Forward-thinking hotels are using gift vouchers as COVID-19 almost dries up the cash flow.
STAAH property owners reported selling more than (NZD) $500,000 worth of vouchers using the STAAH Gift Voucher Engine from January to June 2020 (six months). The cutting-edge gift management system is used by properties across the globe.
With a greatly reduced demand worldwide for hotel stays due to the COVID-19 pandemic, forward-thinking initiatives on gift vouchers are benefiting guests who are prepared to invest now and reap the rewards later, says Edwin Saldanha, Regional Manager – Oceania, STAAH Ltd. 
“The biggest winners are hoteliers for whom this cash injection is just what is needed to ride this wave.”
Often underrated in a property’s marketing mix, gift vouchers have a high return on investment (depending on how you manage and promote it). Another huge bonus is the low redemption.
“Nearly 30% of the gift vouchers are never redeemed according to various surveys,” says Edwin. “This means instant revenue and bottom-line profit.”
STAAH’s Voucher Engine is an off-the-shelf, feature-rich e-shop. It bolts into a hotel’s existing website and is completely customisable to fit the existing brand look and feel. The result is an attractive gift voucher shop for your hotel’s website that is easy to use and simple to manage at the backend.
The set-up is easy and once hoteliers start promoting it, including selling the experience on their booking engine, the results can be almost immediate.
We saw two of our properties bank nearly (NZD) $5,000 – Chateau Tongariro Hotel and Wairakei Resort Taupo – within two weeks of being set up on the STAAH Gift Voucher Engine, says Edwin.
He attributes the stellar result to a combination of smart promotions like offering gifting ideas, today deals, exciting packages, etc and tying in with the booking engine to sell the experience – or upsell where possible.
Heritage Hotels, Chateau Tongariro Hotel, Wairakei Resort Taupo, etc are among other New Zealand properties that are using the STAAH Gift Voucher Engine. The platform is specially designed to meet the needs of the hospitality and tourism industries.
Commenting on the technology and product plan, Edwin says, “We continuously evolve our products to ensure our technology stays ahead of the industry needs.”
“With STAAH Voucher Engine, we’d like to continue its seamless integration with the booking engine, adding in online redemption as another feature.”
With the effects of the pandemic already affecting almost every property owner, now is the time to work out how you will increase revenue and cash flow. Gift vouchers present the perfect opportunity.
Property managers keen to increase the online potential of their properties can enquire about integration with STAAH Gift Voucher Engine via their STAAH Partner Service contact or get in touch with an account manager.