.png)
Beautifully-designed buildings and artfully-decorated apartments. Jaw-dropping locations and eye-catching views. When it comes to serviced apartments, ‘luxury’ may take many forms, but delivering a five-star service is only possible one way: with an all-in-one serviced apartment property management system (PMS).
That’s why London’s leading luxury operator Domus Stay uses res:harmonics to provide an impeccable service from guest booking to check-out.
Domus Stay
Combining exceptional architecture with exceptional service, Domus Stay is a boutique short-stay rental company for London homeowners to rent out their beautiful houses to design-savvy guests. Priding itself on its personalised concierge service, Domus Stay assigns a dedicated point of contact to each guest from enquiry through to check-out. To provide this concierge service, and ensure its apartments are in excellent condition for visiting guests and returning homeowners, Domus Stay integrates with res:harmonics to manage its operations before, during, and after a guest’s stay.
“There are many moving parts that need to come together seamlessly to meet the high expectations of our discerning customers. That's why we use res:harmonics,” Rachel Angell, COO, Domus Stay.
Before: Attracting the right guests
Finding the right guest for a luxury serviced apartment stay is not as simple as advertising on Booking.com. It’s even more important to find the right clientele when you’re renting out other people’s luxurious properties like Domus Stay.
With res:harmonics’ proprietary channel manager, it’s easy to market apartments to a global audience (London is one of the world’s most popular bucket-list destinations, receiving over 15 million international visitors last year alone). Accurate listings are instantly updated across all channels, as the channel manager syncs with the property management software so that any bookings made through a third-party channel or directly through the branded booking portal on the Domus Stay website instantly update the system (and other channels), avoiding double bookings.
Vetting is crucial to the process at Domus Stay, as it provides access to some of London’s most sought-after homes. Guests are taken through a seamless verification journey with res:harmonics PMS, including Know Your Customer checks and virtual 360° inventories. The system is used to communicate with customers in the way that best suits them.
“Exclusivity is key to our brand, which is why the accuracy and immediacy of the res:harmonics channel manager is so crucial to us,” Rachel Angell, COO, Domus Stay.
During: Ensuring seamless operations
Same-day turnovers. Weekly housekeeping. Reactive maintenance. Ensuring apartments are in tip-top condition directly impacts the bottom line of any serviced apartment operator as vacant or unusable units don’t generate revenue. But for Domus Stay, whose managed units are ‘standalone’ (i.e. not in the same building with no in-house staff), the ability to manage operations remotely is essential to its business model.
Domus Stay uses res:harmonics property management system to schedule housekeeping tasks across its portfolio. The automated housekeeping software creates and assigns daily to-do lists for housekeepers in accordance with guest preferences, updating to-do lists with priority tasks, and monitoring progress through digital checklists.
The same goes for maintenance. Reacting to maintenance requests in real-time and connecting the nearest handyman directly with guests (or to their point of contact with specific instructions) resolves the problem by the time guests get back from a day of sight-seeing, and showcasing a level of personalised service.
Domus Stay works with res:harmonics to provide rapid high-quality turnarounds that are essential to a short-stay business model. For example, a guest might need a cot and baby furnishings, while the next might have requested a projector. With res:harmonics, Domus Stay can assign tasks, keys, and checklists to service each apartment and meet guest expectations.
“Our design-led properties must be better than spotless and some require special cleaning measures due to the nature of the furnishings. Yet, no matter how short a turnaround, I know that when a new booking comes, we can use the res:harmonics system to get it ready,” Rachel Angell, COO, Domus Stay.
After: Leaving a great impression
Delivering a five-star service leads to repeat custom and guest advocacy. But all the hard work during a guest’s stay can be undone at the final hurdle: haggling over in-stay extras, error-strewn invoices, or unclear inventories that leave a bitter taste.
At Domus Stay, this is avoided with the automated billing feature. From the outset of booking, any in-stay extras, night extensions, breakages, or special requests can be added to the final invoice and automatically sent to the guest (or their finance department) at the end of their stay.
res:harmonics property management system reduces errors and speeds up the payment process, with digital inventory (signed at booking) software avoiding any friction with guests over inventory discrepancies.
“As exceptional service is so important to our brand, we want our team focusing on guest experience instead of time-consuming back-office tasks. With res:harmonics, we can invoice clients and our homeowners without having to lift a finger,” Rachel Angell, COO, Domus Stay.
4 years, 5 stars
With res:harmonics, Domus Stay manages its business without limitations, and delivers a personalised service as unique as the design-led apartments it rents out. That's why Domus Stay has partnered with res:harmonics for over four years.
“Four years ago, res:harmonics was the most complete system. Today, it’s still the most complete system. Not only is the software incredibly user-friendly, but it offers everything we need to run the business the way we want,” Rachel Angell, COO, Domus Stay.
Download the Ultimate Guide to Serviced Apartment Property Management Software 2023 to learn how res:harmonics property management software supports serviced apartment operators like Domus Stay.
Request a demo to find out how res:harmonics can help you deliver a five-star serviced apartment service.
