Let guests choose their own hotel room

Customized booking

One person prefers a specific floor, while another absolutely wants a sea view. Tourists and business travelers all have their own specific needs when choosing a hotel room. Some choose simplicity, others want as much luxury and comfort as possible.
Belgian company Expect Me is a platform that aims to optimize the hotel experience for every guest, helping hotels live up to the ideal by preventing guest disappointment and dissatisfaction. Expect Me is a digital tool that allows a guest to select and reserve a specific room based on a detailed floor plan and room overview. Linking this information with other features allows hotels to operate more efficiently, optimize their guest experience and achieve greater returns. The Heavens Hotel in Hoorn has also been using this tool since the beginning of this year.

Win-win situation

Frank Smits, Jeroen Vaassen, Roeland Verhamme are the three founders of the platform. The idea came about when Verhamme booked a room with a sea view while on vacation in Italy. Although at the hotel itself everything was to his liking, the description of the hotel room was totally wrong. “In the distance, between the leaves of a large tree, I could see with great difficulty a small patch of water. That was an anticlimax. If I had known that in advance I would have chosen a different room.” Upon returning home, he began developing the platform of Expect Me, which was founded in March 2021. “Guests see exactly which rooms are still available. It’s a win-win situation: it increases the experience for the customer and the hotel is less likely to have dissatisfied guests. In addition, they generate more revenue because customers are willing to pay for this service. Moreover, hotel guests can select perks such as a bottle of champagne or a deluxe breakfast.”

Better insight

Verhamme confirms that this tool is ideal for locations like the Heavens Hotel in Hoorn, particularly because of the different categories of rooms and the various options it offers. “I had connections at the Dutchen Group, the manager of this four-star hotel. When I heard of their plans, I presented our tool. They felt that Expect Me was ideal for this hotel. The discussions were pleasant and fast. For six months now, the software has been in use and the feedback from both guests and the operations team has been unanimously positive. Every room in the Heavens Hotel is different. Expect Me is perfectly suited just here, because of the many options they offer their guests. Think colors, views of stained glass, a double shower, a freestanding bathtub or several rooms side by side. Our tool makes the comfort that this hotel offers even better.”

Many hotels have their own specific characteristics. Verhamme emphasizes that this is why it is customized each time. “This is a flexible system in which all the different options can be entered. Those who make proper use of this get optimal occupancy rates. When booking directly on the hotel website, everything is possible.” Expect Me no longer plays a role once the software is implemented. “The guest does not have to go to our website and the hotel can arrange everything itself. However, we do remain on standby, especially in the initial phase, to provide appropriate feedback. After all, we too want to improve and learn. Meanwhile, 65 percent of guests at hotels using Expect Me have upgraded their room. It also makes the booking process fairer and there are no discussions or uncomfortable shuffling of rooms if guests still have specific requests upon arrival. So there is comfort for all parties.”