Thomas Ramapuram, a fourth generation scion of Ramapuram Holdings, is currently the Director of Sales at Evolve Back Resorts. With a three-year experience as a wealth manager with a multinational bank, Thomas decided to return to his family business. “In our family, we have this unsaid rule that you need to venture outside, get some exposure and then join the family business.”
Evolve Back Resorts decided to onboard Simplotel’s Hotel E-commerce solution (Website Builder & Booking Engine) after meeting the team frequently over a period of two years. “We would always meet the Simplotel team at various industry events. Each meeting was an opportunity for us to learn more about growing direct bookings. We were happy with our previous vendor. However, we knew that Simplotel had the potential to grow our revenues. We’re glad to have made the switch,” says Thomas.
For India, Evolve Back Resorts does 25% of its total business through online channels. “Our direct bookings have grown 4x since. Out of total occupancy, our brand website generates a phenomenal 10% in direct bookings. Since we offer a luxury product, we understand that a majority of our bookings will always come through offline channels. Recently, there was this unique instance where we had a guest make a Rs. 10-lakh booking through our brand website. I was astonished because Indians are wary of transacting online. This was a testament to our brand credibility over the past three decades, and also to the direct-booking technology that Simplotel has empowered us with,” lauds Thomas.
Thomas believes that the difference between Simplotel and other vendors is that the Bangalore-based SaaS startup is genuinely concerned about growing direct bookings for hotels. “While other vendors just offer the booking engine at a throwaway price, Simplotel provided us with a high-conversion booking engine — which is so simple at the backend — that has grown our revenues.”
Thomas advises that people who wish to enter hospitality need to have a very strong ethic of service and attention to detail. “It’s one of the toughest industries to work in. However, the satisfaction of receiving positive feedback from guests or making someone’s day is worth it.”
