Digitalising the guest journey is delivering increasingly measurable results in day-to-day hotel operations: a joint case study by SIHOT and Oaky by Plusgrade shows that MEININGER Hotels significantly increased their monthly upselling revenue following the implementation of a two-way integration between the Property Management System and upselling platform. At the same time, manual processes were substantially reduced and operational efficiency across hotel teams sustainably improved.

Prior to implementing Oaky, upselling at MEININGER Hotels was largely handled manually – either through customer care teams or directly at the front desk. Both approaches proved time-consuming, difficult to scale and often led to missed revenue opportunities. With the introduction of Oaky, OTA bookings could initially be addressed in a more structured way, while direct bookings remained only partially integrated into the process. It was only with the jointly developed two-way integration between Oaky and SIHOT that this operational gap was fully closed.

Through the bidirectional connection, additional services are now automatically transferred into the reservation in real time, without requiring any manual input from staff. The result is a fully digitalised upselling process that works seamlessly for both direct and OTA guests, while significantly reducing operational complexity in day-to-day hotel operations.

“From the very beginning, the collaboration between SIHOT and Oaky has been proactive and innovative, resulting in a seamless 2-way integration. Today, we benefit from a scalable setup that boosts revenue, reduces manual work and delivers a smoother journey for our guests”, said Céline Mamane, Head of Digital Marketing at MEININGER Hotels.

Alongside the revenue uplift, additional metrics underline the impact of the integration: the open rate of pre-arrival communication reaches 78%, while F&B services account for the largest share of upselling revenue at 64%, followed by transport services (25%) and early check-in and late check-out (9%). At the same time, hotel teams benefit from significantly faster processes, as a large proportion of upsell requests are handled automatically.

Maria Santoro, Partner Manager at SIHOT Group, adds: “The integration demonstrates how essential an open and connected system environment has become for the hospitality industry. Only when systems such as the PMS and specialised upselling solutions work seamlessly together can additional revenue potential be fully realised. This is exactly where we see a key driver for advancing operational hotel processes.”

For MEININGER Hotels, the development goes beyond pure revenue growth. Centralised control mechanisms at group level ensure a consistent brand experience across all properties, while still allowing for tailored offers at a local level. The results clearly illustrates how upselling is evolving from a standalone sales activity into an integral part of the digital guest experience.

The hybrid concept of MEININGER Hotels combines the service and comfort of an international budget hotel with exceptional facilities, such as a guest kitchen and game zone. Each hotel is characterized by an excellent price-performance ratio, an extremely central location, high-quality furnishings and flexible room structure. The rooms range from classic double rooms to private shared rooms to a bed in a shred dormitory. The individual design of each hotel reflects the character of its local environment and inspires different target groups with flexible hospitality solutions. MEININGER currently operates 38 hybrid hotels in Europe with around 6,200 rooms and around 21,600 beds in 28 European cities such as Amsterdam, Barcelona, Berlin, Cologne, Copenhagen, Edinburgh, Paris, Rome and Vienna. Further hotel projects are under development. www.meininger-hotels.com

Plusgrade powers the global travel industry with its portfolio of leading ancillary revenue solutions. Over 575 of the world’s premier travel brands—spanning airline, hospitality, cruise, passenger rail and financial services—and more than 3,000 hotel and resort properties trust Plusgrade to create new, meaningful revenue streams through incredible customer experiences. As the ancillary revenue powerhouse, Plusgrade has generated billions of dollars in new revenue opportunities across its platform for its partners, while creating enhanced travel experiences for millions of their passengers and guests. Plusgrade was founded in 2009 with headquarters in Montreal and has offices around the world. For more information, visit plusgrade.com.

SIHOT (www.sihot.com) is one of the leading, privately-held modular hotel management software systems designed for leisure resorts, hotel chains, mice hotels, camping and hostels. The SIHOT hotel management platform built for hoteliers covers all operational processes with full customisation, offering a highly qualitative and complete property management solution. Established in 1986, SIHOT Group – including hardware solutions provider ADDIPOS – employs around 220 people at 9 global locations with SIHOT used in thousands of hotels worldwide. Among SIHOT’s global customers include Accor, Best Western Hotels & Resorts, Wyndham Hotels & Resorts and Meininger Hotels.