PPHE Hotel Group
Gaining a Competitive Edge with UpMail
Headquarters
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Type
Hotel Chain
Number of hotels
+49
Region
Europe
Company Size
+5,700 employees
About PPHE
PPHE Hotel Group is an international hospitality real estate company with a portfolio of full- service upscale, upper upscale and lifestyle hotels in major gateway cities in the UK and mainland Europe with brands including Park Plaza®, art’otel®. The Park Plaza Westminster Bridge is one of Europe’s leading conference hotels and one of the largest hotels in London.
The Challenge
In 2019, PPHE engaged UpMail to evaluate the enquiry-handling process for their critical Group and Event segment across their UK and European portfolio. The aim was to identify ways to improve sales efficiency, increase conversion rates, and enhance the customer buying experience.
One of the key priorities for Manju Goel, Vice President of Sales, Distribution, Reservations, and Customer Service, was to introduce greater consistency across the Group and Event departments. This encompassed not only the internal workflows but also the visual and written presentation of sales communications shared with clients. Establishing this uniformity was seen as a vital step in ensuring a high standard of service delivery, while also giving PPHE a competitive edge in their interactions with potential clients and partners.
Additionally, the solution needed to be sustainable at the property level while being centrally managed for streamlined reporting and oversight.
The review focused on enhancing several key areas, including:
- Group and Event sales proposals
- Team workflow efficiencies for both property and cluster sales teams
- Customer response times
- Conversion rates
The Solution
UpMail was initially implemented across PPHE’s UK portfolio of Park Plaza Hotels, followed by a phased rollout to their European properties over a 12-month period. This decision was driven by several key factors:
- A custom solution tailored to PPHE’s sales organization
- Centralized management of all content, templates, and reporting
- Flexible, responsive templates that adapt to different needs
- User-friendly design for the sales team
- Seamless integration with Outlook
- Robust digital asset management and cohesive sales narratives
- Comprehensive onboarding and training support
- Integration capabilities with Oracle Opera Sales & Catering
UpMail collaborated closely with both property and corporate UpMail Champions to ensure that all users were well-informed about the tool’s functionality, its impact on daily workflows, and were provided with training tailored to their specific needs.
The Result
Manju Goel states, “UpMail has been a game-changer for us. It enables our teams to present proposals in the best possible way for our properties, and it’s been fully embraced by our staff. The service and commitment from the UpMail team have been first-class—proactive, attentive, and tailored to our business needs. The impact is clear in how we operate as a team and in the results we continually drive.”
Amy Russell, Assistant Director of Distribution – Groups, Meetings & Events, adds, “UpMail continues to give our sales team a competitive edge by allowing them to personalize and customize every proposal while working more efficiently. It’s an essential part of our group and event sales process. When we transitioned to a total Cluster Team during the pandemic, UpMail made that shift seamless.”
Since its rollout in 2020, UpMail has been implemented across all PPHE properties in the UK and Holland, enabling the teams to respond to group and event enquiries quickly and consistently, with tailored, relevant content.
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