In conversation with Ramona Wolters, Head of Revenue & Sales at Coffee Fellows Hotels

Please introduce yourself briefly and tell us what makes your hotel or host role stand out.
I am Ramona Wolters, Head of Revenue & Sales Hotels, and a child of the classic chain hotel industry. I had actually already left the operational hotel industry, but when the offer came from Coffee Fellows, the product and the idea behind it grabbed me. The first sustainable Coffee Fellows Hotel was opened 5 years ago and the opportunity to help build and shape a brand and chain has led me back to the active hotel industry.

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Did you or how did you do revenue management before you switched to happyhotel?
At the beginning of my trip, we were represented by 3 hotels. I was alone in my departments. There are now 7 hotels in the operating company. Revenue management did not exist back then. Installments were purchased via Trivago and the systems did not provide targeted yielding. Capacities were quickly reached there.

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What were the decision criteria for Happyhotel?
It became clear relatively quickly that a system was needed. At the beginning, we decided against happyhotel because the pandemic situation was difficult back then. But thanks to a very accommodating and extensive test phase, the decision was made quickly in the end. Apart from the system itself, cooperation on equal terms and partnership are decisive. Feedback is listened to, noted and, whenever possible, implemented directly. The system is set up in collaboration with the customer and adjusted if necessary. No matter how good a product is, if the team behind it doesn't pick you up, then you don't buy it. Personally, I really appreciate honest communication and that was, among other things, a decisive criterion here.

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How does Happyhotel make everyday life easier for you?
We are noticing more and more that demand is changing rapidly. As quickly as the system can react to it, you can't even yield yourself. You simply don't miss out on short-term demand.

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Which feature do you like best?
The daily pick-up report.

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What does the dynamic pricing process look like for you NOW?
In some cases, the system is still learning and has to be adjusted here and there, but it is now possible to yield every hotel accordingly on a daily basis, even for several months in advance. In the event of employee failure, the system still continues to run and less is lost.

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How has your average working day changed since the integration of happyhotel?
We can definitely say that happyhotel has significantly improved our daily work routine. When it comes to prices, we rely entirely on the algorithm, which automatically adjusts the prices, which saves us a lot of time. In addition, thanks to the pick-up report and analysis, we now have much more information about our business and have a much better overview of our figures.

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What do you like best about Happyhotel? Which function feels like saving you the most time?
The pick up report and, of course, the autopilot as well as the short response time from the support team.

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Have you already made any noticeable additional sales and if so, by what percentage have you been able to increase your turnover through happyhotel? (estimate)
Unfortunately, I have little to say about this, as we have no comparative figures and have implemented everything about the pandemic.

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What are your personal tips for future users of happyhotel?
In fact, away from static prices and towards dynamic yielding with autopilot. Even though it takes some time and control at first and you always have to keep an eye on the system, in the end you miss so much less.

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What do you want for Happyhotel's future?
Analysis 2.0 could be further improved. The charts should be a bit more individual to create.

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Digitalization in the hotel industry — what should a hotelier start with?
The interplay between the systems must definitely work. This primarily includes the right PMS system, which can bring in the right partners through interfaces and connections. In doing so, it must be precisely defined in advance how digital it should be. Digitalization also has a lot to do with employees being able to work as remotely as possible and therefore acquiring new staff in a completely different way. Only to a limited extent, of course, as employees still have to be on site.

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What is your most important tool?
The right PMS system. If it doesn't stand or has gaps and you have to make too many compromises, the ball never gets round.

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Name three things that you would share with other hoteliers.
1. The employee at the front brings in the guests and takes care of returning customers, not the managing director in the back office. It is therefore important to create maximum flexibility for employees. Everyone has economics.
2. Stop continuing to draw “pre-Corona comparative figures.” The market and buying behavior have changed. You have to react to that and what was over.
3. Question his working methods. In the end, “It's always been like this” means that you don't develop further. This is difficult for many “old hands”.

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