How Point A Hotels signed off its Catey-winning guest technology in 12 weeks

The 11-site hotel group, which offers compact rooms across hotels in Scotland, Dublin and London, worked with communication solutions and service provider GuestPulse after hearing good things from the supplier’s previous clients. Contact was made and “a relationship blossomed”, says Costa, who cites the provider’s adaptability and ability to suit the hotel brand’s needs, rather than forcing a pre-existing system that wasn’t the right fit.

An aspect that stood out to the Cateys judges was the compressed timescale of the project, where a process that would usually take 18 months was completed in an impressive 12 weeks. “GuestPulse was very excited and passionate about what we were trying to create and it took us on board and really championed it,” says Harjit Lalli, the hotel’s senior digital marketing manager.

Transformational change

After the rapid turnaround, the new system gave the team a comprehensive view of each guest for the first time – a change that was nothing short of transformational. One of the first major insights was the recognition of high-value and repeat guests. “We actually were quite surprised at how many repeat and high-value guests we did have, which was something we didn’t have clear data on before,” says Costa.

After learning that 20% of guests had stayed between four and seven times, the hotel could provide personalised offers and tailored communication, fostering stronger connections and leading to higher conversion rates. The approach led to repeat guest bookings increasing by 46% year-on-year and also reduced the group’s reliance on online travel agents (OTAs) in order to drive direct bookings, a key objective behind implementing the system.

Costa explains that front of house teams could easily identify recurring guests and speak to them face-to-face about the benefits of booking directly, which was “another drive, another lever” to help convert OTA customers. As a result, in 2025 there was a clear and considerable reduction in OTA bookings across its portfolio, with Liverpool Street and Kensington hotels achieving reductions of 8% and 9% respectively.

But the team is not resting on its laurels: a key focus this year is to continue to shift its high-level repeat guests from OTAs to direct bookings. With richer data and a fuller picture in place, the team knows which guests to target, says Alicia van Wyk, brand marketing manager.

One of the unexpected benefits of the new system was that it is now feeding into a long-held goal for the group – a loyalty programme. “The lifetime value of the new data helped us build a foundation for our loyalty programme,” says Lalli. 

GuestPulse hasn’t just benefited one hotel group – Point A Hotels’ success has resulted in Queensway Group rolling out the solution across its entire portfolio of hotel brands. However, for Point A Hotels, the real win was understanding the guest more holistically, says van Wyk. “The property management system only tells you so much about that one stay at that one property. You don’t know their story, but, with Guest Pulse, you do.”

Point A Hotels’ tips for taking on new tech 

Start small Begin with a single objective or question, then gradually expand the system’s capabilities as needs and opportunities become clearer.

Focus on clear objectives Maintain laser-focus on your core goals to avoid distractions or scope creep.

Choose the right partner Select a tech partner that is passionate about your business and that is willing to develop solutions tailored to your needs in the long term.

Plan for scalability and the future Make sure your solution will evolve with your business, avoiding repeated system changes and wasted resources.

Pit your technology transformation against the best in the industry

This year the Cateys will celebrate 20 years of the Best Use of Innovative Technology Award, which recognises hospitality businesses that have successfully deployed technology to improve efficiency, enhance customer experience and drive new business. If your business is leading the field in tech, nominate them today.