Get to know the beautiful property and Castillo de Monda in Andalusia, Spain, one of Atomize first customers. The Co-owner Maryn Gerrits describes the development of their property and how Atomize has helped them to increase hotel revenue.
Castillo de Monda is an intimate boutique hotel, located on a top of a hill in Andalusia, Spain.
A short interview with Atomize customer Castillo de Monda in Spain
– Could you please describe your role and your property’s hotel concept?
Maryn: Castillo de Monda is an intimate boutique hotel, located on a top of a hill in Andalusia, Spain. The castle is built on the foundations of “Al-Mundat”, an Arab fortress from the 9th century. The Andalusian castle has surprising decor and modern facilities which brings an unforgettable stay. It’s your “home” away from home.
– If you would describe the hotel market in Spain with 3 words, what words would it be and why?
Maryn: Diverse; tourism is a huge industry in Spain with 2.9 mln jobs and contributing approx. 12,5% to the country’s GDP. The hotel offer is big and very diverse. Although coastal destinations have a very big pull, we experience noticeable growth in demand for less “touristy” and more authentic inland destinations.
Traditional; Tourism has been around for a long long time and many properties remain operating in a traditional manner. This goes for the look & feel of the hotels but also for the way they operate behind the scenes. To give you an example, night audit reporting is something we don’t do at our hotel nor have use for. In many hotels, this is still a general practice.
In transition; Exciting new projects are being developed and the Malaga area where our hotel is situated is seeing an increase in tourism numbers. The city of Malaga is fast becoming a major hotspot in the south of Spain and many of the visiting tourists are venturing out to explore the surrounding areas.
– How has your technology investments helped you increase revenue, guest experience and overall developed your hotel?
Maryn: Most definitely, I’m always looking at improving processes by automizing where possible. This is more convenient for our guests as well as our team. Allowing them to spend more time with our guests, focusing on what matters. The PMS we’ve selected allows us to automate our entire booking process while we’re making sure to keep a personal touch with all we do. The seamless connection between our restaurant and hotel operations is also a major advantage for us.
Stepping away from static pricing and moving towards dynamic prices has been a recent major improvement. It is a comforting thought that we can be assured that we’re always working with the appropriate rates. Ever since using Atomize, our price setting is less haphazard and based on gut feeling but much more substantiated. Apart from this change optimizing sales and generating extra revenue, it also saves a lot of time not having to set prices manually.
– How did you work before you started using these technologies? And how does Atomize do the work for you today?
Maryn: Our hotel is relatively young, we’ve taken it on from the beginning of 2016. Right from the start, I’ve realized the importance of working with versatile IT solutions that allow us to automize things and interact in a personal manner with our guests. Ever since linking Atomize to our PMS things have become even easier and less time-consuming.
– Can you put into numbers how much time Atomize has saved you or/and helped you increase your hotel revenue?
Maryn: I’m not sure exactly how much time I’m saving updating our rates but at least approx. 4-6 hours per week. So far 2019 has been our best year yet and I like to think that working with Atomize has played a big part in this. We’re anticipating 2020 to be another great year while the outlook is very promising, says Maryn Gerrits.
If you are curious to find out how much extra revenue Atomize RMS can generate for your hotel – use the Atomize Hotel Revenue Calculator
– What are the things you like most with Atomize RMS?
I like being able to trust that at all times we’re using the right prices for that particular moment.
