Sheraton Okinawa transformed its guest experience and operational efficiency by implementing Nutmeg's digital booking platform, resulting in remarkable growth across their cruising and water activities.
The challenge
The Sheraton Okinawa resort faced significant limitations with their paper-based booking system for maritime activities. Staff were overwhelmed with phone bookings, especially during early morning hours, and potential revenue was lost when guests couldn't make reservations outside business hours. Without real-time visibility into bookings, staff scheduling and operational planning were inefficient.
These operational improvements translate directly into the kind of transformative growth that Nutmeg was designed to deliver.
"This is exactly the kind of problem I saw everywhere during my time at OTAs—hotels and resorts losing revenue simply because guests couldn't book when they wanted to,” says Takashi Nakaguchi, Nutmeg Co-founder & CEO. “It's frustrating because the demand is there, but the old systems just can't capture it."
The solution
Implementing Nutmeg's digital booking platform allowed Sheraton Okinawa to offer 24/7 online booking capabilities for their popular water activities. The platform provided:
- Comprehensive activity details for guests to review online
- Real-time booking updates for staff
- Automated guest information collection
- Streamlined operational management
"When you remove the friction from the booking process, guests naturally spend more because it's so much easier."
—Takashi Nakaguchi
The results
The impact of Nutmeg's platform has been transformative for Sheraton Okinawa's maritime offerings:
Triple-Digit Growth Across Key Activities:
- Boat Snorkeling: 127% increase for in-house guests, 118% increase for external guests
- Blue Cave Snorkeling: 124% increase for in-house guests, 141% increase for external guests
- Payaō Fishing: 104% increase for in-house guests, 129% increase for external guests
- Overall Cruising Menu Growth: 131% increase compared to previous year
Operational Improvements:
- Phone bookings reduced to just 20% of total reservations
- Significant reduction in early-morning inquiries
- Enhanced staff scheduling efficiency
- Real-time booking updates enabling on-the-fly operational adjustments
Enhanced Guest Experience:
- 24/7 booking availability capturing previously missed reservations
- Comprehensive online activity information reducing forgotten details
- More attentive service from staff previously tied up with phone bookings
"It's been incredibly beneficial having real-time updates to bookings, allowing us to better optimize staff scheduling and operations compared to managing reservations on paper," says Yuji Tsunakawa, Marine & Beach Director at Sheraton Okinawa in Japan. "The ability for guests to review details online with Nutmeg helps put them at ease, whereas phone reservations tend to lead to missed or forgotten information."
These operational improvements translate directly into the kind of transformative growth that Nutmeg was designed to deliver.
"What makes me really excited about results like these is that we're not just talking about incremental improvements—we're seeing attractions unlock revenue they never knew they had,” Takashi says. “When you remove the friction from the booking process, guests naturally spend more because it's so much easier."
By digitizing their booking process with Nutmeg, Sheraton Okinawa has not only achieved remarkable revenue growth but also created a more seamless experience for both guests and staff.
Looking to unlock more revenue potential? Learn more about how Nutmeg's solutions can help.
"It's been incredibly beneficial having real-time updates to bookings, allowing us to better optimize staff scheduling and operations compared to managing reservations on paper. The ability for guests to review details online with Nutmeg helps put them at ease.”
“Nutmeg has significantly improved the efficiency of the HiBus site by eliminating almost all manual operations by staff.”
“It's hard to imagine operating without Nutmeg's web reservation system. By visualizing product data quicker, we are now able to detect changes in sales trends earlier and take action immediately."
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