Banyan Tree Samui witnessed an eight-fold increase on RoI, measured in incremental guest spending, thanks to ancillary revenue tech Portier Technologies. The American company’s in-hotel smartphone product drove a 20% uplift in spa bookings alone – which translates into USD 48,000 in additional revenue.
Banyan Tree Samui engaged Portier in late 2017 to increase guest spending while in-property, improve support for a widening base of international clientele and deliver a solution that would amplify, not distract from, Banyan Tree’s guest services team.
Portier implemented a system that saw guests presented, upon arrival, with a Banyan Tree smartphone, with free 4G data hotspot and free worldwide calling.
This phone would also allow them to call or chat to their assigned villa host.
Each Portier smartphone comes loaded with hotel-specific content including booking services, articles with information on local restaurants and attractions, and access to a curated set of local experiences, written in the guest’s language.
In the case of Banyan Tree Samui, the smartphone drove over 200,000 article reads, as guests accessed their custom Banyan Tree smartphones 21 times per day. Ancillary bookings also grew; in-villa bath treatments rose 433% in 2018, while cooking class bookings grew 127%.These specific areas alone contributed to over $200 in additional revenue per villa year on year compared to 2017.
Mark Pope, Portier cofounder, said: “Our collaboration with Banyan Tree Samui began with a common belief that if we were able to deliver a compelling mobile experience for guests, we would have a powerful channel to upsell all that Banyan Tree Samui offers.
“While the overall results speak for themselves, we chose to highlight specific offerings – from a monthly spa promotion to a limited number of ancillary services – to demonstrate the far-reaching impact of an effective mobile strategy.”
In a season where the hotel faced potential headwinds – following a decade of growth, Samui tourism arrivals were forecast to decline and a record number of luxury properties were opening – Pope added that embracing mobile would be the differentiator for hotels.
“Mindset… the real amplifier”
Pope noted: “A key learning for Portier was in experiencing how Banyan Tree’s leadership team approached the ongoing management of their mobile platform. Results were continually reviewed in weekly department meetings, and optimised for the week ahead. It proved to us that while tech, analytics and UX were critical parts of the equation, it was mindset that was the real amplifier.
Remko Kroesen, general manager, Banyan Tree Samui, concluded: “Portier has worked hand-in-hand with our staff on driving revenue for every department – from F&B to tours and activities and more. These results speak directly to their approach and best-in-class offering.”
