The Belfry Hotel & Resort

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Europa

Evaluating digital payment transformation at The Belfry

Stellaris Digital

Luce diurna PMS

Pagamenti

Hotel operations

Evaluating digital payment transformation at The Belfry

Europa

Area of operation

Number of properties

468

Number of rooms

Accommodations

Museums

Attractions

Catering establishments

The Belfry Hotel & Resort, an iconic destination in Royal Sutton Coldfield, has partnered with Shiji to implement Stellaris Digital Payby, transforming its approach to payments with secure, integrated, and guest-friendly digital transactions.

Solutions implemented

Infrasys POS

Reputazione Reviewpro

Contenuto di Iceportal

Piattaforma Shiji

Luce diurna PMS

Meridian Experiences

Distribuzione Horizon

Astral Payments

Dati Twilight + AI

Stellaris Digital

The topic

In today’s hospitality landscape, guests expect not only exceptional service but also seamless, digital-first experiences, from booking to check-out. For luxury resorts like The Belfry, efficiency, accuracy, and data integration are key to maintaining service excellence at scale.

The Belfry Hotel & Resort, a distinguished 468-room property set over 550 acres of countryside, hosts a diverse mix of leisure and corporate guests, including golfers, spa visitors, families, and event delegates. Known for its world-class golf facilities, award-winning spa, and extensive conference spaces, the resort recognised the need to modernise payment workflows to enhance both guest experience and staff efficiency.

This raised a key research question:

How can integrated digital payment technologies improve booking speed, accuracy, and guest convenience in a full-service resort setting?

To investigate this, The Belfry partnered with Shiji to implement Stellaris Digital Payby and Daylight PMS, with the objective of evaluating the operational, experiential, and compliance-related outcomes of a fully digitised payment system.

The study

The project involved cross-functional teams from reservations, reception, and finance, aiming to streamline the resort’s entire payment lifecycle, from deposit collection to post-stay settlements.

Technology used:

Shiji Stellaris Digital Payby for secure, digital payments and automated reconciliation
Luce diurna PMS for centralized guest data and operational control

The objective was to reduce manual payment processing, eliminate friction points in the booking journey, and deliver a more consistent, secure, and connected guest payment experience.

Methodology

The implementation combined system integration with qualitative staff feedback and comparisons of operational data. Shiji conducted hands-on training and support sessions for The Belfry’s operational teams, ensuring adoption was smooth and positively received. Performance data comparing booking call durations pre- and post-implementation provided measurable insights into efficiency gains.

Interviewees:

Emma Catterall and Esther Pinedo, Project Leads
Reservation and Reception Teams (Kerris, Lauren, Kasey, Sarah, Ryan, Michelle, Millie, Tallulah)

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Esther Pinedo, Head of Rooms Division at The Belfry Hotel & Resort

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Emma Catterall, Finance and Operations Director at The Belfry Hotel & Resort

Digital Payby has made our reservation process much more efficient. Everything is now in one place, making bookings faster and more accurate.” — Kerris, Reservations Team

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Key findings & insights

Operational efficiency & staff productivity

Before:
Manual payment workflows required staff to operate across multiple systems. Payments were processed through separate platforms, leading to delays, human errors, and reconciliation inefficiencies.

After implementation:

Payments are now processed directly within Daylight PMS via Digital Payby
Significant time saved per booking
Automated reconciliation and faster reporting cycles

Accuracy & reliability

Before:
Staff managed deposits and authorizations manually, creating a high risk of discrepancies and slower response times.

After implementation:

Transactions are automatically linked to guest profiles.
Tokenization and secure payment links ensure compliance with PCI DSS and PSD2.
Elimination of manual card handling reduces the potential for errors.

“I like how the payments post themselves; it’s one less thing for us to do and makes my job more efficient.” Millie, Reservations Team

Guest experience & convenience

Before:
Guests had to provide card details manually over the phone or during check-in, which felt outdated and inconvenient.

After implementation:

Secure Digital Payby Link allows guests to complete payments anytime
Faster pre-arrival processes improve check-in efficiency
Professional and frictionless payment interactions

“The Digital Payby Link feature makes payments easier and safer. Guests can pay at their convenience, and it saves us time.” Ryan, Reception

“If we realise something wasn’t charged after check-out, we just send a quick payment link, it’s simple, professional, and guests appreciate it.” Michelle, Reception

System performance & integration

The deep integration of Digital Payby within Daylight PMS has allowed payments to be sent and reconciled without leaving the system, minimizing disruption and boosting productivity.

“Being able to send payments directly from Daylight PMS saves so much time and eliminates manual work.” Sarah, Reception.

Metrics summary

Metrics	Outcome
Manual processing time	Significantly reduced
Call duration during booking	Average 30 seconds faster
Payment compliance	PCI DSS and PSD2 compliant
Integration	Fully embedded connection with Daylight PMS
Guest convenience	Seamless Digital Payby Link experience
Staff efficiency	Less system switching and fewer manual reconciliations

Conclusion

The implementation of Stellaris Digital Payby has transformed The Belfry Hotel & Resort’s payment operations, making them faster, safer, and fully integrated into daily workflows. Staff now operate with greater accuracy and less manual effort, while guests enjoy a smoother, more professional payment experience.

This project underscores The Belfry’s commitment to digital innovation and guest-centric technology. As the resort continues to test Shiji’s Booking Studio and expand its use of Daylight PMS, the foundation laid by Digital Payby positions it well for future integration, scalability, and exceptional guest experience delivery.

Want to know more about how Shiji’s Stellaris Digital Payby can help your property streamline payments and enhance the guest experience?

The Belfry Hotel & Resort

Located in Royal Sutton Coldfield, North Warwickshire, The Belfry is a luxury resort set amid 550 acres of countryside. It features 468 bedrooms, three championship golf courses, including The Brabazon, host to four Ryder Cups, award-winning spa facilities, and 22 conference and event suites.

A destination for both leisure and corporate guests, The Belfry is renowned for combining world-class hospitality with British heritage and modern luxury.

About Shiji Group

Shiji is a global technology company dedicated to providing innovative solutions for the hospitality industry, ensuring seamless operations for hoteliers day and night.
Built on the Shiji Platform—the only truly global hotel technology platform—Shiji’s cloud-based portfolio includes Property Management System, Point-of-Sale, guest engagement, Distribuzione, Pagamenti, and data intelligence solutions for over 91,000 hotels worldwide, including the largest chains.

With more than 5,000 employees across the world, Shiji is a trusted partner for the world’s leading hoteliers, delivering technology that works as continuously as the industry itself. That’s why the best hotels run on Shiji—day and night. While its primary focus is on hospitality, Shiji also serves select customers in food service, retail, and entertainment in certain regions.For more information, visit shijigroup.com

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