The Williamsburg Lodge, Autograph Collection, offers a welcoming blend of historic character and modern comfort just steps from the heart of Colonial Williamsburg. With timeless style and warm hospitality, it provides an unforgettable stay. But one thing they had yet to modernize? Their manual upselling process.
With nearly 30 room types, explaining upgrade options at check-in was time-consuming. Staff had to choose between longer guest wait times or skipping the opportunity to increase revenue. That’s when they turned to Canary’s Dynamic Upsells – and have since seen tremendous revenue growth. To learn more about their story, we chatted with their Rooms Operations Manager, Curtis LeBarron.
Before implementing Canary’s Dynamic Upsells, check-in was the only point in the guest journey where hotel staff could present upgrades. But manual upselling was inconsistent, and when it did occur, there was no way to track success. Now, Williamsburg Lodge can easily view revenue driven by upsells such as room upgrades, amenity add-ons and spa services.
“We didn’t track upsells well before,” said Curtis. “I’d estimate that we probably generated $5,000 a year. Now we’re averaging $6,000 a month and have made over $100,000 over the past two years.”
Explaining each of the room upgrade options available to guests slowed check-in times considerably. Front desk agents had to choose between going through the variety of options or hitting their metrics, leading to frustration for staff and an inconsistent experience for guests.
“It took a lot of time to go over all the room upgrade options — way longer than our four-minute target [to check in],” said Curtis. “Now guests can see everything that’s available and understand the specifics of each room before they check in.”
Beyond room upgrades, Canary enabled the hotel to promote add-ons that were always available but not always offered. In the past, guests had to ask about options like floral arrangements or late checkout. With Canary, the entire upsell menu is front and center, letting guests choose what they want without staff intervention.
“Early check-in and late checkout are top sellers,” LeBarron shared. “But we also started monetizing things like guaranteed connecting rooms and even steamers. Guests love being able to see the options and request things ahead of arrival.”
One of the biggest benefits for the hotel team is how easy it’s been to implement Canary’s Dynamic Upsells. Because the guests can select their own upgrades automatically, all LeBarron’s team has to do is approve the requests.
“Canary automated everything,” said LeBarron. “All we have to do is open the dashboard and say ‘yes’ to the money. It really is that simple. It practically runs itself.”
