The Old School House

About The Old School House

Andrea a Petr have many years of experience in accommodation, managing apartment houses. Having gained enough experience and, most importantly, courage, they bought their dream house in the mountains in April 2022. They aptly named the converted old school with three apartments The Old School House. INTUTTO has been with them from day one.

Avoiding overbooking

Problem

Both Andrea and Petr have experience working in apartment houses, where they’ve handled situations when reservations exceeded the accommodation’s capacity. They have dealt with overbooking, which can be a significant challenge for a small business.

“It’s really annoying to deal with overbooking. There are only two of us, and we can’t monitor reservations 24/7. If a reservation comes in via email and I don’t have time to manually block the room on Booking, we may end up with two reservations for the same apartment. Then we have to deal with the guests,” says Andrea.

Solution

“We have avoided the stress of overbooking, and we no longer need to keep a constant watch on incoming bookings. The calendar now automatically updates with reservations from both the website and Booking,” says Andrea.

Thanks to the INTUTTO website with a Booking Engine and a Channel Manager , The Old School House apartments managed to avoid the problem of overbooking. The data is automatically synchronized immediately.

“Some guests prefer to call when making a reservation. They may have questions, or the phone just feels more natural to them. I’m prepared for that as well. If I’m not busy elsewhere, I can easily assist with the reservation. However, I often direct them to our web guide, which is simple to use, and the best part is, we don’t have to pay commissions to INTUTTO,” says Andrea.

Direct bookings vs booking channels

Problem

Andrea and Petr decided to use Booking. It’s a completely rational decision to get their first guests, but they both want to gradually make more direct bookings so that they are not completely dependent on booking channels. They are concerned about the high commission fees.

“We need Booking, we’re actually happy for it, we’ve gotten great reviews over time. We are not yet able to fill the capacity from direct bookings only. But we want to gradually balance the ratio and find a balance between direct and indirect bookings. We also want to get regular clients,” says Petr.

Solution

“With the help of INTUTTO, we do everything we can to impress the guest with our accommodation so much that they are happy to return or recommend us to their friends and family,” says Petr.

The clear website with a Booking Engine that we have prepared for Andrea and Peter helps with the presentation of the apartments. They also take advantage of what you can find in the Guest Communication section, whether it’s automatic emails or online check-in. All for an unforgettable experience.

“Our goal is a satisfied guest, no matter what channel they come from. By deploying websites with the booking form, automating email communication, and having the guest’s requests clearly displayed in INTUTTO, we can focus fully on making the guest happy. We guide them to come again or to recommend us further,” says Petr.

Revenue management

Problem

The right pricing is a priority for every accommodation provider. Since Andrea and Peter wanted to take every opportunity to maximize their profits, we arranged a consultation. The Old School House is located in the mountains, they are busy in the summer holidays and in the winter when the Nassfeld ski resort is open.

“We didn’t know how to approach pricing to be competitive in the season. In the off-season, the interest in accommodation drops rapidly, but we still want to accommodate guests to be able to cover our operating costs,” says Andrea.

Solution

“In the end, the INTUTTO team and we found the perfect solution: a fixed rate per apartment during the season and per person in the off-season. This way, in the low season, we can accommodate couples and smaller groups, which isn’t our main focus in the high season,” says Andrea.

Despite having only three apartments, The Old School House employs an advanced pricing strategy , including multiple rates, different terms for the website compared to booking channels, minimum length of stay, flexible pricing, and upselling.

“We didn’t know what to do with the booking channel. How to be visible on Booking? Even though we were getting great reviews from our guests, we were slow to climb in the Booking rankings. The INTUTTO team helped us improve our position,” says Andrea.

Staying in the loop

Problem

Andrea and Petr take care of the apartments themselves. Having accommodation is not only about cleaning before the arrival of other guests, but also about preparing breakfast or administration. It is a challenge to pass on information even with two people.

“You would think that in two people the organisation of work is easy. The opposite is true. We take turns, but we also have other duties, we are not always on the phone. You think everything is clear, but then a guest changes something at the last minute and I have to communicate it to Peter immediately,” says Andrea.

Solution

““We’ve developed a system of attaching tasks to reservations in the calendar, which has been a game-changer. This ensures we never need last-minute shopping trips or forget room preparations. Additionally, online check-in is incredibly helpful; guests can specify their requirements two days before arrival, eliminating the need for them to call us,” says Petr.

Attached tasks and notes, along with centralized communication, make it easy to pass on information. Within the [Reservation Management]( https://www.intutto.app/en/intention/decide/overview/ , guest information, including all basic details, is conveniently located in one place. Payments, tasks, notes, guest preferences, and booked services are all readily accessible.

“We have avoided the stress of passing on information. If a guest orders breakfast two days before arrival, or an additional guest arrives, we don’t have to inform one another. I can see everything in the system,” says Petr.