S Group’s reservation management system: a long-term partnership that supports daily operations
SOK
S Group is a Finnish network of companies operating in the retail and service sectors, with more than 1,600 locations across Finland.
The starting point
S Group has an extensive network of hotels and restaurants that manage large volumes of reservations, venue information and sales every day. Its operations span multiple locations and services, placing high demands on both systems and processes.
Mediasignal has worked as a digital business development partner for S Group for almost 20 years. Over the years, the collaboration has focused particularly on developing a reservation management system that supports S Group’s daily operations.
Managing reservations across the organisation requires a solution that brings together bookings, venue information and sales, supporting smooth daily work in restaurants, hotels and central sales services.
The goals
The objective was clear from the start: to build a web-based reservation management system designed around S Group’s daily processes. The system needed to bring restaurant table reservations, hotel meeting room bookings and related sales into one place.
It also needed to work at the individual location level while scaling across the entire organisation.
The solution
We built a web-based reservation management system that combines the management of restaurant table reservations and hotel meeting room bookings. It brings together reservations, venue information and the data needed to support sales.
The reservation management system plays a central role in the wider digital ecosystem by providing interfaces to other systems. This allows other S Group solutions to access up-to-date reservation data for online sales and other channels. The system integrates extensively with other solutions and forms part of S Group’s overall architecture.
“The most important features in daily use are the overall view of the reservation situation, up-to-date information about venues and products, and the ability to manage reservations, changes and customer communications within the same system,” says Janina Nurmela, Product Owner at S Group.
The system supports both sales and operational efficiency. Reservations, additional sales and venue information are managed in one place, making the entire process easier to control.
“What is particularly valuable is that the system supports the work of central sales services, hotels and restaurants through a shared operating model. It also helps direct sales to the right place at the right time,” Nurmela explains.
The impact
Today, the system is used by S Group restaurants, hotels and central sales services across Finland.
Its impact can be seen in the daily work of different locations and teams. The system has become a key tool for central sales services, guiding daily operations and bringing together reservations, venue information and sales.
“Above all, the system has made reservation management faster, more transparent and easier to control. With information on approximately 900 venues, reservation changes, additional sales and customer communications all in one place, the central sales service can serve customers more smoothly and offer suitable alternatives more efficiently,” Nurmela says.
“At the same time, the system supports sales growth through online sales, additional services and more effective capacity management.”
Results of the collaboration
400t +
Reservations a year.
900
S Group venues managed in the system
Our role
The long-term collaboration continues
We work closely with S Group and are responsible for the continuous development of the reservation management system, ensuring that it meets the needs of daily operations both now and in the future.
“Our collaboration with Mediasignal has been close and long-term. Development is continuously driven by practical, everyday needs, and we move things forward together through definition, prioritisation and quick responses,” Nurmela says.
“The value of the partnership can be seen in the fact that the system has not remained a one-off project. It has continued to evolve alongside the business over the years.”
Long-term impact
When the system works, daily operations work. Reservations run smoothly. Sales teams have better tools. Customers receive a clearer experience.
More than twenty years of collaboration says something important about the way we work. When we build something, it does not remain a project. It stays in use and continues to evolve with the business.
“Today, the system plays an extremely important role in our operations. It is a key tool for the central sales service and is also widely used in the daily work of our restaurants and hotels. Its role extends far beyond reservation management. It brings information together, supports customer service, enables sales and connects with several other services and integrations. In practice, it is one of those systems whose performance has a direct impact on how smoothly our daily operations run,” Nurmela concludes.
