Hackmann Hotels increases staff productivity

"Arrive. Let go. Simply enjoy." This is the credo of Hackmann Hotels, where teams work diligently every day to ensure guests' well-being across six locations in Northwest Germany.

Offering a welcoming home away from home in both 3 and 4-star segments, Hackmann Hotels is beloved by numerous regular guests for its familiar atmosphere. Balancing modernity and tradition, they seamlessly integrate the most advanced hotel technology without losing sight of the essentials: people.

We sat down with the tiger team behind the hotel operations: Dana Hofschröer, General Manager of the hotels in Lingen; Nadine Rüther, Head of Marketing & PR; and Daniel Heide, Managing Director. What stands out in talking with them is how both guests and employees are at the heart of everything Hackmann Hotels does.

Challenge: Slow loading times dragging down staff productivity

Hackmann Hotels struggled with slow loading times using their old hotel PMS, especially during the booking process. Staff often waited up to 20 seconds for a booking to load, causing frustrating delays and affecting their ability to serve guests efficiently. This lag time was a major pain point, pushing Daniel and the team to seek a new, faster PMS solution. Additionally, many complaints came in from staff about various system issues, requiring Dana to spend a lot of time fixing these errors.

Solution: Switching to a cloud-native property management platform

To address this issue, Hackmann Hotels desired for a cloud-based, fast, and reliable hotel PMS, which helps them improve overall operational efficiency and employee satisfaction. A modern, cloud-native platform, as Apaleo promised faster response times and greater reliability. “The transition to Apaleo was smooth, and the improvement in system speed was instantly noticeable,” added Dana. The intuitive user interface and robust infrastructure of Apaleo ensured that bookings and other operations could be handled more efficiently.

Result: 35% time savings boost staff productivity and 60% increase in satisfaction

Switching to Apaleo slashed loading times, saving Hackmann Hotels 35% of the time previously spent on system waits. “The increased speed has allowed our staff to focus more on guest interactions and less on system delays,” said Daniel. This shift not only improved service delivery but also boosted staff morale. Dana noted, "Before, we had a lot of complaints about the old system, but now staff rarely mention any problems." Overall, staff satisfaction and efficiency have soared by 60%.

The faster response times have enabled Hackmann Hotels to enhance their service delivery, ultimately leading to a better guest experience. Nadine, Head of Marketing & PR, added: “It's not just about time saving. It's about working efficiently. The time you don't use for loading time, you can spend talking to a guest or reconnecting because you don't have to stare at your screen all the time."

Challenge: Manual hassle with virtual credit cards

Processing virtual credit cards manually was another headache. The team couldn't process the credit cards directly within their previous hotel PMS. Instead, they had to note which card needed charging and then manually input it into the payment provider's tool, taking four to five minutes per booking. Daily cross-checking payments taken and payments posted was time-consuming and error-prone, as the team had to ensure accuracy in their verification process. This tedious process drained valuable time from guest services.

Solution: Automatically charged virtual credit cards with Apaleo Pay

To streamline payment processing, Hackmann Hotels integrated Apaleo Pay, automating transactions across all guest touchpoints. The implementation was very straightforward, so charging credit cards within Apaleo became effortless and vital to daily operations.

Result: 3 hours saved daily on automated payment processing

Apaleo Pay's automation cut down the time and effort required to process virtual credit cards drastically. “The automation has not only saved us time but also reduced manual errors and improved the overall efficiency of our payment processes,” Dana highlighted. This change has contributed to a more seamless and satisfying experience for both staff and guests. Specifically, Daniel noted, “On busy days, we can have up to 50 virtual credit cards to charge, and this time saving translates into significant operational efficiency, saving around 3 hours per day for our staff.”

Challenge: Lack of centralised property management

Managing multiple properties efficiently was a major challenge for Hackmann Hotels. They didn’t have a unified view to streamline operations across all their hotels. This fragmentation made it difficult to maintain consistency and efficiency. “We needed a solution that could give us a comprehensive overview and simplify the management of all our properties,” stated Daniel.

Solution: Easy overview with Apaleo’s multi-property management

Apaleo’s multi-property capabilities provided Hackmann Hotels a unified view of operations across all properties, enabling better oversight and decision-making. “The ability to manage all our hotels from a single platform has been incredibly beneficial. It has made our operations more cohesive and efficient,” said Dana.

Result: 7 properties went live in under 4 months

Apaleo’s multi-property functionality drastically cut onboarding times, managing all seven properties to go live within four months. “Our first properties took five days to onboard; now, it takes just one day,” Dana shared. Daniel agreed, “The seamless property management has been a game-changer, allowing us to grow and scale efficiently.”

Future plans

With a solid foundation of improved operational efficiency, Hackmann Hotels plans to further leverage technology to enhance the guest experience at every touchpoint, from booking to checkout. They will continue to prioritise staff training and development to maintain high levels of staff productivity and satisfaction.

A dive into the tech stack of Hackmann Hotels

Browse apps in the Apaleo Store:

Hackmann Hotels increases productivity by 35% and staff satisfaction by 60%