Urbana Sathorn reduces reliance on OTAs and increases direct bookings by 40%

Urbana Sathorn is a luxurious, 5-star hotel ideally situated near the Silom Road business distinct in the center of Bangkok. It has 212 chic, spacious rooms with modern conveniences and premium services, appealing to both individual travelers and large family groups.

Urbana Sathorn was founded in 2008 and up until last year, had been using an outdated property management system (PMS) that was difficult for employees to navigate and for Phurithat Rujierdthananon, Owner of Urbana Sathorn, to garner insightful data. In Q4 of 2021, Phurithat decided to modernize operations by replacing their legacy system with a cloud-based PMS.

Phurithat knew that a cloud PMS would make training new staff much easier and make their property more competitive online. 

I wanted to simplify complicated processes, make information more transparent, and allow newer generations to adapt to the system easily.

When deciding on PMS solutions, Phurithat liked that he could access Cloudbeds from anywhere and was no longer reliant on his team to provide information on operations. In addition, Cloudbeds had an aesthetically pleasing and easy-to-use interface that provides a welcoming experience for employees.

As an Owner, Phurithat appreciates the simplicity of reporting and projections within Cloudbeds. He can quickly interpret data to make informed decisions for his property. Phurithat “looks at his account balances pretty much every hour,” no matter where he is in the world. Since he no longer has to physically be at his property or check in with staff, Phurithat has saved over 8 hours a week and feels “a step ahead” of whatever is happening at his property.

In creating a more modern work environment, Phurithat knew he wanted a system that his 50+ staff could use across any device. With Cloudbeds, his team can access information across their mobile devices, tablets, and laptops, making it easy to keep track of information without it getting lost, an issue they previously had when using paper-based processes.

After a transition period of 2-3 months from their legacy PMS to Cloudbeds, Phurithat says that he has heard positive feedback from his team and considers the transition a success, with everything running smoothly today.

Throughout the pandemic, Urbana Sathorn decided to move away from its reliance on OTAs and invest in its direct booking strategy. The Cloudbeds booking engine has been an essential part of this process, providing a seamless booking experience and price transparency across their website. Before the pandemic, 70% of Urbana Sathorn’s revenue was through OTAs, and today they now sit at 30%. Phurithat still uses Cloudbeds channel manager to simplify rate changes across their existing channels.

In just 6 months, Phurithat has managed to increase his average daily rate (ADR) from 1300 THB to 2600 THB – a 100% increase.

Urbana Sathorn continues to optimize its marketing strategy to attract higher-quality travelers and has a goal to increase its direct booking rate to 80%. Phurithat plans to accomplish this through activities such as paid advertising and SEO.