Limitless upsell potential and less manual work: How Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Punta Cana harnesses Oaky’s upselling power

REVENUE MANAGEMENT

Nestled along the sun-kissed shores of the Dominican Republic, Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Punta Cana is an all-inclusive 5-star resort featuring upscale amenities and personal service to create the ultimate guest experience. For the past three years, the resort has been leveraging the upselling power of Oaky to ensure streamlined sales of room upgrades and add-ons, helping the hotel team drive and increase ancillary revenue while boosting guest satisfaction.

Why it matters: We had the opportunity to sit down with Brenda Margarita Torres Vargas, the Revenue Manager of Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Punta Cana, who discovered Oaky three years ago and fell in love with the software.

We delved deeper into how she and her team leverage Oaky daily to reach their financial goals and how implementing the two-way integration between Oaky and OPERA via OXI boosted their revenue and improved the guest experience.

Top 3 Core Objectives: For consistent upsell revenue growth, Brenda started looking for a viable solution to:

Automate front desk upselling: With a crowded reception and a constant stream of guests, the team struggled to make personalised upsell offers during check-in.
Elevate guest experiences: Despite high-quality amenities, diverse rooms, and exceptional facilities, guests often overlooked ways to enhance their stay.
Streamlined upsell process: Manual upselling processes added to the complexity, making it cumbersome for the team to identify and capitalise on upsell opportunities

Innovators Mentioned

Hard Rock Hotels

Oaky by Plusgrade

Brenda Margarita Torres Vargas

Revenue Manager

Hard Rock Hotels

"Oaky makes my job so much easier. With its revenue-generating capabilities, I can always be confident that we will reach the hotel budget, as there’s always an opportunity to make a good sale with every guest."

Brenda Margarita Torres Vargas

Revenue Manager

👍 Revenue Manager Brenda Margarita Torres Vargas said that Confidence in reaching the hotel budget skyrocketed with Oaky:

"Oaky makes my job so much easier. With its revenue-generating capabilities, I can always be confident that we will reach the hotel budget, as there’s always an opportunity to make a good sale with every guest."

⚖️ The selection process: During their research process, Brenda Margarita Torres Vargas evaluated Oaky by Plusgrade's product differentiators, customer support, and holistic value as a strategic partner and ultimately decided that Oaky by Plusgrade was the best fit solution:

Revenue Manager Brenda Margarita Torres Vargas said, about their decision: "Setting up new deals is very simple with Oaky. From special packages for events like the Super Bowl to targeted offers for different guest segments (transient guests, families, groups, etc.), we feel empowered to create and sell deals with ease. With the segmentation functionality, we ensure that offers reach the right audience, positively impacting our upsell revenue."

📈 The results: After the Oaky rollout and making a shift to automated upselling, Brenda and her team witnessed a tremendously positive impact on hotel operations and revenue. Despite being an all-inclusive resort, Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Punta Cana started effectively capitalising on guests’ desire to get a better room.

In Q1 2024, the resort’s accepted revenue went up by 56% compared to the same period the previous year
The average upsell revenue per room per month reached $39.42 in March 2024
ROI almost doubled over a year - it went up from 66 in March 2023 to 127 in March 2024.