Author: Tara MCGOWAN

Whether it's preparing arrival lists, filling out police forms, debiting virtual cards one by one, or printing invoices while three customers are waiting at the counter… today, within your Medialog PMS , there are automations that take care of these redundant and time-consuming tasks.

Because every minute saved on administrative tasks is a minute given back to welcoming your clients. And your staff is there to take care of your clients: that's where the experience, and your performance, are made. That's how you differentiate yourself from your competitors.

Automation does not replace your team: it gives them back the time to do what no software will ever do — welcome, advise, create relationships.

Here we present the 4 most used automations, tested and approved by the hoteliers we support on a daily basis.

1. Digital check-in and fast check-out: streamline peak hours

The rush of arrivals at 17 pm and departures at 8 am is familiar to all receptions. Medialog offers pre-check-in and fast check-out modules to save valuable time at reception.

At the arrival

With pre-check-in, your PMS automatically sends the customer an email with a form to complete before their arrival: identity, contact details, and preferences. This information is automatically added to their customer profile, eliminating the need for re-entry. On-site, a check-in tablet allows for final registration and signature in just a few clicks.

At the beginning

Fast check-out sends the invoice by email a few hours before departure (the timeframe is configurable), allowing the customer to approve and pay online. As a result, the customer drops off their key and leaves without waiting; reception only handles special cases. And for groups, offers are sent out in bulk.

2. Automatic debiting of virtual cards (VCC)

Bookings made through online platforms often come with a virtual credit card to be charged on a specific date. Processing these cards manually represents a tedious daily task and a costly risk of being forgotten.

With an integrated payment module like Medialog Pay , a scheduled process scans eligible virtual cards daily and automatically debits them. For specific cases, a dedicated screen allows you to list all VCCs and debit them in bulk with just a few clicks, with complete transaction tracking. No more card-by-card debits between two clients.

3. Direct mail: mass distribution of welcome cards and police forms

The police registration form remains a legal requirement for your foreign clients, and the welcome form is essential for preparing for arrivals. Printing them one by one, reservation after reservation? Never again.

The mail merge module generates all the day's documents in a single operation: welcome sheets, police forms, booking confirmations, and personalized letters in multiple languages. Your evening team prepares the next day's arrivals in minutes instead of an hour. And if you want to go even further, pre-check-in completely digitizes this step.

4. Automated control of OTA commissions

Manually checking your distributors' commission invoices, line by line, at the end of the month: that's a chore your PMS can handle. By setting up your commissions once and for all (rate, recurring payment method, commission shown or hidden on the invoice), each booking automatically calculates the commission due.

Upon receiving the OTA invoice, a dedicated screen allows you to review and approve the month's commissions in minutes, and immediately identify any discrepancies. This saves time for both reception and management.

In practice: where to begin?

There's no need to activate everything at once. Our on-the-ground advice:

• Week 1 Activate mail merge. Zero change for your customers, immediate gain for the team.
• Week 2 : set up Medialog Pay, with automatic debiting of virtual cards and commission settings.
• Then : roll out pre-check-in and fast check-out, informing your customers of this new simplified process.

Conclusion

Digital check-in, automatic VCC debiting, mail merge, commission control: these four PMS automations transform the daily operations of a reception desk without disrupting your routines. They are all available in the Medialog PMS, and our support team—real people who actually answer the phone—will help you configure them.

To learn more about the time saved by your teams, you can also read: New Housekeeping module: simplify the daily management of your rooms.

Want to see how it looks in your establishment? Contact us for a presentation.

Plan a presentation

Analysis of the period from June 29 to August 20, 2026, of 1,018 establishments in the Alps, the Atlantic Coast, the French Riviera and Paris, compared with the same period in 2025. Data generated by Stathotel.

The search for freshness

A trend has emerged during the heatwaves: the search for coolness. In fact, this translates into the best growth recorded for the Alps, a region somewhat spared by the summer heatwave, with an average increase of +6,5% in turnover.

The regions of the Atlantic Coast (+4,4%) and the French Riviera (+3,5%) also saw strong growth, with customers seemingly seeking proximity to the water, even if it was much warmer than in previous years.

In our study, only Paris experienced a significant decline compared to last year, which can be explained on the one hand by the excellent figures for 2025, and on the other hand by uncertain international news as well as a surge in fuel prices passed on by the airline industry.

The most interesting aspect is not necessarily the ranking, but the way in which each destination achieved its growth.

How each destination sought its growth

The Alps have filled

The Alps saw a significant increase in visitor numbers, with occupancy rising by 3,1 points to 71,3% , while the average price increased by only 1,0%. This destination therefore experienced primarily an increase in visitor numbers.

Both coasts sold for more

Conversely, the French Riviera and the Atlantic Coast sold at higher prices. While occupancy rates saw limited increases (+1,5 points on the Atlantic coast, +0,7 on the French Riviera), the average price rose by nearly 3%. With the coastline almost fully booked, it didn't attract new customers but naturally increased its room rates.

Paris did the opposite

The capital has not been as attractive as it will be at the same time in 2025. The price reductions granted (2,6% on average) did not have the desired effect: the occupancy rate also fell, by 1,1 points. Over this period, price concessions did not generate any increase in occupancy.

The 2-star category, the only segment in the red across all destinations.

According to our figures, across all four destinations, 2-star hotels are declining. Their RevPAR is down 13,4% in the Alps , 12,4% on the Atlantic coast, 9,5% on the French Riviera and 3,3% in Paris.

And there was no effective pricing strategy to counteract this. In the Alps, two-star hotels lowered their average price by 9,4% but still lost 3,6 percentage points in occupancy. On the Atlantic Coast and the French Riviera, hotels gambled on increasing their average price by around 2% and saw an 8 to 11 percentage point drop in occupancy rates. Regardless of the coastline, it seems the demand for this category simply wasn't there.

Conversely, 4-star hotels were the big winners this summer in the three destinations outside Paris, with RevPAR increasing by 6,1% to 8,1%. 3-star hotels followed the trend, with increases ranging from 3,5% to 6,3%.

What we take away from this

Outside of Paris, all the 3, 4, and 5-star hotels in our sample saw an increase in occupancy this season. Seven out of eight segments achieved this by raising their average price—the eighth, a 3-star Alpine hotel, kept its rates within 0,3% of its previous level and gained 4,3 percentage points in occupancy. Across these three destinations and during this period, raising prices does not appear to have had any impact on occupancy rates.

The summer trend has shown that French holidaymakers were prepared not to compromise on their holiday destination.

To learn more about seasonality and customer profiles, you can also read: Hotel occupancy in January: myth or reality?

Want to compare this data with your business? Contact us and request a StatHotel presentation.

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When each stay must bring in more

During peak season, the natural instinct is to fill the hotel. But once occupancy is at its highest, the real engine of growth lies elsewhere: in the revenue generated by each booking. This is the whole point of upselling . And the timing is particularly favorable: with shorter stays and travelers watching their budgets, knowing how to offer the right service at the right time makes a real difference to your revenue.

Good news: it's not about "selling at all costs", but about enriching your customers' experience with services they truly appreciate.

1. Offer before arrival, not at the counter

The timing of your offer is just as important as the offer itself. At the counter, the customer has just arrived, is tired, and eager to drop off their luggage: it's difficult to capture their attention. Before their trip, it's the opposite. A few days before arrival, the traveler is in a state of anticipation; they have time to imagine themselves there and plan for the trip.

This is why the pre-stay period is the ideal time to suggest an upgrade, breakfast, a late check-out, or a wellness treatment. An email or online check-in process that presents these options at the right time is much easier to convert into a booking than a last-minute offer.

Offering at the right time isn't about selling more, it's about selling more effectively. The customer feels supported, not pressured.

2. Focus on extras that make sense for your customers

Not all services are created equal, depending on your establishment and clientele. A hotel with a restaurant won't have the same opportunities as a typical urban hotel. The idea is to start with what your customers are truly looking for.

Here are a few tips that often work well:

• Upgrade to a superior room, subject to availability.
• Early arrivals and late departures are much appreciated during peak periods.
• Catering: breakfast, dinner option, picnic basket for excursions.
• Local experiences and wellness services, which extend the enjoyment of the stay.

For an establishment with a restaurant, the advantage is twofold: a POS connected to your PMS automatically adds the customer's consumption to their bill, eliminating re-entry and omissions. Upselling then occurs naturally throughout the customer's stay.

3. Cash in without friction

An upsell is only valuable if it's easy to complete. Multiple steps at checkout risk discouraging the customer or adding to your team's workload during busy periods. Integrated payment within your PMS, like MedialogPay , streamlines the checkout process and reduces data entry errors.

The other advantage is readability: everything is centralized on the client's portfolio, giving you a clear view of what each stay actually brings in, including services.

In practice

To increase your average spend this summer, remember these three key points: offer additional services before the stay rather than upon arrival, select extras that truly appeal to your clientele, and make payment as simple as possible. When well-orchestrated, these additional sales improve both your revenue and customer satisfaction: they retain the memory of a thoughtfully designed and personalized stay.

Want to review your tools before the peak season? Contact our team: we'll work together to optimize each booking. You call, we answer.

Make the most of every booking

Why should we be interested in it now?

In the summer, occupancy rates climb… and so do the commissions paid to OTAs. Every booking made through an external platform costs you a portion of your profit margin, precisely when you're at your busiest. Direct booking , on the other hand, gives you control over your pricing, customer relationships, and data. With 64% of French people planning to travel this summer and a majority staying in France, the demand is there: it makes sense to capture a larger share directly. Here are three ways to achieve this, without revolutionizing your operations.

1. Make booking directly as easy as anywhere else

If booking on your site is more complicated than on an OTA, the traveler will opt for the easiest option. The first step, therefore, is to optimize your direct booking channel: a clear website, a fast booking engine that works equally well on mobile and desktop, and a seamless process from start to finish, free of unnecessary steps.

Also, consider consistency: your rates and availability must be perfectly up-to-date across all your channels. Nothing erodes trust more than a displayed price that no longer reflects reality at the time of booking. A seamless, integrated payment system, like MedialogPay , also reduces last-minute cancellations.

The "I book directly" reflex is won through experience: if it is simple, clear and reassuring, the customer has no reason to go through an intermediary.

2. Give a real reason to book directly

Given equal experience, travelers won't spontaneously choose your site over a platform they already know. You need to give them a concrete reason. This can take several forms: a small perk reserved for direct bookings (upgrade subject to availability, late check-out, complimentary breakfast), flexible cancellation policies, or simply the promise of personal contact and a quick response to any question.

Highlight this value prominently on your website and in your communications. The 2026 traveler compares and calculates: show them that by booking directly with you, they benefit.

3. Turn every customer into a loyal customer

The most profitable direct booking is the repeat booking. A customer who first booked through an OTA is very likely to return directly… provided you maintain the relationship. This is where your data makes all the difference: a PMS that centralizes stay information allows you to understand your customers, segment your database, and follow up at the right time.

A thank-you email after their stay, an offer for a future visit, a thoughtful gesture on their birthday: these simple actions bring your customers back to your direct channel. This allows you to capitalize on the relationship, rather than paying a commission on every booking.

In Summary

Reducing your reliance on OTAs doesn't mean abandoning them overnight: they remain useful for visibility. The idea is to rebalance your strategy by making your direct channel simple, attractive, and builds loyalty. Three key strategies, then: facilitate booking, provide a compelling reason to book directly, and nurture the relationship to ensure repeat business.

Want to review your tools before the peak season? Contact our team: we'll work together to boost your direct bookings. You call, we answer.

Strengthen my direct bookings

A closer look at an integration that many of you are already using

It's been over a year since GetWelcom connected to your Medialog PMS, and more and more establishments have adopted it. This was the perfect opportunity to take a comprehensive look at this integration. Designed by former hoteliers, the application acts as the digital co-pilot for your guest reception: its goal is simple—to streamline your guests' stay while reducing the workload at your front desk. And thanks to its connection with Medialog , everything works without double entry or additional steps.

What GetWelcom brings to your establishment

GetWelcom brings together in a single application several tools that meet very concrete needs of everyday hotel operations:

• Online check-in: Your clients prepare for their arrival from home and the formalities are taken care of before they even step through the door.
• The digital room directory: a digital welcome booklet that answers common questions (opening hours, wifi, services, good addresses) without requiring any input from your team.
• Additional sales: Breakfast, upgrades or services offered at the right time, before arrival.
• Monitoring customer satisfaction and online reputation: to gather feedback from your customers and improve your online reviews.

An integration designed to save you time

The real advantage of a Medialog-connected partner is automation. GetWelcom directly retrieves booking data from your PMS: no need to re-enter customer information, everything is synchronized. Your data remains consistent across all tools, and your team can focus on what matters most rather than repetitive tasks.

Fewer questions at reception, faster arrivals, an increasing average spend: this is what a digitized reception changes, especially when the crowds are growing.

Who is this for?

Whether you're an independent hotel or an establishment with a restaurant, GetWelcom adapts to your operations. This is especially useful during busy periods when every minute counts at reception, but also during quieter times when you finally have the time to perfect every detail of the guest experience. More than 800 establishments have already adopted the solution, often through recommendations.

How to benefit from it

True to our philosophy, we develop and activate integrations upon request. If you already use GetWelcom and want to unlock its full potential, or if you'd like to implement it, let's talk: our team will explain how to get the most out of it with your Medialog PMS and support you every step of the way. You call, we answer, as always.

Want to learn more? Contact us to discover how GetWelcom can transform your establishment's reception area.

Contact our team

Email, WhatsApp, phone, OTAs, website chatbot… Your teams juggle a dozen channels every day to handle booking requests. What if an AI agent, natively connected to Medialog , took over these repetitive exchanges — without ever losing human control over the essentials?

The daily routine of hosting has changed. Your tools haven't.

In just a few years, the traveler's journey has become fragmented. The same booking request might arrive in the morning by email, be followed up at noon on WhatsApp, and then result in a phone call at 18 p.m. Your receptionists, meanwhile, only have one pair of hands—and a constant influx of information: availability, rates, options, specific requests, late check-out, allergies, parking…

The result: responses sent out later when the hotel is full in the evening, prospects booking with a neighbor because they got a response in five minutes elsewhere, and teams ending the day exhausted by repetitive tasks rather than welcoming their customers.

Medialog × Dialspot: a partnership designed for the hotel industry

To address this challenge effectively, Medialog and Dialspot have decided to combine their expertise. On one hand, the leading PMS that manages your daily scheduling, pricing, and customer relationships. On the other, a conversational AI agent specializing in the hospitality industry, capable of understanding, qualifying, and processing booking requests in all languages, across all channels.

The integration is seamless: the agent communicates in real time with your Medialog interface. It checks availability, applies your pricing grids, suggests suitable room categories, collects a deposit if needed, and creates the reservation directly in the PMS. No double entry, no risk of overbooking, no information lost between two systems.

In practical terms, you don't need to change your habits or restructure your teams: Medialog remains your control center. The agent connects to it, performs what your employees would do manually, and provides them with an always up-to-date schedule.

A reception that speaks all languages, on all channels

The Dialspot AI agent intervenes where your customers are already contacting you:

• E-mail: He writes a personalized response, in the traveler's language, with the correct availability and a payment link if applicable.
• On WhatsApp: He communicates naturally, understands changes during the conversation and confirms the reservation in a few messages.
• Via your website's chatbot: It assesses the need, recommends the right type of room and redirects to your booking engine, or books directly.
• On the phone: It takes the call 24/7, understands the request on the fly and switches to a human as soon as it feels the context requires it.

What's changing: the traveler gets the same quality of response, instantly, regardless of the channel they choose. And you retain a single point of truth: Medialog.

Three impacts measured in the first equipped hotels

• A consistent response time, in less than one minute.
• 1 to 2 hours recovered each day by the teams.
• A conversion rate that is rising.

Discover the integration

The Medialog × Dialspot integration is already available for hotels wishing to make the switch. Implementation takes just a few days, requires no changes to your Medialog processes, and you retain full control over what the agent can—or cannot—do on your behalf.

A question, a demonstration on your own PMS? Write to us at gchouteau@dialspot.ai.

Discover the Medialog × Dialspot integration

The summer season: a marathon rather than a sprint

A successful summer season isn't just about July and August; it all depends on how you plan and manage it. And the good news is that demand is there: 64% of French people plan to go away this summer, 9 points higher than last year, and the vast majority of them will stay in France.

However, not all establishments experience the same summer. For some, it's peak season; for others, whether in cities, abroad, or outside major tourist areas, it's a quieter period, ideal for preparing for the fall. One thing, though, holds true for everyone: the 2026 traveler is watching their budget and comparing prices more than ever before booking. Here's how to give yourself the best chance of success.

1. Secure your live bookings

Each booking made through an OTA costs you a commission. In peak season, when occupancy rates soar, these commissions quickly add up. Direct booking, on the other hand, gives you control over the customer relationship and your profit margin.

To foster this, three fundamental elements are essential: a clear website with an easy-to-use booking engine, perfectly up-to-date rates and availability across all your channels, and a deep understanding of your customer base. A PMS that centralizes your data allows you to adjust your prices at the right time and identify periods of low occupancy to fill.

A customer who books directly spends more on average and is more likely to remain loyal. It's the most profitable booking you can get.

2. Streamline the reception process to accommodate arrivals

Summer often means group arrivals, shorter stays, and queues at reception. Digitalizing the check-in process changes everything: with pre-check-in, your guests can enter their information and prepare for their arrival from the comfort of their own homes. The result? Faster check-ins and a more relaxed reception area.

Fewer repetitive questions, more time for what matters

A digital welcome booklet (room directory) answers frequently asked questions (opening hours, Wi-Fi, services, surroundings) without requiring any intervention from your staff. Your employees can then focus on what truly matters: the attention given to each guest. And it is precisely this attention that makes the difference in your online reviews.

3. Increase the average spend, even on short stays

With shorter stays, each booking needs to generate more revenue. That's the whole point of add-ons: breakfast, late check-out, upgrades, wellness services, or local activities. Offered at the right time, before arrival, they're easier to convert than at the check-in desk, when the customer is in a hurry to drop off their luggage.

On the payment side, modern and fast payment methods eliminate friction at the checkout. Integrated payment within your PMS, such as MedialogPay , saves you time and reduces data entry errors during peak periods.

In practice: your checklist before the shooting starts

Before the season gets into full swing, take an hour to check the following points:

• Your rates and availability are consistent across all your channels.
• Your booking engine and website are up-to-date and easy to use on mobile.
• Pre-check-in and the digital welcome booklet are activated and personalized.
• Your additional sales are set up and visible before arrival.
• Your payment methods are operational and your team is comfortable with the tools.

And what about the day it overflows?

Even the best preparation can't prevent unforeseen events. That's where human support makes all the difference: at Medialog, you call, we answer. No chatbots or endless navigation, but a real person who knows your establishment and gets you back on track quickly. In peak season, this responsiveness is invaluable.

Conclusion

A successful summer season hinges on a few key strategies: securing direct bookings, streamlining the check-in process, and maximizing the value of each stay. Well-configured tools and a calm team take care of the rest. Whether your season is busy or quieter, it's always a good opportunity to get ahead of the curve.

Preparing for my season with Medialog