Eynsham Hall drives revenue and fuels growth with Infor hospitality software technology

Eynsham Hall has more than 130 guest rooms with 30% of its business is conference-based, making use of 43 meeting rooms on site split across four buildings. In 2005, Cathedral Hotels acquired the property and instigated a £2.5 million investment program to refurbish the Hall and its facilities. For their hotel PMS and revenue management systems, they had a legacy solution in place.

As this growth increased business, it soon became apparent that the legacy systems in place were beginning to restrict the ability of the team at Eynsham Hall to exploit new opportunities. The legacy system they had in place was facing support issues and could not integrate with third party booking sites.

Shaun Bowles, general manager, Eynsham Hall explains:

“We had a legacy system with only basic reservation and check in and out functionality. The lack of visibility, revenue data, and automated property management processes meant that we were effectively running the business blind. We lacked the ability to make strategic decisions. We knew that business was increasing but we were in the frustrating position of not knowing how best to handle the growth opportunity in front of us.”

Delivering great guest experiences with cloud technology

Eynsham Hall began a thorough review of the market to source and implement an integrated hotel management and revenue management system. The team selected Infor based on strong integration of the Infor EzRMS revenue management system with Infor HMS hotel property management system (PMS). Furthermore, Infor's attention to enhancing the guest experience and the unique power of Infor® Cloud built on Amazon Web Services®(AWS) aligned with the renewed focus for Eynsham Hall.

During the selection process, broadband capability at the hotel was improved dramatically, opening the option to deploy the solution via the cloud.

Shaun Bowles explains:

“We expected that the revenue and hotel management solutions would integrate as well as they do because they are both Infor applications. However, the responsiveness of the Infor team, and overall, the Infor focus on the guest experience were also strong reasons to partner with them. The option to deploy via the cloud and transfer costs into operating expenditure rather than a big capital investment was also a big attraction. For us, cloud deployment with Infor ticked all the boxes for functionality and future proofing as well, so there really was only one choice in the end.”

Gaining competitive advantage with strategic analysis

Deploying Infor EzRMS hotel revenue management software has led to a substantial improvement in the visibility of revenue for Eynsham Hall. Reservations, regardless of source, are fed directly into the revenue management system so the team now focuses on managing the reservation instead of simply booking it.

These reservations arrive via a variety of sources. The majority of channel management is now automated and direct business via the Eynsham Hall website has increased by approximately 300%. As a result, the distribution of room stock is a key capability. As part of the reinvigorated offering at Eynsham Hall and these improved processes, overall revenues have increased 32%. Shaun Bowles attributes about half of this to the improved revenue management technology and processes:

“We always knew that we could increase revenue. We had high occupancy, driven by a good conference trade resurgence and strong group business at weekend. The missing piece of the puzzle was better reporting and the strategic changes that can be based on the analysis of that information. We now have revenue management capabilities that rival most major London hotels.”

Hotel operational improvements

The improvements in property operations have been no less dramatic. For example, implementation of the Infor HMS Housekeeping Mobile app had made a profound impact on upkeep of the property's 135 bedrooms across four buildings on site.

Rather than time-consuming calls or physically running between buildings to update on housekeeping and room preparation progress, housekeeping staff now simply use the app via mobile phones to notify management and reception when rooms are ready for inspection or to be occupied. At the start of the day, the app assigns rooms to be cleaned and notifies the housekeeping staff of any special requirements.

Shaun describes the importance of this kind of efficiency:

“Eynsham Hall has always been about the experience of the guests and that has guided our investment in the property and the technology. We don’t just sell bedrooms, we deliver experiences. This is what our investment in Infor has realized – better decision-making capability to create a better experience."

The right technology, the right partnership

Your technology partner has to be aligned with your goals to create that same connection with great guest experiences every time. Having the right technology is important. So is having the right partner to support you. Find out how Infor provides both right here.