Eden & Cristal Hotels win over OTAs thanks to Velma

In the competitive market of Cannes, Eden Hôtel & Spa and Cristal Hôtel & Spa stand out by delivering exceptional 4-star service. To uphold this standard, leadership sought a technology partner that could provide instant, accurate guest communication while supporting the efficiency of their internal teams. They found that partner in Quicktext and its AI virtual assistant, Velma.

We spoke with Nathalie Deydier Ranchy, who oversees both hotels, about the strategic thinking behind the partnership.

What was the primary goal behind implementing Velma?

“To respond more quickly and more effectively to customers without necessarily going through reception, in order to limit calls. In today’s hospitality environment, we need to empower our teams to be as efficient as possible. So, to avoid saturating the phone lines and to prevent giving incorrect answers to clients, we wanted to implement Velma.”

“We also know very well that customers no longer read website pages; they don’t serve much purpose anymore. The easiest thing for them is to ask ‘what time can I check-in?’ even when it’s written right next to them. That was the basis of my approach.”

How does Velma help maintain your brand’s integrity on OTAs?

“The interest is the same as on our own website: to refine the answers that Velma can provide to the client. Booking.com pages are not always up-to-date, and we don’t ultimately choose our own text. For example, a ‘whirlpool bath’ is not always a ‘jacuzzi’. The key advantage is that Velma‘s direct integration with Booking.com’s messaging platform allows us to refine information, guarantee precise answers, and ultimately prevent guest disappointment.“

This commitment to precision gives the hotels a crucial advantage over OTAs. By using features like the Dynamic FAQ (Q-SEO), they create a rich, detailed knowledge base perfectly tailored for AI generative search. In an era where AI provides users with direct answers, this allows the hotel’s own website to become the definitive source, outranking the simplified listings on OTA sites and capturing valuable direct traffic and leads.

From a performance standpoint, how is Velma helping you capture more revenue?

“Velma’s performance is very good. We are now activating the automated email follow-ups (Q-Mail) for guests who abandon their booking. Manually chasing these leads by phone was never possible because we simply don’t have the staff resources. This is a crucial deployment for us to recover potential revenue that would otherwise be lost to the competition.”

How would you describe your experience with the Quicktext support team?

“It’s so rare, they can be proud of themselves. The people are responsive. We don’t have this relationship with all our other contacts at all. They are patient, pleasant, smiling, and reactive. Honestly, I have nothing to say. The job is done: the follow-up, the upgrades, the updates… They don’t give up. On this, frankly, there is strictly nothing to say. It’s perfect, really.”

The partnership is built on a shared vision for the future, including ideas for deeper integration with other hotel systems and personalizing the experience to perfectly match a hotel’s unique brand identity.

Finally, what is your overall satisfaction score for Velma and the partnership?

“A 10. Honestly, after everything I have just said about the performance and the perfect support, giving any other number would be completely incoherent.”