Supporting escape from the everyday, sustainability, and a love for nature, Tiny Transylvania is equally a business and a social enterprise. The three minimalist, mobile cabins attract both city dwellers looking to retreat into nature and enjoy a yoga session, as well as single mothers who receive free accommodation and find motivation through parenting sessions.
The cabins at Tiny Transylvania are named after the grandmothers of the project's initiators, Tünde and Zokni, and welcome guests at the edge of the Făget Forest, the green lung of Cluj. They offer not only accommodation but also hiking and biking opportunities.
With interiors inspired by vacations, the sea, the mountains, and Scandinavian landscapes, the entire place breathes freedom and love for nature, people, and pets.
Business Challenges:
The Tiny Transylvania complex was created in two stages, with the first house built in 2019 using European Union funds. At the time, Csata was taking reservations over the phone and email and syncing them in a Google Calendar.
A simple solution when you have just one room and are just starting out. But what happens when the number of bookings increases, the volume of activity triples, and guests want to pay online, possibly with vacation vouchers? Moreover, for Tünde Csata, managing Tiny Transylvania is not her main activity, so the time she could allocate was limited and precious.
“When we reached three vacation houses, I felt the need for a platform that would automate activities and help me save time. I am a big fan of efficiency and productivity, and I’m open to any measure that optimizes my work. So, when I discovered Pynbooking by making a reservation as a tourist, my interest grew immediately. I asked around in the industry, and I was told it’s a good PMS with an integrated Channel Manager. The next step was requesting a demo." – Tünde Csata, owner of Tiny Transylvania.
The Solution:
Once the decision was made, the team at Tiny Transylvania set up their Pynbooking account and defined the accommodation units, including descriptions, images, and pricing plans. The Channel Manager integrated several online booking platforms with reservation limits (such as a minimum number of nights), and the Booking Engine from Pynbooking was installed on their website, integrating the online payment processor "euplătesc.ro."
They activated GuestApp to automate guest interaction for check-in, check-out, invoice sending, or survey invitations. They also enabled campaign/modules for offers and dynamic pricing. Invoices are generated in Pynbooking and automatically exported to Winmentor for financial and accounting processing.
“I really like Pynbooking’s flexibility in defining pricing plans, which you can adjust depending on the platform and the related commissions. This way, you can maintain profitability without exceeding certain percentage differences and creating discrepancies. Also, with a Booking Engine on our own website, I can ensure that I always offer the best price for direct bookings.” – Tünde Csata, co-owner of Tiny Transylvania.
With support from the Pynbooking team, the initial setup of the platform took only 40 minutes, thanks to its intuitive menu. Being 100% cloud-based, the solution required no local installation and didn't need backup copies to prevent data loss.
Benefits:
For Tiny Transylvania, Pynbooking made it possible to transition to a contactless operation where guests can enjoy peace and a retreat into nature. Everything flows smoothly with minimal human interaction: reservation – confirmation – check-in – access code retrieval and accommodation – check-out and payment. This technological simplification resulted in an occupancy rate increase, with over 50% of direct bookings generated through marketing campaigns and special offers.
Tünde openly acknowledges: "Pynbooking provides a great return on the cost of the subscription, and I wouldn't give up this platform for anything in the world."
What other gains has Pynbooking brought to Tiny Transylvania?
- Elimination of manual operations across multiple levels: updating rates and availability, making bookings, running promotional campaigns, exporting invoices to accounting, sending information and documents to guests.
“For me, time is precious, especially since I have a permanent job and can’t be at the location too much. That’s why it’s important for me to replace any manual operation with technology, because it helps me save time and energy. With Pynbooking managing all reservation, accommodation, and payment operations, I can focus on important things like development strategies, marketing campaigns, and actions." – Tünde Csata, co-owner of Tiny Transylvania.
- Increase in direct bookings and a reduction in commissions paid to partners. With Pynbooking, Tiny Transylvania has been able to attract over 50% of its bookings through its website and social media pages.
- Transition to a contactless accommodation system. Guests interact exclusively digitally with Tiny Transylvania via Pynbooking's GuestApp, through which they receive details about accommodation, available additional services, access codes, invoices, etc.
- Increased occupancy rate through the definition of flexible accommodation packages in Pynbooking's Channel Manager, setting a minimum number of nights, and dynamic pricing based on season and local events.
“The dynamic pricing option is very helpful and brings in bookings during the week when occupancy is lower. It would be too complicated to manage this manually.” – Tünde Csata, co-owner of Tiny Transylvania.
- Support for marketing actions carried out by the Tiny Transylvania team.
“We run multiple marketing campaigns, both on search engines and social media, as well as with tourism influencers. Pynbooking helps us generate special offers and vouchers for each type of action and easily track the results.” – co-owner, Tünde Csata.
At Tiny Transylvania, guests use technology to enjoy a peaceful vacation in nature. For a few days, they abandon the internet and email for a book and heartfelt conversation. Pynbooking facilitates this transition, smoothing their access in a discreet way. And at Tiny Transylvania, happy customers mean a successful business.
“With Pynbooking, I can access everything happening at Tiny Transylvania from anywhere in the world. I can change prices or close a house. This way, I can be both a tourist and an entrepreneur at the same time.” – Tünde Csata, co-owner of Tiny Transylvania.