This boutique hotel built a contactless guest experience with Cloudbeds

At the core of The Cabot Lodge’s contactless guest experience is touchless technology that integrates across its operations. The technology allows its staff and guests to stay safe while still providing a memorable stay to guests, Annie explains: “Today, most of the team is working remotely. Our guests appreciate it. And we appreciate it because everyone needs to stay healthy. That’s incredible.”

Of course, remotely operating a property of any size requires a suite of technologies working seamlessly together. The Cabot Lodge relies on Cloudbeds to integrate tech tools and power its contactless experience. Here’s how they do it:

Keyless entry via FLEXIPASS + Cloudbeds

• The staff cleans and inspects each room to ensure that it’s ready and up to standard.
• Once ready, the room is released in the Cloudbeds PMS. 
• The Cloudbeds PMS syncs with FLEXIPASS to send access instructions directly to the guest’s email.
• The guest opens the email and then clicks to download/open the FLEXIPASS app to associate the reservation with the phone. 
• Annie and her team call each guest prior to arrival to walk them through the tech-enabled check-in process. 
• Upon arrival, the guest holds the phone to the keypad for access. 

Email automation with Cloudbeds PMS

• The Cabot Lodge also uses the Cloudbeds PMS to automatically send pre-arrival emails to guests explaining the check-in process in advance so guests know what to expect. 
• Additionally, post-stay emails are automatically sent so that management has a chance to address any issues and ask for reviews while the stay is fresh in their guests’ minds.

Since each of these connections are available as direct integrations via the Cloudbeds Marketplace, every tool is in sync. These touchless technologies are what enable the staff to stay safe while giving guests greater control over their experience.

The Cabot Lodge’s lean operational model is balanced with a personal approach. The team is available to guests 24/7 – even before guests arrive on property. In an environment where things change often, Annie credits pre-arrival conversations with staff for putting guests at ease in advance so that they can exceed expectations during their stay:

“One of our strengths is that we are tech-forward. But we’re also local ambassadors. We’re calling guests to let them know about the property. Ask them what they are coming to Beverly to see and do. And explaining what they’re going to experience before they get here so that their expectations are met – or surpassed – when they arrive.”

To successfully provide this personal approach, Annie’s team calls each guest pre-arrival to make sure the guest is comfortable with their tech-enabled stay, thus deepening the guest relationship.

Even if The Cabot Lodge’s staff remains mostly remote until necessary, the team is collaborating to deliver a seamless experience that earns great reviews and strong word-of-mouth recommendations. 

When it came time to select a property management system to run her business, Annie knew she wanted something that would be easy-to-use and learn, without the overburden of features that never get used. As she puts it:

I am not a very techie person. I wanted something simple, streamlined, and tech-friendly but not overwhelming, that I could use and figure out on my own. It also had to have enough bells and whistles without overloading my team so they could take full advantage.

Annie finds that Cloudbeds strikes an excellent balance between ease-of-use and robust features. At the same time, The Cabot Lodge’s marketing lead, Rachael Black, comes from a non-hospitality background, and she found Cloudbeds’ educational resources to be a benefit, “It’s totally new territory for me. The tutorials are definitely really helpful and super easy to follow, especially for people just starting out using the system.”

From the marketing side, Rachael has been able to leverage Cloudbeds’ commission-free booking engine into a massive source of bookings: 60% of The Cabot Lodge’s bookings are direct. Guest loyalty and partnerships with local colleges, theaters, and businesses have been a massive contributor to the strong number of direct bookings, Annie says, as has smart channel management:

“We are absolutely taking advantage of loyalty, as well as email and search advertising. And, while I totally support the idea of working with OTAs, if you can minimize your commissions, the focus must be on your brand. We are already doing well with direct bookings – at 60% direct for a tiny, no-name brand in a small city is so awesome!”

Other marketing efforts Rachael uses to get travelers to find and book online are Google Adwords and Facebook, which can be tracked through the Cloudbeds booking engine so users can measure the revenue versus investment in ad campaigns.

When it comes to accessibility, teams can work from anywhere with cloud-based software, aligning with the mobile nature of work today. Mobile access means more flexibility and fewer errors, and during this COVID era, it means Annie and her team can work remotely for as long as they need to. As Rachael can attest, the “go anywhere” utility of cloud-based software is essential:

“The accessibility to take it anywhere is super helpful, especially during COVID. So we’re not hooked into just having to use the hotel computer; we can use our individual laptops at home or on the go. It’s online wherever we are.”

In addition to loving the software, Annie really enjoyed working with the Cloudbeds team:

One of the best parts of Cloudbeds is the team. From the sales process through onboarding and feature updates, the whole team cares about properties and I love being part of this celebrated community.

From training to troubleshooting, great customer support makes a huge difference in helping your team get the most out of your software. The Cloudbeds Support team has a 95% average customer service rating and is there for customers 24/7 in all time zones.