“It’s all about the experience.”
At Estuary Lodge Motel in North Wales, every stay is designed around one simple idea: creating lasting memories. With just eight bedrooms and a reputation for exceptional service, owner Donna and her team have built a loyal following of repeat guests who return year after year.
“Holidays are about making memories,” Donna explains. “One of the biggest parts of making memories is where you stay. It’s about getting every right – the cleanliness, the food, the service – so guests go home with long-lasting memories.”
Running a small, high-standard independent property means attention to detail is everything. But Estuary Lodge faced the familiar challenge many independents share: keeping communication personal yet professional. Managing guest messages smoothly became difficult, especially when bookings came through online travel agents (OTAs) like Booking.com, where messages could go missing or important details sometimes got lost with no way to contact the guest directly. Donna wanted to make the process simpler for both her and her guests, without losing that personal touch.
Before GuestAppy, Donna managed all her pre-stay guest communication manually by email. It worked, but it wasn’t ideal.
“A lot of the time, people hadn’t really looked at the photos or information,” Donna says. “They’d just booked, forgotten about it, and only looked again when they got the email before arrival. It was the standard, taht’s what a lot of places still do.”
Donna wanted to bridge the gap between her high-quality in-person experience and the digital guest journey. Competing with larger hotels meant presenting a polished, modern image, and one that still reflected her independence and warmth.
“Being an independent property, it’s hard to compete with the bigger places,” she explains. “With GuestAppy, it just connects all the dots. It gives us that professional edge.”
When GuestAppy was announced, Donna didn’t hesitate to give it a try.
“We’ve been with freetobook since the beginning of our business,” she says. “Any advancements you guys do; we’re keen to see. If freetobook doesn’t get the opportunity to grow, then we can’t grow with you. We were happy to try GuestAppy and see how it went.”
The setup process was simple, intuitive, and quick, something Donna appreciated as a hands-on owner.
“There was literally no problem,” she recalls. “It was just step by step; everything is really easy because it tells you exactly what to do.”
Almost immediately, she noticed a difference in how guests interacted.
“The feedback has been fantastic,” says Donna. “Guests say it’s easy to use and gives clear information. Everything is smooth sailing.”
One of the biggest changes for Estuary Lodge has been the Digital Check-In element. Previously, check-ins were done manually; now, the process is automated, faster, and much more reliable.
“It’s made everything so much easier,” Donna explains. “Before, people just filled in a quick form and didn’t pay attention. Now it’s step-by-step, and guests understand what they’re agreeing to. It’s professional, clear, and easy.”
The feature also solved a long-standing frustration with Booking.com, hidden guest contact details.
“It’s made a huge difference,” she commented. “With Booking.com, you never know if your messages are going through. GuestAppy’s check-in process bypasses that completely. As soon as they fill it in, I know I’ve got a direct contact. It’s brilliant.”
That simple improvement has ripple effects throughout her business, including less back and forth, and guests who arrive fully informed and relaxed.
“We used to have people turning up saying they hadn’t received any messages. Booking.com sometimes just loses them! Now, because of GuestAppy, they’ve already got all the info; they know their room, their check-in process, it’s smooth sailing.”
GuestAppy’s customisable design helped Estuary Lodge maintain its brand personality while presenting a more polished image.
“I love that freetobook has allowed me to design the app the way I want,” Donna remarks. “It connects our website and just flows so nicely. Guests think GuestAppy is ours, that we’ve built it ourselves! It makes us look so professional.”
That sense of ownership and personalisation has helped the small motel stand toe-to-toe with much larger hotel chains.
“The bigger places can be a bit blasé; you just get impersonal emails. But with GuestAppy, what we’re providing really does make us look that step up.”
Even older guests, often less comfortable with technology, have found GuestAppy easy to use.
“Elderly guests are savvier with apps these days,” comments Donna. “They’ve had no problem at all. They get all the pictures, all the info. Everything’s just easy.”
GuestAppy has not only improved Estuary Lodge’s communication but also increased guest engagement by ensuring guests never miss important messages, including those inviting them to leave a review.
“GuestAppy makes the process for collecting reviews easier,” Donna says. “Guests get an automatic message with links to Google, Tripadvisor or our website. It’s so simple. People click through and leave reviews, sometimes on all three!”
By complementing tools like Reputation Suite, GuestAppy helps properties like Estuary Lodge close the communication gap between booking and review, creating a more connected and consistent guest journey.
Behind the scenes, Donna’s workload has become lighter, and her stress levels have dropped significantly.
“I can’t stand Booking.com,” she laughs, “but GuestAppy has reduced so many of the problems I had. It’s just taken away that stress.”
Now everything feels frictionless, from the first message to the final review.
“It’s smooth sailing for both us and the guests,” she says. “That’s what matters.”
When asked how she’d rate GuestAppy, Donna doesn’t hesitate:
“Ten out of ten,”she says proudly. “It’s made our whole process smoother and more professional. Guests love it. I love it. Just go get it, the difference it can make is worth it.”
GuestAppy helps independent properties like Estuary Lodge Motel deliver a seamless, professional guest experience from booking to review.
Scan the QR code to download the app
