Who they are
Wanderer is a boutique guesthouse in the historic center of Sighisoara, housed in a building with over 300 years of history. With 12 rooms, a restaurant, terrace, and wine cellar, the place offers a complete experience for tourists discovering Transylvania.
Cristina Szocs purchased the property in 2015 and transformed it into what it is today. She has been using Pynbooking since opening day.
The challenge
In the beginning, management was manual. Cristina faced the classic problem of small guesthouses: high operational costs for a limited number of rooms. The night shift, in particular, was a financial burden hard to justify — but necessary to handle late check-ins and unexpected situations.
The risk of overbooking was constant. Without a system to synchronize availability across all channels, every manual reservation was a potential incident.
The solution
Pynbooking was chosen from the very beginning, and the decision proved strategic. With the Channel Manager automatically synchronizing all channels, Cristina could finally breathe. But the real surprise came from features that allowed her to completely rethink operations.
GuestApp with smart locks eliminated the need for physical presence at the front desk for check-in. The POS for the restaurant, integrated with QR menus, also simplified the food & beverage side.
The mobility offered by Pynbooking is a huge advantage. I save time and money.
— Cristina Szocs, Owner
The results
- Night shift eliminated — savings equivalent to 2 salaries per year, a significant financial impact for a 12-room guesthouse
- 40% direct bookings — through the Booking Engine, commission-free from OTAs
- Average stay of 3-4 nights on the direct channel, compared to 1-2 nights on Booking.com
- Zero overbooking — automatic synchronization across all channels
The difference in average stay tells an important story: guests who book directly are more engaged, stay longer, and generate higher revenue per reservation. And without the OTA commission, every additional night is net profit.
What's next
With GuestApp and smart locks already implemented, Wanderer is an example of smart digitalization in a historic building. The next goal is further increasing the share of direct bookings, leveraging the authentic experience that Sighisoara offers tourists seeking more than just accommodation.
