Georgian House Hotel is one of the hospitality industry’s best places to work. Since 2014, this privately owned, luxury hotel has remained as one of the top employers in the sector – an accolade their General Manager Adam Rowledge is incredibly proud of.
“It’s simple.” he says: “You should treat your team as well as you treat your guests. They are the backbone of your hotel and should be respected in the same way your guests are.” It should come as no surprise then that with this commitment to employee satisfaction, their guest satisfaction index sits at an impressive 91%.
Built in 1851 and in the heart of London’s Victoria area, the 60-room hotel is unabashedly unique. From the plush velvet sofas in reception to the ‘Penguin Books’ theme lining the staircase wallpaper and cafe accessories, Georgian House is seamlessly elegant, quintessentially British and genuinely welcoming. They pride themselves on supporting locally sourced produce – even stocking their bar with independently spirited gins and beers from across the capital.
Their individually crafted rooms highlight the hotel’s 19th century architecture, but it’s their themed Wizard Chambers which are truly memorable. With stained glass windows, stone walls and an open fireplace there’s a real sense of magic when you enter the rooms concealed behind a bookcase door on the lower ground level of the hotel. As expected, these enchanted wizard chambers are their most popular reservation. Primarily hosting a leisure demographic from Europe and the US, the hotel ensures there are varied activities to keep guests entertained. Whether you want to indulge in a cheese afternoon tea or a magical wizard cocktail experience, there is something special for everyone.
It should come as no surprise that the 5-star boutique is thriving. They’ve been working with Avvio since the summer of 2018, readily embracing our technology and ‘book direct’ strategy. This messaging is even reiterated on their homepage – ‘5 Great Reasons To Book Directly Now’. In addition, they are keen adopters of new features in the booking engine – having recently started using the new closed user group rate feature. Adam says:
“We’re really happy with the way Avvio’s technology has evolved in the short time we have been working together. Incorporating the personalisation tools built into Avvio’s booking platform have made a big difference for us as well!”
During our partnership the property has seen a strong increase in direct conversions as well as add-ons to reservations.
In 2019 they have already seen:
- A 70% increase in booked revenue year-on-year
- An 88% lift in booked revenue during September to December compared to the same period in 2017
They’ve also generated an impressive £10k in dynamic packaging revenue since September 2018 from upsells like their wizard potion cocktail/mocktail experiences.
Georgian House has also recently invested in using new digital marketing services as an additional measure to combat an OTA reliance. Avvio E-Commerce Manager Jennifer Ryan says:
“Georgian House appointed Avvio to manage their property on Metasearch just before Christmas last year, and they have seen a 14:1 return in investment bringing in over £22,000 in revenue – just from Google Hotel Ads!”
They’re also trialing other platforms such as TripAdvisor – recently seeing a 6:1 return on investment.
Adam explains “We have a really great relationship with our account manager Jen – she’s really proactive in suggestion new things in order to try to help our conversion. We’ve seen an amazing return from the money we have invested in Metasearch – and we’re grateful for the ongoing advice and support.”
So what does the future hold in store for Georgian House?
The team hold fortnightly project review meetings to discuss plans in the pipeline. At present Georgian House are refurbishing the exterior of the hotel but have no concrete plans as of yet for further significant refurbishments. Ongoing maintenance and improvements will continue to be made to the rooms and communal areas within the hotel. For the most part, Georgian House will continue to focus on providing a unique and personalised guest experience.
