Namibian company wins hospitality and tourism award

rainmaker digital, a small Namibian start-up company won the prestigious HSMAI Adrian Award, thwarting over 1100 established Digital Marketing companies from all over the World, including the Silicon Valley…

WINDHOEK, Feb. 28 – The Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association International (HSMAI), the largest Hospitality Association in the World, has honoured Rainmaker digital Namibia the Gold Adrian Award for their 5 Stages of Success holistic methodology and the business impact it has created for Rainmaker’s customers and Namibia as a Destination.

“The theme of this year’s Adrian Awards was ‘Be a Travel Marketing Superhero.’ It’s fitting because the winners have taken bold and dynamic approaches that inspire and advance the hospitality industry as a whole” said Robert A. Gilbert, CHME, CHBA, president and CEO of HSMAI.

The 61st annual Adrian Awards, the most prestigious global travel marketing competition, took place on 20 February 2018 at the New York Marriott Marquis. There were more than 1,100 entries from all over the world for the 2017 Business Impact Integrated Marketing Award.

Nobody assumed that the small start-up company “rainmaker digital Namibia” with only 12 team members
from an emerging economy in Africa, would be able to compete against proven and established, let alone to win the award. However, this young Namibian ‘upstart’ just did.

Rainmaker’s award-winning entry was based on their work with Immanuel Wilderness Lodge, a small 9-room independent owner-managed lodge. The owners of Immanuel Wilderness Lodge needed an experienced solution provider that was neither just a “techie web company” that coded websites, nor a fancy “advertising and marketing agency” that created beautiful graphics and stunning campaigns.

Neither of these could understand the complex tourism and hospitality industry, the respective market dynamics, value chains or the relevant source markets and market segments that needed to be addressed.

Immanuel Wilderness Lodge required a solution provider with in-depth knowledge and experience in all of these fields. Implementing the most up-to-date, seamlessly integrated technology and strategies as a managed
service, since the Lodge owners don’t have the skills, knowledge, resources and time of doing it on their own.

“We could only promise to do our very best and use our experience, skills and technology to make it work for them” said Thomas Müller, CEO and founder of rainmaker. By using the 5 Stages of Success holistic Methodology, a Rainmaker invented seamlessly integrated methodology, the aim was to grow to at least a 60% annualized occupancy, achieve 25% more revenue, 10% better ADR, improve RevPar by 10% and improve EBIT by 40% within 24 months.

Immanuel Wilderness Lodge signed up for rainmaker’s services in March 2016.
The annual occupancy in 2015 was 42%. In 2016, rainmaker achieved 51% and in 2017, the annual occupancy based on confirmed bookings was at 77.5%. With the above mentioned results, the investment in rainmaker’s 5 Stages of Digital Success methodology, powered by the VISTA Destination Network, paid for itself within only a couple of months and revenue increased by 41% while the EBIT increased by 204% compared to the previous year.

It’s no wonder the Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association International chose rainmaker’s entry over more than 1,100 competing companies. Results like these are unheard of and usually take years to achieve. The passion, experience, perseverance and dedication of the Google-certified rainmaker team is what sets them apart from their competitors and is what they pride themselves in as they move into their third year of existence. Their dedication was therefore rewarded with the Golden Adrian Award.

The Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International (HSMAI) is committed to growing business for hotels and their partners, and is the industry’s leading advocate for intelligent, sustainable hotel revenue growth. The association provides hotel professionals & their partners with tools, insights, and expertise to fuel sales, inspire marketing, and optimize revenue through programs such as HSMAI ROCET, Adrian Awards, and
Revenue Optimization Conference. – NDN Staffer