Serviced Apartments

Multi-unit operations without the multi-system headache.

We build booking engines, self check-in systems, and property management tools for serviced apartment operators. Citybreak Apartments in Ireland cut manual ops by 60% using software we built in 10 weeks.

Map your operations with usSee relevant work
60%

Manual ops reduction

10 wks

Citybreak build

25%

Direct booking lift

Overview

The operations problem that kills serviced apartment margins

Serviced apartment software development at RaftLabs focuses on eliminating the manual coordination that kills margin at scale - booking sync, self check-in, and housekeeping dispatch. We built Citybreak Apartments' entire operations platform in 10 weeks. It's the reference build we use as a starting point for every new serviced apartment client.

Running serviced apartments at scale means managing dozens or hundreds of units across multiple channels, coordinating cleaners between back-to-back stays, and handling guest communication without a front desk. Most operators do this with a combination of spreadsheets, WhatsApp, and off-the-shelf tools that don't talk to each other.

We built Citybreak Apartments' entire booking and operations platform - a system that handles reservations, keyless check-in, housekeeping scheduling, and direct payment collection. They went from manual coordination to automated operations in 10 weeks.

Every system we build connects to Airbnb, Booking.com, and your direct channel. Inventory stays in sync. Cleaners get automated schedules. Guests check themselves in.

Experience Signal

We built the full operations platform for Citybreak Apartments in Ireland - booking engine, keyless check-in, housekeeping scheduling, and channel manager integration. Manual coordination dropped 60%. Deployed in 10 weeks.

60%

Manual ops reduction

10 wks

Citybreak build

See case study

Industry Pain Points

What's broken in serviced apartments

01

Bookings across Airbnb, Booking.com, and direct sites require manual syncing - double-bookings are a constant risk

02

Every check-in requires coordinating with a guest on arrival time, then physically handing over keys

03

Cleaner scheduling between back-to-back stays relies on manual WhatsApp coordination and missed messages

04

Corporate clients need invoices and payment terms - off-the-shelf platforms don't handle B2B billing

05

Guest communication is fragmented across email, SMS, and platform inboxes with no unified view

06

No visibility across units - which are occupied, which need cleaning, which have maintenance issues

Solutions

Problems we solve in serviced apartments

Each solution is built from patterns we've validated across 100+ products. No experiments on your budget.

01

Multi-unit booking engine

A direct booking site with real-time availability across all your units. Channel manager sync eliminates double-bookings. Corporate booking portal with invoice and payment term support built in.

02

Self check-in and keyless entry

Guests receive a door code or digital key ahead of arrival. No key handover, no waiting around. Works with Yale, Nuki, Salto, and most smart lock hardware. Access auto-revokes at checkout.

03

Housekeeping scheduling

Cleaning tasks generate automatically from the booking calendar. Cleaners receive mobile job assignments with unit details, arrival photos, and status updates. Managers see real-time completion status.

04

Channel manager integration

Two-way sync with Airbnb, Booking.com, Vrbo, and direct site. Rate and availability changes push instantly across all channels. Reservation data flows into one central inbox.

05

Guest communication hub

Pre-arrival instructions, check-in links, and post-stay reviews sent automatically via WhatsApp and email. All guest messages in a single inbox regardless of which channel they booked through.

06

Maintenance and issue tracking

Guests and cleaners report issues through a simple form. Managers assign, track, and close jobs from a single dashboard. Unresolved issues flag before the next guest arrives.

Use Cases

Real-world use cases

Citybreak Apartments, Ireland

Problem

Citybreak operated 40+ serviced apartments across Dublin. Check-in coordination, cleaner scheduling, and booking management were all manual. Staff spent 3 hours a day on WhatsApp coordination alone.

What we built

We built a full operations platform - multi-unit booking engine, keyless check-in with digital codes, automated cleaner job dispatch, and a guest communication hub. Integrated with Booking.com and their direct site.

Result

Manual coordination time dropped 60%. Double-bookings went to zero. Direct bookings increased 25% in the first 4 months. The operations manager went from reactive firefighting to monitoring a dashboard.

Corporate housing operator scaling from 20 to 80 units

Problem

A corporate housing provider won a contract with a large consulting firm that needed 80 units over 6 months. Their existing setup - spreadsheets and individual email threads - couldn't handle the volume.

What we built

We built a B2B booking portal with invoice generation, payment terms management, and per-guest account setup. Added automated check-in for corporate guests and a centralized communication inbox.

Result

They onboarded the contract without adding headcount. Invoice processing time dropped from 4 hours a week to 20 minutes. Guest satisfaction scores from corporate clients averaged 4.8 out of 5.

Short-stay operator reducing cleaning coordination overhead

Problem

A 35-unit short-stay operator averaged 1.8-night stays. Back-to-back turnovers required cleaner coordination for every checkout. Missed cleans before guest arrivals were a recurring complaint.

What we built

We integrated housekeeping scheduling into their booking system. Clean jobs generated automatically from checkout events. Cleaners received mobile push notifications with unit details and departure photos.

Result

Missed pre-arrival cleans dropped to zero. Cleaner coordination overhead reduced from 2 hours daily to 15 minutes of exception handling. Guest satisfaction for cleanliness improved from 4.1 to 4.7.

Proof

Serviced ApartmentsCitybreak Apartments booking platform
3x

Booking conversion

25%

Direct revenue increase

“Direct booking revenue climbed while OTA commission shrank to a rounding error.”

Read case study

Our Approach

How we approach serviced apartments projects

1
Phase 1· Week 1-2

Operations audit

We map every manual step in your current workflow - booking intake, guest communication, check-in, housekeeping, and maintenance. We identify the highest-cost friction points before writing a line of code.

Deliverables

  • Manual operations time audit with cost estimates
  • Channel manager and PMS integration requirements
  • Prioritized build list with ROI estimates per item
2
Phase 2· Week 2-4

System design

We design the booking engine, check-in flow, and operations dashboard. We spec every third-party integration - channel managers, smart lock providers, payment processors.

Deliverables

  • Technical architecture with integration map
  • Smart lock and keyless entry hardware selection
  • Phased delivery roadmap
3
Phase 3· Week 4-10

Build and pilot

We build in sprints and run a live pilot across a subset of units. Real bookings and real guests validate the system.

Deliverables

  • Working booking engine, check-in system, and housekeeping module
  • Live data from pilot units
  • Iteration list from real-world use
4
Phase 4· Week 10-12

Full rollout

We roll out to all units with per-property configuration. Operations dashboard goes live for management visibility.

Deliverables

  • Full deployment across all units
  • Housekeeping and maintenance dashboards
  • Training for operations team and cleaning staff

Outcomes

Measurable outcomes

50-65% reduction in manual coordination time for check-in, cleaning, and guest communication
Zero double-bookings through real-time channel manager sync
20-30% increase in direct bookings through improved booking UX and corporate portal
Guest check-in satisfaction scores typically improve 0.5-1.0 points within the first quarter
Housekeeping efficiency improves 30-40% through automated job dispatch and mobile checklists
Operations teams shift from daily firefighting to exception management

Free Tools

Free tools for serviced apartments

Calculators and assessments built from real project data. No signup required.

See all free tools

Pattern Transfer

The multi-unit availability engine we built for serviced apartments uses the same inventory allocation logic we built for restaurant table management and event ticketing. The constraint is the same - limited capacity, overlapping demand windows, hard no-overlap rules. Solving it once gives us a pattern that transfers across industries.

Services

Services for serviced apartments

Frequently asked questions

We've integrated with Yale Conexis, Nuki, Salto, TTLock, and most IP-based smart lock platforms. We handle the hardware selection and integration engineering.

Next Step

How many hours a week does your team spend on check-in coordination?

One call with a founder. No sales team, no follow-up sequence. If we can't help, we'll say so.

Map your operations with us
View the Citybreak case study