Nottingham Venues is a bespoke hospitality business within the University of Nottingham, operating across multiple sites including Orchard Hotel, Jubilee Hotel & Conferences and East Midlands Conference Centre.

With 303 hotel rooms across Orchard Hotel and Jubilee Hotel & Conferences, plus more than 4,000 campus bedrooms available during non-term time, the team needed a solution that could support a more complex setup than most hotels. Their priority was to create a clearer, simpler customer journey while also improving efficiency behind the scenes.

Streamlining operations to enhance the guest experience

As an independent operation, Nottingham Venues caters to a broad mix of guest types, from conference delegates and corporate groups to leisure travellers and seasonal campus guests.

Its offer spans different venues, facilities and budgets, so the website needed to present everything clearly and guide customers quickly to the most relevant booking path. With strong links to conferences, events and sport, the business needed a digital setup that could support multiple use cases without making the journey feel complicated.

Transforming booking ease to boost direct reservations

A major priority for the team was improving how customers book across the different parts of the business.

Nottingham Venues manages not only hotel accommodation, but also campus halls and teaching spaces that are sold during holiday periods. They wanted a high-performing direct booking journey across their own digital channels that could make this diverse offer easier to understand, showcase real-time availability and encourage more guests to book directly.

Since partnering with Smarthotel and Net Affinity, the team has seen direct bookings double compared to the previous year, driven by improved visibility, a clearer booking journey and a more user-friendly online experience.

Michell Palad, Director of Revenue at Nottingham Venues, said: “The website is now user-friendly, straightforward and much quicker to navigate. Large bookings that were once time-intensive are now far easier to manage online.”

Unlocking greater control and efficiency through seamless integration

As part of the wider transformation, Nottingham Venues implemented Channel Manager to create a more streamlined and user-friendly setup.

This was an important step, particularly for managing group bookings and conference business at Orchard Hotel. The team saw improvements in how the online booking journey looked and performed, helping customers navigate more quickly and giving internal teams better control and visibility.

Rather than forcing a standard approach, the setup was shaped around the hotel’s specific requirements, ensuring it worked for the realities of their business.

A simpler, faster booking journey for increased conversions

One of the most noticeable changes since working with Net Affinity and Smarthotel has been the simplicity of the new booking journey.

The third-party websites now connect to a far more intuitive booking experience, making it easier for customers, organisers and delegates to book online. Promotions are also easier to set up and run, removing barriers for the marketing team and making campaigns more visible and manageable.

The Business Intelligence reports have also been highlighted as a major improvement, giving the team valuable insight into booking behaviour, lead times, package performance, device usage and origin markets. This has helped the marketing team better align campaigns and execute the right activity, at the right time, for the right audience.

Streamlining payments to reduce admin and enhance user experience

Payment processing had previously been a challenge for Nottingham Venues and had slowed progress in parts of their implementation.

Working alongside Smarthotel, the team has now been able to address these issues in a way that supports a more automated, less admin-heavy setup. This has been an important part of making the overall booking journey more seamless and reducing complexity behind the scenes.

The strength of the partnership has been especially important here, with Nottingham Venues valuing the fact that support is always close at hand whenever questions arise or further refinements are needed.

Michell continued: “We need things working 24/7 and what I value most is that they are on it. If something needs attention, they respond and help get it sorted.”

Delivering tailored solutions that drive tangible business growth

For Nottingham Venues, the difference has been the responsiveness, flexibility and sector knowledge of both teams.

Where other providers could be difficult to reach, Net Affinity and Smarthotel were quick to respond, always available with feedback and committed to finding a workable solution. The team felt listened to, valued and supported throughout.

They also appreciated the hospitality expertise behind the partnership. Being able to work with people who understand the industry, the systems and the day-to-day realities of hotel operations made a real difference.

Michell said: “Net Affinity and Smarthotel have been efficient, responsive and really easy to work with. We always feel listened to and they never stop looking for a solution until we get what we need.”

Achieving growth through simplified booking and enhanced efficiency

For Nottingham Venues, the partnership has delivered more than just a better website or booking process. It has created a smoother customer journey, improved internal visibility, supported direct booking growth and helped simplify a very bespoke operation.

Most importantly, the team felt that Net Affinity and Smarthotel adapted to their needs rather than asking them to fit a standard mould.

Michell added: “They understand hospitality, they understand our systems and they speak the same language as us — that makes a real difference.”