Mary Clarke, Revenue Manager at Hope Street Hotel, explains how shifting focus from room rates to the full guest journey is unlocking new commercial opportunities. From seamless pre-arrival booking to integrated spa and dining experiences, she shares how technology and collaboration are driving stronger direct revenue, higher conversion rates and a more valuable, personalised stay.
Hope Street has become known for generating revenue well beyond the bedroom. When did you start thinking about the entire guest experience as a commercial opportunity rather than just the room booking?
I think the turning point came when we shifted our mindset to the fact that guests aren’t just booking a bedroom – they’re booking an experience. They want spa, dining, drinks and little extras to make their stay memorable, but these experiences weren’t always easy to discover or arrange online. Since partnering with Journey, we have been able to bring accommodation, spa, dining and gifting together in one seamless booking experience. This makes it easier for guests to personalise their stay while creating new revenue opportunities across the hotel.
Revenue management used to be almost entirely about rooms. How has your definition of commercial success changed over the last few years?
Bedroom revenue will always remain a key priority for me, but it is no longer the only measure of commercial success. Today, we look at the complete value of each guest, including spend across accommodation, spa, dining and gifting. This broader approach has brought our revenue, marketing and operational teams closer together, with everyone focused on delivering a better guest experience while maximising revenue. By focusing on the full guest journey, we’ve been able to identify new ways to increase direct bookings and maximise spend across the hotel. This approach has contributed to an 18% year-on-year increase in online direct revenue.
What have you done to make it easier for guests to discover and book experiences before they arrive, and what impact has that had?
The biggest improvement has been simplifying the booking journey for our guests. Guests can now plan their stay in one place, rather than navigating separate systems or having to call for bedrooms, spa, dining or other experiences. It allows guests to book online with confidence, knowing their stay is tailored to them, while helping us capture additional revenue at an earlier stage. Since creating this user-friendly experience with Journey, our booking conversion rate has grown to more than double the industry average which is amazing!
Your spa has become a significant contributor to overall performance. What role does technology play in helping you connect rooms, spa and other experiences into one guest journey?
We have seen such an uplift in spa reservations since working with Journey. Giving guests the ability to book online in one place has giving us a greater understanding of guest demand before arrival, helping us plan staffing, resources and operations more effectively. For guests, it creates a much smoother experience, with everything confirmed before they arrive. Commercially, this approach has helped us deliver strong results, with spa revenue increasing by 140% since 2023. It allows us to maximise the value of every guest while ensuring we continue to deliver a personalised guest experience.
Many hotels still rely on guests discovering experiences after check-in. Why do you think that leaves revenue on the table?
The booking stage is when guests are most engaged and excited about their trip. They are actively planning how they want to spend their time, so this is the ideal time to showcase everything we have to offer. If we only introduced experiences at check-in, guests may have already made plans elsewhere. By making spa, dining and other experiences bookable earlier, we can drive additional revenue and improve forecasting all well tailoring the guest experience.
What impact has technology had on your direct booking strategy and guest experience booking journey?
Our website is essentially a digital shopfront where the booking experience reflects the quality of the stay. Guests now expect a booking journey that is engaging and easy to complete. This shifts our strategy to put more into our online presence. By investing in a smooth booking experience, we have increased conversion and created more opportunities to generate revenue beyond just accommodation. We have also seen strong growth in gifting, with 74% of our vouchers now sold online. Guests who redeem vouchers online also spend around 53% more than the original voucher value, showing the value of a connected digital journey.
If you could give one piece of advice to hotel leaders looking to increase guest spend without simply raising room rates, what would it be?
I believe guests don’t always know exactly what they want until they see it, so having a website and booking engine that shows what you have to offer in the right way is very important. The opportunity is to make these offerings easier to discover, book and pay for at the moment guests are most engaged. My advice is to showcase what you have to offer by making it visible and accessible, it will be much easier to naturally increase guest spend.
