An interview with Natasja, Reservations Manager
Ibis Styles Almere handles a large number of group reservations every day. Especially during busy periods, such as around the Keukenhof season, the number of requests rises rapidly. For Natasja, Reservations Manager, this used to mean working with email, Excel files, and manual follow-up. A method that worked on paper, but in practice demanded more and more time and energy.
“You try to leave your work at work,” says Natasja. “But it just doesn’t always work that way. I was constantly taking it home with me and never felt like the work was ‘done.’” Since ibis Styles Almere started using Groupz, that has completely changed. There’s a better overview, less stress, and, above all, much more peace of mind in daily work.
Everything related to groups relied on manual work
When Natasja started at ibis Styles Almere in March 2024, there was little structure in place for group reservations. Different colleagues handled things differently, resulting in a lack of clarity. “Some of the groups were in Opera, some weren’t yet. I had to sift through emails and sometimes came across surprises—groups that had already been confirmed but weren’t in the system yet.”
It took months to get everything in order. Group requests were handled entirely via email. Quotes were prepared manually, invoices created in Excel, and changes had to be updated and resent repeatedly. “That was simply impossible during busy periods,” says Natasja. “I regularly started my day with 60 unread emails.”
Keeping track of payments and decision dates also required a lot of attention. In addition to Opera, Natasja had to set reminders in Outlook herself to make sure she didn’t forget anything. “You were constantly planning and checking everything yourself.”
“I just didn’t think a simple typed email looked professional”
For Natasja, a major bottleneck lay not only in the workload but also in the impression conveyed to bookers and tour operators: “We did have templates, but in the end, you were still just sending back a simple typed email. I’d felt for a long time that it needed to be more professional.”
The same applied to invoices. “Everything went through Excel. You had to manually adjust data, save it again, and email it again. And if there was a change, that process started all over again.” As a result, a lot of time was wasted on checking work. “You were constantly asking yourself: Is the invoice correct? Are there any typos? That took an enormous amount of time.”
"Either fewer groups… or the process had to change"
At some point, it became clear that the existing way of working was no longer scalable. “Something really had to change for me,” says Natasja. “Either fewer groups and settling for that, or continuing with the number of groups we were handling, but then the process had to be restructured.”
According to her, it simply wasn’t sustainable for one person anymore: “If we had kept working the old way, I wonder if I would have been able to keep this job.”
Groupz eventually came into the picture through interim manager Thijs Merks. He was familiar with the system from another ibis hotel and showed it to Natasja: “I immediately thought: this is exactly what we need.”
From 15 minutes to 5 minutes per quote
For Natasja, there were three things that were immediately decisive:
- more professional quotes
- more efficient invoice processing
- better control over tasks and follow-up
“Before, it took me about 15 minutes to create a quote. Now it’s about 5.” That difference isn’t just in speed, but also in quality. “Now you’re really sending a beautiful, professional quote with images of the hotel, terms and conditions, and a polished look.”
Natasja also notices a difference every day when it comes to invoices. “You no longer have to wonder if everything is correct. No more typos, no more separate Excel files. That saves a lot of checking work.”
In addition, the automated tasks and reminders give her greater peace of mind. “Before, I used to enter everything manually into my calendar. Now I don’t have to constantly think about it myself, because I know I’ll get reminders.”
“You don’t need to bring in many extra groups to recoup the investment”
Although Natasja was immediately enthusiastic about Groupz, the owner also had to be convinced. That’s why she started looking specifically at the time savings in the process.
“I started comparing how much time a quote used to take versus how much it takes with Groupz.” According to Natasja, it quickly became clear that responding faster also makes a commercial difference. “You don’t have to bring in that many extra groups to recoup the investment.” The partnership with Groupz has since been extended. “Once you get used to this way of working, you just don’t want to go back.”
“We either had to accept fewer groups, or the process had to change. Thanks to Groupz, we can handle more groups than ever, while I actually feel more at ease and in control in my daily work.”— Natasja, Reservations Manager |
Processing more groups without extra pressure
According to Natasja, the biggest benefit lies in the combination of speed and clarity. Because quotes are sent out faster and changes can be processed more easily, there’s less work piling up. This allows ibis Styles Almere to respond more quickly to tour operators. “People want a quick answer. We live in a fast-paced world, and as a hotel, you just have to keep up.” She says tour operators notice this right away. “I often hear back that they appreciate how quickly I respond.”
This has a direct impact on the number of groups. In 2024, the hotel handled a total of 146 groups. In 2025, even though Groupz had only been fully implemented for just over six months, that number had already grown to 241 groups. “Of course, that’s partly due to relationship-building,” says Natasja. “But it’s also because you respond faster and things don’t get left unaddressed.”
“I can now leave my work at work much more easily”
Whereas Natasja used to constantly feel like she was playing catch-up, she now experiences much more peace of mind and clarity in her workday. “If we had kept working the old way, I don’t think I would have continued doing this job. It was simply too much for one person.”
According to Natasja, the biggest pressure wasn’t just the number of groups, but mainly everything that had to be tracked manually. “I always had an overflowing inbox, which sometimes made it hard to see the forest for the trees. Now I’m just on top of things.”
She notices that difference not only at work, but especially at home. And that is ultimately the most important result: “Before, I constantly took my work home with me. Now I’m much better at leaving my work at work, and I notice a better balance between work and personal life. That makes me feel better about myself. And when you feel good about yourself, you can function well—both at work and at home.”
Finally time for after-sales and relationship management
Because less time is wasted on administrative tasks, there’s also room for something else: relationship management. Natasja: “We used to do practically nothing in terms of after-sales. There simply wasn’t time for it. Now I regularly call after a stay to ask how it went. I think it’s important to hear whether everything was to their satisfaction and if there are areas for improvement.” That not only helps with our relationship with tour operators but also with improving our operations. Natasja: “If we don’t hear that, for example, the Wi-Fi was poor, we can’t do anything to improve it.”
Tour operators particularly notice the speed
According to Natasja, tour operators respond particularly positively to the speed and professionalism of the process. Natasja: “I often hear that quotes look neat and professional.” Changes are also much easier to make than before. “If a group needs to be canceled or wants to add extra rooms, that happens very quickly now. Plus, they can immediately see what extra costs that entails.”
This provides peace of mind for both parties. “It’s just become a much easier process.”
“If there’s an issue, we get help super fast”
In addition to the system itself, Natasja especially appreciates the collaboration with Groupz: “If you have questions, you can always call Jenneke and get help super fast.” According to her, that makes a big difference during implementation and in daily practice. “If something isn’t working quite as you’d like or you want to make an adjustment, it gets addressed quickly. That just works really well.”
“You won’t regret it at all”
If Natasja could give other hotels one piece of advice, she doesn’t have to think twice: “You won’t regret it at all. Working with Groupz saves you a ton of time and just makes the work a lot more fun.”
Want to experience for yourself what Groupz can do?
Many hotels recognize the situation at ibis Styles Almere: group requests scattered across email inboxes, Excel files, separate reminders, and manual follow-ups. That works, but often takes much more time and energy than necessary.
With Groupz, the entire group process—from quote to invoice, communication, and follow-up—is brought together in one clear platform.
That’s why you can tryGroupz for free for 4 to 8 weeks through the Proof of Value Pilot. This way, your hotel can experience firsthand how much time, peace of mind, and clarity it brings with real group requests. Discover, risk-free, how much potential profit is still in your group process.
