Overcoming Renovation Challenges: Hotel Saint-Sulpice’s Best Year Yet with G3 RMS

The story

Hotel Saint-Sulpice, a boutique luxury hotel nestled in the heart of Old Montreal, stands out as the only independent property in this highly desirable area. With 108 suites featuring kitchenettes—an offering unique to the neighborhood—the hotel sought to enhance its revenue management strategy to stay competitive. To achieve this, Hotel Saint- Sulpice selected G3 RMS to optimize pricing recommendations and maximize occupancy.

Manual processes limit revenue optimization

Post-pandemic, Hotel Saint-Sulpice had no dedicated staff overseeing revenue management, and all rate changes were handled manually. The previous approach relied on BAR (Best Available Rate) levels, which became increasingly difficult to manage due to pandemic-driven market shifts. Hotel leadership recognized that it was a good time to explore new solutions.

Charlotte Lemoine, E-Commerce and Revenue Director for Hotel Saint-Sulpice, was responsible for managing rates and spent most of her days manually adjusting pricing within their revenue management solution across the hotel’s 11 room categories, leaving little to no time for strategic planning. As a result, the property missed out on opportunities to optimize revenue.

“I was so busy focusing on operational tasks, I could barely find time to look forward and think through our revenue strategy,” Lemoine acknowledged.

G3 RMS chosen for dynamic pricing and control

Seeking a solution that would go beyond basic reporting tools, Hotel Saint-Sulpice evaluated four RMS providers before selecting G3 RMS. Lemoine, who led the decision-making process, was particularly focused on finding a dynamic revenue management system that could streamline operations and optimize pricing.

“We were a little worried about how the implementation process would go as it could easily disrupt our business. But from day one we received fantastic support; IDeaS really made the transition as quick and seamless as possible.”

The three main criteria that guided their selection were automated rate recommendations, dynamic pricing, and flexibility in controlling their strategy. Lemoine wanted to move beyond the outdated BAR level system, which she found limiting, as it prevented the hotel from capturing revenue in the price gaps between predefined levels. G3 RMS’s dynamic continuous pricing capabilities offered a more fluid and responsive approach, ensuring that rates could be adjusted based on demand.

Additionally, the ability to override system recommendations was crucial. Although Lemoine initially worried about losing control over manual rate adjustments, she soon realized that G3 RMS allowed her to inform the system of her strategy when it differed from the system’s recommendations, giving her both automation and control.

Hotel Saint-Sulpice found that G3 RMS stood out from other revenue management solutions because of its intelligence and comprehensive approach to informing decision-making. Lemoine noted that compared to other systems they reviewed, G3 RMS took all the critical factors into account for making informed pricing recommendations based on their strategy. What also set G3 RMS apart was the exceptional customer service and smooth onboarding process.

“G3 RMS provides us with a lot of information. Before using the system, we didn’t have this level of insight when we were working in a manual environment. It really gives us a significant boost in understanding and decision making.”

Time saved with G3 RMS boosts strategic focus

The biggest advantage for Lemoine was reclaiming time in her day, which allowed her to focus on broader strategic initiatives rather than spending hours on manual rate adjustments. Additionally, the hotel immediately saw a positive impact on occupancy through optimized overbooking. Prior to G3 RMS, the team would create a waitlist or turn away reservations when they were fully booked.

“Because of the overbooking feature in G3 RMS we experienced higher occupancy with an increase in ADR,” Lemoine noted.

Lemoine also particularly appreciates features like “What If” scenarios and the Special Events functionality, which provide further flexibility and insight into managing their pricing effectively.

Results and conclusion

While increased efficiency and improved occupancy rates were an almost immediate sign of the success of G3 RMS, that’s not all the team at Hotel Saint-Sulpice is happy about. Since implementing G3 RMS, the hotel has achieved notable results, even during a challenging period of renovation. Year-to-date, from September 2023 to August 2024, the hotel experienced a 1.5% increase in RevPAR compared to the previous year. This uplift came as a surprise to Lemoine and her team, who didn’t expect to outperform the previous year under such circumstances.