Oracle Hospitality

Petri Moisio

Hotel Manager

Hotel Mesikammen

"If you’ve used OPERA Cloud and have familiarity with Oracle processes, learning how to use Distribution is almost effortless. And when there was something we didn’t know how to do, Oracle helped us right away."

Petri Moisio

Hotel Manager

👍 Hotel Manager Petri Moisio said that Adding distribution capabilities to OPERA Cloud is incredibly easy for your teams:

"If you’ve used OPERA Cloud and have familiarity with Oracle processes, learning how to use Distribution is almost effortless. And when there was something we didn’t know how to do, Oracle helped us right away."

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

Hotel Manager Petri Moisio said, about their decision: "I’ve developed a trust with Oracle Hospitality. That’s why if they tell me they have a new technology solution to help grow my business, I’ll think it about for 10 seconds, and say, “Yes, we’ll try it.”"

📈 The results: As a hotel operator, I understand that it’s difficult for some of my peers to embrace new technology. It can be intimidating. But I believe it’s the only way to remain competitive. That’s why I became an Oracle early adopter.

In the first six months of being online with Oracle Hospitality Distribution, our business volume through Booking.com jumped 60 percent, with weekly reservations increasing to 80 from 50 in the same period a year ago. We attribute the gain to improved efficiency with Distribution.
By gaining a hotel direct connect to Booking.com and Expedia, we’ve noticed that we’re attracting a younger audience – younger families as well as younger people traveling with friends. That complements our direct booking efforts, which draw a different demographic, typically customers who are 50 or older.
The mobile capabilities of both solutions allow us to work productively and efficiently from anywhere at any time. Before, if there was a problem, I would always go to the hotel. But now, if my staff calls me, I just open my laptop and go to OPERA Cloud, and we can all see the data and work together in real time.