LONDON, 13 January 2026 – Nestor Stay, a hotel and serviced apartment group with 14 properties in London, announced that it has increased Gross Booking Value by 62% year over year, and grew direct booking revenue by 168%, after embedding AI across core guest-facing and operational workflows on Apaleo’s open API-first property management platform.
The London-based hospitality group placed AI at the centre of guest communications, review analysis, and customer support, enabling the business to scale efficiently while maintaining strong guest satisfaction. In 2025 alone, Nestor Stay expanded its portfolio by 80 new units across five additional buildings, while maintaining an 8.7 average guest review score across platforms.
AI-powered guest communications at scale
Using Apaleo as its system backbone, Nestor Stay deployed an AI Autopilot to manage guest communications across high-volume channels, including email, WhatsApp, Booking.com, and Airbnb. The system draws on historical guest conversations and internal knowledge bases to draft consistent, context-aware responses.
Initially focused on routine requests such as parking details and check-in instructions, the AI assistant now plays a central role in daily operations. It supports a three-person guest experience team handling approximately 84,000 guest messages annually across 14 properties, significantly reducing manual workload while improving response times and communication consistency.
Automated review analysis improves insight and OTA performance
Nestor Stay also automated review management, replacing a manual, day-long monthly process with an AI-driven workflow that delivers review scoring, performance summaries, and draft guest responses automatically.
The solution, delivered via AI Review Assistant by MARA Solutions and connected through Apaleo’s open API, enables faster responses and clearer performance insights, contributing to improved OTA visibility and conversion.
AI voice agent boosts booking capture
To further strengthen guest engagement, Nestor Stay integrated an AI voice agent capable of answering calls and managing reservations using natural speech. The system ensures calls are handled even during peak periods, reducing missed booking opportunities when staff are already engaged.
The voice agent is powered by Onsai, a specialist AI voice technology provider, and was selected and integrated through Apaleo’s open platform.
Centralised data enables rapid experimentation with AI
A critical foundation for Nestor Stay’s AI adoption was the centralisation of operational data, including room attributes, amenities, standard operating procedures, and policies within Apaleo. Previously fragmented across spreadsheets and documents, the data was consolidated and structured with the support of AI-assisted modelling, then reviewed and refined by the team. This approach enabled rapid experimentation and allowed non-developers to deploy and adapt tools quickly using Apaleo’s open API infrastructure.
The operational gains translated into strong commercial performance. At flagship property The Carlyle, results included 87% occupancy, an ADR of £490, and 19% of bookings generated directly. At The Haydon, a contemporary mixed-use building in the heart of Battersea, direct bookings increased to 28% in 2025.
Javier Llorente, Group Head of Operations at Nestor Stay, said: “The voice agent can take a thousand calls at the same time, so if our agents are busy, the AI agent deals with the rest. Meanwhile, we saved hiring a full person just to reply to reviews. And for someone like me, who needs to analyse how a property performs, and read the scores and reviews, now with AI, I click a button, and it just tells me. Apaleo gave us the foundation to connect these best-in-class tools through open APIs. My advice is simple. Find strong partners for what you can’t do in-house. Trying to build everything yourself just costs time and resources.”
Uli Pillau, CEO and Founder of Apaleo, said: “Nestor Stay is an excellent example of how hospitality operators can use open platforms to move quickly with AI. By combining centralised data with open APIs, they were able to choose the best tools for each use case, and deliver measurable growth without adding operational complexity.”
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About Apaleo
Apaleo is the world’s most open API-first property management platform for hospitality businesses. Powering over 2,000 properties in more than 30 countries, Apaleo streamlines operations and elevates guest experiences across hotels, vacation rentals, serviced apartments, and residential living. The modular core infrastructure allows operators to fully customise their tech stack and automate workflows without vendor lock-in. It replaces single-vendor suites with best-of-breed technology. Apaleo’s Agent Hub–the first-ever AI agent marketplace for hospitality–helps operators adopt autonomous agents to improve business performance. Customers include citizenM, easyHotel, limehome, Korner Hotels, Miiro Hotels, and Numa. Apaleo is Phocuswright’s 2025 EMEA Travel Innovation Award winner. For more, visit apaleo.com
About Nestor Stay
Nestor Stay is a London-based hospitality group offering design-led accommodation for short, extended, and business travel. Its portfolio spans rooms, studios, and one- to three-bedroom serviced apartments, including penthouses and luxury residences, across some of London’s most desirable central locations. With a strong focus on guest experience, sustainability, and operational excellence, Nestor Stay operates a growing portfolio designed to meet a wide range of traveller needs. For more information, visit nestorstay.com.
