La Pointe Beach Huts
We were drawn to automation, but letting go of control was scary. Smartpricing proved we could grow revenue and trust the process.
St. Sauveur, Seychelles
6
Background
La Pointe Beach Huts is a small, sustainable holiday retreat tucked into the lush forest of southern Praslin, Seychelles. Just 100 meters from the tranquil beach of St. Sauveur, the complex includes six chalets and apartments designed for guests seeking peace, comfort, and natural beauty.
Founded in 2013, the business grew steadily as demand increased. Today, La Pointe welcomes mostly couples and families from all over the world, with the majority of guests arriving from Europe. While the Seychelles enjoy year-round warm weather, peak season aligns with European holidays.
The property has a strong direct booking base (about 40%), alongside Airbnb, Booking.com, and traditional travel agents. And while operations are fully digital today, the early days were much simpler.
“At the beginning, it was just pen and paper, and Airbnb.”
The challenge
Like many hosts, the team handled pricing manually at first, adjusting rates manually each month, comparing with competitors, and working with three seasonal price tiers. But it quickly became clear that this approach was no longer enough.
“It took a lot of time and I also didn’t feel I was doing it right. I thought: we could do better, and I think any hosts are attracted by the idea of automating pricing.”
But that attraction also came with hesitation.
“I had a bit of fear—maybe because I like to have control over details. And here, the algorithm takes over. But I realized: I don’t need to control everything. Maybe it can actually do it better than me.”
The team began exploring automated pricing tools, looking specifically for a solution that could integrate with their PMS. The goal was clear: increase revenue and fill more low-season dates without adding more manual work.
The solution
La Pointe Huts started testing Smartpricing with just one unit. When the results proved convincing, they rolled it out across all six properties.
Smartpricing immediately took over the heavy lifting of day-to-day pricing. While the team still checks the system regularly, they rarely feel the need to intervene and value the flexibility to make adjustments when needed:
“Sometimes we’ll go in and tweak just one unit, maybe a bit more here or there. We like that Smartpricing gives us the freedom to do that if we want to.”
In the end, the balance between automation and control is what made the transition sustainable.
“It’s not like you’re just talking to a robot. There’s a real team behind the product. Whenever we have a question, someone is there to help. It’s reassuring to know someone’s there.”
The results
Since adopting Smartpricing in 2024, La Pointe Beach Huts saw a +17% increase in revenue and a +23% rise in occupancy, in shoulder-season months that had previously been slower.
The three key benefits for La Pointe Huts are:
- Higher revenue overall
- Stronger occupancy in off-peak months
- More time to focus on other priorities
“It’s been a win-win. We improved revenue with the same—or even better—occupancy. And we finally got time back for the rest of the business.”