Project Overview
MyStay was born as part of the Iberostar Hotel Digital Challenge 2024, an internal innovation competition designed to promote new digital products that improve the guest experience.
The idea emerged from a recurring insight: even with thousands of data points about guests, hotels were reacting to needs rather than anticipating them.
MyStay proposes a data-driven personalization hub that connects guest information with actionable insights across every touchpoint — from the booking experience to the hotel stay itself.
The goal: create a stay that anticipates the guest’s needs before they even express them.
My Role & Responsibilities
As CRO & UX Manager, I took on a hybrid role between Product Designer and Product Manager — bridging UX, data, and business strategy.
My responsibilities included:
- - Leading the product concept design, from user journey mapping to data integration architecture.
- - Defining the business case, success metrics (NPS, upselling rate, call center reduction), and ROI forecast.
- - Designing the high-fidelity prototype in Figma, including web and in-stay experiences.
- - Coordinating the data connection model between CRM, personalization engine, and hotel operations systems.
- - Pitching the final solution to the Digital & Operations Directors, securing first place in the competition.
This project allowed me to merge design thinking with product strategy and data activation — transforming a conceptual idea into a scalable product vision.
Problem/Opportunity
Despite Iberostar’s strong digital presence, the guest journey remained fragmented.
Guests interacted with the brand across multiple touchpoints — website, app, call center, and hotel staff — but the systems behind them didn’t talk to each other.
This led to three main issues:
- 1. No unified view of the guest. Preferences, behaviors, and purchase intent were spread across platforms.
- 2. Low personalization in-stay. While marketing personalization was advanced, hotel operations lacked access to those insights.
- 3. Missed upselling opportunities. Teams couldn’t anticipate guest needs, resulting in reactive rather than proactive interactions.
In essence, Iberostar had the data, but not the orchestration to turn it into real-time actions.
Hypothesis
If we connect guest data from digital channels to operational systems, we can anticipate needs and personalize the stay — increasing satisfaction (NPS) and ancillary revenue.
The core idea was to merge digital personalization with physical operations through a single platform that makes guest knowledge actionable for every team member — from marketing to front desk.
Research & Process
- 1. User Research – Conducted interviews with hotel operations, receptionists, and customer service teams to understand how they used guest data and where friction existed.
- 2. Journey Mapping – Identified critical “micro-moments” before and during the stay where personalization could add value (e.g., breakfast preferences, family activities, wellness experiences).
- 3. Data Ecosystem Audit – Mapped data flows between CRM, DMP, and PMS, identifying disconnections and duplicated entries.
- 4. Concept Ideation – Designed the system architecture for MyStay, connecting behavioral data from the booking funnel with in-stay operational tools.
- 5. Prototype & Validation – Built a Figma prototype simulating the guest experience and the internal dashboard for hotel staff. Conducted qualitative testing with internal teams to validate usefulness and clarity.
- 5. Pitch & Iteration – Presented a working narrative to the jury with the business impact model and roadmap for implementation.
Solution
MyStay is a personalization and recommendation platform that connects digital and operational data to offer real-time, context-aware actions.
It has three main layers:- 1. Guest Experience Layer (Front-end)
- - Personalized recommendations before arrival (on web and app).
- - Real-time in-stay notifications (“Your yoga class starts in 15 minutes”).
- - Post-stay feedback tailored to activities enjoyed.
- 2. Operational Dashboard (Internal)
- - Gives hotel teams a 360º guest view (preferences, past stays, service usage).
- - Generates smart recommendations for upselling (e.g., “Offer spa discount on cloudy days”).
- - Displays satisfaction alerts based on predictive signals.
- 3. Data Activation Layer (Back-end)
- - Connects Iberostar’s CRM, DMP, PMS, and personalization engine.
- - Automates triggers and audience segmentation for dynamic actions.
The result: a unified ecosystem where data stops being passive and becomes operational intelligence.
Results & Impact
Although MyStay was a conceptual prototype, its feasibility and impact potential were validated by the jury and operational teams.
Projected Results:
- - +15% increase in ancillary sales (based on benchmarks from Marriott Bonvoy and Hilton Honors).
- - +12% estimated improvement in NPS from proactive personalization.
- - –8% reduction in repetitive call center inquiries (anticipation of needs).
Business Impact: MyStay redefined personalization within Iberostar, shifting the model from campaign-based marketing to experience-based personalization, creating a tangible bridge between data strategy and guest experience.
Insights & Learnings
This project was a turning point in my career — marking the transition from CRO-focused design to product strategy and data-driven product thinking.
Key learnings:
- - Personalization starts with alignment, not technology. The challenge wasn’t collecting more data, but connecting existing systems.
- - Operational teams are key users too. Designing for them meant understanding workflows and mental models beyond UI.
- - Product design in hospitality requires empathy across layers — from the traveler to the team serving them.
Most importantly, I learned that innovation in large organizations happens when you connect vision with feasibility — balancing inspiration with integration.
