Albero Capovolto
Before, I used to spend the whole day in front of the computer. Now my operational workload has not just been cut in half: it is one tenth of what it used to be.
Golfo Aranci, Italy
7
Background
Albero Capovolto is a hospitality property set in the countryside between Porto Rotondo and Golfo Aranci.
It was founded thirteen years ago as a family-run bed and breakfast with five rooms and, over time, evolved into an adults-only boutique hotel with seven rooms, a pool, and a food-and-wine offering.
Albero Capovolto mainly welcomes international guests, mostly couples who choose its intimate atmosphere to celebrate special occasions such as anniversaries and honeymoons.
“From the opening until today, Albero Capovolto has changed a lot, and it has changed based on guest feedback. Over these thirteen years, we have always asked every single guest what they appreciated and what they felt was missing. That is how we understood what people were really looking for in a place like this.”
This approach helped Albero Capovolto build a large base of loyal guests and attract a growing number of new customers, but it also increased the challenges tied to running the property on a daily basis.
The challenge
As the number of services offered and the volume of demand grew, manual management became increasingly difficult to sustain.
“I did everything by hand. I had one file for customer mailing lists, one where I tracked deposits, one where I noted who I had sent a quote to, and another where I wrote down every guest preference: which room they had stayed in, or whether they had asked for a particular kind of coffee.
On top of that, I personally answered every phone call and message and opened and closed availability on the portals.
I used to spend the whole day in front of the computer, and it was a job that kept me up at night because, naturally, I made mistakes: I had overbooking situations and even serious issues.”
Albero Capovolto therefore turned to Smartness to move beyond amateur-style management, reduce workload, and improve hotel performance.
The solution
To bring more order to operations and strengthen the direct channel, Albero Capovolto adopted Smartpms, the all-in-one property management system that centralizes the property’s operational activities, and Smartcrs, the Central Reservation System dedicated to sales management.
Completing the project, Smartsite created a custom website for Albero Capovolto connected to the Booking Engine, allowing guests to check availability and book directly.
The software that had the greatest impact on Albero Capovolto’s work was Smartcrs, which automated most of the tasks that had previously been done manually.
Smartcrs enabled Albero Capovolto to:
- have real-time visibility on available rooms and dates, avoiding the need to constantly check and reply to every inquiry just to confirm actual availability;
- manage negotiations in a more structured way by creating clickable web quotes with customizable expiry dates and automatic follow-ups, without having to note separately when to contact the guest again or reopen rooms;
- differentiate the strategy across channels, reserving more availability for the direct website and applying different prices or conditions compared with OTAs;
- centralize guest history in the CRM, collecting stays, communications, requests, and preferences in one easy-to-consult archive, especially useful for managing the many returning guests.
“I had no doubts about choosing Smartness because, on top of having all the features I needed, the software was visually intuitive and fast. That day I went home and said: you have no idea, this is the best money I have spent in years.”
The results
In one year with Smartness, Albero Capovolto recorded significant growth. The results show not only a 23% increase in revenue, but also a stronger ability to turn demand into direct bookings through a more organized sales process and a smoother guest relationship.
Better guest relationship management
For Albero Capovolto, one of the most important advantages of Smartcrs is the ability to access a complete guest history.
Today, the team can quickly retrieve previous stays, communications, notes, and each guest’s preferences. This is especially important for a property with many repeat guests who expect attentive and personalized service.
“The most important part for me is the guest history and the possibility of having an archive that clearly keeps track of guests across seasons, years, rooms, what they ate, everything. It is extremely important.”
Stronger direct channel, both online and offline
The introduction of Smartcrs and the booking engine made the booking journey simpler, faster, and less vulnerable to distraction errors or forgotten follow-ups.
In one year, revenue generated by the booking engine increased by 73%. Revenue from the traditional direct channel also grew, meaning bookings handled by phone and email, which rose by 27%.
The result was a more effective sales process that contributed to revenue growth and to a 23% increase in overall average ADR.
Lower workload and room to grow
With Smartcrs, the time spent manually managing inquiries, availability, offers, and bookings dropped dramatically.
“My work in front of the computer has not just been cut in half: today it is one tenth of what it used to be.”
This lighter workload allowed the owner to devote more time to developing the offer and improving the guest experience. Since the start of the collaboration, Albero Capovolto has expanded the services it offers and increased the size of the team without increasing management complexity at the same pace.