South Wind Motel revives the mid-century motel experience backed by modern technology

OPERATIONS

Situated in the heart of the historic German Village just south of downtown Columbus, Ohio, the South Wind Motel delivers a reimagined mid-century motel experience. Originally constructed in 1959, this motel preserves its original charm but, after extensive renovations, has also been elevated by including contemporary elements such as custom walnut furniture, sustainable and ethical skincare products, Chemex coffee brewers featuring local blends, and solar panels for powering all its electrical needs.

Why it matters: Not much about the property had changed since 1959, and when Michael Kelley purchased the South Wind Motel, he knew that renovations were desperately needed – both physically and technologically. He did some initial research, and Cloudbeds stood out as a leader in the industry.

After an introductory call, he immediately knew that Cloudbeds had everything that they needed, and was reassured by its apparent reliability and how widely it is used across the industry.

Top 3 Core Objectives: The South Wind Motel needed a reliable and safe partner that would help with the modernization of the business while keeping costs low and streamlining its operations.

Modernizing operations: The South Wind Motel relied on Cloudbeds to bring an aging property into the 21st century by streamlining operations and facilitating remote guest communication.
Self-service technology: In addition to the Cloudbeds hospitality platform, The South Wind Motel offers self-check-in and keyless entry powered by Lynx and Akia, Cloudbeds’ Marketplace integration partners.
Cost-efficient solutions: Michael and his team turned to Cloudbeds' integration partners in order to handle guest communication remotely while keeping labor costs down.

Innovators Mentioned

Cloudbeds

Michael Kelley

Owner

South Wind Motel

"No thanks"

Michael Kelley

Owner

👍 Owner Michael Kelley said that Cloudbeds checked all of the boxes for what we needed.:

"No thanks"

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

Owner Michael Kelley said, about their decision: "Everyone has been great to work with... The team has been really reliable and has helped us achieve our hybrid model backed by technology."

📈 The results: Since opening, South Wind Motel has increased revenue by 4X and has already received amazing feedback from guests, leaving them with a 4.9-star rating on Google.

Direct bookings: Since reopening with new management, renovations, and modern technology, South Wind Motel has achieved an unbelievable 99% direct booking rate.
Rate plan optimization: South Wind’s average nightly rate has also exceeded projections. Michael plans to further optimize their rate plans using Cloudbeds’ Pricing Intelligence Engine (PIE).
Flexibility and ease of use: With Cloudbeds Payments, they’ve been able to relax their initially strict cancellation and deposit policy, giving travelers more flexibility.