Case studies

30A Vacation Rental Consulting

Testimonial & Case Study  

Alan R. Mattson

President & CEO

Castle Hospitality Group

Castle Hospitality Group (CHG) is a Hawaii-based company founded in 1993, specializing in hospitality and resort management in the Pacific Region. CHG provides hospitality services for a wide range of properties, from mid-market hotels to upscale luxury condominium resorts. 

CHG consists of two operating brands: Castle Resorts & Hotels and Castle Vacation Rentals Hawaii, wholly owned, fully consolidated subsidiaries of CHG. Each brand has synergies between each other, but yet are distinct and different brands each catering to a different ownership groups and customer lifestyle segments. 

The Castle Resorts & Hotels brand manages 21 resort properties with over 1,500 units in Hawaii and New Zealand valued at over $2 billion in resort assets; and Castle Vacation Rentals Hawaii brand manages over 600 units in 46 resorts throughout the Hawaiian Islands.  

With the evolution and growth of the vacation rental market in Hawaii, Castle migrated our previous condominium operations to a completely new business model and technology distribution platform based upon the changing marketplace and customer buying behaviors. This exclusive technology allows us to sell our resort properties not only by category on hotel volume channels, but also by individual unit with direct connectivity to all major vacation rental sites (Airbnb, VRBO, etc.) on the same distribution platform.  

In 2021, we had outgrown our current technology partner and issued a comprehensive RFP to replace our entire distribution platform (CRES, PMS, online booking engine, website, etc.) and ultimately our entire tech stack. With such a unique operating model, there was a very short list of technology companies that could satisfy our specific business requirements. The comprehensive and extensive RFP process lasted approximately 12 months before finally selecting TravelNet Solutions (TNS) as our new technology provider for both our resort condominiums as well as hotel portfolio.   

Once the final agreements were negotiated and signed with TNS, our Vice President of Technology and project lead on this major technology integration project, resigned and left for a competitor. Losing our key project lead at such a critical time after a 12-month long selection process was devastating for the team. We had to react quickly, or the entire project and implementation timelines would be in jeopardy.   

We immediately put a plan in place to keep the project moving forward. Our executive team vetted all options available, and it was decided that the best path to keep the project on schedule would be to hire a qualified consultant to take on the project management function. However, we knew this would not be an easy task finding the right person or fit based upon the complexity of the implementation, multiple installations across two separate brands and satisfying our unique business requirements.

The search for the perfect fit commenced. We consulted with senior management at TNS on their recommendations, other technology executives and finally, our hospitality distribution  partners. In all cases, each pointed us to Wendy Glover as their first-choice recommendation without reservation. No one ever gave us a second-choice recommendation which made our decision easy.             

I immediately called Wendy, explained our situation and the scope of work required. Fortunately for us she was available to take on this role and major time commitment. She was immediately hired as project manager on a consulting basis. Wendy saved the project from having to be postponed, and perhaps even stopped indefinitely. 

Wendy immediately emersed herself into CHG and the project. She managed all facets of project management to include the setting the communication and project management structure; creating the internal and external implementation teams; driving the necessary configuration and customization; managing all team members to insure they were completing their implementation and configuration assignments on time and accurately; and managing the multiple personalities and in some cases egos, of the various team members to keep them focused and meeting their timelines. 

Wendy very quickly took total control of the project management. She already had an excellent understanding of the TNS systems and their technology, having previously installed TNS for several other clients. This was a huge advantage. She also had a great working relationship with many of the key executives and team leaders at TNS, which facilitated the communication process and helped overcome any issues or bumps along the way. 

I personally found Wendy very professional and wonderful to work with. Our teams responded to her extremely well, and I know were relieved when she joined the team. She demonstrated effective leadership and project management skills, which ended up being instrumental in the successful launch of our new technology platform with TNS and corresponding new tech stack.