The VisBook PMS system has over 1,000 customers in the Nordic region and is rapidly increasing, not least in Sweden as the number of new customers has more than doubled in the last two years. One of the new customers is Åhus Seaside, which last summer built a brand-new hotel facility with 72 rooms, in addition to a spa, a restaurant and a conference area.
– It was nerve-wracking, everything had to work out when the first guests arrived, says Camilla Andersson, hotel manager at Åhus Seaside.
Åhus Seaside hotel, spa and conference is a new destination that opened its doors during the summer of 2022. For decades, both Swedish and foreign holidaymakers have come to eat and stay at the exquisite location of Åhusbryggan and the promenade in Åhus. On 17 June last year, a brand new exclusive hotel was inaugurated with a spa, a restaurant and a bar as well as a conference area and reception room.
The entire facility was built in 18 months, which is an incredibly short construction time. The fact that there was war in Ukraine throughout the project caused material shortages and delivery delays, which did not make it any less challenging
– It was a somewhat incredible feeling to see all the guests in bathrobes on the way to our spa, which only a few hours earlier had been full of craftsmen, says Camilla Andersson.
This is why Åhus Seaside chose VisBook
The 72 hotel rooms and suites are all privately owned. The owners have access to their accommodation and all the facilities of the resort ten weeks each year. During the period that the owner does not use the accommodation, Åhus Seaside Hotel has the responsibility to let the rooms. The hotel manages the rental through a common rental pool of all available accommodation, which places high demands on the facility’s PMS system.
– We needed a hotel system that could meet all our needs, which is why we chose VisBook. For example, for us, it was important to have an integrated restaurant and spa system that is easily linked to the booking system. We use the system’s functions for booking / check-in, conference, restaurant, spa, housekeeping, sales, key figures, etc., explains Camilla Andersson. Since the hotel rooms are owned by private individuals, it is also important to be able to extract the data needed for Seaside’s accounting, she says.
Åhus Seaside’s 72 hotel rooms are privately owned; when the owners are not using them, they are rented out, among other things, using a newly installed PMS system from VisBook. Photo: Åhus Seaside
VisBook is growing rapidly in Sweden
Åhus Seaside is one of the 138 new facilities that in 2022 chose VisBook as their supplier, of which 51 in Sweden. Since its inception in Norway in the 90s, VisBook has become one of the leading PMS providers in the Nordic region and more than 1,000 businesses in the hospitality industry now use VisBook. In recent years, sales have more than doubled in the Swedish market and one of the reasons why many people choose VisBook is the all-in-one solution.
– With VisBook you get all the solutions for the entire business. We have invested a lot in user-friendliness so that the staff can focus on the guest instead of the technical side. In a short time, you learn the basics of the system. As the entire business uses the same system, the receptionist, who takes care of checking in guests, can easily book a table in the restaurant or a visit to the spa department, says Anders Hansson, sales manager at VisBook in Sweden.
Anders Hansson, Sales Manager – VisBook Sweden.
Åhus Seaside has recently got new owners in the form of the hotel company Room Republic, which is focusing on continuing to develop the business further. The fact that a well-functioning PMS system that covers all parts of the business is in place is of course a plus when changing ownership.
– We can already see the benefits of using the same system throughout the business, regardless of whether it is for the hotel, spa or restaurant. It will be very interesting to familiarise ourselves more with VisBook’s system and how it can facilitate our work, in the day-to-day running of the hotel, says Room Republic’s CEO André Åberg.
Åhus Seaside is a popular destination all year round; in summer mostly for tourists because Åhus is a popular summer city, at other times of the year for both conference guests and private individuals who want to treat themselves to a spa and restaurant experience. Planning for the summer season is in full swing and thanks to VisBook, everyday life is made easier for the employees in the business.
– We are very pleased with the POS part and how the different parts of the system ‘talk to each other,’” says Camilla Andersson.
