Case Study: Almar Suites SaaS
Case Study: Almar Suites SaaS
Digitizing Hospitality Operations: From Manual Chaos to Automated Precision
Digitizing Hospitality Operations: From Manual Chaos to Automated Precision
Almar Suites is a premier hospitality provider in the Philippines. With the expansion of a new hotel building, their traditional "pen-and-paper" management system became a liability. They needed a scalable, secure, and automated SaaS solution to centralize bookings, track high-density inventory, and secure financial reporting.
Almar Suites is a premier hospitality provider in the Philippines. With the expansion of a new hotel building, their traditional "pen-and-paper" management system became a liability. They needed a scalable, secure, and automated SaaS solution to centralize bookings, track high-density inventory, and secure financial reporting.
Role: Lead Product Designer
Role: Lead Product Designer
Timeline: April 2024 - September 2024
Timeline: April 2024 - September 2024
Industry: Hospitality Management
Industry: Hospitality Management
The Problem: The High Cost of "Manual"
The client’s existing workflow relied on physical ledgers and printed bank reports. This led to significant operational friction:
❌ Financial Discrepancies: Handwritten bank reports were riddled with "Wrong!" annotations and manual math corrections.
❌ Operational Blind Spots: No real-time view of room occupancy, leading to overbooking risks.
❌ Data Fragmentation: Inventory, payroll, and guest records lived in separate physical binders.
The Problem: The High Cost of "Manual"
The client’s existing workflow relied on physical ledgers and printed bank reports. This led to significant operational friction:
❌ Financial Discrepancies: Handwritten bank reports were riddled with "Wrong!" annotations and manual math corrections.
❌ Operational Blind Spots: No real-time view of room occupancy, leading to overbooking risks.
❌ Data Fragmentation: Inventory, payroll, and guest records lived in separate physical binders.
The Solution Strategy
The Solution Strategy
To modernize Almar Suites, I designed a Unified Operations Hub built on three strategic pillars:
To modernize Almar Suites, I designed a Unified Operations Hub built on three strategic pillars:
✅ Automation of Truth: Replaced manual math with a live calculation engine in the booking and banking modules.
✅ Automation of Truth: Replaced manual math with a live calculation engine in the booking and banking modules.
✅ Progressive Disclosure: Simplified complex data entry by breaking tasks into digestible, guided steps.
✅ Progressive Disclosure: Simplified complex data entry by breaking tasks into digestible, guided steps.
✅ Operational Transparency: Created a "Source of Truth" dashboard where Housekeeping, Front Desk, and Finance are synced in real-time.
✅ Operational Transparency: Created a "Source of Truth" dashboard where Housekeeping, Front Desk, and Finance are synced in real-time.
The Command Center (Dashboard)
The Command Center (Dashboard)
The Dashboard acts as the "Pulse" of the hotel. It provides immediate visibility into daily health without overwhelming the user.
The Dashboard acts as the "Pulse" of the hotel. It provides immediate visibility into daily health without overwhelming the user.
✅ Visual Occupancy: A multi-calendar view for Hotel, Condo, and Employee schedules.
✅ Visual Occupancy: A multi-calendar view for Hotel, Condo, and Employee schedules.
✅ Live KPI Cards: Real-time tracking of "Total Bookings" and "Rooms Available."
✅ Live KPI Cards: Real-time tracking of "Total Bookings" and "Rooms Available."
Streamlined Booking Flow
Streamlined Booking Flow
One of the most critical UX improvements was the 3-Step Reservation Process. By isolating specific tasks, I reduced the cognitive load on receptionists.
One of the most critical UX improvements was the 3-Step Reservation Process. By isolating specific tasks, I reduced the cognitive load on receptionists.
Step 1: Information: Contextual fields for guest breakdowns and occupancy limits.
Step 2: Amenities: A card-based system for adding extras (towels, beds) with zero typing.
Step 3: Payment: A robust module for down payments, balances, and reference tracking.
Step 1: Information: Contextual fields for guest breakdowns and occupancy limits.
Step 2: Amenities: A card-based system for adding extras (towels, beds) with zero typing.
Step 3: Payment: A robust module for down payments, balances, and reference tracking.
Step 1: Information: Contextual fields for guest breakdowns and occupancy limits.
Step 2: Amenities: A card-based system for adding extras (towels, beds) with zero typing.
Step 3: Payment: A robust module for down payments, balances, and reference tracking.
Financial Intelligence (Bank Reports)
Financial Intelligence (Bank Reports)
I translated the messy, error-prone paper trails into a sophisticated financial ledger.
I translated the messy, error-prone paper trails into a sophisticated financial ledger.
✅ Automated Reconciliation: The system automatically aggregates totals for BDO, Metrobank, POS, and QR payments.
✅ Automated Reconciliation: The system automatically aggregates totals for BDO, Metrobank, POS, and QR payments.
✅ Digital Audit Trail: Every transaction is timestamped and linked to a specific staff member, ensuring 100% accountability.
✅ Digital Audit Trail: Every transaction is timestamped and linked to a specific staff member, ensuring 100% accountability.
✅ Export Ready: Integrated "Export to Excel" functionality to turn days of manual accounting into seconds of work.
✅ Export Ready: Integrated "Export to Excel" functionality to turn days of manual accounting into seconds of work.
Before
After
Before
After
Final Impact & Results
The transition to Almar Suites SaaS fundamentally changed the business:
The transition to Almar Suites SaaS fundamentally changed the business:
✅ 100% Accuracy: Eliminated manual calculation errors and financial discrepancies.
✅ 100% Accuracy: Eliminated manual calculation errors and financial discrepancies.
✅ Digital Audit Trail: Every transaction is timestamped and linked to a specific staff member, ensuring 100% accountability.
✅ Digital Audit Trail: Every transaction is timestamped and linked to a specific staff member, ensuring 100% accountability.
✅ Export Ready: Integrated "Export to Excel" functionality to turn days of manual accounting into seconds of work.
✅ Export Ready: Integrated "Export to Excel" functionality to turn days of manual accounting into seconds of work.