Customer Spotlight: Six Senses Douro Valley

About Six Senses Douro Valley

Six Senses Douro Valley offers 60 rooms and suites in a beautifully renovated 19th-century manor house overlooking the Douro river. Set amidst the expansive vineyards of the World Heritage-listed Douro Valley, the property invites guests to dive into the region’s rich heritage of viticulture. To round out their experience, travelers can get a taste of the regional cuisine at the resort’s four dining venues and enjoy locally inspired wellness treatments at the signature Six Senses Spa. 

In a recent chat with Dora Major, Revenue and Reservations Manager at Six Senses Douro Valley, we learned how she has been benefiting from Lighthouse’s Rate Insight and Business Intelligence tools. She described how she is able to save time, streamline data analysis and make data-driven pricing and distribution decisions.

Faster and easier access to usable data

Before implementing Rate Insight and Business Intelligence I had to collect and collate all internal, market and competitor data manually. Often that took up half my day and left me with less time for other important tasks. Since gathering the data took so long, it was frequently obsolete by the time we were able to analyze it. That meant we repeatedly had to base our pricing and distribution decisions on old information which caused us to miss revenue opportunities. 

Rate Insight and Business Intelligence immediately made my life much easier. The tools were easy to implement and from day one they provided all the information I needed in a few clicks. This saves me immense amounts of time because I no longer have to gather data and create reports manually. Instead, I select the data points I want to explore, and the platform delivers it in a visually appealing format. Now, I even get access to information that was hard to extract from my PMS such as our guests’ country of origin. 

On top of this, Business Intelligence allows me to prepare for my weekly meetings better and faster. Pulling and finalizing the reports has become a matter of minutes. Getting live and well-presented OTB and performance data helps our operations and commercial teams better plan ahead and work more efficiently.

More effective data analysis and improved decision-making

Rate Insight provides all the competitor data I need to keep current on what’s happening in our market. Business Intelligence completes the picture with internal data. This provides me with a big picture of our performance and reveals where we have room for improvement. 

If I want to get more granular, I can pick the exact dates and metrics I want to analyze and compare them to other time periods. For example, I can check how our booking pace is developing, what the most popular length of stay is during certain seasons or where our guests are traveling from. This shows what worked in the past, where we’re doing well now and what we need to focus on more. Having all this information at my fingertips whenever I need it allows me to make well-informed decisions in a fraction of the time it used to take me. As a result, it’s much easier to realize our full revenue potential.

A welcome hand during challenging times

Rate Insight and Business Intelligence proved to be extremely valuable resources during the pandemic for two reasons. 

First, things were developing quickly and unpredictably, so we constantly had to adjust to new and often surprising market shifts. Lighthouse’s BI tools helped us monitor our market, the competition and our performance in real time. This allowed us to adapt our strategies appropriately and avoid rash decisions. 

Second, we had a smaller team during large parts of the pandemic. That meant efficiency was even more important than usual. Rate Insight and Business Intelligence were especially important at this time. They eliminated many manual tasks and allowed us to focus on what mattered most – getting through the crisis and preparing for recovery.

Continuous innovation and product improvement

Since we started working with Lighthouse in 2019, they’ve continued to improve and upgrade their BI solutions. One thing that stands out is that the platform keeps getting faster. Where I had to wait several moments for it to pull data in the past, it’s almost instantaneous now.

You can tell that the product development team bases updates and new features on client feedback. This has helped them make the tools even more user-friendly and comprehensive over the years. I’m already looking forward to seeing what else they have in store for us. 

Quick and reliable customer support

Since Lighthouse’s tools are so easy to use, I’ve rarely needed assistance from customer support. However, the team was always helpful and responded promptly the few times I had questions or needed assistance. For example, recently I asked about changing how some data is displayed. They immediately got back to me with the information and guidance I needed. This shows that they want users to get the most out of the tool and they’re ready to help anytime to make that happen. 

A word to your peers

I would absolutely recommend Lighthouse’s BI tools to fellow revenue managers. They save valuable time every day because they provide immediate access to internal, market and competitor data. This allows you to focus on the in-depth analysis needed to make well-informed pricing and distribution decisions and maximize your revenue. Lighthouse’s excellent customer support is the cherry on top.