Makkah Hotels and the Saudi Arabian Market
The Atomize team recently had the pleasure of speaking with Alaa Beshir, Yield and E-commerce Manager at Makkah Hotel and Towers. Mr. Beshir introduced them to the brand and discussed how technology has helped the hotel save time and remain closely connected to the dynamic Saudi Arabian market.
Makkah Hotels, a leading hospitality group in the heart of Makkah, Saudi Arabia, is known for its excellence and comfort. Conveniently located just a five-minute walk from the sacred Al-Masjid al-Haram, the group features two properties with 1,437 modern rooms and suites. This prime location offers easy access to the Holy Kaaba, Zamzam Well, Jabal al-Nour, and Makkah Museum. Additionally, guests can find a shopping mall, local supermarket, and various international restaurants and lounges nearby.
Makkah Hotel and Towers offer a wide range of recreational activities, entertainment options, and modern business facilities. Their clientele primarily consists of Muslim pilgrims from Southeast Asia, India, North Africa, and the Middle East, with a notable presence of European guests during high seasons, especially at the end of the year when many Europeans seek to escape the cold. The brand also enjoys a high rate of returning guests who regularly come back to enjoy their stays.
Technological Advancements
Makkah Hotels have proactively integrated advanced technologies to enhance operations and guest experiences. They use Opera Cloud for their Property Management System (PMS), TravelClick for channel management, Lighthouse (formerly OTA Insight) for competitive market analysis, and Atomize for revenue management. These tools collectively ensure seamless management of the hotel’s extensive operations, allowing staff to focus more on guest satisfaction and less on administrative tasks.
Opera Cloud PMS
Opera Cloud, the PMS adopted by Makkah Hotels, has significantly streamlined hotel operations. It provides a robust platform for managing reservations, check-ins, check-outs, and other essential hotel functions. The cloud-based nature of Opera ensures data accessibility and security, which is crucial for the hotel’s day-to-day operations. The system’s comprehensive functionality supports Makkah Hotels in maintaining high standards of service and operational efficiency. Connecting Opera Cloud and Atomize has proven to be incredibly useful for Mr. Beshir, as it saves considerable time from the previous process of updating prices on different platforms individually.
“Integrating Opera Cloud and Atomize has been very valuable! These tools not only streamline our operations but also help us save time. By reducing the time spent on manual tasks, I can focus more on strategic initiatives.”
Transforming Revenue Management
Before adopting Atomize, revenue management at Makkah Hotels was a manual, time-consuming process. Mr. Alaa Beshir described the laborious task of manually checking competitor rates, updating availability, and setting room prices, which could take up to 20 minutes per room type. This traditional approach consumed valuable time that could be allocated to other initiatives.
The introduction of Atomize has been exceptional. Atomize uses advanced algorithms and real-time data analysis to dynamically optimize room pricing. This automation has reduced the time required to update rates, which normally took 15-30 minutes every morning to just 2-3 minutes, allowing Mr. Beshir to focus on strategic decisions.
“Before Atomize, updating our rates was a labor-intensive and manual process that could take a very long time. Now, with Atomize, we can adjust rates in 2-3 minutes, allowing us to focus on strategic initiatives rather than repetitive tasks.”
Efficiency and Time Savings
The integration of Atomize has led to significant time savings at Makkah Hotels. During peak seasons, when rate adjustments are frequent, the system saves between 15 and 40 minutes per update session.
“During peak seasons, Atomize saves us between 15 and 40 minutes per day. This is very important to us given the shortened booking windows we see today, where guests book within a month of their travel dates.”
This efficiency is crucial, especially in a market where booking windows have shortened dramatically due to changes in travel behavior post-pandemic. Guests now tend to book their trip on very short notice and close to a month of travel dates, necessitating agile and responsive pricing strategies.
“The pandemic has changed travel behaviors significantly. Guests now tend to book their stays within a month of their travel dates, making good pricing strategies more important than ever. Atomize enables us to stay ahead of these trends and adjust our rates dynamically.”
