Montana Hotel Diemelstadt Switched from Protel to HotelFriend to Increase Direct and Online Bookings

Client

montana-hotels.de

Property Type

Hotel Garni

Location

Diemelstadt, Germany

Contract start date

01.10.2024

About Montana

The Montana Hotel Diemelstadt, the flagship property of the Montana Hotels group, remains at the heart of the brand’s concept. Nestled in the peaceful Waldecker Land region and conveniently located near the A44 motorway, the hotel provides an ideal stopover for business travelers, commuters, and weekend guests seeking comfort and convenience. To meet rising guest expectations and streamline operations, the hotel was looking for a modern, fully integrated PMS with native tools designed to simplify workflows and boost direct bookings.

Challenges Faced by Montana Hotel

Montana Hotel Diemelstadt faced operational inefficiencies due to outdated systems, fragmented workflows, and manual processes that slowed daily operations.

The urgent need for a modern PMS

Operating with an outdated setup made it increasingly difficult to keep up with daily demands. The team at Montana Hotel Diemelstadt needed a reliable, cloud-based PMS that could centralize operations while remaining intuitive and easy to use. The goal was not just to replace existing tools, but to introduce a system that would simplify workflows and support a fast-paced hotel environment without adding complexity.

Bringing bookings and distribution into one system

Previously, Montana Hotel Diemelstadt relied on a non-native booking engine and channel manager, which required extra payments and separate logins. Managing these tools was inefficient, as each system had a different design and interface, creating confusion for staff and slowing down operations. The hotel needed a solution that could unify PMS, booking engine, and channel manager into one native ecosystem, enabling real-time synchronization across major OTAs, while also strengthening direct bookings with Booking Engine and Google Hotels.

Ensuring full compliance with German regulations

Working within the framework of German regulations, such as GoBD required accuracy and transparency in all financial processes. At the same time, the hotel needed to ensure full GDPR compliance to protect guest data and meet strict privacy standards. Montana Hotel Diemelstadt implemented HotelFriend’s Accounting and Invoice Management module with DATEV integration, which allowed seamless export of all financial data directly to the standard German accounting system. This ensured proper invoicing, reporting, and accounting while maintaining secure data handling, reducing manual work, and keeping compliance built in by default.

Simplifying and automating payments

Montana Hotel Diemelstadt had already relied on automated payments in their previous setup and wanted to continue using this important feature. They needed a solution that could seamlessly automate payments from booking to transaction, ensuring the same level of efficiency and convenience for both staff and guests while improving overall operational workflows.

Solutions Provided by HotelFriend

To modernize operations and streamline workflows, Montana Hotel Diemelstadt adopted HotelFriend’s fully integrated, cloud-based platform, bringing together all core hotel functions into a single system.

Property Management System (PMS). At the heart of the solution is the HotelFriend PMS, which centralizes reservations, guest profiles, and reporting. This gave the hotel full control over daily operations while providing a clear, real-time overview of bookings, occupancy, and revenue. The cloud-based system, hosted on secure German servers, ensured compliance with data protection standards and allowed the team to access critical information from anywhere.
Channel Manager. To maximize exposure across multiple sales platforms, the hotel implemented the HotelFriend Channel Manager, connecting directly with major OTAs such as HRS, Expedia and Booking.com. This automated availability and rate updates across channels, reducing errors, preventing overbookings, and freeing staff from time-consuming manual updates.
Booking Engine. The HotelFriend Booking Engine was integrated directly into the hotel’s website, enabling guests to book online with ease. With a user-friendly interface, seamless connection to the PMS, and built-in integration with Google Hotels, the booking engine increased direct bookings, simplified payment processes, and offered a smoother, more consistent experience for travelers across all platforms.

Housekeeping. Daily operations were further streamlined with the Housekeeping module, which allowed staff to easily track room cleaning schedules, filter rooms by date or reservation status, and assign tasks efficiently. This reduced coordination time and ensured that rooms were always prepared on schedule for arriving guests.
Order Management. With HotelFriend’s Order Management, Montana Hotel Diemelstadt gained complete oversight of all guest requests and internal service orders. From food orders to extra services like special room requests, every order could be created, tracked, and fulfilled directly through the PMS.
Accounting and Invoice Management. With HotelFriend’s Accounting and Invoice Management module, Montana Hotel Diemelstadt gained full control over its financial operations. The system automates invoice generation, tracks payments, and ensures compliance with tax regulations. Integration with DATEV allows seamless export of accounting data directly to the standard German accounting system, reducing manual work and minimizing errors. Staff can monitor outstanding invoices, generate e-invoices, and reconcile transactions efficiently, ensuring accurate financial reporting and smoother audits.

HotelFriend Payments. One of the most important features for Montana Hotel Diemelstadt was automated payments. With HotelFriend Payments, the hotel maintained the seamless and secure payment workflows they had relied on previously. Payments from bookings were processed automatically, improving operational efficiency and ensuring a frictionless experience for both staff and guests.

Results Achieved

HotelFriend Flex provided a modern, fully integrated solution tailored to Montana Hotel Diemelstadt, streamlining operations with intuitive, native tools designed for efficiency and ease of use.

30% increase in direct and online bookings

After implementing the HotelFriend Booking Engine and Channel Manager, Montana Hotel Diemelstadt saw growth in direct bookings while maintaining strong visibility on major OTAs like HRS, Expedia and Booking.com.

Reduced manual workload by over 40%

With the fully integrated PMS, Order Management, Housekeeping, and automated payments, staff Improved operational efficiency , allowing them to focus more on guest service.

Enhanced guest satisfaction

Faster, accurate handling of reservations and service requests, combined with seamless payment workflows, led to a smoother and more convenient experience for travelers.

Full regulatory compliance and secure operations

All guest data and financial processes are fully GDPR and GoBD compliant, hosted on secure German servers, ensuring safe and transparent operations.