Prairerhof B&B
Before, 100% occupancy was the goal. Today, what matters more to us is achieving the right prices and improving quality as a result.
Schenna, Italy
15
Background
Prairerhof in Schenna near Merano is a family-run farm with a long history. The first documented mention dates back to 1401, and today the property is run by the Mair family in its fifth generation.
Guest accommodation began in the 1920s, initially with the rental of individual rooms. Over time, this developed into a bed and breakfast with traditional rooms in the farmhouse. In 2009, two modern apartments were added in the newly built residential and farm building.
Today, Prairerhof includes ten double rooms, three single rooms, and two apartments. The offer combines farming tradition, personal hospitality, and modern relaxation features such as a pool, panoramic whirlpool terrace, and sauna in the vineyard.
Around 90% of guests come from Germany, complemented by guests from Switzerland, Italy, and the surrounding regions. The property is open almost year-round, with short closures during lower-demand periods.
The challenge
When Thomas Mair had the opportunity to take over the business at a young age, he saw pricing as one of the biggest levers for developing Prairerhof further. The surrounding area includes many comparable guesthouses, some of which are still managed in a very traditional way. For him, this represented an opportunity.
“There are many similar guesthouses in our area, often run by older generations. I was able to take over the business early, and I always saw pricing as the biggest lever.”
Before Smartpricing, Prairerhof worked with classic seasonal periods and fixed rates. The structure was easy to manage, but not very flexible. Especially when demand was high, the team lacked both the confidence and the basis to develop prices more deliberately.
“At the beginning, it was mainly about having the courage to raise prices at all. You always ask yourself: Will it work? Will guests accept it?”
The property also has a strong base of returning guests. For this reason, it was important not to simply impose price changes, but to guide them in a way guests could understand: those who travel flexibly can choose lower-priced periods, while those booking the most requested dates pay a rate that better reflects demand.
“We explained to our regular guests: if you are flexible, choose periods outside the peak dates. Then we can also offer you different prices.”
The solution
Prairerhof introduced Smartpricing in September 2022. For Thomas Mair, this step was part of a broader mindset: exploring new possibilities early instead of waiting until everyone else was already using them.
“I have always done a lot of research online and looked at what options were available. With Smartpricing, I was convinced by the product right away and saw an opportunity.”
The starting point was the property’s existing pricing structure. During the first months, Prairerhof worked with tighter parameters to build trust in the new logic. With each season, however, the system gained more property-specific data: booking behavior, demand patterns, occupancy, and price reactions.
“At the beginning, we started with a very strict table. By now, the algorithm has much more experience and can contribute much better.”
For the property, switching to Smartpricing mainly meant learning to think about its pricing structure step by step in a different way.
“We slowly started to steer things and realized that the high season was getting longer, while the price structure was improving at the same time.”
Today, Prairerhof also uses Smartpricing Premium. The service adds regular personal consulting to the software: a Smartness Revenue Manager analyzes performance together with the property, reviews settings, and helps continuously optimize the pricing strategy.
“At the moment, the bigger problem is lack of time. That’s why I decided to add this service: once a month, we set aside time to think about it properly, look into the system, optimize, and adjust.”
This support is especially important in the pre- and post-season.
“In high season, it’s not that difficult anymore; it runs. It’s more important in the pre- and post-season, where you need to start more flexibly and then increase prices more deliberately.”
The results
Since introducing Smartpricing, not only has Prairerhof’s pricing strategy improved, but so has the way the team looks at the business.
“Before, 100% occupancy was the goal. Today, I would say: better 85 or 95% occupancy, but at a better price. That way, quality can also improve in every respect.”
The numbers clearly show this development. Between 2022 and 2025, revenue increased by around 42%. ADR rose from €116.25 to €138.19 in the same period, an increase of almost 19%. Average occupancy increased by 3 percentage points.
More revenue through a better pricing structure
The revenue increase shows that Smartpricing helped Prairerhof make better use of existing demand potential. Prices were not simply raised across the board, but adjusted more closely to demand, timing, and occupancy.
A longer high season
One important effect was the ability to steer demand more effectively across different periods. More differentiated pricing helped guide guests toward alternative dates, while high-demand periods could be sold at better rates.
More confidence for small businesses
For Thomas Mair, one central advantage is that Smartpricing has continued to evolve and today offers not only software, but also expert support.
“The big problem for small businesses is that we do everything ourselves and have to be specialists in everything. That’s difficult. I prefer to bring in targeted support where I need it.”
Especially in pricing, where experience and sensitivity matter, this combination of software and human guidance is crucial.
“I can cover a lot, but not everything. Especially with such specific and sensitive topics as pricing, it is extremely important to have specialists involved.”
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