LOISIUM – A hotel chain with many ideas and a clear mission
LOISIUM stands for a unique combination of hotel, SPA, design and wine. As a young Austrian hotel chain, LOISIUM has managed like no other to combine the wine regions in which the hotels welcome their guests with a carefree hotel stay. Sophisticated design that tells stories, culinary delights that indulge guests with all their senses and, above all, good wines, and breathtaking wellness areas provide the perfect blend of relaxation and adventure.
LOISIUM acts and operates sustainably and future-oriented at the same time. Currently, the LOISIUM portfolio includes hotels in southern Styria, in Langenlois (Kamptal) and in the Champagne wine region – near Epernay in France. The highest good for LOISIUM is both the wine regions that serve as locations for the hotels and the unconditional fulfilment of guests’ wishes. This makes it quite clear that the guests of LOISIUM hotels are the centre of attention.
The goal: Optimizing the guest journey
In the past two pandemic years, a lot has happened at LOISIUM, because if there’s one thing these hotels don’t do, it’s to stand still! The time was used to put the customer journey to the test and to push the digitalization of the hotels. Precisely because the guests’ needs are changing and not only due to Corona. “We have intensively dealt with the digital guest journey. With digital natives, a target group is moving up that requires digitalization. In order to ensure customer loyalty, it is essential for us to be a bit ahead of the zeitgeist. We want to use digitalization to create inspiration and offer our guests added value,” Mustafa Oezdemir, Managing Partner of LOISIUM Wine & SPA explains.
The hotels are not only digitalizing for the sake of digitalization, but also to actively shape the future of the hotels. The pandemic, the current dramatic situation in Eastern Europe, rising inflation and the associated increase in costs, as well as staff shortage have not left LOISIUM Hotels unscathed. The cooperation between LOISIUM and Betterspace came just at the right time. “Despite all the hurdles that currently characterize our everyday life, we do not act pessimistically but solution-oriented. Successful cooperations like the one with Betterspace have certainly come at exactly the right moment. For us, digitalization acts as an inspiration and guide to automated processes in hotels. In particular, we at LOISIUM can contribute to sustainable resource conservation with the tools of digitalization,” says Oezdemir.
Digital helpers with many added values
Betterspace’s digital solutions are used by hotels as efficient assistants in the area of the customer journey. “We are currently using numerous products and solutions from Betterspace. In the hotel lobbies, the interactive design display steles welcome guests and all hotel rooms have been equipped with the digital guest directory the in-room tablets and smart TVs. “Our focus is on informing and communicating with guests. With the existing tablets, TVs and display steles, we can control guest communication in a targeted manner and provide guests with all relevant information,” says Oezdemir.
Via the digital guest directory, hotels provide their guests with daily updates in their rooms. In addition, the tablets offer a lot of up- and cross-selling opportunities directly in the hotel room. The in-room tablets are thus a kind of digital employee and contact person for the guests directly in the hotel room, supporting both marketing and sales. “By using the Betterspace solutions, we have definitely been able to improve our processes in the area of guest communication and guest information. We no longer use printed brochures that quickly lose their validity. We can definitely see a significant added value and cost saving here,” Oezdemir explains.
Smart TVs as a new communication channel in the hotel
The Philips Smart TVs are welcoming guests individually and personally at the beginning of their stay in the LOIUSIUM hotels. The partnership between Philips and Betterspace offers an additional benefit for LOISIUM hotels and their guests.
“In combination with Betterspace’s services, the TVs shouldn’t be inferior to the tablets in terms of function and operation. As a marketing tool, the TVs can also be programmed for specific guest groups in the hotel. The necessary infrastructure and the interface with the hotel’s own hotel management system were the biggest challenges for a smooth process. For us, the Phillips TVs are an additional communication channel in the hotel rooms and thus create not only added value but also a feel-good factor for our guests. After all, the internet capability of the TVs, which ensures the usability of features and streaming services, is something the guests know from home,” Oezdemir explains.
The digital check-in – A new task for LOISIUM
But this is by no means the end of the digitalization of the LOISIUM hotels. “The last two years have shown us one thing above all else, that desire and safety concepts have paved the way to a new and above all digital future. Desire drives tourism and safety or hygiene concepts make the visit sustainably possible for our guests. Against this background, we have also questioned our check-in process. It is solutions such as digital check-in that make everyday hotel visits easier for employees, guests and partners and bring back normality,” Mustafa Oezdemir points out.
Satisfied guests and convinced hotels
The feedback from guests on Betterspace’s digital solutions is consistently positive. “Even if not every guest is currently actively using tablet or TV, the products are still seen as added value. The displays in the hotel lobby are used to collect information, tablet and TV specifically are used for more concrete communication. Our restaurants and wellness areas can promote products and invite guests to book an experience,” Oezdemir says. Here, the most popular content is the leisure activities and the unique offers of the hotels. The possibility to check the current bill via the tablets is also actively used. This saves valuable time when guests check out.
“As a young, dynamic and growing company in the field of digitalization, Betterspace was already a notable address. Actively investing more in this area and bringing digital solutions to bear was a task for LOISIUM, which we initiated even before the pandemic. In particular, the mix of hotel-experienced as well as technical staff was decisive for the cooperation. Betterspace moves with the times and proactively introduces new digital solutions. For LOISIUM, the cooperation with Betterspace symbolizes a collaboration at eye level with a lot of potential.”
LOISIUM and Betterspace – A cooperation with a lot of future potential
The implementation of Betterspace’s digital products was divided into different phases as a project. First of all, there was an analysis of the current situation, in which Betterspace presented concrete recommendations for action in the digital area for LOISIUM Hotels. “It is certainly helpful that Betterspace brings a good background in the hotel industry and, above all, keeps an eye on the operational functionality. In addition, a status quo analysis of the corresponding infrastructure (WiFi signal strength and upgrade, as well as telephone system) was indispensable.
The combination of project manager and technician that Betterspace provided LOISIUM with was decisive in ensuring a smooth process. Once the tablets and TVs were set up, we were able to use the interfaces to create valuable synergies with other systems. Even today, about 2 years after implementation, we, LOISIUM, are in constant exchange with Betterspace. On the one hand, in order to ensure and expand the existing functionalities and, on the other hand, to set our sights on new projects,” Mustafa Oezedmir says.