The Lafayette Hotel & Club in San Diego's North Park neighborhood first opened in 1946 as a Hollywood-era retreat and reopened in 2023 after a full renovation. It is far from a conventional hotel: alongside 139 rooms it runs five bar concepts and two restaurants, from a speakeasy-style lounge to a supper club on a restored 1940s stage. A new Stayntouch customer story explains how the property's PMS supports that model.
No front desk
"We don't have a traditional front desk — we have this coffee bar, barista situation," says General Manager Steve Slack. Checking guests in from a coffee bar meant the team needed a PMS built for mobility rather than a terminal fixed to a counter. With food and beverage so central, the PMS also had to integrate cleanly with point of sale, which Slack says rules out many legacy platforms.
Staffing was another factor. In Slack's experience, new hires often spend weeks learning a PMS before they can work a shift confidently.
Tablets and POS integration
The Lafayette runs Stayntouch's mobile PMS on tablets, so staff can check guests in wherever they are, coffee bar included. "It works great on a tablet," Slack says, and with such a heavy F&B operation, "having a good integration with the point-of-sale system matters too."
Faster onboarding
Slack describes the interface as simple and intuitive, "bright colors, clearly labeled". Where other systems took weeks to master, he says that with Stayntouch "within the first shift, you can get someone comfortable checking a guest in". He also credits Stayntouch's onboarding team, calling the training very helpful.
A product that keeps improving
Slack's favorite aspect is the pace of development: regular releases and updates, and a team that responds when the hotel asks for new functionality.
Why it matters
For lifestyle and F&B-driven hotels, The Lafayette shows how a mobile-first PMS with strong POS connectivity can support an unconventional arrival experience while keeping training time low for a constantly changing team.
Originally published by Stayntouch: The Lafayette Hotel & Club Runs Check-In From a Coffee Bar With Stayntouch
