Guestline’s systems bring simplicity, efficiency and automation to the Handel’s Hotel operation.
The integrated platform has resulted in benefits for staff and guests alike
Hotel Overview
The Handel’s Hotel must surely be a contender for the hotel with the richest and most colourful history in Dublin. Located in the historic Fishamble Street, the street’s name is a throwback to the 17th century when it was the site for the city’s thriving fish-market.
The hotel’s location further cemented its place in history as the site of Dublin’s famous Musick Hall, home of the first performance of Handel’s Messiah in 1742. Over 250 years later, in 1994, the hotel opened as the nearby Temple Bar was emerging as one of the key attractions for tourists to the city.
Ideally located close enough to enjoy the famous nightlife of this vibrant area, but far enough away to escape the hustle and bustle, the hotel’s location is perfect for those looking to take in all Dublin has to offer with such attractions as The Guinness Storehouse, Dublin Castle and St. Patrick’s Cathedral all within easy access.
The hotel changed ownership mid-lockdown with Christian Nanni taking the mantle of Managing Director in July 2020. In addition to undertaking a complete refurbishment of the hotel’s interior which was only completed in November 2022, the most pressing priority for Christian on assuming his new role was a full review of the hotel’s technology systems.
He was keen to ensure they were not only fit for purpose, but also supported his future vision for the company. Further to extensive evaluation, Handel’s Hotel chose the Guestline platform to bring the efficiencies the hotel was looking for.
Challenges/ Requirements
- Too much time spent on highly manual back-end processes leaving the team little time to engage with guests
- An intuitive, easy-to-use platform that staff felt comfortable using
- Proactive account management and on-hand support
- Technology that supported greater digitisation of the guest experience
Christian Nanni, Managing Director, Handel’s Hotel: ‘We are delighted with the Guestline platform. We were looking for a system that quickly brought efficiencies to the operation as well as setting us up for the future, as guests look more and more to technology to manage aspects of their stay. Guestline has delivered on both of these and is by far the most straightforward and intuitive system we have used.’
Solution implemented
- Guestline PMS
- GuestPay
- Guestline Channel Manager
- Guestline Direct Booking Manager
- Guestline Google Connector
Benefits
Ease of Use
Key for Christian in his selection was simplicity. Given the challenges of the last few years, Christian was fully aware of the need for a flexible and adaptable hotel team, trained in all aspects of the operation and able to easily transfer between departments should staff shortages threaten to impact service delivery. At the heart of this was the need for a straightforward and highly intuitive system that required minimal training and was designed to minimise administrative tasks and bureaucracy.
The resulting efficiencies have both saved time due to a more productive and efficient team, and resulted in cost savings with much of the administrative work now automated. Also, the guest experience is enhanced as the team now have more time to focus on speaking to the guest and making them feel as welcome as possible. ‘I am keen to release staff from the bureaucratic duties to focus on guests and make their experience unique and special,’ says Christian. ‘My team in the hotel has combined experience of using numerous systems but we are all in agreement that Guestline is by far the most straightforward and intuitive system we have used.’
Seamless Integration
Driven by the desire to create more guest time for staff, Christian was keen to install a PMS that integrated seamlessly with other in-house systems. The benefits of a fully integrated system are numerous. It allows for easy collation of guest data across multiple sources meaning more comprehensive guest profiling.
A fully integrated solution also means less time spent reconciling information between systems, allowing for more guest time. In addition, should there be any problems, Christian and his team only have one point of contact to deal with meaning issues can be rectified with ease.
On hand support
Given the staffing crisis and increased pressure on teams, Christian recognises that hours spent on the phone to call centres seeking resolution to system issues is both a huge drain on resources and a source of guest and staff frustration. Easy access to a helpful and knowledgeable customer support team was key to any platform selection so problems could be quickly rectified.
‘We are delighted with the support offered by Guestline at every point in our relationship- from our account manager to the support desk team, we know support is only a phone call away. This is a source of great reassurance to our team.’
Future Proofing
Looking to the future, Christian believes his choice of tech stack now is future-proofing his business as guests look increasingly for greater digitisation.
‘More and more, guests are looking to their mobile phones to manage aspects of their stay. An integrated tech stack, including such functionality as GuestPay allowing guests to pay their bills from their mobile phone, is setting the scene for what I believe will be commonplace in the next 5 to 10 years. More and more aspects of the guest journey will be managed from mobile devices, saving staffing costs and allowing staff to focus on delivering a superior guest experience. I am confident that by partnering with Guestline, with their focus on innovation and continual improvement, we have invested in a system that will evolve to support the customer journey as guests look more and more to technology to deliver all aspects of their stay.’
