Customer Spotlight: Château Royal Berlin
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How Château Royal Berlin uses Lighthouse BI to streamline revenue management and empower its team
About Château Royal Berlin
House in two historic buildings in central Berlin’s vibrant Mitte district, Château Royal Berlin is a distinctive boutique hotel just a short walk from Brandenburg Gate, Museum Island, and the Gendarmenmarkt.
With 93 individually designed rooms and suites, each curated by a contemporary artist, the hotel seamlessly blends sophisticated elegance with artistic flair. Château Royal stands out not only for its remarkable art collection and inviting rooftop terrace, but also for an uncompromising focus on personalized hospitality and refined design.
As Director of Sales & Marketing, Stefanie Brückner oversees revenue strategy, market positioning, and sales performance. For a boutique property competing in Berlin's luxury market, having reliable Business Intelligence has become essential to maintaining Château Royal's competitive edge.
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A seamless transition following Lighthouse’s acquisition of HQ Revenue
Initially, Château Royal utilized HQ Revenue’s Performance Board and Rate Insight from their opening. When Lighthouse acquired HQ Revenue and subsequently discontinued the Performance Board, Château Royal faced the challenge of transitioning quickly to ensure continuity of their daily reporting and strategic decision-making.
Stefanie explains this clearly:
"We worked with HQ Revenue and Rate Insight from the beginning, as it seemed to be the perfect match for our needs as a boutique property. When the HQ performance board was discontinued, Lighthouse BI was the logical choice to continue with."
She adds that the transition itself was smooth and straightforward:
"The onboarding process was very smooth and easy, allowing us to quickly integrate the new system into our daily operations without disruption."
Daily insights for smarter decisions
For a small, independently operated hotel like Château Royal, the ability to quickly and confidently understand performance, and act accordingly, is essential to remaining competitive. Lighthouse BI has become the team's starting point each day, providing a clear, concise snapshot of key metrics and booking trends that inform both operational and strategic decisions. The "Daily Glance" report, offering instant visibility into daily pickup, competitor movements, and potential rate opportunities, is now an indispensable morning routine.
Stefanie emphasizes the practical value of this immediate clarity:
"The daily glance report is the first thing we look at every morning. It helps us quickly understand our market position, and we continually rely on the detailed day-by-day overview and booking feature to validate and support our decisions."
By centralizing essential information, including competitor rates, market pickup, and historical performance, in one intuitive dashboard, Lighthouse BI significantly reduces the time and complexity traditionally involved in gathering and analyzing data. This streamlined approach enables Château Royal’s team to swiftly respond to changing market conditions, confidently make informed pricing decisions, and maintain their competitive edge.
Empowering smaller teams to compete effectively
Operating without a dedicated revenue manager, Château Royal faces unique challenges compared to larger hotel chains. Without a specialized revenue team or extensive budgets, it’s critical that their chosen BI solution is not only robust but easy to adopt across the organization.
According to Stefanie, Lighthouse BI directly addresses these needs:
"I would emphasize that BI is incredibly valuable for small teams and privately owned hotels like ours, where no one person is solely dedicated to revenue management. Unlike larger hotel groups, we don't have extensive resources or large budgets, so a tool that’s easy to understand, quick to use, and highly effective is crucial."
Lighthouse BI provides immediate, actionable insights without demanding extensive time or expertise, enabling Château Royal to remain competitive against larger brands that typically have dedicated revenue teams and more sophisticated systems.
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Immediate accessibility drives informed decision-making
Lighthouse BI’s accessibility means the entire Château Royal team, including the General Manager, can quickly access performance data whenever they need it. This reduces reliance on lengthy internal reporting and meetings, fostering a more informed, agile approach across the hotel’s operation.
As Stefanie notes:
"Because Lighthouse BI is easy to use, everyone on our team, including our GM, can log in and quickly understand our current position. This ensures everyone is aligned and informed without spending additional time on generating reports or scheduling meetings."
The transparency and ease of access to performance data helps ensure that the hotel’s entire management team is consistently aligned on market conditions and strategic priorities.
The real-world impact: efficiency and strategic agility
Since implementing Lighthouse BI, Château Royal has seen tangible improvements in operational efficiency, particularly in speeding up and clarifying pricing decisions. The platform’s comprehensive overview allows Stefanie and her team to quickly assess market shifts, competitor moves, and booking patterns, resulting in more accurate and timely rate adjustments.
Stefanie explains the specific operational benefits clearly:
"Rate adjustments are definitely faster and easier. The day-by-day report shows all the essential information, including competitor rates and market dynamics, in one clear place. This immediately allows us to react appropriately without second-guessing or manual cross-checking."
Final thoughts
For a small, independent hotel like Château Royal, having a tool like Lighthouse BI makes all the difference. Stefanie puts it plainly: “If Lighthouse BI disappeared tomorrow, we’d be left in the dark.” It’s become part of the daily routine, giving the team immediate visibility and helping them make quicker, more confident decisions.
Her advice to other boutique hoteliers is just as direct: “Don’t hesitate.” Lighthouse BI is easy to use, doesn’t require a big team or deep technical knowledge and delivers the insights needed to make smarter decisions - without adding extra complexity.
It’s that combination of ease and insight that makes Lighthouse BI such a strong fit for Château Royal. Stefanie describes it in two words: “It’s easy and comprehensive.”
