La Marvella does 10% of its total online bookings through Simplotel Hotel E-commerce

Simplotel Hotel E-commerce grew direct bookings for the luxury hotel based in Jayanagar, Bengaluru!

La Marvella does 10% of its total online bookings through Simplotel Hotel E-commerce

Simplotel Website Builder, Booking Engine Boosts Visibility For The Bengaluru-Based Luxury Hotel

La Marvella, which means “The Marvellous” in Spanish, is a luxury hotel situated in the heart of Bengaluru — known as the silicon valley of India. The hotel is a personification of luxury with its blend of modern European and American architecture, spacious rooms, fine dining and cutting-edge technology.

Amit Kumar, General Manager of La Marvella, believes that providing guests with a world-class luxury experience has allowed the hotel to differentiate itself from the competition. The hotel is currently ranked among the top 25 hotels in India on Tripadvisor and was awarded the Traveller’s Choice ‘Best of the Best’ award, which puts it in the top 1% of all hotels listed in India on Tripadvisor for 2022.

“Our director’s vision and our team’s efforts have brought us this success. We are humbled by this recognition and the opportunity to be counted among the elite hotel brands,” says Kumar.

A humble man himself, Kumar is an alumni of the Institute of Hotel Management (IHM), Chennai. His career spans over two decades with stints across various states in India and in different departments, starting with front office operations to food & beverage (F&B) — which provided him a holistic view of running a hotel. “My career began as a baptism by fire in 2002. The 9/11 attacks had a drastic impact on the travel & hospitality industry, with many hotels shutting down their tower wings. My campus placements were affected. I had many friends who had even considered switching to jobs in the business process outsourcing (BPO) sector as hotel jobs were scarce. I was among the few who managed to land a job as a hotel receptionist, but with a low pay. As I was eager to make it on my own, I worked two shifts and learned the ropes of front office management and subsequently F&B. The experience taught me the importance of hard work and has helped me weather both the 2008 recession and the pandemic.”

Kumar then joined La Marvella in 2016 as its general manager. “We always believed that we had an outstanding product. The only problem was how do we gain visibility from our target clientele. That’s where Simplotel came in,” exclaims Kumar.

Kumar believes that Simplotel really makes the lives of hoteliers simple, which resounds in the Bengaluru-based SaaS startup’s name. “We were deliberating on various website & booking engine vendors, but we decided to opt for Simplotel Hotel E-commerce (Website Builder & booking Engine) because we loved your product & the team,” says Kumar.

The Simplotel team was immediately able to comprehend the requirement and built a fast-loading, personalised and responsive hotel website that helped convert more direct bookings. “The CMS is super user-friendly. I can upload images or other content without any technical help. Even if we are stuck on an issue, the Simplotel team is extremely proactive and are either a call or WhatsApp text away. As a result, our direct bookings have grown to 10% of our total online business,” says Kumar.

Simplotel’s analytical dashboard has also helped La Marvella to optimise their pricing strategy based on their ‘Advance Purchase’ & ‘Length of Stay’ data insights. “The dashboards are simple and we receive regular data reports. So, there’s no room for complaint,” Kumar says.

His advice for people who wish to join the hospitality industry is to not join the industry for money. “If you genuinely love interacting with people and learning about different cultures, then this is the right place for you. You feel immensely proud when you can turn an irate guest into your best friend by solving their problems and bringing a smile to their face.”