Nestled along the sun-kissed shores of the Dominican Republic, Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Punta Cana is an all-inclusive 5-star resort featuring upscale amenities and personal service to create the ultimate guest experience. For the past three years, the resort has been leveraging the upselling power of Oaky to ensure streamlined sales of room upgrades and add-ons, helping the hotel team drive and increase ancillary revenue while boosting guest satisfaction.
We had the opportunity to sit down with Brenda Margarita Torres Vargas, the Revenue Manager of Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Punta Cana, who discovered Oaky three years ago and fell in love with the software. We delved deeper into how she and her team leverage Oaky daily to reach their financial goals and how implementing the two-way integration between Oaky and OPERA via OXI boosted their revenue and improved the guest experience.
Challenges: Inability to communicate a wide range of offers to guests due to the lack of a streamlined process and time constraints at the front desk
Before adopting Oaky, Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Punta Cana faced significant challenges in maximising upsell opportunities. Even with an array of high-quality amenities, diverse room options, and exceptional facilities, guests often overlooked the opportunity to enhance their stay simply because they were unaware of the availability of these options.
The manual upselling process at the front desk proved ineffective due to time constraints and staff shortages. With a crowded reception and a constant stream of guests, the team struggled to make personalised upsell offers during check-in. Manual upselling processes added to the complexity, making it cumbersome for the team to identify and capitalise on upsell opportunities.
To put an end to these issues and ensure consistent upsell revenue growth, Brenda started looking for a viable solution. Finally, she selected Oaky for its comprehensive suite of tools, perfectly aligning with the resort’s requirements.
With Oaky’s pre-arrival upselling, there are endless opportunities to elevate guest experiences. We quickly discovered that the potential is limitless.
Brenda Margarita Torres Vargas
Revenue Manager at Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Punta Cana
Tapping into guest expectations and realising the full upsell potential of a 5-star resort
After the Oaky rollout and making a shift to automated upselling, Brenda and her team witnessed a tremendously positive impact on hotel operations and revenue.
Introducing automated pre-arrival upselling became a breath of fresh air for them. With Oaky, they started upselling guests pre-arrival, eliminating the need to rush upsell attempts at the front desk. This flexibility allowed the team to focus on providing exceptional service while Oaky worked its magic in generating upsell revenue.
Despite being an all-inclusive resort, Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Punta Cana started effectively capitalising on guests’ desire to get a better room.
As Brenda highlights, “Guests always want a better room, and with Oaky, they can easily secure a desirable upgrade even before arrival.”
Moreover, Oaky provides the perfect platform to showcase ancillary offerings, such as spa services and birthday and honeymoon packages, allowing guests to personalise their stay according to their preferences. Whether it is upgrading to a family suite or booking spa services, guests embrace the opportunity to enhance their stay through Oaky.
The team reaps numerous benefits from Oaky too, such as decreased manual workload and advanced access to information on purchased deals and services. Now, they have ample time at their disposal to prepare purchased deals and services without the need to rush, which leads to a refined guest experience.
Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Punta Cana’s experience with the two-way integration between Oaky and OPERA via OXI
Enabling the seamless two-way integration between Oaky and OPERA through OXI brought significant advantages to the resort. With the integration enabled, the team witnessed a reduction in revenue rejection rate and unlocked the benefits of full automation — an entirely streamlined upselling process and even less manual work.
As Brenda mentions, Oaky's two-way integration with OPERA PMS via OXI also improved team motivation and guest satisfaction. Automated request acceptance ensures that guest requests are promptly addressed. Based on the real-time availability, guests receive instant confirmations of their requests, elevating guest satisfaction. With the upgrade and deal purchases synced back to the PMS, the team could focus on delivering exceptional experiences on-site.
When looking at the numbers, in Q1 2024, the resort’s accepted revenue went up by 56% compared to the same period the previous year. This positive dynamic is reflected not only in service sales but also in room upgrades.
When it comes to revenue, the revenue figures achieved in March 2024 speak for themselves. The average upsell revenue per room per month reached $39.42.
The ROI also increased. It almost doubled from 66 in March 2023 to 127 in March 2024.
In addition to the integration benefits, Brenda also highlights Oaky software’s ease of use as well as the opportunity to apply segmentation for improved deal personalisation, leading to amplified conversions, as standout features:
Setting up new deals is very simple with Oaky. From special packages for events like the Super Bowl to targeted offers for different guest segments (transient guests, families, groups, etc.), we feel empowered to create and sell deals with ease. With the segmentation functionality, we ensure that offers reach the right audience, positively impacting our upsell revenue.
Brenda Margarita Torres Vargas
Revenue Manager at Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Punta Cana
Final thoughts: Confidence in reaching the hotel budget skyrocketed with Oaky
For Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Punta Cana, Oaky isn't just a tool — it's a catalyst for driving upsell revenue and delivering unforgettable guest experiences. By embracing Oaky’s upsell software, the resort has established a robust system for communicating its versatile offerings to guests, boosting room upgrade sales, reducing manual work, and generating more revenue.
Oaky makes my job so much easier. With its revenue-generating capabilities, I can always be confident that we will reach the hotel budget, as there’s always an opportunity to make a good sale with every guest.
Brenda Margarita Torres Vargas
Revenue Manager at Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Punta Cana
As Brenda and her team continue to harness the power of Oaky, they remain committed to delivering rock-star experiences that leave guests coming back for more.
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