Jennifer Axness
Setting the Scene
With its distinct combination of timeless design, original Victorian architecture, and modern elegance, San Francisco’s 115-year-old Handlery Union Square Hotel, in the heart of downtown, offers guests the best this city has to offer. Ideal for business travelers, families or couples, the hotel boasts premier views and private balconies from many rooms, two full-service meeting and events venues, and a warm ambience that makes guests feel relaxed and welcome.
The Challenge
In September of 2022, the Handlery was in the midst of a period of rapid recovery, with an average daily occupancy of over 80%. The hotel had developed a growth strategy that included converting more website visitors into bookers and driving additional ancillary revenue – selling more experiences and product enhancements – on the Handlery website.
The prospect of implementing major technological changes was daunting, however, as the hotel was frequently almost entirely booked.
The Solution
To improve direct conversion rates and ancillary revenue streams, the Handlery worked with Amadeus to leverage the new iHotelier Booking Engine, enhanced with an integrated website and booking engine and the latest hospitality-specific eCommerce best practices. As Beta testing for this new integration was just starting, the hotel was able to evaluate the new solution by dividing all web traffic between the new and old iHotelier Booking Engine and analyzing the outcome.
Happy Ending
As a result, the Handlery experienced a 25% increase in direct booking conversions with the new booking engine, and an extremely impressive 125% increase in ancillary revenue.
Kristy Doi, Reservations Manager, Handlery Union Square Hotel, commented, “We were intrigued by Amadeus’ new integrated booking experience. Combined with some of the other new functionality we saw regarding promotions merchandising and user experience, we felt this might give us the lift we needed.”
To learn more about Amadeus’ iHotelier Booking Engine, click here.
