The newly built Ambassador residence has opened a luxurious 18-guest aparthotel, the Estonishing Stay Apart Hotel Ambassador, where all processes, including check-in and smart lock management, are automated.
Estonishing Stay, the company that manages the aparthotel, started automation even before the coronavirus pandemic, with tech-savvy customers in mind. However, contactless accommodation has now become a significant advantage over competitors.
We meet Estonishing Stay partners Gerdi Arsti, Evelin Org, and Maaja Tuuling as the latest preparations are being made in the new aparthotel. As you move from room to room, you can see the detail with which things have found their own place. Valnes’ WebLock smart lock has already been installed. Although a porter will not greet guests at the hotel door, the luxury of this hotel will not be diminished.
Estonishing Stay started almost three years ago, half a year before the coronavirus pandemic began. At present, the apartments are managed in five different locations. In total they have almost a hundred guest apartments. They include only locations with at least 10 apartments in the portfolio. These entrepreneurial women consider smart locks and automation to be an important part of their business. All guest apartments have code locks.
If there were just a handful of guest apartments, it would be conceivable to manage visits without automating the processes. In the case of the more than 80 Estonishing Stay apartments, this is no longer feasible. Evelin notes as an example that there are days when as many as 80 door codes might have to be generated. “It would take all day manually,” she explains. “Currently, we only intervene in the booking if the customer’s special wishes require. For example, later or earlier check-in, but in this case only the times are changed, everything else happens automatically.”
Estonishing Stay is very satisfied with Valnes smart locks.
The company has experience with many smart locks. The others solutions they tried didn’t enable full automation. However, Valnes WebLock meets all of their needs. “When a customer makes a reservation, they will automatically receive a link from our administration program for check-in. Once the form has been filled in, they will automatically receive a unique code to enter the apartment. The same code applies to the front door of the house,” says Maaja Tuuling. She is responsible for customer service in the company.
In addition to the new aparthotel, the Valnes WebLock solution is used in the guest apartments of Estonishing Stay Duo Lofts, which they also manage. “Based on our current experience, we know for sure that we will no longer use a solution that does not allow full automation in any location. Too much unnecessary work,” Evelin, Maaja, and Gerdi agree. “We are very pleased with Valnes’ solution.”
Automatic management works smoothly thanks to the interface between WebLock and Guesty software. “We like that the codes are valid exactly at the time of the customer’s booking. We do not have to create codes manually. If, for example, the customer cancels the booking, the customer’s door access is automatically canceled thanks to the Guesty interface.
Cleaners visit us with their codes and we’ll see exactly when they use them. Some cleaners also use chips, which is also convenient.” The interface between the Guesty and WebLock software was created by Valnes for Estonishing Stay.
People like to check-in online
Evelin Org has extensive experience in hotels and was a little skeptical at first about the lack of regular face-to-face communication. However, the experience with guest apartments so far has given her another perspective: “People like to check-in online. They don’t want to queue in the lobby when they arrive or leave.” Evelin also points out the environmental friendliness of automated customer management: “There is no longer a need for paper or to use plastic cards to open doors. A great way to eliminate unnecessary waste.”
Based on our current experience, we know for sure that we will no longer use a solution that does not allow full automation in any location. Too much unnecessary work. We are very pleased with Valnes’ solution.
The ladies have also praised Valnes’ prompt and helpful customer service. All technical issues have been resolved very quickly. “All in all, full automation allows us to offer our customers a significantly better price-quality ratio than in a traditional hotel. The savings in labor costs are significant, and we can redirect these resources elsewhere,” say Estonishing Stay‘s partners.
