What if a small, independent hotel in a quiet Norwegian town could compete with larger, more resourceful players – without a big team or complex strategies? For Hotell Jæren, trying to stay competitive once meant relying on guesswork. But with the right insights, they transformed their approach, fine-tuning their pricing and strategy with ease.
This is the story of how a 95-room hotel found a simple, no-fuss way to make smarter business decisions – and why smaller hotels don’t need to be left behind in a data-driven industry.
Nestled in the serene landscape of Jæren, known for its picturesque coastline and rural charm, Hotell Jæren is a modern yet intimate hotel that prides itself on creating a homely atmosphere for its guests. Their vision, “Velkommen heim” (Welcome home), is not just a tagline – it’s a guiding principle.
The hotel is owned and managed by Else Larsen and General Manager Mette Vigre, who have worked together for over 25 years. In 2020, they took over the property, rebranded, and embarked on an ambitious renovation. By 2023, they had expanded from a tired, old structure into a 95-room, newly refurbished hotel, offering warm hospitality to business travelers and tourists alike.
Else Larsen, who oversees daily operations, revenue management, marketing, and sales, explains:
— As a small hotel in a small town, we have to be smart about how we manage our resources. We don’t have a big team dedicated to pricing strategy or market analysis, so we need solutions that help us make good decisions without requiring too much time or effort.
While their focus on personalized service and quality accommodations had built a strong reputation, they lacked a clear view of how they compared to competitors – a problem they knew had to be solved.
Navigating a competitive market without insights
Hotell Jæren had no structured way of comparing their performance to similar hotels. Without access to real-time data, they were often relying on assumptions and intuition when making pricing and revenue decisions.
In larger cities, hotels have a clearer sense of competition, with well-known industry trends, corporate contracts, and established pricing patterns. But for a hotel in a town with more fluctuating demand, those patterns were less predictable.
— We had limited resources to conduct deep market analysis, which made it difficult to compare ourselves with other similar hotels in the area and make informed pricing decisions.
For a hotel like Hotell Jæren, where both business and leisure guests contribute to occupancy rates, pricing too high or too low could have real consequences.
— We didn’t always know if our rates were on point. If they were too high, we risked losing potential guests. If they were too low, we left money on the table, Else explains.
Why Hotell Jæren chose Benchmarking Alliance
When looking for a benchmarking solution, the hotel had a few clear requirements: it needed to be easy to use, relevant for smaller hotels, and provide actionable insights.
— We chose Benchmarking Alliance because they offer a solution tailored for hotels like ours. It wasn’t just for big city hotels or large chains—it was relevant to our market, says Else.
Another key factor was the localized data, ensuring Hotell Jæren could compare itself to hotels in similar markets rather than just looking at generic industry trends. Else continues:
— The ability to compare ourselves with local competitors was a big reason we went with Benchmarking Alliance. We needed a benchmarking tool that reflected our specific market conditions.
And unlike other industry solutions that can be complex and time-consuming to implement, Benchmarking Alliance was designed with simplicity in mind.
— Getting started was surprisingly easy. We got access quickly, and the system was intuitive to use. What surprised us most was how fast we could start using the data to understand our position in the market, Else says.
Smarter pricing, stronger performance
Since integrating Benchmarking Alliance into their operations, Hotell Jæren has seen tangible improvements in pricing strategy, efficiency, and market positioning.
— The biggest impact has been in our pricing. We now have better insight into market demand, which helps us adjust our offers more precisely. As a result, we’ve improved occupancy rates and become more competitive, Else explains.
Instead of spending valuable time on manual market research or guesswork, the hotel can now make data-driven decisions in a fraction of the time.
— Before, we would spend a lot of time trying to figure out where we stood in the market. Now, with just a few clicks, we can see exactly how we compare to similar hotels and adjust our strategy accordingly.
The real-time data updates have also helped them stay agile in a fluctuating market. Else elaborates:
— We check the system regularly to keep an eye on the competition and adjust our prices when necessary. This has helped us optimize our revenue while still offering great value to our guests.
The difference benchmarking data makes
Without Benchmarking Alliance, Hotell Jæren would still be operating in the dark, making pricing decisions without a clear view of the market.
— Honestly, we would still be facing the same challenges as before; guessing instead of knowing. It would have been much harder to achieve the level of market insight we have today, says Else.
She adds that without these insights, their ability to remain competitive, especially after their expansion, would have been severely limited:
— When we doubled our capacity, we needed to make sure our pricing strategy was on point. Benchmarking Alliance helped us adjust our approach at the right time.
Collaboration and support: A true partner
Beyond the platform itself, the support from Benchmarking Alliance has been a key part of the success.
— Their support team has been easy to reach and quick to respond. A great example was when they helped us understand how to use the data effectively when we were expanding our capacity. That guidance was incredibly valuable.
Unlike many other solutions that require constant back-and-forth, Hotell Jæren has found Benchmarking Alliance to be a seamless, low-maintenance partner.
— We don’t have to constantly reach out to them, and that’s a good thing. It means everything just works. But when we do need support, they are always there, ready to help.
Looking ahead, the hotel plans to deepen its use of the platform, ensuring benchmarking data remains a cornerstone of their strategy.
— We’re very happy with the collaboration so far. We want to learn even more about how we can use the tool in our everyday work.
A simple, powerful solution for independent hotels
For Hotell Jæren, Benchmarking Alliance has proven to be a game-changer – not only in pricing strategy but in saving time, reducing complexity, and providing the insights needed to thrive in a competitive market.
When asked to sum up the value of Benchmarking Alliance in one sentence, Else puts it simply:
— It has made it so much easier for us to make informed, data-driven decisions without the need for complicated analysis.
For any small or independent hotel wondering if benchmarking is only for large chains, Hotell Jæren’s experience proves otherwise. With the right tools, even the smallest hotels can make smarter, more strategic moves – without adding extra workload.
At Hotell Jæren, the right benchmarking data turned complex market insights into simple, actionable decisions. If a small, independent hotel can compete smarter with the right data, imagine what it could do for your business. But you don’t have to imagine – book a free demo with us today and see how easy it is to track your market position, adjust your pricing, and make better decisions.
