Digitalization at Casa Cranța. Bravo!
Casa Cranța is “A little Chateau”, designed by architect Victor Smigelchi in the 1930s, in the Brâncovenesc style. It remains in the memory of tourists due to its exceptional panorama of Tâmpa and the historic center of Brașov. It has sequentially been the private residence of a wealthy Brașov family, a “party” hotel, and a kindergarten, ultimately finding its vocation as a Boutique Hotel. The guesthouse has 14 unique rooms, both in terms of furniture and structure, complemented by a traditional Romanian restaurant and terrace.
Casa Cranța is the ideal choice for tourists who are enthusiasts of city breaks and are eager to discover the charm of Brașov, regardless of the season.
Business Challenges
Like any intimate guesthouse, Casa Cranța has always relied on a small and loyal team that must manage multiple activities simultaneously. To give this team digital assistance, Casa Cranța transitioned to Pynbooking in 2016, to benefit from a modern cloud-based PMS.
By choosing Pynbooking, the guesthouse abandoned traditional software installed on a reception PC, which was outdated in technology and functionality. The staff wasted a lot of time and attention updating prices on sales platforms where the guesthouse was listed, frequent overbooking situations occurred, and access from other locations was impossible.
“At that time, Casa Cranța had a very complicated software to use, which required a lot of manual processing. When we saw how simple and intuitive Pynbooking was, the entire team was impressed. Such a simple system, yet so comprehensive. It wasn't tied to a PC, and it had hotel-restaurant integration and a very attractive price, so the decision came naturally.” Sandu Pușcașu, Director Hotel Casa Cranța.
Solutions
Since 2016, Casa Cranța has been using Pynbooking daily. Sandu Pușcașu remembers that the contracting and configuration process was easy, and whenever he had a problem or question, he received immediate help from the support service.
The property was defined in PMS, and the rooms were listed through the Channel Manager on multiple digital booking platforms (Booking.com, Expedia, Travelminit), and through the Booking Engine on its website. Since guests are loyal, many reservations are made by phone, but after recording in the system, availability is updated automatically, and the risk of overbooking is avoided.
“I have always been satisfied with the support services of Pynbooking. They respond promptly to the phone and stay with you until any problem or confusion is resolved. Also, the platform is constantly updated according to tax news, like the recent VAT changes.” Sandu Pușcașu, Director Hotel Casa Cranța.
Benefits
For Casa Cranța, the main advantage of using Pynbooking is in simplifying and optimizing current operations. It may sound pretentious, but the reality is that a modern PMS puts the order in the way an accommodation unit works.
The entire process of reservation, confirmation, check-in, signing the accommodation form and GDPR agreement, payment, and check-out has become more coherent and easier to control. It is more convenient for both employees and guests, and everyone saves time.
Why print accommodation forms and invoices when you can use them in digital format?
For the Casa Cranța team, all this means significant time savings and efficiency to be closer to guests.
“We are a small and family-oriented location, and we place special emphasis on direct contact with people. For us, it is important to have a simple check-in and check-out process, and Pynbooking has given us the necessary time to talk to the guests.” Sandu Pușcașu, Director Hotel Casa Cranța.
Flexibility in adjusting commercial policies and prices.
Even though all rooms have unique rates, and these are modified very often, with Pynbooking, these actions don't become a chore. Once recorded in the system, they are automatically updated on all platforms.
“We constantly change the rates, depending on reality: events, season, competition. I couldn't do this if it weren't for Pynbooking because I make the changes once, and then they automatically propagate through the Channel Manager on all sales platforms where we are exposed. These adjustments help us have a higher occupancy rate and better profitability.” Sandu Pușcașu
Signing accommodation forms in digital format and electronic archiving of them in Pynbooking for any request from the authorities.
“Since we started using Pynbooking, we have gotten rid of paper; we no longer print or archive accommodation forms. We have them in digital format directly in the system. Last year, we had an inspection by the Ministry of Tourism, and we could immediately demonstrate the accommodation of a specific client based on the form in Pynbooking.” Sandu Pușcașu
Extended mobility since Pynbooking is accessible from any device connected to the Internet, regardless of location.
“With Pynbooking, I have the Reception in my pocket, literally. I can confirm availability, make reservations, and accommodate any guest directly on my mobile phone. I know what's happening and have access to information anywhere and anytime.” Sandu Pușcașu
Automatic sending through Pynbooking GuestApp of review requests and enriching the website with new reviews.
Currently, Casa Cranța has a score of 9.6 obtained following 780 direct bookings.
Managing the entire guesthouse with a small team, by automating time-consuming repetitive tasks associated with updating rates and availability.
Thus, the staff can carry out other necessary administrative tasks in an accommodation unit.
“For seven years, Pynbooking has helped us function with just two people, plus seasonal employees. It's practically our third colleague.” Sandu Pușcașu, Director Hotel Casa Cranța.
In the post-pandemic era, HoReCa businesses are not going through the most favorable times: fewer tourists, and more expensive utilities. However, technology and digitalization are a solution to keep things under control and do more with the same effort. All for the comfort of the guests and the growth of the business.
