The traditional hotel group Meiser Hotels stands for warm hospitality and a pleasant ambiance, surrounded by nature and culture. With their various locations in and around Dinkelsbühl in Bavaria, and in the neighboring Fichtenau in Baden-Württemberg, they offer travelers a comfortable base for exploration and relaxation. Since 2019, Meiser Hotels has been working closely with straiv to optimize the digital guest experience and simplify internal processes. The partnership with straiv proved to be a decisive step towards a future-oriented and successful hotel strategy.
Together into the Digital Era: How Meiser Hotels and straiv Are Breaking New Ground
In the dynamic environment of modern hospitality, digitalization plays an increasingly central role. It permeates almost every aspect of daily hotel operations, from booking, check-in, and the stay itself, to check-out and guest retention. It’s no longer just about increasing efficiency, but rather about creating a seamless, personalized, and future-proof guest experience.
Meiser Hotels recognized this development early on and proactively adapted to the digital transformation. “Digitalization usually plays a very important, often even the primary role in my daily hotel life,” emphasize Ann-Kathrin Grünewald and Andreas Behl from the Digitalization Team. With their many years of experience in implementing and using digital solutions, such as the straiv platform, they position themselves as experts in this important future field. Their willingness to adapt new technologies, involve employees in change processes, and communicate the added value of digital offerings to guests makes them an inspiring example for the industry.
Andreas Behl recalls the beginnings of the cooperation with straiv:
"The main reason for our decision to choose straiv was that it's not a classic app that guests have to download, but a WebApp. Another important point was the possibility of digital door opening."
This future-oriented mindset and openness to innovative solutions continue to characterize the partnership between Meiser Hotels and straiv today.
Waiting Is So Yesterday: The Need for Faster, Digital Processes
Before implementing the straiv solution, Meiser Hotels faced several challenges that affected guest service and operational efficiency:
- Waiting times at check-in: Especially when large groups arrived or during peak times, there were waiting times at the reception, which could tarnish the guests’ first impression.
- High paper consumption: The traditional paper guest folder was complex to update and offered few interaction possibilities.
- Processing guest requests: Communication of guest requests was analog and lacked flexibility for the guest.
- Limited new customer acquisition opportunities: There was a lack of effective digital channels to address potential guests early on and generate bookings.
On the Path to Success with straiv: The Use of Smart Solutions That Make a Difference
Meiser Hotels relied on these straiv solutions to successfully meet these challenges:
Mobile Check-in and Kiosk Check-in: Guests can conveniently check in from home or at an intuitive kiosk in the hotel, significantly reducing waiting times at the reception.
"Straiv has contributed to increasing the satisfaction of our guests by enabling simple processes, especially digital check-in. This allows our guests to check in faster and avoids waiting times, for example, during large events or trade fairs."
Digital Guest Concierge: Information about the hotel, the surroundings, and services are available anytime, anywhere on guests’ devices. This saves paper and allows for easy updating of content.
Digital door openingThe ability to open the hotel room via smartphone offers guests additional convenience and flexibility. The introduction of digital door opening was a particular highlight for Meiser Hotels and underlines their innovative strength and future-oriented thinking.
Central Communication Platform: Guest requests can be submitted digitally and efficiently processed by hotel staff.
Integration with Booking Channels: The connection to Online Travel Agencies (OTAs) enabled simplified check-in with the booking number.
The close cooperation and direct exchange with the straiv team were invaluable.
"Our collaboration has developed very positively over the years. A direct contact person has strengthened the business relationship. As both parties learn how the other works, future-oriented work and foresight are possible."
A particular highlight of recent years was the personal visit of straiv employees to the hotel to jointly identify optimization potential.
Visible Successes and Happy Guests: The Positive Balance of the Meiser Hotels and straiv Collaboration
The implementation of the straiv solution at Meiser Hotels has led to significant successes in various areas:
- Increased guest satisfaction: The simplified processes, especially during check-in, and convenient access to information have significantly improved the guest experience.
- More efficient processes: Digital processing of guest requests and the elimination of paper processes have optimized workflows. “straiv has helped us improve our operational efficiency regarding guest request processing and registration forms. The registration form is now digitally stored and can be easily viewed if needed.”
- Improved customer loyalty: Through the digital guest directory and the possibility of direct communication, personalized offers and information can be shared, increasing the likelihood of direct bookings and repeat guests. The positive experience during the stay also contributes to long-term customer loyalty.
- Modern image: The use of innovative technologies such as digital door opening underscores the modern and future-oriented image of Meiser Hotels.
People at the Heart of Innovation: What the Partnership with straiv Truly Means
The partnership between Meiser Hotels and straiv has proven to be a complete success. Ann-Kathrin Grünewald and Andreas Behl aptly summarize the benefits of the collaboration:
"What I particularly appreciate about our partnership is the direct contact person, the quick feedback, and the generally practical solutions we find together. The particular strengths of straiv, in my opinion, are digital door opening and the comprehensive digital guest journey from pre- to post-contact."
Meiser Hotels is an excellent example of how the thoughtful implementation of digital solutions, supported by straiv, can have a positive impact on all areas of a hotel – from employees to guests to business success.
