Customer Spotlight: de Russie Boutique Hotel

Key Results:

• Stronger revenue performance: Confident, data-backed pricing decisions led to higher rates and steadier bookings.

• Time saved: Rate management workload has been reduced by nearly 50%, freeing up time for strategy.

• Improved collaboration: A unified platform helps teams align quickly and communicate clearly with clients.

Background

Nestled in the heart of regional New South Wales, de Russie Boutique Hotel Orange is a premium property known for its blend of classic charm and modern comfort. Set in the vibrant town of Orange, famous for its food, wine, and festivals, the hotel attracts a diverse mix of business travelers, city escapees, and boutique stay seekers.

But being in such a competitive market also comes with unique challenges. Pricing too low risks undervaluing the product. Keeping rates higher than competitors can make it harder to tap into those short bursts of demand that often come from local events or sharp shifts in the market. For Hemisphere Hospitality Solutions (HHS) – the strategic consultancy team behind de Russie – getting the pricing right was critical.

“We’ve always needed to find the right balance between holding value in rates and reacting to big spikes in competitor pricing,” says Welsby Mather, National Revenue Manager at HHS. “Before, it was tricky to know when market demand was genuinely organic and when it was being driven by other factors.”

After trialing several revenue systems over a year, HHS chose Lighthouse Pricing Manager, a platform that combined intelligent automation with strategic control. For de Russie, it’s been a transformative change.

Gaining visibility in a noisy market

In regional areas like Orange, where demand can fluctuate wildly due to events, holidays, and competitor movements, it’s quite the challenge to set the right prices. Without the right data, it becomes difficult to distinguish genuine demand from noise, leading to pricing decisions driven more by instinct than insight.

Using real-time insights, the team can now easily identify whether a competitor's price spike is a result of actual demand, or simply a reaction to something else. This nuanced understanding has allowed them to respond with confidence, holding rates when the market is soft, and pushing pricing when demand is surging.

At de Russie, this has made a clear difference. The property’s rates have remained consistently strong and bookings are flowing in at a steady pace.

Less time in the system, more time for strategy

Efficiency isn’t just about saving hours, it’s about redirecting that time into higher-value work.

Before Lighthouse, the HHS team spent a significant portion of their day managing pricing for each client. Rate updates, competitor checks, and market scans were all conducted manually, making it quite challenging to balance those time-consuming tasks with proactive strategy and client engagement.

Since moving to Lighthouse, that’s changed dramatically.

“It’s cut our rate management workload by nearly half,” says Welsby. “That’s a huge time-saving. And it means we have more time to focus on other value-adding work for our clients.”

The simplicity of the interface also plays a major role. Unlike more complex systems that get overloaded with data, Pricing Manager is designed to highlight what matters most, surfacing key performance insights and tailored recommendations without the noise.

Improving internal and external alignment

With multiple consultants managing a variety of properties, internal consistency is essential. Lighthouse helps HHS stay aligned across the board, giving every team member access to the same up-to-date pricing and performance data.

“The platform has improved our internal workflow by creating a single source of truth,” Welsby explains. “It allows our consultants to align quickly on strategy, back up their decisions with reliable analytics, and respond to market changes in real time.” 

That clarity also makes conversations with clients easier and more productive.

“Having everything in one place makes it much easier to explain the ‘why’ behind our recommendations,” Welsby adds. “It’s made our client conversations more collaborative, more strategic and a lot more confident.”

Around-the-clock coverage with autopilot

While HHS maintains a hands-on approach to pricing during business hours, Lighthouse’s autopilot functionality offers reliable backup during evenings and weekends.

“In our business, we remain quite hands-on with rate strategy,” says Welsby, “but Autopilot has proven to be a valuable tool outside of regular hours.”

For markets like Sydney, where concerts or sporting events can cause sudden spikes in demand, the ability to automatically adjust rates is a game-changer.

“Events can be announced and sold out in hours. Autopilot gives us the confidence that pricing is being managed even when we’re not in front of the system. That’s peace of mind, for us and for our clients.”

Using recommendations to spark strategic conversations

Lighthouse’s smart recommendations serve as more than just suggestions, they’re integrated into HHS’s strategy sessions and decision-making process.

“We regularly use the recommendations as a pulse check. Sometimes we’ll act on them directly. Other times they help us kick off conversations or re-evaluate the strategy.”

In the case of de Russie, where demand patterns are influenced by regional events and seasonal tourism, this kind of tactical flexibility is invaluable. The recommendations help the team  adjust quickly or test new approaches while staying grounded in real-time data.

Final thoughts

Lighthouse has become a strategic partner for HHS, not just a pricing platform. For a property like de Russie Boutique Hotel Orange, where rate integrity and timing are everything, the difference is clear.

“It’s one of the smartest investments you can make to boost both revenue and efficiency,” says Welsby. “More than just a pricing tool, it’s a strategic asset that empowers better decisions and stronger returns.”

And when asked to sum it up in just a few words?

“Reliable. Insightful. Empowering.”