22% RevPAR rise for UAE's Jannah Hotels & Resorts | Duetto

We chatted with Ossama Charrouf, Corporate Director of Commercial and Development, for Jannah Hotels & Resorts to see how they’ve used automation to overcome their forecast accuracy challenges and transform their rate management, to significantly improve their revenue in the highly competitive Middle Eastern market.

• 22% RevPAR increase.
• 34% ADR increase.
• Reduction in manual tasks.

A little bit about us

At Jannah Hotels & Resorts, we offer luxury and business accommodation with a distinct Emirati flair. We pay homage to the warmth and devotion of Bedouin hospitality, offering guests convenience and comfort in elegantly styled interiors with state-of-the-art amenities in some of the best locations in the UAE.

Our challenges

Across our five properties, we relied heavily on manual processes, managing rates on a daily basis. This took up a significant amount of our time, meaning we couldn’t keep up with the fluctuating demand present in the Middle East. We also experienced challenges with our manual forecasting. This relied solely on business on the books and last year's performance, which didn’t give us a full picture of market changes, leading to inaccurate rate recommendations.

A combination of these factors meant we were missing out on essential revenue.

We needed a tool to help us automate our manual processes and save us time, in order for us to:

1. Increase our revenue per available room (RevPAR).
2. Improve our average daily rate (ADR).
3. Streamline our processes.

We knew technology was going to play a big role in this, so we set out to find a revenue management system (RMS) that could support our growing portfolio.

Our search for an RMS

We did an extensive technical comparison of the top three global RMS providers, looking into forecast accuracy, usability, reporting, return on investment, and compatibility with our property management system (PMS), Opera, and our channel reservation system (CRS) and booking engine, TravelClick. Duetto came out on top, coming highly recommended by hoteliers.

But that wasn’t our only selection criteria.

In the Middle East, there’s also an emotional component to our decision making; we’re people that give business to those who support us and provide us with exceptional service. And Duetto showcased that from our first interaction and continues to do so today — they’ve built a partnership with us.

Unlike many tech providers, you don’t hear from Duetto just before your renewal — the team are always in touch and are on hand to offer their support. And for us at Jannah, this communication is key.

Our onboarding experience

The onboarding process was very efficient, taking approximately a month from start to finish. The Duetto team, including our amazing account manager, Siobhan, provided comprehensive training and support, so we could start using the system straightaway.

“I go home on time, back to my family, with peace of mind that Duetto is ready to take action.”

Our results

We’ve seen significant return on investment after implementing the GameChanger, ScoreBoard, and BlockBuster solutions over the last two years:

• Our Jannah Burj Al Sarab property has achieved RevPAR growth of 57%, with a 22% RevPAR increase across our entire portfolio. We’ve also seen year-on-year RevPAR growth of 19% for our Abu Dhabi and Dubai hotels, and 7.5% for our Ras Al Khaimah apartments and villas.
• Jannah Burj Al Sarab excelled again achieving a 34% increase in ADR, while ADR for our five properties grew by 4.8%.
• We’ve reduced our manual tasks and saved time, allowing us to focus on other commercial strategies.

Here are some of the most notable changes that have taken place:

• With AutoPilot, our rate changes are now automated, so we can adjust our pricing in real time in response to sudden shifts in demand, like major events and exhibitions — we’re no longer missing out on these opportunities.
• Our forecasts are more accurate now that we have access to both historical and future data — it’s taken the guesswork out of building budgets and creating strategies to tackle the five core seasons in the Middle East.
• We’re more reactive during high-demand periods, relying on Duetto to tackle our pickup a month out, so we can focus on last-minute changes.
• We can easily access live reports that are suitable for owners and executive-level team members, without needing to manipulate the data externally — being able to see this real-time data has been incredibly impactful.
• Most importantly, I go home on time, back to my family, with peace of mind that Duetto is ready to take action.

Our advice

You need to invest in the right RMS, with the right provider, for the right revenue stream.

An RMS is the backbone of operations and gives your team the right tools to be commercial leaders — I spend more time in Duetto than I do our PMS! It’s a must, especially if you’re a small, medium, or large-sized hotel based in a large city like Dubai, Riyadh, or Medinah, who wants better control over inventory in high-demand seasons.