Learn more about George Street Hotel and Bocardo Hotel
www.gshoxford.co.uk www.thebocardo.co.uk
Sanj Gidda is not your ordinary hotelier. With a history in auto-tech, he is now setting his sights on improving guest experience within the hospitality sector. As the Director for both the George Street Hotel and Bocardo Hotel, located in the heart of Oxford, he has a vision to transform guest experience and hotel operations through his technology experience.
With both properties across the street from one another, travelers can choose to stay at either their 41-bedroom, 5-star George Street Hotel or opt for their cool, budget-friendly, 11-bedroom boutique Bocardo Hotel.
Inherited a host of legacy infrastructure and archaic systems
When Sanj took over the operational strategy for the family-run businesses in early 2022 after a career in the automotive industry, he inherited a host of legacy infrastructure. This included an on-premise PMS with nonexistent customer support, merchant card company challenges with payments, and a poorly integrated channel manager, making day-to-day operations “confusing, labor-intensive, archaic, and frustrating.”
From experience, he knew the first thing that the company needed to focus on was the “implementation of a digital transformation strategy across the whole operation, which would include a complete overhaul of the existing channel manager and PMS.”
An agile partner and platform
Sanj wanted to replace the properties’ legacy on-premise PMS with a modern cloud-based solution that would allow him and his team to access the system from anywhere, anytime. He started researching solutions and partners that could remain agile in an unpredictable market and provide the functionality both properties needed to thrive.
Cloudbeds ended up being a great fit and was implemented in March 2022. Sanj says, “the working culture has been phenomenal, and I’ve been so pleasantly surprised with Cloudbeds.”
Direct bookings increase by 25%+
Backed by Cloudbeds, Sanj could ramp up his efforts to improve operational efficiency and, in just a few months, increased their direct booking rate from 6% to over 33% in August! This reduced reliance on online travel agencies (OTAs) has been a game-changer for the business. To reach this milestone, Sanj says, “Cloudbeds seamlessly manages our Google integration across channels without us having to configure each one, so now we’re appearing across multiple channels.”
Their revenue figures have met or exceeded pre-covid numbers even with lower occupancy rates since Sanj has been able to more efficiently manage their average daily rate (ADR) with increased visibility from Cloudbeds’ data and reports. The rooms sold and occupancy reports have helped showcase performance, and the daily financial report has been a valuable tool for Sanj to keep a pulse on the business.
Sanj has recommended Cloudbeds to other property owners and says, “Cloudbeds is highly empowering and transformational for properties that don’t have IT resources since they’re making it available right off the shelf.”
Another bonus? Sanj has been able to keep track of his properties even on vacation! On a recent trip to Mexico, he “was able to control everything through my phone – my rates, reports, everything. I was on a beach answering questions, that’s everybody’s dream.”
Learn more about George Street Hotel and Bocardo Hotel
www.gshoxford.co.uk www.thebocardo.co.uk
