Visit Group, the digital ecosystem for travel and hospitality, is excited to officially announce a new collaboration with Ästad Vingård, one of Sweden’s top spa and wine destinations. The collaboration introduces new initiatives leveraging the combined capabilities of VisBook and BookVisit, two cutting-edge Visit Group platform solutions. Through the implementation of VisBook and BookVisit, Ästad Vingård automates processes, allowing staff to dedicate more time to enhancing guest experiences even further.
Located in the idyllic landscape of Southern Sweden, Ästad Vingård has evolved into a top-tier destination since a trio of siblings took over the property in 2010. The property harmoniously combines sustainable viticulture, relaxing spas and the Michelin starred restaurant “Äng”.
“Sustainability is at the core of everything we do at Ästad Vingård, a principle that permeates every aspect of our business,” explains Edvin Elghag, Hotel Manager at Ästad Vingård. He further emphasizes that Sinnenas Spa, inspired by Åkulla beech forests, is an expression of their commitment to offer unique and sustainable experiences.
The search for new hospitality management software
The journey towards finding new hospitality management software had been ongoing for quite some years at Ästad Vingård. Edvin explains that the experience of working with the old system was that it was slow, buggy and unintuitive which made it difficult to work with.
Considering this, Edvin, and the rest of the team, started the search for a new system that was modern, future-proof and innovative. Another highly important criterion was to automate manual processes so that staff could save more time and focus even more on delivering a great service for the guests. Edvin explains how they wished for “an online booking so good and efficient that guests no longer find it easier to call or email instead”.
Finding a solution that met their needs
The search for new software reached an end when Ästad Vingård decided to go with Visit Group’s platform solutions BookVisit and VisBook.
BookVisit, on the one hand, offers a smooth and efficient booking experience for guests and a comprehensive business development platform designed to automate and streamline bookings. “It is crucial that our guests can book their stays easily and intuitively online, which BookVisit enables”, notes Edvin.
VisBook, on the other hand, provides an all-in-one Property Management System which allows staff to manage all parts of the business in one single platform.
“With VisBook, we get a future-proof system with extensive functionality and API access, which allows us to automate our processes,” explains Edvin. This automation enables the staff to dedicate more time to creating memorable experiences for guests. “Less time in front of the computer means we can spend more time looking after our guests”, he adds.
Edvin further explains that they were looking for a solution where all parts of their business, from POS to online booking, could seamlessly work together. He highlights the BookVisit and VisBook advantage of being closely integrated that ensures real-time data synchronization. For a property like Ästad Vingård, with its spa, restaurant, vineyard, and accommodations, maintaining a premium experience and operational efficiency depends on flexible systems that seamlessly integrate all aspects of the business.
“We strive to create a genuine premium experience for our guests, where our Vineyards, food and spas form the heart of every visit. By introducing BookVisit and VisBook we will further enhance and refine this experience,” says Edvin.
The Visit Group difference
A key factor that influenced their decision to choose Visit Group’s solutions was the seamless integration between BookVisit and VisBook. “The fact that these systems are so well integrated was a big factor in our decision. Knowing that BookVisit and VisBook work smoothly together made us feel more secure in our choice,” Edvin explains. He adds that the strong integration has made it easier for them to manage their operations without the challenges they might have faced with less connected systems.
Three months being live with BookVisit & VisBook
Edvin reflects on the first three months using BookVisit and VisBook at Ästad Vingård. He explains that the expectations were set high, and both solutions have positively impacted their operations and guest services.
One of the most noticeable changes is the reduction in emails and manual tasks. Compared to previous year, the Ästad Vingård team now manages significantly fewer emails and repetitive work, thanks to the automation capabilities of the platform solutions. Edvin points out that this has allowed them to focus more on guest service, with confidence that the systems effectively manage any potential issues.
The automation of processes has resulted in a lot of timesaving, with Edvin estimating that they save three to five minutes on an average per booking that they used to spend on checking and taking actions on each booking. This additional time allows staff to focus more on enhancing the guest experience, making the overall booking process more efficient.
In terms of the guest experience, Edvin highlights that it’s now much easier for guests to compare prices and take advantage of better deals. Guests can also modify their bookings, cancel reservations, or add extras without staff being involved, streamlining the process for everyone.
On the operational side, daily tasks have become smoother and faster, especially with the POS system, which has made check-outs quicker. The restaurant reservation system has also seen improvements, with flexibility to easily make adjustments to seating plans. Using tablets for guest check-ins at the restaurant has been another new and useful feature, enabling real-time data management.
Further expansion towards south of Sweden
Ästad Vingård has also started planning a new hotel destination with a spa just outside Malmö, called Projekt Wärby. The environments and the conditions are very similar to those around Ästad, with beautiful countryside environments and forests that invite guests to hike. “We are in the planning stage for Wärby and look forward to opening between 2027 and 2028,” Edvin reveals.
About Visit Group
Visit Group was founded in Gothenburg in 1999. With 200 employees in seven countries and 2,500 customers across 25 countries, the group is a leading hospitality SaaS company in Northern Europe. With its collaborative commerce platform, the group serves providers of all types of lodging, ski resorts, activities, day tours, theme parks, museums, DMOs, ferry companies as well as resellers and agents. Visit Group’s platform optimizes customers’ sales, dynamic packaging, distribution as well as operational efficiency. To learn more about Visit Group, visit visitgroup.com.
About Ästad Vingård
Ästad Vingård is one of Sweden’s top spa and wine destinations, known for its unique combination of relaxing spa treatments, award-winning wine and outstanding dining experiences. Located in an idyllic setting close to Åkulla beech forests, Ästad Vingård offers a genuine and sustainable premium experience for their guests.
About VisBook
VisBook is a leading supplier of hotel systems that offers a complete solution for hotel facilities. With a focus on simplicity and functionality, VisBook helps its customers to optimize their internal processes and offer a superior guest experience.
About Bookvisit
BookVisit is the Nordic leading business development platform for hospitality, specialized in direct bookings and online sales. With the primary objective to help our customers develop their business, create operational efficiency and at the end of the day, make more money. BookVisit was established in 2012 and is a part of Visit Group.
