Bespoke Hotels manages 57 hotels across the UK, ranging from castles and island retreats to city center hotels. Each property has its own character, audience and operational needs, and preserving that individuality is central to the Bespoke approach.
With different technology providers in use across the portfolio, reporting and guest touchpoints were fragmented. Bespoke wanted to introduce greater consistency and visibility without imposing a one-size-fits-all experience, leading them to Canary. We spoke with their Group Revenue & Distribution Director Stephanie Carvell to learn how the experience has been.
Previously, Bespoke hotels used multiple solutions for different stages of the guest journey. This added complexity for hotel teams and made portfolio-wide reporting difficult. With Canary, the team can easily get property level data and portfolio-wide reporting through a single dashboard, giving hotel teams flexibility while providing Bespoke with more operational insight.
"I’ve tested several products during my years in hospitality," said Stephanie. "Canary brings everything together in one platform that we previously had to use multiple vendors for, without compromising on capability or guest experience."
Each Bespoke Hotel offers unique experiences, so upsell offers need to reflect both the individual property and its guests. With Canary's Dynamic Upsells, each hotel can create tailored offers, from premium wine tastings and late check-out to off-property experiences. This allows each location to retain individuality while supporting a consistent commercial approach across the portfolio.
"At the hotels where Canary has been introduced, the cost was recovered within weeks," said Stephanie. "It puts relevant offers in front of guests in a clear, simple way and the return on investment has been very strong."
Like many hotel groups, Bespoke receives a portion of their bookings through online travel agents (OTAs), which limit what guest information is available to the hotel. Canary's Mobile Check-In lets Bespoke capture guest data during registration, which creates an increased opportunity for future engagement.
"We now receive more complete guest information, which helps us build a direct relationship rather than relying on the OTA," said Stephanie. "Where guests have chosen to hear from us, it also creates opportunities to encourage repeat stays."
Across the varied portfolio, Bespoke’s teams often answer repetitive, property-specific questions. Canary's AI Guest Messaging and Digital Compendium allow each hotel to keep information current, provide answers in 100+ languages and replace printed in-room folders with digital guides. This reduces administrative tasks for teams, giving them more time to focus on guest service.
"Canary AI handles many of the routine questions our teams previously answered," said Stephanie. "With Digital Compendium, each hotel can update its own information in minutes, helping colleagues spend more time looking after guests."
Reviews are extremely valuable for hotels, but asking for them at the right time is tricky. Canary’s Smart Checkout automatically includes an internal survey, and guests are prompted to post on Tripadvisor if they have positive feedback. Their review is also shared with hotel teams so they can recognize good experiences and respond quickly when something falls short.
“We’re able to connect with our guests better,” said Stephanie. “If something has gone wrong, we can respond and put it right. If they have a great stay, they can share their experience with others and the process is automatic.”
