Interview with Özge, Senior Reservations & Sales Representative at ibis Tilburg
In a hotel where group requests come in daily, overview is not a luxury, but a necessity. As Senior Reservations & Sales Representative, Özge plays a central role in this. Together with her colleague, she ensures that each group is welcomed hospitably, all information is correct and the operational team knows exactly what is needed.
Until recently, however, this process involved loose emails, Excel files and a lot of manual work. This regularly led to errors, duplicate work and unnecessary communication. Since the switch to Groupz this has been completely reversed: there is an overview, less work pressure and more room for personal attention towards booker and guest. Özge shares her experience with this change - and the gains it has brought.
In her previous position as Team Leader Front Office, Özge was not directly responsible for group requests, but she noticed the consequences. "The reservations team worked hard to get everything right, but the process was not optimal. Everything was done via email, phone and Excel. That was an error-prone process, so sometimes names were incorrect, or changes were not processed. In some cases, I didn't even know why a group was in Tilburg. That affected not only the work process, but also the atmosphere in the team, and ultimately the guest's experience. "
She also heard from the reservations team where things were going wrong. Bookings were entered manually, changes had to be re-mailed, and there was little grip on who had done what. "The information was scattered across mailboxes and documents. This made it difficult to quickly see whether an offer had been approved or a name list was complete. You had to keep track of everything yourself, and that took a lot of time. It was difficult to figure out whether an error lay with the booker or with our team, due to the many manual operations and loose communication. "
When Özge started as Senior Reservations & Sales Representative in January, she immediately began working with Groupz. "I was looking forward to it, but also found it exciting: a new position AND new processes. I asked my colleague: if I do everything through Groupz, can I still make mistakes? She said, 'No.' And that's true. The system works very intuitively. "
The implementation went smoothly. "We were taken step by step by Jenneke. Everything was clearly explained and we could always ask questions. That made it not a 'new system,' but a tool that really makes your work easier. "
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-Özge, Senior Reservations & Sales Representative at ibis Tilburg
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Since the advent of Groupz, many operations have been automated, saving a lot of time. "By switching to Groupz, we save an average of 80% time. Before, we were working with a team of four people on all group reservations. Now we do it with two, and we even save time. This allows us to support HR and I also pick up sales activities. "
Özge notices a big difference in email communication. "We now receive over 75% fewer emails. Only the request still comes in via email; after that, everything goes through the portal. For questions, our bookers use the chat. That makes a huge difference in the mailbox pressure and creates peace of mind. As a result, the work pace has become calmer and we now have the space to do things well, without the stress of an overflowing mailbox or last-minute changes. That creates less pressure and more job satisfaction. "
Contact with bookers has also improved. "Because we spend less time on administration, we now have more time and space to contact our bookers. That personal conversation is valuable: you learn why they come to Tilburg and can do something extra on arrival. That's what we call heart moments: creating moments when we surprise our guests. If you know what they come for, you can think of something fun to do around it. I have creative colleagues, so we spar together about what we can do. With that, you surprise people. They don't expect it - and that's exactly that personal touch you can deploy when you're not drowning in administration. "
Since the switch in January, there have been no more errors in the group process. "The system provides tasks and notifications, and everything is insightful in real time. As a result, everyone is on the same page. That gives peace of mind and confidence. "
Bookers also respond positively. "Especially people who book groups more often see the benefit immediately: fewer mistakes, less back-and-forth emailing, more control. They appreciate being able to see for themselves what's going on. And if someone finds it difficult, we just help. The other day I entered the name list myself for a tour manager who didn't have the time. That thinking along is really appreciated. "
Özge doesn't have to think long about what she would recommend to colleagues at other hotels. "I think it can be very stressful if you have a lot of manual work, which automatically allows you to make more mistakes. We work in a hotel where it's all about pampering guests. So why would you want to be with those administrative operations when you can put that time into this?" She sees Groupz as a way to regain control and get more time and attention back to the guest. "The system takes so much out of your hands. You know what to do, when, and what the status is. And that makes you able to do your job better. More quietly. With attention. And that, in turn, ultimately contributes to hospitality. "