One of Perth’s most iconic pubs, The Brisbane Hotel stands tall as the ultimate destination for entertainment, dining and socialising. The inner-city oasis offers punters a lush beer garden, elevated pub classics and an impressive selection of over 60 wines.
With a diverse range of specials and bespoke events, The Brisbane Hotel continuously strives to elevate its guest experience. We spoke with General Manager, Adam Kapinkoff, about how integrating Now Book It AI, Sadie into their daily operations has significantly improved the customer journey – helping eliminate over 200 monthly missed calls.
Missed calls, missed opportunities
With so much competition in the area, on top of the rising costs across the industry, securing bookings is a strong focus for The Brisbane Hotel. With the venue seeing a huge number of calls daily, it has been a consistent challenge between taking care of customers already in the venue and potential new ones.
“There were periods during service where we have so many missed calls, we don’t know what we’re losing out on,” Adam explained
“It also detrimentally affects the guest experience with our venue and brand when we aren’t able to pick up the phone and help them out”
These missed calls don’t just mean unanswered questions but also lost bookings, frustrated customers and revenue slipping through the cracks. The pressure to deliver great service without blowing out staffing costs created a gap that traditional solutions couldn’t fill. That’s when Sadie, the AI receptionist joined the team.
Now Book It AI, Sadie, picks up every time
Integrating Now Book It AI, Sadie has been groundbreaking for The Brisbane Hotel. In just one month, Sadie has answered over 239 calls, handling everything from booking enquiries to FAQs – freeing up staff to focus on in-venue service.
“Sadie the AI receptionist platform has been excellent – it ensures quality guest experience while helping us remain profitable.”
The importance of first impressions can never be underestimated. In this day and age, diners want service, and they want it fast. One missed call could mean a potential customer lost to a competitor.
Answering every call, Sadie has restored a critical moment for The Brisbane Hotel in the customer journey. With customers that already hold a booking, Sadie is on call to make sure they are attended to, their questions answered, and requests resolved.
Not only does she keep reservations intact and protect the venue’s reputation, but the AI booking assistant also make sure new customers can make a booking easily. Behind the scenes, the AI booking assistant is capturing revenue that otherwise would have been lost during busy service periods.
The admin burden behind the scenes
Beyond missed calls, the team at The Brisbane Hotel also face mounting admin pressures – especially during peak periods. Without full-time office support, tasks like managing booking modifications and answering repetitive customer questions can quickly become overwhelming.
“With the cost pressures we’re facing, adding more admin hours just wasn’t feasible, but the volume of enquiries wasn’t slowing down either.”
With Sadie seamlessly integrated into the Now Book It reservation platform – real time updates and information on booking availability are easily communicated to customers around the clock. This has significantly reduced the admin load on the team and improved customer interactions without delays or miscommunication.
Some things are worth paying for
As the hospitality industry continues to change and evolve, so does Now Book It.
“The Now Book It team has been responsive and open to feedback, constantly improving the system in ways that make a difference,” said Adam.
Taking advantage of the platform’s new features like Sadie, The Brisbane Hotel has been able to become a smarter, more efficient venue. There’s a cost to keeping up with a stellar reputation, but with a small, easy investment, Perth’s most iconic beer garden continues to deliver their famously unforgettable experiences.
