More control, less stress: how Mercure Hotel Tilburg Centrum streamlined group bookings with Groupz

In the heart of Tilburg, on the lively Heuvel, lies Mercure Hotel Tilburg Centrum — a place where hospitality, urban energy, and efficiency come together. General Manager Mandy Princen leads all teams here with dedication, including the reservations team responsible for the daily influx of group requests.

Until recently, that process was far from smooth. The team relied on scattered notes, Excel files, and endless emails, leading to mistakes, frustration, and sometimes even confusion for the guest. Since switching to Groupz, everything has turned around: there’s calm, clarity, cost savings — and most importantly — consistently happy guests. Mandy shares how they achieved this.

“We had little to no control over the process”

Group requests came in through a single central mailbox. What followed was a process full of scattered notes, Excel files, and endless email threads.
“If someone was on holiday, nobody knew the status of a request,” says Mandy. “The system relied too much on people and too little on structure.”

That chaos not only caused errors but also frustration. Both for the team and for Mandy personally. “I’m ultimately responsible, but had far too little insight into what was happening. I couldn’t manage based on numbers, requests, or revenue. And that didn’t feel right. In addition, the reservations team was a significant cost center for the hotel.”

A key foundation: calm, clarity, and simplicity

For Mandy, it was clear: this had to change. “I was looking for a solution that brought calm. Not just for our team, but for our guests too. Something that streamlined processes, but also enhanced guest centricity.”

She found that solution in Groupz. “What appealed to me immediately: it’s intuitive. Everything is in there: requests, communication, notes, quotes, and everyone collaborates in it. That means we always know where we stand. And our guests do too. What convinced me to choose Groupz: everything is bundled in one portal, you have clarity and you save costs.”

“The smooth transition to Groupz was a team effort”

Mandy made a conscious decision to involve the reservations team from day one in the implementation of Groupz. “The team joined the introduction, during which Jenneke explained Groupz, and they were involved in the rollout. That created immediate support and the team saw the added value right away.”

Looking back, Mandy is very happy with the onboarding. "Jenneke guided the onboarding really well. The team was supported and involved. We chose a date to go live, and from that moment on, every group request went through Groupz. No exceptions.” And it worked. “Colleagues were able to start using it immediately. That was great. Because with change, that’s often the tricky part: does everyone understand it? But that went surprisingly well.”

From chaos to control

Since switching to Groupz, the process has become much more transparent. “Bookers manage their own bookings, we see real‑time what’s happening, and communication is clear. Fewer errors, fewer calls to ‘just check’ if something went through. That builds confidence  and our guests feel it too.”

The results speak for themselves: “We now need one full‑time employee less in the department, purely because we work more efficiently. That’s direct cost savings. But just as important: we can react faster and handle more requests. You see that reflected in revenue.”

Clarity, calm, and satisfaction across the board

For Mandy personally, the overview is a major gain.“I can see at a glance where we are: which quotes have been sent, which have been approved, which rejected and why. That allows us to steer deliberately and respond to requests that might otherwise be missed. Ultimately, this lets us respond faster and better to guest needs and convert more requests.”

But most importantly: guests feel the difference. “We continuously receive positive feedback. A regular client who books a large group every year was skeptical at first, but now says: ‘This works so well for us, it has taken away so much stress.’ That is proof for me that we made the right choice.”

Natural outcome: lower costs, higher satisfaction

Mandy sees the positive effects not only in reviews, but also in business results. “Our departmental costs are lower, which is a massive saving. Plus, we can better respond to guest requests, contributing to higher customer satisfaction.”

The impact is clear: “Employee satisfaction has also increased, because communication lines to guests are much clearer. There’s less frustration within the team, and that benefits the guests.”

Optimize your guest experience through digitization

Mandy is convinced of the importance of digitization. Especially in a sector centered on hospitality.
“By setting up processes well, you create space to truly focus on the guest. Not worrying about whether a request has been handled, but: how do we make this stay unforgettable?”

Her advice to other hoteliers? “Don’t hesitate, just go for it. You stand to gain so much: clarity, peace, fewer errors, lower costs, and happy guests. It’s an investment that pays off in spades.”