Guestline solution unites previously disparate revenue centres bringing both operational and guest efficiencies.
Hotel Overview
Set within 20 acres of stunning Irish Countryside, yet less than 30 minutes from the capital city, Dublin, Barberstown Castle in Country Kildare wholeheartedly deserves the title of a true ‘hidden gem.’
Built in 1288 and one of the oldest castles in Ireland, it has earnt itself a firm place in Irish history and folklore, taking centre-stage in many historic events over the last 800 years. In more recent years, it was home to guitar legend Eric Clapton who owned the castle in the 1980s, adding to its rich and colourful history.
At the end of 2021, the leadership team of renowned Irish hotelier Ted Robinson and businesswoman Amanda Torrens, combined their hospitality and commercial experience and took over the management of the property.
Their ambition was simple – to be the ‘friendliest hotel in Ireland’, focusing on realising the property’s potential by creating a ‘home away from home’ where guests could truly relax in the historic and luxurious surroundings. Since taking the property over, the team has expanded from 20 to 100, all committed to delivering an outstanding guest experience. We recently met with Ted to discuss the benefits the Guestline platform has brought to his property.
Challenges/ Requirements
- Automate highly manual operational processes that caused frustration and errors for the team as well as leaving little time for the guest
- Integrate disjointed systems (Conference and Banqueting, Food and Beverage, Rooms) and consolidate guest information into one record providing a better guest experience.
- An efficient, easy-to-use system that the team were comfortable using
- Instant access to real-time, accurate information for all
- Build confidence and engagement within the team through a more streamlined and efficient operation.
Ted Robinson, Managing Director, Barberstown Castle, Ireland
‘Guestline is the perfect tool for our hotel. It allows us the flexibility to know weddings, food and beverage and rooms information are all on the one platform. Anyone can access the system from any place and at any time and get all the information they want, accurate and in real-time. It has really transformed our operation.’
Solutions implemented
Benefits
System integration streamlines operational processes
With a longstanding career in hospitality, Ted was familiar with the Guestline Property Management System and was confident it was the right choice of technology when he was looking to replace the outdated incumbent PMS.
The hotel enjoys a thriving conference and banqueting business and is a popular wedding venue. As a result, it needed a PMS that would allow for integration between the food and beverage systems – such as EPOS – and the PMS. This was important to both streamline the billing, reconciliation and invoicing processes and improve the guest experience. Even making a restaurant booking has been simplified.
Integration with ResDiary, means that restaurant availability can be viewed online and bookings can be made seamlessly by any team member at any time, all from their browser. No more referring to the manual bookings diary! For a property with a significant reliance on food and beverage business, the ability to upsell rooms at time of booking to include dinner not only greatly simplifies the role of the front office and reservations teams but also drives a higher average booking value.
Superior training combined with accessible support.
It was key for Ted and the Barberstown team to ensure that any new system was installed as simply and efficiently as possible with minimal disruption to the day-to-day operation. Ted has been delighted with how the switchover from the previous PMS system has gone and how quickly the team became comfortable using the Guestline platform. Ted attributes this to the support received from the Guestline team both throughout the switchover and post go-live.
‘From day one, the training and support have been amazing. The Guestline team was here for a week to set the system up and ensure everyone was comfortable. And should any issues arise, my account manager is at the end of the phone, so we know that any questions will be picked up efficiently giving my team great comfort. However, the very high standard of training, combined with the highly intuitive interface, means that thankfully we rarely need to ask for help.’
Easy access to accurate, real-time information for all
With a strong F&B and conference and banqueting business, it was important that all elements of the hotel operation were consolidated within one platform and that this information could be accessed effortlessly and easily by anyone in the hotel.
‘The Guestline platform allows anyone of my team to access information relating to rooms, the conference and banqueting operation, or the food and beverage department, at any time from their laptop or desktop, confident in the knowledge that it is up to date and accurate. No more wondering if the function sheet you are working from is the latest version. All information is updated in real-time and accessible to all. As a result, less time is spent rectifying mistakes and errors based on out-of-date information.’
Improved team morale
The efficiencies associated with integration have also built morale within the team.
‘Before the installation of integrated systems,’ says Ted, ‘there was so much frustration working with disjointed platforms that didn’t reconcile. There was so much time wasted on paperwork and correcting errors. Installation of Guestline along with the integrated systems and the efficiencies this has brought, means that the team can focus on servicing the guest and building a positive guest experience. Removing much of the manual administration and dealing with errors has resulted in a happier, more engaged, and more productive team. The platform is the bedrock of the operation and we are blessed to have it.’
