WestCord Hotels

"By using Oneteam, we are able to reach all our employees at the touch of a button. Engagement has grown significantly, because our team stays informed and can share their input during fun projects we work on together. It all comes together in one platform."
‍— Joan Hoekstra, Hospitality Trainer at WestCord Hotels

About WestCord Hotels

WestCord Hotels is a Dutch family-owned hotel group with 16 locations across the Netherlands. From iconic properties like ss Rotterdam and Hotel New York to the award-winning Hotel Jakarta in Amsterdam, each hotel has its own unique story and character.

Personalized guest experience is central to their strategy. “We want to give our guests a local experience,” explains Joan. “We expect our employees to embrace their city and provide local, personalized service. Surprising and helping our guests is paramount.”

With more than 1,500 employees spread across all hotels, keeping everyone informed, engaged, and connected became a crucial part of delivering that promise.

The challenge

Before Oneteam, internal communication at WestCord Hotels was scattered and inconsistent. Updates were sent through a mix of email, WhatsApp, and Facebook Messenger. But many employees never checked their email, and using WhatsApp for work was unpopular.

“WhatsApp is perfect for conversations with family and friends, not for work,” says Joan. “We wanted a platform that separates work and life.”

The hotel group identified three key challenges they needed to solve:

• Reaching all employees in one place. Staff mainly felt connected to their own hotel. WestCord wanted to create a stronger sense of belonging across the entire group.
• Improving work-life balance. Employees asked for a clear boundary between personal and work-related communication.
• Boosting employer branding through onboarding. With many new hires, onboarding needed to be consistent, structured, and engaging. “We are now able to show a consistent message through onboarding,” adds Eline, Corporate Recruiter. “Some parts we consider very important are now a recurring theme.”

As Joan summarizes: “Our wish was one app, a WestCord employee app, in which all internal communication is centralized per team, hotel, and at WestCord level. And this app also had to include training and digital micro-learnings.”

The solution

After comparing several options, WestCord Hotels chose Oneteam because it combined everything they needed into one app: internal communication, onboarding, and e-learning.

Oneteam also stood out for its support during implementation. The team provided personal webinars and hands-on guidance, helping WestCord increase adoption quickly. “Oneteam suits us. We are able to grow with Oneteam,” says Joan.

The platform gave WestCord Hotels the ability to:

• Reach all 1,500+ employees instantly with one message.
• Offer consistent onboarding across all locations.
• Provide ongoing training through micro-learnings, quizzes, and gamification.

The approach and results

From the very beginning, Oneteam was positioned as the central hub for all communication. Both local updates and group-wide announcements now run through the app, making communication faster, more consistent, and more professional.

“Thanks to Oneteam we can reach all our employees at once with one message,” says Joan. “Before, we needed team meetings or other ways. Now it’s so simple, and it saves us a huge amount of time.”

The importance of the platform became even clearer during the COVID-19 crisis. With fewer employees physically present in the hotels, all communication had to move online. “During the crisis, all communication had to be digital,” Joan recalls. “Oneteam came just in time. We shared updates, but also positive photos, videos, and polls to stay connected as a team.”

Onboarding and e-learning quickly became an integral part of the platform. New employees are introduced to the history of WestCord, their specific hotel, and practical topics like HACCP, wine, and allergens. Through short digital trainings and gamified quizzes, they get up to speed quickly and keep their knowledge fresh. “The possibility to use quizzes and gamification is super attractive for our employees,” Joan adds.

Employee engagement has grown significantly. Eline has noticed a clear shift: “This app contributes to interconnectedness per hotel. Before, employees mainly felt connected to their own department, but now they also see updates from other teams. That is key for their engagement.” Employees themselves confirm they feel better informed, more involved, and more connected to the WestCord family as a whole.

As Joan concludes: “Engagement of our employees has increased tremendously thanks to Oneteam. We already notice our employees being more motivated, and that makes all the difference in the service we deliver to our guests.”