How Miami House Perfected the Digital Guest Journey with HotelFriend Enterprise

Client

miamihouse.com

Property Type

Aparthotel for long-term stays

Location

Hamburg, Germany

The project launch

January 2025

About Miami House

In the heart of Hamburg, Miami House is more than just a place to stay. It's a vibrant, fully serviced home for business travelers, students, and newcomers looking for a long-stay temporary residence. Part of STUART Holding, Miami House improves urban living with its stylishly furnished apartments and a welcoming community atmosphere.

From the start, Miami House set out to create a modern, tech-forward accommodation concept. But managing 98 apartments and ensuring a monthly booking process required more than just a well-designed space. They needed smart digital solutions to automate operations, enhance security, and provide a frictionless stay for their guests.

Challenges Faced by Miami House

The urgent need for a reliable PMS software

As a new accommodation provider, Miami House had no time for delays. They needed a fully functional PMS and booking system, fast. The transition had to be intuitive for staff, and ready to handle bookings without a hitch.

Ensuring the booking engine is built for monthly stays

Miami House needed a booking solution that aligned with their brand’s sleek look and supported the way their guests book: for months, not just nights. They needed a fully customized booking engine that integrated into their website and had functionality tailored for extended stays.

Managing a high housekeeping turnover in a convenient way

With 98 apartments, keeping track of room cleaning schedules can quickly become overwhelming. The team needed a way to filter rooms by date and reservation status so that housekeepers could easily identify which apartments required attention.

Connecting hotel software to Assa Abloy door locks

Miami House wanted a keyless entry system to provide guests with a modern, hassle-free check-in experience. But integrating this with their PMS required a solid technical solution.

Building a digital-first and on-site payment system

Although most bookings were prepaid online, Miami House still required an on-site payment solution as a backup. They wanted a simple, low-maintenance payment terminal that could handle occasional in-person transactions without disrupting their digital-first approach.

Solutions Provided by HotelFriend

To achieve this, Miami House partnered with HotelFriend, opting for an Enterprise package that included an advanced Property Management System and custom feature development.

Property Management System (PMS). HotelFriend’s cloud-based PMS gave Miami House full control over operations, from reservations to housekeeping and payments. The user-friendly interface allowed the team to adapt quickly, ensuring a trouble-free launch without downtime.
Booking Engine Tailored for Monthly Rentals. With the custom monthly rent feature, the property can offer apartments on a monthly basis. The setup is straightforward: once the “Per Month” mode is enabled, the property sets available check-in dates and minimum rental durations. Guests then choose how long they want to stay, and the system automatically calculates their check-out date.

This feature excludes manual back-and-forth and makes long-term stay management more structured and less time-consumi.

Tailored Housekeeping Module. To keep operations running smoothly, HotelFriend implemented new housekeeping filters that allowed staff to sort rooms by date and reservation status. No more guesswork: it’s time for a clear, organized cleaning schedule.

Integrations Featured

HotelFriend Payments

To simplify transactions and enhance guest convenience, Miami House adopted HotelFriend Payments. This solution enabled seamless processing for online bookings and mobile transactions, ensuring a frictionless checkout experience for guests.

DATEV Export

For efficient financial management, they integrated DATEV Export, a widely trusted accounting solution used by over two million German businesses. This integration allowed the team to export financial data directly from the PMS, ensuring compliance with German accounting standards while reducing administrative workload.

Assa Abloy Digital Door Locks

Miami House chose Assa Abloy’s Vingcard system, allowing guests to unlock doors via transponders or their mobile devices. Its integration with a PMS has become a game-changer for both guests and staff, ensuring a contactless experience from arrival to departure.

Hardware

Castles AMS1 Terminal

This portable terminal allowed staff to process occasional in-person transactions anywhere within the property while also supporting countertop docking for stationary use. Though primarily a backup, the terminal ensured that Miami House could accommodate every payment scenario without disrupting its digital-first approach.

Results Achieved

20% reduction in administrative workload

Miami House successfully transitioned to HotelFriend’s PMS and booking system in minimal downtime, allowing them to start operations without delays. By automating invoicing, payments, and booking management, Miami House has cut its administrative workload by 20%.

100% of direct bookings processed through a custom booking engine

The team is less reliant on third-party platforms, reducing commission costs and maintaining full control over the guest journey. The added support for long-term monthly bookings has helped improve communication and reduce booking errors.

Housekeeping efficiency improved by 40%

Thanks to automated room status tracking and smart filters, the housekeeping team now spends 40% less time sorting schedules and checking room readiness. Staff can focus more on cleaning and less on admin work.

Hassle-free stays with Assa Abloy integration

The integration allows only checked-in guests to have access to their rooms, while expired or canceled reservations automatically deactivate access rights. This helped to improve security and eliminate front-desk bottlenecks, making check-in a smooth experience.

Fully automated online payments with minimal on-site processing

The HotelFriend Payments system ensures that nearly all transactions are processed online, eliminating the need for manual card data entry while keeping a backup terminal available for emergencies.