How smart hotel tech transformed WestCord Hotels
Major Dutch hotel chain embrace agile technology to digitalize their operations, from housekeeping to reservations.
WestCord Hotels customer story
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of guests use online check-in
35%
Paperless housekeeping
100%
saved per check-in
4 minutes
About WestCord Hotels
WestCord Hotels is a Dutch hotel group who have been providing rooms for guests since 1968. The brand has 15 hotels across the Netherlands, in both city center locations such as Amsterdam, as well as in rural areas.
As well as providing outstanding hospitality, sustainability is core to WestCord’s beliefs. Their hotels are Green Key certified and have actioned a huge number of eco-friendly practices over recent years. Moving to a property management system that enabled green hospitality was key for the hotel chain, as was the use of technology to enable more efficient, guest-centric stays.
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WestCord clean up with Leviy integration
Pain
WestCord Hotels wanted their housekeeping team to go fully paperless as part of their sustainability goals. They also wanted to improve communication and make the team more efficient.
Solution
By connecting with Leviy through the Mews Marketplace, WestCord had instant access to housekeeping specialist software. The app allows cleaners to see when guests check out and which rooms to attend, and lets the housekeeping manager know where to find the team and which rooms they need to sign off.
Result
• The housekeeping team is now completely paperless
• Significant time savings because of instant digital communication
• Full onboarding and staff training with Leviy took less than two weeks
“One of the biggest advantages of Leviy was that it was quick to connect. It has a lot of options, but even the basic functionality is simple and good, and will do the job well.”
An agile, remarkable guest experience
Pain
The traditional guest journey is inflexible and transactional. It often means long queues at reception during peak times, and staff are stuck performing impersonal administrative tasks.
Solution
Mews Guest Journey allows WestCord to provide a dynamic, personal guest experience. Many guests choose to check in online before arrival, while the reception team have the flexibility to check in guests away from the front desk, in more comfortable settings – and the same is true for checking out.
Result
• 35% of guests use online check-in
• Average check-in time has improved from six minutes to two minutes
• Bills can be settled on mobile from anywhere, so guests can skip the reception queue at check-out
“Check-out and billing is really quick and friendly for both us and our guests. On a busy check-out day, I can walk around at breakfast, greet people, talk to them and then settle their bills on my phone immediately, right before they have breakfast or right after they have breakfast. Guests love it because they don't have to wait in line.”
Time savings that benefit staff and guests
Pain
With legacy hospitality software, staff are tied up in repetitive, manual tasks that take their time away from more important areas such as the guest experience.
Solution
Mews automates many of the administrative tasks that were previously time-consuming for staff. For instance, no night audit means that the Night Manager now prepares for the morning shift instead, and employees have been redeployed to areas where they better serve the hotels’ guests.
Result
• Automation saves the equivalent of one reservations employee per hotel, who can be better deployed providing excellent guest service
• Major time savings across multiple departments, resulting in better prepared, more effective teams
“My staff is better prepared at the beginning of the shift. The rooms are blocked better, they know who's coming, they know why somebody's coming. There's far more interaction between the guest and the hotel before they arrive.”
“What I really liked about Mews is that I saw that that the new generation, the 16–17-year-old students, understood the system immediately because of its logical flow of work.”
Looking ahead
In May 2021, WestCord Hotels opened their latest property in the beautiful city of Groningen. As the world continues to open up again, the team will look for even more ways to differentiate their hotels to ensure that they return to pre-pandemic occupancies.
Sustainability remains at the core of this decision making, and will be critical when reviewing operations to ensure the business is operating as efficiently as possible. When it comes to marketing, the focus remains on Dutch customers and neighboring countries who can arrive by car or train.
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Make it remarkable.
Ready to take the first step towards a more efficient, flexible, guest-centric approach to hospitality?