Grand Hotel Karel V - Utrecht, The Netherlands
- Oracle Hospitality OPERA Cloud PMS
- Oracle MICROS RES 3700 POS
- Oracle Hospitality Materials Control
About Grand Hotel Karel V
Hotel Karel V has an ancient history which dates back to the 14th-century. This was once a monastery serving as an accommodation for knights, priests and even emperors. Footprints of a time long passed can be found throughout the hotel. Nowadays, guests can enjoy a wonderful stay at the luxurious five-star Grand Hotel Karel V.
The hotel is located in the heart of Utrecht, near the Dom Tower. They serve the high end of the market and have 121 rooms, the Michelin star awarded Restaurant ‘Karel 5’, Brasserie ‘Goeie Louisa’, bar, 13 conference rooms and no less than 10,000 m² of garden.
‘Karel V is a very elegant hotel and a fairly large, dynamic company’, Maxime Busnel, Commercial Manager of Grand Hotel Karel V proudly states. ‘Our hospitality is paramount and we always go the extra mile for our guests. We provide customized services and take guest wishes into account. Therefore, we want our actions and decisions to be based on accurate information. Our IT infrastructure needs to be designed to meet our specific requirements and wishes.’
Considerations when switching PMS system
‘In a complex hotel organization where various disciplines converge, you need to optimize operational and administrative processes. Also, you want correct data on which you make commercial decisions’, Maxime points out. ‘As an individual hotel, we don’t have an umbrella organization that provides us with guidelines or protocols. This allows us to think out of the box and operate freely.’
‘In challenging times of innovation and high staff turnover, you need systems that work intuitively, are easy to set up and take work off your hands. We have been working with the same system for years which gave us a certain comfort. When you switch systems, you never know exactly what you get in return.’
‘We set up an internal project team, as we don’t have an IT department to manage and control this. We started brainstorming, inventoried what we’re up against and what the most ideal situation should look like. This is how we knew exactly what our future PMS system needed to meet. We then compared various PMS systems, but OPERA Cloud PMS stood out meeting most of our requirements. This and our previous experience with Van Hessen were decisive. After all, we’ve been working with Van Hessen since 1999 and know from experience that they are a partner we can trust upon’, says Maxime.
Grand Hotel Karel V's approach to the project and any misconceptions
‘Before we saw the system in operation, we first started thinking outside our existing frameworks. This in order to break free from old working methods and mindsets. It’s a misconception that you can blindly transfer data from system A to system B. Chances are that you run into ineffective procedures, workarounds and contaminated data. Rather, go back to the drawing board and ask yourself how you ideally want it to be. So, next to changing systems, we also amended our processes and procedures.’
Besides OPERA Cloud PMS, Karel V also uses Oracle MICROS 3700 RES POS in the F&B outlets and Oracle Hospitality Materials Control for managing their inventory. However, the focus in this project was on OPERA Cloud PMS for the hotel, with integrations like SmartHOTEL, Adyen, RevControl and WorldHotels. ‘With OPERA Cloud, we got the best system on the market for our needs. It works like a charm, but you can also run into an outdated system which can’t be integrated with OPERA Cloud right away. So, you have to adjust working practices until it’s further upgraded to integrate with OPERA Cloud.’
We finally switched to OPERA Cloud four months ago, which was quite an upgrade for us’, Maxime says. ‘You focus on getting the system live. But be careful not to lose attention after installation. The aftereffect of such a big project is the finalization of all the details and training the team. Van Hessen provided a live training for the reception team and we can train new employees properly ourselves with the e-learning module. It took some getting used to, but our team quickly gave feedback that OPERA Cloud is so speedy and very user-friendly.
The hotel automation was well-conceived and executed. During the testing phase we realized that the F&B department also needs more advanced automation. We are currently investigating a possible follow-up path, with the installation of MICROS Simphony POS from Van Hessen.’
Van Hessen as a pillar of support
Maxime experienced a lot of support from Van Hessen throughout the process. ‘The Van Hessen team is available at all times and responds swiftly. They get in touch regularly to check if there is any need for support. They establish lines of communication with others such as SmartHOTEL, which accelerates the implementation. That’s very helpful, because when you’re in the middle of such a trajectory you don’t always have the time or space to arrange additional things. We have a lot of interaction with Van Hessen and the collaboration is very relaxed. They think along and set out the assignments. You feel recognized and appreciated as a customer.’
‘Even months after implementation, our project team and Van Hessen, meet regularly to ensure progress and see how we can further optimize things. At Van Hessen, they are honest and transparent about what can and cannot be done. You don’t get a fancy sales pitch or get stuck with a system that doesn’t do what it was supposed to do. Van Hessen’s service doesn’t stop with the sale. They are clear about the possibilities and think in terms of solutions. And that’s service too! It’s where Van Hessen really stands out! ‘
Curious about what Van Hessen can do for you?
Would you like more information about our solutions and services? Contact us or leave a message via the contact form. You will hear from us soon.
