From traditional management to maximum efficiency and centralised operational automation with GuestPro.
We moved to Santa Susanna (Barcelona) to learn about the history of a family business with strong roots in the hotel sector in the Maresme area. With Jordi Mateu, General Manager of Mateu Sánchez Family Group at the helm, they manage two large holiday accommodations with a high volume of operations, especially demanding during the high season: the Hotel Alhambra **** (217 rooms) and the Caprici Beach Hotel & SPA **** (237 rooms).
Originally built by the grandfather of the current generation, these hotels reflect a way of understanding the hotel business based on proximity and a family atmosphere. However, behind this traditional essence, there was the challenge of managing an infrastructure of more than 450 rooms with tools that had remained anchored in the past. Its transformation is the perfect example of how to modernise a massive operation without losing the soul of the family business.
The challenge: overcoming an artisanal technological legacy and a disconnected ecosystem.
Prior to GuestPro, the company operated under a very traditional model. The two hotels' technological background was encapsulated in a booking management software, developed almost customised in the early 2000s by a local supplier. Prior to that first software, room scheduling was managed entirely manually by means of "little cards" on a wall.
Limitations that prevented the optimisation of operations
Although this traditional system worked thanks to the enormous accumulated experience and the internal knowledge of the team, the hotel market began to evolve at a dizzying pace. The advent of mass online distribution, the need for automation, channel managers, real-time data analysis and the digitisation of the customer experience highlighted the limitations of local software. Lack of cross-departmental integrations and excessive manual processes created critical bottlenecks for such a high volume of rooms. The challenge was not just to change software, but to transform an operational culture that had been ingrained for decades.
The strategy: find a partner that understands the realities of the hospitality industry.
Making the decision to change was not easy. Changing the habits of a team that had been used to working in the same "artisanal" way all their lives required a firm but confident step. The ownership initiated an intensive round of contacts with numerous PMS providers in the market.
Despite finding very advanced technical proposals, the family business kept coming up against the same barrier: the lack of real understanding of the day-to-day operations of a holiday hotel. Everything changed when they connected with GuestPro. In GuestPro' s system and team, they found not only cutting-edge technology, but also professionals who spoke their own hotel language. The human involvement of Xavier Pallicer, CEO, and Magali Rovira, project manager, provided the trust and proximity necessary to tackle the structural and cultural change. The strategy focused on replacing the old programme with a comprehensive platform capable of connecting all the tools with which the hotels already operated (A3 for accounting, Salto for keys, Delta for customer cardex control and TouchExpress for catering).
The solution: centralisation and automation
For a family-run company managing two large hotels, automation is not a decorative luxury, but a necessity for operational survival. With no large corporate departments, an optimised team must coordinate multiple areas of the business at the same time.
The implementation of GuestPro acted as the core connector of the entire operation. By natively integrating the PMS, F&B, POS, collections and accounting, manual information transfers and duplication of tasks were eliminated. The solution allowed the team to free itself from mechanical burdens and focus on strategic oversight and customer service, enabling a small organisational structure to manage a huge operation with solvency.
As the hotel management itself points out
"Having integrated PMS, catering, points of sale, collections and accounting has allowed us to centralise a lot of work, reduce manual processes and greatly simplify daily management," says Jordi Mateu, General Manager of Mateu Sánchez Family Group and the driving force behind the change.
Visible results: financial control, agility and visibility in real time.
The transition and cultural change led to tangible and immediate improvements in the day-to-day running of both hotels, with two areas in particular standing out:
- Administrative and financial management: Online collections, both from direct web sales and from the various OTAs, became fully efficient and automated. Human errors in reconciliation and time spent on constant monitoring of transactions were drastically reduced.
- Automated accounting integration: The direct feed of billing and collection data into the accounting system (A3) completely transformed the control of the business. Ownership now has full traceability and access to reliable financial information in real time.
In short, the hotels gained in centralisation, control and internal efficiency, proving that the right technology multiplies the capabilities of the work teams.
A firm step into the future of hotel management
The success story of the Hotel Alhambra and the Caprici Beach Hotel & SPA is a clear testimony that digitalisation is not at odds with the essence of a family business. The future of the sector is unequivocally moving towards operational optimisation and technological integration, but always understanding technology as a tool at the service of people (both guests and staff).
The alliance of these two holiday hotels in Santa Susanna with GuestPro demonstrates that:
- Automation is key for family organisational structures to successfully manage large volumes of rooms.
- Full systems integration (PMS, billing, F&B and accounting) eliminates inefficiencies and frees up valuable time.
- The human factor in technology is indispensable to successfully lead a cultural and operational change in a traditional business.
An impeccable technological leap to consolidate a historic business and leave it fully prepared for the challenges of the future. From here, the objective of this family business is to continue evolving and professionalising management without losing the essence that has always characterised its hotels.
