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Discover how this Finnish hotel reached 100% occupancy by attracting Asian tourist groups
Small and medium enterprises
Discover how this Finnish hotel reached 100% occupancy by attracting Asian tourist groups
At a glance
- From 2 test groups to 150–170 tourist groups
- Streamlined operations with Planet's HotSoft PMS
- From pandemic layoffs to a thriving team
The challenge
The current CEO, Ismo Mäkinen, started managing Kultahippu hotels in December 2011. A small hotel with, at that time 30 rooms (now 72 rooms), and Ismo started a major renovation of the hotel. The website and various aspects of marketing were also improved. However, the hotel grappled with outdated technology for managing bookings and check-in processes.
Since COVID-19 struck, the hotel has experienced a significant downturn, resulting in a dramatic drop in guest numbers. This unfortunate circumstance led to substantial layoffs of hotel staff. Ismo stepped in and did everything from welcoming guests and cleaning hotel rooms to making breakfast – everything required to keep the hotel running. There were very few guests, but during this slower time, Ismo was able to focus on building new relationships and contacts with the Asian market.
A couple of Singaporean travel agencies were approached, and one agency decided to send two test groups of tourists to Hotel Kultahippu. The hotel received great guest feedback, which was the start of a new era for Hotel Kultahippu. During the slower period of the pandemic, Ismo also reached out to Planet to discuss solutions to further improve the guest journey.
The solution
Planet was approached, and after benchmarking and negotiations, Planet’s future-proven HotSoft PMS was implemented in 2015. During COVID, Planet helped to implement Online Front Desk, a self-service check-in where guests could experience a safe and smooth check-in/out process.
Planet's innovative hotel booking system, serves as the central hub for managing reservations. It facilitates seamless guest journeys, encompassing hotel room booking and check-out processes. Additionally, it offers fully integrated TV and Wi-Fi solutions, further enhancing the guest experience. The integration of Planet's payment solution with HotSoft will simplify and streamline the payment process and enable guests to book and pay for hotel rooms and packages via the hotel’s website.
The result
The Hotel Kultahippu achieved remarkable results. The unified PMS provided a holistic view of the business, and the hotel staff experienced a much smoother day-to-day business. Over the years, the relationship between the hotel management and Planet employees has strengthened, and they have been working toward a common goal – to find solutions and technology that empower staff to deliver excellent guest service and enable guests to have exceptional experiences.
Planet also assisted the hotel in finding a better billing process and further integrating with OTAs, so everything is charged directly into the PMS. The hotel has expanded and now consists of three buildings, 67 hotel rooms, and five apartments. All the marketing efforts and relationships with Singaporean travel agencies started to scale. Starting with two pilot tourist groups a couple of years ago,
Hotel Kultahippu is now fully booked for the winter season, with around 150-170 tourist groups expected. Also, for next year, approximately 50% of all rooms are sold out. From an exceedingly difficult situation during COVID-19, when staff had to be laid off, the hotel now has 14 full-time employees, and during winter that number increases to 20. The partnership with Planet and the team is strong and remains so. Ismo recommends Planet to other hoteliers.
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