Grand Hotel Amrâth Amsterdam, a 5-star luxury hotel in the heart of Amsterdam that blends historic architecture and contemporary amenities. As a flagship property of the Amrâth Hôtels Group, it is famous for its exceptional service and commitment to providing a world-class stay for every guest.
While front desk upselling had always been part of their culture, the lack of a system made it more of a struggle than an opportunity. As Melissa Groenen, the Front Office Manager, recalls, the manual process was hard to track, error-prone, and time-consuming for the team.
By implementing Oaky’s Front Desk Upselling and automating the process, the hotel achieved a 284% increase in upsell revenue in just a few months. We talked to Melissa about the hotel’s transformative journey with Oaky.
Before Oaky: Manual upselling resulted in inefficiencies and felt like a chore
"The old manual process was a real struggle. We had to check availability, then go back to the reservation, and manually book the upgrades. It was easy to make mistakes, such as overbooking. I personally lacked visibility into the results, which made tracking them an additional challenge," Melissa notes.
Melissa also mentions that while they had an incentive program to reward employees for their performance, it was difficult to manage. The team had to keep track of their results themselves, which was error-prone and cumbersome. At the end of the month, the team had to submit their records for verification to Melissa, further complicating the process.
Needless to say, such a process didn’t lead to major revenue gains.
Solution with Oaky’s Front Desk Upselling: Transforming upselling into a profitable and easy-to-manage process
After Oaky was integrated directly into the hotel’s Property Management System (PMS), Mews, the team started benefiting from automation yielding positive results.
Now, agents can instantly view available upsell options in seconds at check-in, making upselling smoother and more natural to a guest.
The team quickly adapted to Oaky, as the system made upselling so much easier. Now, with everything in one place, the team can see room availability and upsell options easily, which reduces time spent checking different systems. It also makes upselling part of the natural conversation with guests.
Melissa Groenen
Front Office Manager
Grand Hotel Amrâth Amsterdam Room
Grand Hotel Amrâth Amsterdam Restaurant
Results: Achieving a +284% increase in upsell revenue in just a few months of using Front Desk Upselling
Oaky helped the Grand Hotel Amrath team achieve impressive results in a short period:
Boosted profitability — +284% increase in upsell revenue
More motivated and engaged team thanks to a transparent incentive program
More service and room upgrade sales
Elevated guest experiences thanks to personalization of upsells.
1. Boosting profitability at the front desk
Within just three months of using Oaky’s solution (from October 2024 to January 2025), the hotel saw a fantastic increase of 284% in upsell revenue.
Thanks to the automation between Oaky and Mews, along with a clear overview of potential upsells, front desk agents at Grand Hotel Amrâth Amsterdam can easily suggest relevant upsells on the fly. They also save time on system updates – the information flows automatically between Oaky and Mews, so agents only need to confirm the upsells in Oaky.
The team feels much more confident now when upselling. They can see exactly what’s available and have tips to make the offer more attractive, which makes all the difference.
Melissa Groenen
Front Office Manager
2. Improving team motivation and engagement
Switching from paper to an automated system to track the team’s performance was a game-changer for boosting the team’s motivation and engagement with upselling. With the results tracked in real-time, the incentive program became more transparent and accurate, while making it easier for Melissa to monitor progress.
On top of that, setting individual goals has given the team an extra push, encouraging them to achieve even more.
3. Driving service and room upgrade sales
The hotel excels when it comes to service sales. 66% of their revenue comes from services, while room upgrades and room-related services (early check-in and late check-out) account for 33% and 1%, respectively. The team does an especially great job of selling full valet parking, continental buffet breakfast, and premium rooms such as the Superior Deluxe Room, or the Executive Suite.
4. Elevating the guest experience
When upselling options are positioned as value-adding, guests are more likely to purchase them. Oaky’s Front Desk Upselling equips agents with guest information and upselling prompts along with the most relevant upsell suggestions at check-in. This helps make upselling options feel personalized and relevant, so guests don’t feel like they’re being “upsold”.
Melissa notes that the Oaky team helped the hotel front desk team to upsell better by sharing insights on best practices, tactics and phrases to use in conversations with guests.
“We’ve learned that positioning upselling options as opportunities to enhance a guest’s stay, rather than pitching them, makes all the difference. When we present them as a way to improve their experience, guests are much more receptive,” Melissa explains.
Final thoughts
Melissa believes every hotel could benefit from a tool like Oaky because it simplifies the entire upselling process while making it profitable for the hotel and more inspiring for the team. For Grand Hotel Amrâth Amsterdam, it became instrumental in consolidating all upsell options and team results in one place, allowing Melissa to track the team’s progress and fine-tune strategies. The outcome is consistent sales at check-in, resulting in strong monthly profits.
If your upselling process is still manual and time-consuming, and feels more like a chore than a revenue-making strategy, it’s time to fix this by automating it. Take the product tour to see how Oaky’s Front Desk Upselling can benefit your hotel.
