Nivan Hotels: Building a 100% digital multi-prop group from anywhere

Raif Özbek’s journey into hospitality started on the mats of his Hamburg martial arts school when visiting athletes needed a place to stay. In 2017, he built eight rooms above his gym, which quickly became popular with both athletes and tourists.

As demand grew, Raif expanded and began to refine his operational model. In 2020, he introduced a fully contactless self-check-in process, giving guests more flexibility and simplifying operations. Today, NIVAN Hotels GmbH operates several properties with a total of 130 beds, all centered around a 100% digital concept.

Raif was initially only listed on Booking.com, but knew he wanted to increase his visibility. Being tied to one OTA meant leaving money on the table and limiting his reach.

Manual tasks, like sending individual check-in instructions, were also eating up hours of his day — time he needed to focus on expansion.

After researching his options, he chose Cloudbeds. “As a newcomer to hospitality, Cloudbeds was a real game changer,” Raif says. “Suddenly, I wasn’t just listed on Booking.com anymore – I was visible on all major platforms and could also manage direct bookings through my own website.”

The impact on operations was immediate. “Before, I had to send messages manually – now Cloudbeds does it for me,” Raif says. “That saves me hours of work every day.” 

This efficiency is the key to his lean business model, allowing him to manage 130 beds with a team of just seven employees. The system’s intuitive design makes training new team members fast and simple, granting him the freedom to focus on the bigger picture and run his business from anywhere in the world.

More freedom has been matched by more revenue. By breaking out onto all major OTAs, occupancy at Nivan Hotels has skyrocketed from a range of 50–60% to as high as 95%. With a clear view of his business through Cloudbeds’ reporting — from year-over-year performance to commission costs on a single page — Raif has the data he needs to make smarter decisions and fuel his continued growth.

Today, Raif is expanding his digital concept with the goal of creating a fully integrated reception experience. When asked if he would recommend Cloudbeds, he responds, “Absolutely. Cloudbeds made it possible for me to enter the hospitality industry and grow my business to the next level. It’s user-friendly, powerful, and their support is truly outstanding.”