With a vast garden and a panoramic terrace, SunScape Corbu invites its guests to freely explore the wild beach and sea.
Located near the Danube Delta Biosphere Reserve and the famous archaeological site of Histria, the guesthouse is favored by digital nomads attracted to the contemporary mix of a peaceful oasis with a gigabit internet connection.
The idea for this unique location was born in 2016 when Andreea Filip, architect and owner of the guesthouse, designed several buildings in Corbu.
Together with her husband, they fell in love with the almost unreal landscapes in the area and, in 2018, they bought land for a vacation home. However, this idea turned into a business plan, and in 2023, SunScape Corbu officially opened: eight double rooms, a technical space, and a large terrace overlooking the sea. An expansion is planned to add four more rooms.
Business Challenges
SunScape Corbu is a passion-driven business, with the Filip couple at the helm of their first entrepreneurial experience in hospitality. Open from May to September and benefiting from a unique location, the guesthouse attracts many tourists. While this is a good thing, it also generates a lot of work.
The two owners assumed all administrative tasks from the start but quickly felt overwhelmed by the situation. Just managing the influx of bookings became a task that consumed almost all of their time.
Initially, they used Google Calendar to manually record bookings, but it was difficult to synchronize emails, phones, and agencies in real-time, leading to errors and overbooking.
It became not just a time issue, but also a problem of image. But then, a life-saving solution appeared: Pynbooking.
“When we opened SunScape, neither of us had experience in hospitality. I’m an architect, and my husband works in IT. We handled everything ourselves, and we were overwhelmed by the workload, from answering calls and managing bookings to promotion. Realizing we couldn’t continue like this, we asked other entrepreneurs what solutions they were using, and the recommendation was: Pynbooking. That’s how we found a life-saving solution to our problems,” shares Andreea Filip.
The Solution
Based on recommendations from other entrepreneurs and after running a short demo, the SunScape Corbu team opted for Pynbooking.
The initial setup was quick and involved defining the rooms and services in the Property Management System (PMS). The PMS was integrated with a Channel Manager to pull bookings from Booking.com, Turistinfo, and other similar platforms, and with a Booking Engine to manage bookings coming from their own website, created via Generator Hotel Website.
Since Pynbooking is 100% cloud-based, these operations didn’t require local installations or the purchase of IT equipment.
The Booking Engine also records bookings made via email or phone. The website supports online payments via credit card, as well as vacation vouchers.
Price and availability updates are automatically synchronized across all connected platforms. To increase attractiveness, SunScape uses the Dynamic Pricing feature, which automatically correlates prices with availability and demand.
Guests receive booking confirmations through the GuestApp and complete their accommodation details and invoices via the mobile app.
At the end of their stay, Pynbooking automatically invites guests to leave an online review about the services they received, with the rating displayed on the website. Invoices are automatically issued from Pynbooking, which also integrates with the RO e-Factura system.
“Before Pynbooking, we managed Booking.com, Turistinfo.ro, and phone bookings separately. It was time-consuming and difficult to handle on the phone. But with Pynbooking, things have fundamentally changed. Bookings and price and availability updates are automatic, as are confirmations to guests. It feels like someone is actually working for us. Honestly, Pynbooking impressed us from the very first contact, especially because it’s so easy to use,” adds Andreea Filip.
Benefits
For the two entrepreneurs just starting out, Pynbooking was the life-saving solution that not only saved them time but also reduced costs.
With the help of Pynbooking, SunScape achieved a 50/50 booking rate for bookings through Booking.com versus direct bookings through their website, which also means a reduction in commission fees.
“With Pynbooking, we’ve managed to increase direct bookings, which now represent about 50%. The website is very helpful because we run promotional campaigns on various social media channels, voucher campaigns, and discounts for specific corporate partners (NTT Data, for example). Life as entrepreneurs by the sea looks much better since we started using Pynbooking. We can focus on other administrative tasks, such as expanding the location with two new units, as well as building personal relationships with guests. We love to be present and welcome them in person, and we believe that this is where SunScape Corbu’s true value lies,” adds Andreea Filip.
Other high-impact benefits for SunScape Corbu’s operation include:
- Automation of the two major booking sources, Booking.com and their own website. The Pynbooking Channel Manager retrieves bookings from Booking.com, automatically updating prices and availability, while the Booking Engine manages bookings made through the website. In both cases, guest data is automatically retrieved for completing accommodation records and issuing invoices.
- Easy generation of invoices directly from Pynbooking and integration with the RO e-Factura system.
- Elimination of all errors resulting from manual data processing and consequently, the risk of overbooking.
“We are extremely satisfied with Pynbooking because it has made our work easier. We are sure there are no errors, and tourists receive exactly what they book. It’s the lifeguard that brought us to shore. We save time and can be more involved in the relationship with guests or the development of the business,” explains Andreea Filip.
- Increased flexibility in pricing policies, both through the use of Pynbooking’s Dynamic Pricing functionality and the ability to run promotional campaigns, vouchers, etc.
- By creating the website and accepting online payments and vacation vouchers, the guesthouse has opened its doors to numerous new guest categories.
- Extended mobility for the two entrepreneurs by enabling them to access the platform anywhere and anytime.
“Pynbooking has given us a much greater degree of mobility. We can do everything from our phones, from entering a reservation to checking availability reports and occupancy rates. We have the entire management system on our phones, which gives us much greater freedom of movement. Entrepreneurial life is more beautiful with Pynbooking, and now we have more time for both administrative tasks and for doing what we love,” concludes Andreea Filip.
Supporting quote
“We recommend Pynbooking to all entrepreneurs who need help managing bookings and want to eliminate manual data processing errors. It’s a modern, automated solution, perfect for anyone who prioritizes respect for guests and wants smooth, efficient operations.” – Andreea Filip, architect and owner of SunScape Corbu.
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