Sitting at the breakfast table, a guest scans the QR code on the hotel newspaper – seconds later, the hotel’s app opens, featuring the same logo, the same colours and the same tone as at reception. For the MADRIGALE, a family-run boutique hotel on Lake Garda, this was precisely the aim: the hotel’s style should not end at the bedroom door, but continue digitally. This success story shows how this aim led to the creation of the hotel’s own app, MAD Vibes, and the figures behind it.
1. The challenge: the digital presence didn’t live up to the hotel’s style
Only one gap remained: the digital experience was not keeping pace with the hotel’s high standards. Guests could not find a consistent digital point of contact, and the team felt the consequences in their day-to-day work.
Every day, the reception desk was bombarded with the same questions about shuttle times, opening hours or table bookings every few minutes: valuable time that was lost that could have been spent on personal interaction with guests. Additional services such as massages, table bookings or bike hire could also only be booked during reception opening hours. Anyone wishing to book in the evening or at short notice simply had no option to do so, and revenue potential was left untapped. Added to this was the effort involved in producing printed information: every week, new notices and printouts were produced for seasonal programme changes, daily events and current recommendations – an effort that neither matched the hotel’s modern standards nor saved time.
2. The solution: MAD Vibes – the guest app as the hotel’s own app
In response to these challenges, the MADRIGALE opted for Gastfreund’s guest app as its own dedicated hotel app: MAD Vibes. This is complemented by Gastfreund’s hotel newspaper, which serves as a digital hotel magazine. This creates a guest experience that, from the initial inspiration right through to after departure, reflects the hotel’s distinctive style.
What distinguishes a dedicated hotel app from a standard guest app?
A guest app that serves as the hotel’s own app is a fully branded, native application in the hotel’s corporate design, with its own app icon and its own listing in the app stores. Unlike the guest app within the shared Gastfreund platform, this version features exclusively the hotel’s own brand: with MAD Vibes, the MADRIGALE logo and colour scheme characterise every screen.
“For us as a family, it’s important that the app doesn’t look like a standard app,
but like our hotel.”
Francesco Tondini | Owner, MADRIGALE
3. Implementation: The guest journey – from booking to after departure
Before their stay, guests receive a link to MAD Vibes after booking and can find out about the hotel, the region and what’s on offer in advance: this eliminates the need for enquiries before arrival.
During their stay, MAD Vibes brings together all the information on the restaurant, spa, bar, bike hire and shuttle service – available in multiple languages, updated daily and accessible round the clock directly on guests’ smartphones. Anyone wishing to book a massage or a table no longer has to wait for reception opening hours. In addition, the hotel newsletter delivers special offers, tips for day trips and events straight to the breakfast table: a QR code provides seamless access to the guest app.
After their stay, the hotel stays in touch with guests via chat, push notifications and feedback features – a direct way to encourage repeat guests, direct bookings and better reviews.
4. Results: The figures behind the digital transformation
Questions that used to keep reception busy every minute are now answered by the app, round the clock, with no waiting time. This is reflected in the monthly results:
- 12,862 visits to the guest app shows that guests are not just opening the app, but actively using it
- 87 hours’ time saved means more time for hospitality
- 165 issues of the hotel newspaper read – Breakfast reading is an integral part of the stay
- 554 printouts saved thanks to up-to-date information bundled in the app and the hotel newspaper
5. Conclusion: An app that reflects the hotel’s character
MAD Vibes is therefore more than just a guest app: it is the digital embodiment of the MADRIGALE brand itself. With it, the Tondini family has created a channel that conveys the hotel’s style from the very first click right through to departure. For the team, this means a noticeable reduction in workload: 87 hours per month that are now available for personalised hospitality rather than dealing with recurring standard enquiries. For guests, it means having the full experience of a Lake Garda holiday right in their pocket at all times.
Find out more in the full success story:
✔ How MADRIGALE uses MAD Vibes to bundle information and services into its own hotel app
✔ How 87 hours of time saved per month are achieved without creating new roles
✔ How the hotel newsletter, with 165 issues read, has become an integral part of the stay
✔ How 554 paper printouts per month are eliminated, making sustainability measurable
Read the full case study now and be inspired:
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49 831 930 657-0 | info@gastfreund.net
More success stories from Gastfreund:
- Hotel am Fichtelsee: Digital guest directory with 3RPMS interface ensures smart processes and high usage
- HOLZLEITEN Organic Wellness Hotel: From check-in, through guest care, to check-out – this is how the HOLZLEITEN Organic Wellness Hotel is digitising its service.
- Wulfener Hals Camping and Holiday Park: Sustainability, increased turnover and a lighter workload for the team
