Background
Honeycomb Houses is the managed collection within Brakspear – 12 properties across the Cotswolds, the Thames Valley and Surrey, ranging from nine-room boutique inns up to a 62-room property. Ten of these run on Rezcontrol, including The Frogmill, a 28-bedroom property on the edge of the Cotswolds near Cheltenham, and one of the group’s most popular wedding and events venues.
The problem
“Human error, and a great deal of wasted time”
As Honeycomb Houses expanded from a handful of sites into a 12-strong collection, its legacy, server-based Hotel Executive system couldn’t keep pace. The group needed one cloud-based platform that could support a growing, geographically spread portfolio, rather than each property running things its own way.
Before consolidating onto Rezcontrol, day-to-day revenue management was also a manual, fragmented job. “Back in the day, I’d have to look at my PMS, then my website, then Booking.com, then Expedia,” said Neil James, Head of Sales and Events at Honeycomb Houses. “I’d have to log into all these different platforms, and that meant human error. You’re going to forget to change something in one, or make a mistake on the number.” With 10 properties needing the same rate matrix, availability and processes applied consistently, the time it took, and the risk errors, only grew as the group did.
The solution
“Within a couple of days, I was helping the team”
Neil was won over by how quickly the system clicked. “I found Rezcontrol so straightforward to use. Within a couple of days, I was helping the team making reservations,” he said. “I had great support from Nathan, our account manager, in getting some training. That was all done within the first two weeks.” General Manager Jo Alderman agreed: “It was one of the easiest systems that I’ve rolled out. The migration was really, really easy.”
The benefits of Rezcontrol
“One version of the truth, across the whole group”
With all 10 properties on the same platform, Neil tracks occupancy, rate and pace against any defined period from a single daily report, and uses Rezcontrol’s integration with RoomPriceGenie to manage rates automatically. “It saves us so much time – it’s almost like we’ve got our own backup.” The group’s integrated booking engine has cut OTA commission costs and given guests rate parity and minimum-stay transparency, while a new centralised Customer Contact Centre lets the team cross-sell rooms between nearby sister properties when one is fully booked.
At The Frogmill, General Manager Jo relies on Rezcontrol for everything from daily housekeeping updates to personalised room profiles and rate codes for weddings and corporate accounts. “It’s a system that fits around you, rather than you needing to fit the system,” she said.
Sales & Events Manager Ella Rickson uses it to manage the venue’s wedding bedroom blocks and repeat corporate bookings, moving guests between rooms at a click “without having to worry about repricing manually.”
Excellent support
When talking to the team, there’s one thing everyone agreed on: the quality of support behind the platform. “I’ve never worked with a PMS where the turnaround of tickets is so fast and so personal,” said Neil. “I actually get a phone call or an email from somebody, not a generic response.”
Testimonial
“Rezcontrol is absolutely perfect for independent hotels, whether you’re a single property, a collective or a group. It’s so easy to use and the support is incredible.”
Neil James, Head of Sales and Events, Honeycomb Houses