Little Hotelier makes first-time accommodation management a breeze for Haven Hall Hotel

Haven Hall Hotel is a luxurious 14-room property on the picturesque Isle of Wight off the southern coast of England.

Eight years ago, David & Arielle Barratt thought they were buying their ideal retirement retreat overlooking the sea. They enthusiastically embarked on the huge renovation needed by this large Edwardian house. It quickly became obvious that this lovely seafront property deserved to be shared.

So, with no previous experience as hoteliers, the Barratt’s created a luxurious 14 bedroom boutique hotel with period elegance and character. The doors opened in 2017 and began hosting celebrities such as Colin Firth, Peter Crouch and Sol Campbell. Much to their delight, satisfied guests ranked the property 2^nd in the UK on Tripadvisor for Small Hotels, and 9/10 by the Telegraph.

We recently had the pleasure of speaking to David about the property’s journey and how Little Hotelier’s software supports the vital needs of their business.

An easy transition to hotel management software

Opening a new hotel with no hospitality management experience meant that David and Arielle were desperate for a user-friendly, efficient and affordable system. When thorough research led David to Little Hotelier, it was apparent that his prayers were answered.

An extremely easy to use system, Arielle and David can create, update and manage their own website with a couple clicks. Plus, it automatically links with the channel manager, the booking engine and the payments solution via the front desk system.

“Everything I need is in one platform and works together seamlessly. My time is valuable and the ease of use is worth every penny,” David said. “It was a smooth process to get started and Little Hotelier was there to give support whenever needed.”

“We had several lengthy phone calls and the process of education and help was excellent,” he explained. “The time and patience through the onboarding process was exactly what we needed. They always took the time to educate me, no matter how stupid my questions may be.”

Little Hotelier understands that learning new technology is no simple feat, which is why we offer 24/7 support for all customers after the personalised onboarding experience is completed. 

The benefit of a ‘virtual’ front desk

Since David and Arielle manage Haven Hall without a traditional reception or general manager, it is crucial to have an admin system that can provide a simple and central control hub.

There’s no better solution than Little Hotelier’s front desk system. It allows hoteliers to manage everything from reservations to guest profiles, housekeeping, payments and more.

“The ease of use if someone wants to upgrade a room, make a payment, create a package deal or promotion, pays for the system itself,” said David.

“Having it available on the mobile app is incredibly useful too,” he added. “Much of the business runs on my mobile phone.” This means there are no worries about David and Arielle neglecting their business if they want to spend time with guests or take a walk along the seafront. 

David was effusive in his praise for some of Little Hotelier’s other features, such as Guest Engagement, the seamless payment processing, automated guest emails, and website builder.

“Guest Engagement is brilliant for putting photos in emails as well as generating a QR code in the bedrooms so guests can access all sorts of information about the hotel”

“The payment system is incredibly valuable. They take the one night deposit automatically and put it straight into my bank account.”

“When it comes to guest emails, we can automatically send all our necessary communications pre and post-stay to ensure our guests are always informed and engaged,” he said.

“The website builder is so user-friendly, we edit stuff all the time”, all without needing to contact anyone at the Little Hotelier team. 

On top of all that, Haven Hall also uses Little Hotelier Insights, which provides analytics and real-time market data. 

Increased occupancy and direct bookings

Due to the seasonality of the location, Haven Hall is only open between April and September. However, Little Hotelier works year-round to make sure everything is in line before the busy spring and summer seasons commence. 

The property also achieves roughly around 80% direct bookings with a key reason being Little Hotelier’s metasearch feature. David estimates that 90% of his direct bookings come from Google Hotel Ads and TripAdvisor. By featuring a link to the booking engine on these key sites, traffic is being directed to Haven Hall’s official website rather than the OTAs.

Little Hotelier is honoured to be a part of the legacy David and Arielle Barratt are creating!