The brand

Nestled at the water’s edge on Lake Tahoe’s south shore, Edgewood Tahoe is a cherished gathering place where guests enjoy the scenic natural beauty and genuine hospitality. Edgewood has been a world-class destination for golf, dining, weddings, and special events since 1968. In June 2017, The Lodge at Edgewood Tahoe opened to be the premier luxury lodging destination in Lake Tahoe. The Lodge was voted the #1 Resort Hotel in the US by readers of Travel + Leisure in the World’s Best Awards in 2021 and selected as Hotel of the Year for USA & Canada by Preferred Hotels & Resorts in 2019. And in 2022, they added 14 luxury Villa Suites to the property.

The challenge

Before implementing Revinate, Edgewood Tahoe faced significant challenges in lead management and guest engagement. Without a platform to manage leads and route and track calls, reservations agents predominantly took inbound bookings. They fielded basic inquiries, leading to missed follow-up and conversion opportunities. Additionally, the lack of a streamlined reservations platform and contact center hindered the team’s ability to staff efficiently, especially during emergencies like COVID-19 and wildfires. As a result, the hotel struggled to maintain service quality and revenue continuity. Finally, the lack of a hotel CRM meant that the hotel was unable to use captured data to enhance the guest experience, engage guests throughout the guest journey, and drive additional revenue. Overall, the hotel’s potential for growth and guest satisfaction was limited due to the lack of technology to manage reservations and guest marketing.

The solution

When the decision was made to tackle these challenges head-on, the team selected Revinate to empower the reservations and marketing teams to transform how they worked, with the goal of driving revenue and better guest experiences.

When Executive Director of Marketing & Sales Siobhan Fajayan joined the company, Revinate Marketing was already in place, allowing her to immediately jump in and execute one-time and automated email campaigns. Leveraging Revinate’s built-in segmentation features, she can reach the right audience at the right time.

Siobhan creates newsletters and targeted one-time campaigns to inspire guests to visit. One geo-targeted email, for example, was sent to locals within 60 miles of the property, promoting “Locals Day at Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course.” Another top-performing one-time campaign promoted the opening of the golf season and the newly remodeled bar and deck. This single campaign drove over $465,000 in direct revenue for the property, proving the value of email marketing.

In addition to one-time campaigns, one of the property’s most successful campaigns is the automated cart abandonment campaign. Guests receive a personalized drip email, encouraging them to book just one minute after abandoning the booking engine and again two days later. This “always-on” campaign has driven over $877,000 in direct bookings over 19 months, with each email driving an average of $311 in direct revenue for the property.

The hotel added Reservation Sales and RezForce to ensure that the department was always staffed, even during emergencies or power outages, which can happen during large storms. Reservations Manager Lana Venter says, “I’m forever grateful to my predecessor for selecting Revinate. I was gifted a great foundation that I have been able to continue building upon.”

RezForce ensures that the hotel doesn’t miss out on revenue opportunities by providing after-hours and overflow support. Lana is quick to point out that the quality of the agents is exceptional, saying, “We are Forbes rated and go through regular assessments to maintain our rating. Our RezForce agents have no issues when audited because the quality is so high.”

Historically, hiring reservation sales agents presented challenges, primarily due to the location’s limited talent pool. With Reservation Sales in place, Lana was able to extend the hiring reach beyond the local area and explore remote work options for the first time. This shift made the team more selective, prioritizing experience and high-quality agents that could bring immediate value. Lana says, “Hiring remote agents has had a profound impact on both staff retention and our overall success.”

Lead management is one of the biggest benefits for the reservations team. With Reservation Sales, the team now captures and tracks a broader range of leads, including inquiries about amenities and special requests. This shift has enabled agents to follow up on potential bookings more effectively, ensuring no opportunity is overlooked. By treating every guest inquiry as a potential lead, the team has seen a 56% improvement in conversion rates, contributing to increased revenue. The team is also able to do far more outbound than ever before. With the platform’s reporting capabilities, they can implement an incentive program for agents, which has been very successful. Lana says, “It was like a switch. As soon as we offered incentives, outbound numbers jumped significantly, and agents jumped on the leads, dramatically improving our response time.” The team improved their outbound revenue by 98% compared to the previous year.

Revinate’s call recording and scoring features have also been invaluable for coaching and training the Reservations team. By reviewing calls, management can identify areas where agents excel and where they need improvement. This real-time feedback loop not only helps in correcting mistakes but also fosters a culture of continuous learning. Incorporating performance metrics into the team’s incentives has encouraged agents to engage more effectively with callers, leading to improved customer interactions and higher satisfaction rates.
Revinate has facilitated a seamless integration between marketing and reservation sales, allowing the two teams to work collaboratively towards common goals. This cohesive approach has not only enhanced operational efficiency but also contributed to a more consistent and memorable guest experience.

The results

With the ability to better engage guests on the phone and through marketing, Edgewood Tahoe can now thrive in a competitive hospitality market. In addition to driving significantly more direct revenue through outbound call campaigns and email promotions, they have achieved these impressive results:

• Improved outbound revenue by 98% compared to last year
• $5.7M in lifetime revenue from marketing campaigns
• Improved inbound call conversion by 56% compared to last year
• Improved revenue per booking by 30% compared to last year
• Improved total booked revenue by 83% compared to last year