How AI Scaled a Hospitality Brand Without Losing Its Human Touch
When the world of accommodation was turned upside down by new travel habits, Urban Rest saw an opportunity not just to recover, but to reinvent.
Founded in Sydney, Australia, Urban Rest began with a simple goal: to give modern travelers a better, more flexible stay experience, combining the comfort of home with the consistency of hotel-level service. Fast forward a few years, and they’ve grown into one of Australasia’s most forward-thinking property management companies. Their secret? Smart, scalable growth powered by AI.
The Challenge
Urban Rest managed a growing portfolio of flexible accommodation across Australia and New Zealand, from business stays to long-term serviced apartments. But with scale came familiar growing pains:
Rising service and staffing costs
Increasing demand for 24/7 guest support
Manual workflows bogging down marketing, operations, and customer service
They faced a question every scaling business eventually hits:
How do we grow smarter, not just bigger?
The Innovation
Instead of hiring more people or adding more properties, Urban Rest decided to build intelligence into their operations.
Partnering with Salesforce, they embedded AI directly into their CRM and workflow systems, transforming how they worked across departments:
24/7 Guest Support: AI-powered chat and communication tools handled routine queries instantly, freeing up human staff for complex issues.
Data-Driven Insights: AI analyzed guest interactions and operational data to identify trends, from booking patterns to preferred amenities, enabling smarter decision-making.
Connected Operations: By linking marketing, operations, and guest services through shared data, teams could respond quickly to opportunities and potential bottlenecks.
The result? A business that could think, adapt, and scale, all without burning out its people.
The Takeaway
Focus on the service. Systematize the support.
Pick one repeatable process, like guest communications, lead follow-up, or order management and apply automation or AI. The time and clarity you gain can become the fuel for your next stage of growth.
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