City Break Apartments grows self check-ins 7x.
How a serviced apartment operator replaced expensive OTA commissions and front-desk bottlenecks with a custom direct booking platform and automated IoT door lock access.
The Challenge
What we had to solve.
City Break managed over 120 prime serviced apartments across Dublin and London. Over 80% of bookings originated from OTAs (Booking.com, Airbnb), costing up to 20% in commissions per stay.
Furthermore, physical key handoffs required 24/7 on-call staff, leading to guest complaints during flight delays and high administrative overhead.
The Solution
What we built.
Wadecheryl engineered a custom direct booking web application integrated with Stripe and PMS calendars, alongside a keyless door lock synchronization service.
Guests complete passport verification on their phone before arrival and automatically receive an encrypted time-limited PIN and Bluetooth key valid only during their booked stay.
Architecture
Why we chose this technical stack.
Server-rendered pages for optimal SEO rankings in competitive European city rental queries, paired with sub-second client navigation.
Event-driven queue architecture dispatching lock codes and PMS calendar availability within 150ms of a confirmed booking.
Direct hardware integration enabling zero-human contact check-ins and automated revocation upon scheduled checkout.
Measurable Impact
Operational transformation: Before vs After Wadecheryl.
| METRIC / PROCESS | PREVIOUS SETUP | AFTER WADECHERYL REBUILD |
|---|---|---|
| Check-in Duration | 15–20 minutes at physical reception desk | < 90 seconds mobile self-service |
| Direct Channel Share | 18% total bookings (82% OTA reliance) | 43% direct reservations in year one |
| Lock Code Dispatch | Manual WhatsApp & SMS messaging by staff | 100% automated via Salto IoT API integration |
| OTA Commission Savings | $0 saved (Paid ~$180,000/yr in commissions) | $45,000+ saved in commission fees within 12 months |
Facing similar operational or booking challenges?
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