If you're looking for an "Instagrammable" location, you must visit Cosama Village. Located in the heart of Transylvania, on the edge of Sighișoara, the cabins at Cosama Village are discreetly scattered among ancient trees.
They cater to tourists eager to enjoy peace and quiet in an environment that still offers all the comfort provided by self-catering facilities, hot tubs, and hammocks. The location was opened in 2017 by a passionate traveler who wanted to create a "personal refuge," but over time, it evolved into a business with and for the soul.
Business Challenges
In the early years after the founding of Cosama Village, entrepreneur Ana Sandolache did not directly handle the business's administration. However, in 2021, she took the step toward operations.
"In 2021, I gave up other activities and dedicated 100% of my time to managing Cosama Village. Since I don't have employees or a physical reception, I quickly realized I needed technology to manage the daily volume of activity, especially to centralize and streamline bookings. Moreover, I wanted the administration itself to not take up all my time so I could also focus on interacting with guests," says Ana Sandolache, owner and administrator of Cosama Village.
In this context, Ana Sandolache researched how other businesses in the hospitality industry were handling things and which software solutions they were using. She evaluated several options, but received good references for Pynbooking and discovered how the platform works by researching an online guesthouse known as the "hidden village of Transylvania."
The Solution
Since 2021, Cosama Village has been using Pynbooking to automate all of its activities. The five accommodation units were defined in the PMS (Property Management System), the Channel Manager was integrated with Booking.com, from where about 40% of bookings come, and the Booking Engine developed by Pynbooking was integrated on the website.
.png)
Thus, the remaining 60% of bookings are made through the website. Invoices are also issued in Pynbooking and exported to the outsourced accounting service. Through GuestApp, tourists automatically receive review invitations, and the platform posts the results on the website. The entire system is designed to make administration as easy and time-efficient as possible.
"Pynbooking has a simple initial setup that doesn’t require technical skills. After activating the account, I quickly defined the services I offer and integrated it with Booking.com. Later, I added a 'Book Now' button both on our Facebook page and on Instagram. Whenever I needed help, I called the support services. They know what they're doing, and any problem is resolved quickly," said Ana Sandolache.
Benefits
An important step for Cosama Village was initiating extensive promotion and booking campaigns. Projects were conducted with travel bloggers and Instagram influencers, as well as collaborations with institutions that issue vacation vouchers. Ana-Maria Sandolache also focused on indexing the website for Google searches, which directly contributed to the increase in direct bookings.
"During the pandemic, the individual units and contactless accommodation facilities from Pynbooking made Cosama Village a highly appreciated location and significantly increased our visibility. We’ve maintained this advantage long-term, and with a good positioning in Google searches, we now have a direct booking rate of about 60%. This practically means that I pay fewer commissions." – Ana Sandolache.
.png)
Other relevant benefits for Cosama Village include:
- Time-saving and increased efficiency through automation of daily tasks. At Cosama Village, Pynbooking has replaced the need for additional reception staff.
"After switching to Pynbooking, I no longer feel the need to hire another person to manage the guesthouse. I can handle it on my own. Moreover, it's a system I trust, and it helps me allocate more time to guests rather than logistics and administration." – Ana Sandolache
- Easy adjustment of pricing policies and automatic updates on the website and booking platforms.
"For a boutique facility like Cosama, an important advantage brought by Pynbooking is the simple way in which prices can be adjusted. I know the local market well, as well as seasonal events, which allows me to always have attractive offers that ensure a good occupancy rate while maintaining the desired profitability." – Ana Sandolache
- Overview of bookings over a specific period via an intuitive calendar with color codes.
- Easy access to detailed activity reports and document export options.
- Automation of review invitations, sent to guests by email after checkout. Reviews are processed by the system, and the results are displayed on the website.
Cosama Village and Ana Sandolache represent a model of entrepreneurship in modern Romanian tourism. More and more passionate tourists are stepping into the hospitality industry, not just to receive but to give.
To save time and be part of the experience offered to guests, they turn to technology to automate as much of the daily activity as possible. This approach works for them, and Pynbooking plays a significant role.
"Pynbooking has taken over much of the management tasks for Cosama Village, so I can focus on the guests and also maintain a balance between my professional and private life." – Ana Sandolache, owner and administrator of Cosama Village.