Barceló Hotel Group gains predictable upsell revenue with Oracle Nor1

Personalized services are a hallmark of the resort vacation experience. Guests are willing to pay more for the perfect holiday, and luxury hotels, such as those in the Barceló Hotel Group, strive to meet their expectations. “Our goal is to continue to be one of the best hotel management chains in the world, and our strategic plan includes increasing extra revenue by improving our guests’ experiences,” says CMO Sara Ramis.

This requires offering services that appeal to guests’ individual interests. However, staffing shortages and churn in the hotel industry mean it's harder than ever to deliver the personal touch guests expect. The company recognized that automation could help its staff present customized upsell offers that would create happier, more memorable vacations.

Barceló chose Oracle Hospitality Nor1 Cloud Services to help build, automate, and fine-tune guest engagement efforts. Nor1 CheckIn Merchandising front-desk upsell service helps Barceló's staff provide personalized offers tailored to guests' unique interests.

Company leaders recognized that Nor1’s PRiME machine learning engine would evaluate guest data, then select a small set of appropriate offers, optimize pricing, and present that information to guest services agents in a specific order. Agents could relay the recommendations to guests using Barceló's vocabulary and service culture, making guests feel more understood and valued.

Automating upsells with Oracle Nor1 CheckIn Merchandising helped Barceló deliver attentive, personalized service. Nor1 gave front-desk staff real-time data about available upgrades that aligned with each guest's interests. This level of customization increased the likelihood that a guest would purchase an upgrade, boosting revenue for Barceló.

While artificial intelligence powers Barceló's upsell platform, human intelligence is critical to making the personal connections required to complete each sale. With that in mind, Barceló worked with Oracle to develop a staff training program that gave agents the knowledge and confidence to use CheckIn Merchandising to its full potential.

Behind the scenes, Nor1 supplied Barceló management with the data it needed to measure results and maximize sales opportunities. Management used business intelligence dashboards to view upsell revenue data, as well as performance by agent and by offer. The company's upsell revenue is now predictable and forecastable, so Barceló added ancillary revenue as a line item in its budget and financial control systems.

 “We have implemented this program in almost the entire Europe, Middle East, and Asia region with highly satisfactory results, both with regard to room turnover and guest satisfaction,” says Ramis. “Our upselling strategy—which is a world leader with presence in 25 countries—is further proof of the Barceló Hotel Group’s firm commitment to innovation. Most importantly, it allows us to keep offering our guests the very best experiences, now custom designed and highly personalized.”