Resort Locanda San Verolo
Smartconnect keeps us moving—it reminds us when to communicate and gives us ready-made drafts. No more wondering what to write and when.
Costermano sul Garda, Italy
13
Context
Resort Locanda San Verolo is a boutique hotel nestled in the green hills above Lake Garda, just a few minutes from the lakefront. The property was originally an 18th-century stone farmhouse and today features 13 suites.
Its on-site restaurant, the surrounding park, and two swimming pools complete an experience tailored to a mid-to-high-end clientele seeking nature, tranquility, and quality experiences.
The resort operates from March to November and primarily welcomes German guests, though the share of Italian and other international travelers has steadily grown in recent years.
The challenge
When the current management team took over about four years ago, around 80% of bookings came through OTAs—mainly Booking.com.
From the start, they aimed to build stronger guest relationships and increase the share of direct bookings.
Previously, the team used a Wi-Fi-based newsletter tool that collected guest emails via login. While there were some initial results, the newsletter process proved time-consuming—especially during busy periods.
Templates had to be created manually for each language. Discount codes included in emails weren’t usable directly in the booking engine. And the team had to come up with every newsletter topic themselves.
“The tool we used before Smartconnect was fairly intuitive, but creating a multilingual newsletter took at least an hour. Plus, we had to invent our own communication angles, which we didn’t always have time for. In the end, we mostly used it to send holiday greetings.”
The solution
The decision to switch to Smartconnect was driven by two main factors: ease of use and the concrete support the platform provides for content creation.
With Smartconnect, the team now receives suggested newsletters throughout the year—complete with prewritten content and a clear purpose—making email marketing significantly easier and more consistent.
“Since switching to Smartconnect, we’ve sent out way more newsletters. Each one now takes 30 minutes less to create, and the platform proactively reminds us of opportunities to stay in touch, complete with ready-made templates. No more wondering what to say and when. We still have full freedom to customize or write our own messages.”
Smartconnect also auto-translates newsletters from Italian into English and German, eliminating the need for multiple manual versions. Thanks to the integration with the booking engine, guests can redeem promo codes directly, without having to send an email or make a separate request.
“We also appreciated the onboarding support. We were starting from scratch, and the team guided us step by step through setup and best practices.”
The results
After one year of using Smartconnect, Resort Locanda San Verolo has turned email marketing into a consistent, measurable direct booking channel.
€24,490 in revenue generated
Just 9 newsletters led to 22 direct bookings and €24,490.29 in revenue, with an average booking value of about €1,113, fully in line with the property’s boutique positioning and targeted campaigns.
45% open rate: excellent performance
The average open rate reached 45%, well above the hospitality industry benchmark (typically 25–30%). This indicates relevant content, a healthy database, and well-targeted communication.
With an average click-through rate between 8% and 11%, and an estimated click-to-open rate between 18% and 24%, the newsletters not only get read but drive real action. Calls to action are clear, and the offers are perceived as genuinely useful.
A 95% delivery rate confirms proper consent management and a clean, well-maintained database. The average unsubscribe rate (2–3% per email) is in line with or better than industry norms, with lower rates observed in targeted campaigns.
Increase in direct bookings: from 20% to 40%
Thanks to more relevant and personalized email communication, Resort Locanda San Verolo successfully rebalanced its booking channels. Over time, the share of direct bookings grew from 20% to 40%, reducing OTA dependency and strengthening direct guest relationships.
ROI: €15 generated for every €1 invested
From a financial standpoint, every euro invested in Smartconnect generated around €15 in return. This shows that even a low send frequency—about one newsletter every 1.3 months—can yield impressive results when supported by automation, smart suggestions, and direct booking engine integration.
“We recommend Smartconnect. Once you see the results, you understand the real potential of email marketing.”
Villa Vesuviana
Smartchat has become essential to my work. No more stress from the phone ringing, better service quality, and I’m planning to open a second property.
Lesdomus
With Smartpms, we created a flow that runs on its own and cut our workload by 70%. Without it, I’d need at least two or three more people on my team.