After having introduced you to the LuggageHero luggage storage service a few days ago, I wanted to give the floor to a company that has already integrated this type of service and offers it to its travelers.
It was after getting in touch with Lena Kocharyan (Regional Operations and Quality Manager at Welkeys) on LinkedIn, that I discovered that the Welkeys french property management company had already internalized this type of service. So I asked Lena a short interview, to explain to us how and why Welkeys decided to offer this service for its travelers.
Hello Lena, I wanted to discuss with you the service offered by Welkeys for luggage storage before and / or after your guests’ stay. but first, can you tell us more about your role at Welkeys and remind us who Welkeys is?
Hello Romain, I have been working at Welkeys for two years now and have evolved a lot within the logistics team. Today, my main mission is to ensure the quality of the stays spent by our guests. To do this, I am in constant contact with our network of City Managers who represent us in the regions as well as with our service providers in order to guarantee good productivity and an optimal customer experience.
Vacation rental is a constantly developing market which represented almost 107 million overnight stays booked via platforms such as Airbnb, Booking or Homeaway in 2019. However, many owners express the desire to delegate the management of their property for rent .
At Welkeys, we then offer a complete bnb management offer, whether for short or medium term. Thus, we take care of the entire process; from creating listing ads to welcoming guests, managing the calendar and optimizing prices. Our concierge service also manages cleaning and the laying of hotel-quality bed linen. High-end and turnkey services! Owners have only one thing left to do: block the dates on which they want to keep free access to their property and track reservations on our Welkeys Premium Owner app.
Thanks Lena ! If you had to give a differentiating aspect of Welkeys compared to competitors? If an owner had to choose a property management company, what sets Welkeys apart?
Welkeys’ success is largely based on its network of professional City Managers and on its 100% connected and dedicated team for its customers. We favor physical check-ins with concierges who know the surroundings and who maintain a privileged relationship with the owners, whether at head office or in the regions.
In addition, we guarantee a high-end and tailor-made service to our guests and offer both short-term and medium-term rental. As for listings ads, we distribute on many OTAs, which is an undeniable advantage to reach as many travelers as possible.
Perfect, now let’s get into the subject I wanted to discuss with you: luggage storage for short-term rentals. Can you explain to us concretely how this service works at Welkeys?
In order to make life easier for guests who arrive before their check-in time or those who wish to enjoy Paris before their flight on the day of their check-out, we suggest that they leave their luggage in our offices, at Welkeys headquarter in Paris.
” We found that it was generally a well-appreciated service! So much so that to make all of this even more efficient, we are in the process of setting up a partnership in order to have luggage storage in all the districts of Paris where we manage apartments.”
Lena Kocharyan
Regional Operations and Quality Manager at Welkeys
How did you set up this service internally at Welkeys? (high demand from travelers, internal idea?)
Our headquarter is located in the center of Paris, near Châtelet, it is very well served by public transport and therefore easily accessible. When travelers’ requests became more and more regular, we then found it natural to offer them this service.
Is it a free or paid service?
We accept luggage from our travelers on our offices free of charge.
On average, in the cities where the service is offered, what% is it used in relation to the number of stays?
Currently, we only offer this service in Paris. However, if all goes well with the partnership set up in the capital, we will develop it in all our Welkeys Premium destinations.
As for the proportion of travelers who use this service, it remains relatively low for the moment.
Have you managed to measure internally the effects of setting up this service?
Do travelers talk about it in reviews? Has this had a positive impact for you?
As indicated on all our rental ads, we respect precise check-in and check-out times in order to welcome travelers in the best conditions.
” Thanks to this luggage storage service, we can then meet guests’ demand for flexibility by maintaining an organization that has already proven itself. ”
Lena Kocharyan
Regional Operations and Quality Manager at Welkeys
So, we do have quite a lot of feedbacks about this service in the reviews.
Very often, they are travelers who thank us for offering them this service because it allows them to enjoy even more their start and end of stay.
What is the impact of this service for Welkeys, beyond the service provided to travelers?
Since travelers using this service come to drop off their luggage at our offices, this sometimes allows us to cancel a check-in and give keys and instructions directly to those who wish to do so.
Save time for them and for us! Obviously, we only do this when travelers request it, respecting certain conditions.
” By offering this service upon confirmation of booking, we reduce guests’ requests for early check-in or late check-out, while anticipating their needs. ”
Lena Kocharyan
Regional Operations and Quality Manager at Welkeys
Thank you very much for this very interesting sharing Lena, to finish, do you have any news to share regarding Welkeys?
Absolutely!
Recently, we have added several seaside resorts to our range of Welkeys Premium destinations. Owners can therefore now entrust us with the management of their property (s) in Corsica, on the Normandy Coast, in Martinique as well as in the Var, especially in Toulon and Grimaud.
These places are likely to be very popular with tourists during the summer period! After the deployment of our services in French ski resorts this winter, we are still trying to diversify and satisfy the owners looking for a solution for their rental investment as well as the desires of travelers.
You can find all the cities in which we are present on Club Welkeys, our direct booking platform.
Welkeys
in figures
- 34 Welkeys Premium destinations in France
- 750 rentals managed
- + 120 000 guests served
