Hotel am Chlodwigplatz selects Apaleo to offer a modern guest journey

apaleo PMS enables automation, flexibility and provides more time for hotel staff to focus on delivering outstanding guest’s experience

(Munich). The process of selecting and running the right PMS can be a nightmare even for the most experienced hoteliers. For new owners without much experience in the hospitality industry, the process of choosing and rolling out the right technology stack is a complete mystery. This was the case for new owners of Hotel am Chlodwigplatz situated in Cologne, until they find apaleo, the world’s most open property management system. 

After the previous owners of this traditional hotel in Cologne retired, three families with backgrounds completely outside of the hospitality industry decided to pool together and take over the hotel, updating it with new elements while preserving the hotel’s traditional charm. The amateur hotel owners knew that technology would be important in running operations and allowing hotel staff to devote time to guests, but they had no idea how complicated the wide world of hotel tech – particularly property management systems (PMSs) could be.

“We didn’t know what to expect when we embarked on this adventure. There is so much we had to learn, especially when it comes to hotel technology,” said Sebastian Effinger, Owner of Hotel am Chlodwigplatz. “We were very lucky that we found apaleo as its really easy to set up and use, even for those of us who are still getting used to all the hotel acronyms and processes. The apaleo team provided us with great advice and thanks to their support we managed to set up and run our hotel with ease.”

After the hotel was quickly set up and onboarded to apaleo, Hotel am Chlodwigplatz began connecting pre-connected systems through the apaleo store. On the hunt to improve the guest experience and automate mundane chores, the hotel ultimately ended up with: Hotelbird to allow for self-check-in and -out and to avoid those boring lines; Adyen to automate payments, and UP booking engine for more direct bookings.

“Setting up and running hotel technology shouldn’t be a hassle. It's proven that with apaleo hoteliers can easily do everything on their own, even without strong industry knowledge. Our team is here to advise and back them up,” said Philip von Ditfurth, co-founder of apaleo. “It has been exciting to watch owners from a completely different industry learn how to use a new PMS in a matter of hours, and I always love to see more traditional hotels like Hotel am Chlodwigplatz embrace technological innovations to cater to the more particular tastes of nowadays guests.”

About Hotel am Chlodwigplatz

Hotel am Chlodwigplatz opens its door in July 2019. The previous owners E. & J. Heinen are retiring - and three families from the southern city of Cologne take the helm. The hotel will be modernized to bring the original old-fashioned charm back to advantage and combine it with current standards. From September a new and modern cafe bar with a sustainable concept will also be in operation. The main goal is that guests feel at home in beautiful, quiet rooms and take advantage of the hotel's great location to explore countless opportunities in Cologne.