Gasthof Hotel Post
When we achieve better room rates, we have more to invest back into the quality of our hotel. That’s what matters most to us.
Strass im Zillertal
53
Context
Gasthof Hotel Post has been welcoming guests in Strass im Zillertal, Austria, since 1840. What began as a traditional inn with a few guest rooms has evolved over four generations into a modern four-star hotel. Today, Alois and Christine Rainer run the family business with a team of around 30 employees.
The property has undergone major changes over the past 20 years. An extensive renovation, completed in early 2021, introduced modern conference facilities and a wellness area featuring a rooftop pool with panoramic views of the Tyrolean Alps.
Its guest mix also sets the hotel apart from typical vacation properties in the Zillertal valley. Alongside leisure travelers who come for hiking, cycling, and skiing, the hotel welcomes many business travelers, sales representatives, and conference guests. This mix helps maintain steady demand even outside the main vacation seasons.
The challenge
As the hotel expanded, pricing became more complex. Different room categories, seasonal fluctuations, and business and leisure guests with different booking patterns made it increasingly difficult to rely on fixed seasonal rates.
The hotel needed a more flexible pricing strategy: rates had to remain competitive during quieter periods while capturing more revenue when demand peaked during the vacation seasons.
At the same time, the change couldn't create more work for the team. Employees needed to stay focused on guests, while pricing and data exchange between systems worked reliably in the background.
The solution
Gasthof Hotel Post introduced Smartpricing in January 2023, after spending about a year evaluating different providers and revenue management solutions.
As a hotel owner and representative of Tyrol's tourism industry, Alois Rainer regularly explores new technologies. But before adopting anything, he makes sure it is a good fit for his business.
"I'm naturally curious and always interested in innovation. If there's a way to improve how we work, whether in the kitchen or at the front desk, I want to explore it. But we're not a typical vacation hotel, and we're not a typical city hotel either. We're somewhere in between. I always want to understand how a system works before deciding whether it's right for our property."
Smartpricing stood out for its clear, understandable approach to pricing, considering occupancy, seasonal demand, local events, and market conditions. Another deciding factor was its reliable integration with the hotel's existing property management system, Casablanca.
From fixed seasonal rates to demand-based pricing
With Smartpricing, the hotel can automatically adjust room rates according to demand, within limits set by the team. This also applies to reservations far in advance: the software calculates rates up to 500 days ahead, making it possible to provide accurate quotes well before the next season begins.
"When a guest checks out and says they'd like to come back next year, we often didn't even have a price list ready. We'd take the current year's rate and add a few percent. Now we can give them a quote right away."
Building trust in automation, step by step
Getting started meant setting up room categories, existing rates, and pricing rules. At first, the team was understandably cautious about the change.
"Everyone was a little skeptical at first and watched the process carefully. But then we decided to just let the system do its job."
With support from the Smartness team, the settings were gradually refined. The hotel management closely monitored how rates developed to understand how the software responded to different booking situations.
"It takes me quite a while to trust a system. At the beginning, I checked almost every day: How are prices changing? What is the system doing? Now it works really well."
Automation with clear boundaries
The hotel still has full control over its pricing strategy. During periods of exceptionally high demand, an automatically calculated rate may sometimes go beyond what the management considers appropriate for the property.
"If a single room suddenly costs €350 with breakfast, I have to step in. That's where I say: No, that's too much."
The goal is to achieve strong room rates and maximize revenue potential while keeping prices in line with the quality and value guests receive.
The results
In its first year with Smartpricing, Gasthof Hotel Post saw a significant improvement in business performance. Compared with 2022, revenue increased by around 30% in 2023, average daily rate (ADR) rose by 10%, and occupancy increased by 7 percentage points.
The positive trend continued in the following years: revenue grew by another 14% in 2024 and 21% in 2025, compared with the respective previous years.
After its initial increase, ADR remained at a higher level, while occupancy continued to improve.
During this period, the hotel also continued investing in its facilities and guest experience. Revenue growth therefore cannot be attributed to Smartpricing alone. However, dynamic pricing helped the property sell its upgraded offering more effectively and make better use of existing demand.
Making the most of different guest segments
One of the biggest advantages of dynamic pricing for Gasthof Hotel Post is the ability to respond more effectively to its different demand patterns.
Business travelers and conference guests generate bookings outside the main vacation seasons. During the busy summer and winter months, the hotel can charge higher rates to reflect stronger demand.
This improves not only revenue but also revenue per room sold. The hotel noticed a clear difference in the first year: according to management, it was able to generate at least 10% more revenue from room rates with a similar number of overnight stays.
More time for guests
Daily operations have become easier, too. Instead of manually calculating seasonal rates or estimating prices for future stays, the front desk team can access up-to-date room rates directly in the property management system.
That leaves more time for personal guest service, while management can oversee the pricing strategy without having to handle every adjustment.
Better room rates mean more opportunities to invest
For the Rainer family, stronger financial performance is about much more than higher revenue. They have spent years improving every part of their hotel, from its restaurant and rooms to its wellness facilities.
For them, business success and genuine hospitality go hand in hand. Smartpricing helps the hotel get the most out of its pricing strategy, while the family and their team make sure guests receive an experience worth paying for.
"What matters to me is that our prices reflect the hotel and the quality we offer. When we achieve good rates, we have more money left to invest back into that quality."
Apartments Ciastel
In the first summer using Smartpricing, we saw a 12% increase in revenue—even though we were open almost a month less than the year before.
Garda Relais
Smartconnect allowed us to start a journey we had in mind but couldn’t put into practice. Now we know it’s possible to turn unused contacts into real guests.