How Niche Serviced Apartments Uses Una to Deliver 24/7 Guest Care Without Losing the Human Touch

Client

Niche Serviced Apartments
Business type: Serviced apartments
Portfolio size: 100–200 units
Interviewee: Martin Cooper, Managing Director
Solution: Una, AI digital employee for hospitality operations

For Niche Serviced Apartments, the challenge was not a lack of software.

The team already had the tools many hospitality operators rely on: a channel manager, automated messages, a unified inbox, WhatsApp, email, phone calls, and booking channels such as Airbnb and Booking.com.

The real challenge was execution.

Guests expected fast answers, smooth arrivals, clear access instructions, reliable support, and a calm tone at any hour. The team had to manage all of this across multiple systems while also handling housekeeping coordination, check-ins, payments, booking changes, late arrivals, and unexpected guest issues.

As Martyn Cooper, Managing Director of Niche Serviced Apartments, explained:

“Guests don’t necessarily want constant interaction, but they do expect that if they reach out, someone is available — 24/7, 365.”

That expectation created daily operational pressure. For serviced apartments, the guest experience may look independent from the outside, but behind the scenes it depends on many moving parts working perfectly together.

Martyn described serviced apartments as a space where guests receive independence and flexibility, but where the responsibility of the operator becomes even greater.

“Guests get space, independence and flexibility — but that doesn’t remove responsibility from the operator. If anything, it increases it.”

The hidden complexity behind a simple guest experience

One of the clearest examples is access.

To a guest, access looks simple: a door code, a key safe, or a smart lock link. To an operator, it depends on cleaning being completed, payments being synced, the right instructions being sent, systems updating correctly, and backup processes being ready if something fails.

“Access is always access. It looks simple — a door code or a smart lock link — but behind the scenes it relies on everything lining up correctly.”

And when something does fail, the issue becomes urgent very quickly.

“When one thing in that chain fails, the guest is usually standing outside in the rain.”

This is exactly the kind of moment where response speed, accuracy, and calm communication matter most. A small issue can quickly become an emotional experience. In hospitality, that emotional experience can affect reviews, reputation, and revenue.

Martyn put it simply:

“Most negative reviews don’t start with one major failure. They start with something small that wasn’t handled quickly.”

For Niche, protecting the guest experience meant finding a way to respond faster and more consistently without increasing pressure on the human team.

Why Una was different

Before Una, Niche was already using several operational systems. But the team still had to connect the dots manually.

Messages came in from different channels. Calls interrupted the day. Arrivals overlapped. Guests asked the same questions repeatedly. The team had to switch between inboxes, systems, and operational tasks while staying calm and responsive.

Martyn described the pressure as constant background noise:

“It’s not always the big things that create the biggest challenge. It’s the constant background noise — messages from multiple channels, arrivals overlapping, cleaners arriving, guests not checking out.”

Niche did not need another disconnected tool. They needed something that could actually work inside the operation.

At first, Martyn was cautious. The team had already seen many AI chatbot solutions, and there was a natural concern that Una might be another basic answering tool.

The turning point came during testing and early live use.

“We tried to trick Una, but she didn’t fall for any of our tricks.”

Then came the first real proof moment: Una handled a guest conversation outside office hours, and the guest believed they were speaking with a member of the human team.

“This wasn’t a chatbot. This was a team member.”

For Martyn, that distinction mattered. Una was not just answering frequently asked questions. Una was supporting real guest situations, understanding context, working across operational information, and escalating when human judgment was needed.

Today, Niche sees Una as part of the team.

“During the day, she’s part of the guest care team. At night, she’s like the calmest, most reliable night manager.”

And for hospitality, that consistency matters.

“She’s always available. She’s never flustered. She’s always awake. And crucially, she’s consistent.”

A real guest scenario: late-night arrival in heavy rain

One of the strongest examples happened late at night.

A guest arrived from the Far East after a long journey. It was around 11:30 p.m., raining heavily, and the guest could not find the key safe. Then the standard code did not work.

This was the kind of moment that could easily become a serious guest experience failure. The guest was tired, outside, and frustrated. The team was asleep. The stay was expected to last around three weeks, so the risk was both reputational and commercial.

Una guided the guest to the key safe, helped them use the backup option, and got them into the property without waking the human team.

“Something that could have been dangerous, and could have ended with a bad review or a guest walking out, was handled while the rest of us were asleep.”

For Martyn, this is where Una’s value becomes clear:

“It’s in those quiet moments when the real value presents itself.”

More than speed: keeping hospitality human

Una’s role is not only about fast replies. In hospitality, tone matters.

Another guest was travelling for a personal and emotional reason and became frustrated because of a Wi-Fi issue. Una recognised the context, responded with compassion, guided the guest through troubleshooting, and helped resolve the issue without human intervention.

In Niche’s customer feedback, Martyn said Una exceeded expectations in “the depth of understanding and human-like empathy.” Niche also rated Una’s overall performance 5 out of 5 and confirmed that Una had significantly improved response time to guest inquiries.

That balance is essential. AI in hospitality cannot feel cold, generic, or careless. It needs to support the guest while protecting the brand’s service standard.

Martyn believes good AI does exactly that.

“Good automation and good AI actually protect the personal side of hospitality.”

Because when the team is not buried in repetitive messages, they have more time and energy for the moments that truly need human judgment.

“When the human team isn’t buried in repetition, they can show up even better with empathy when it genuinely matters.”

What Una handles today

Today, Una handles guest requests in the first instance for Niche.

That includes access instructions, check-in information, heating guidance, Wi-Fi troubleshooting, booking-stage questions, ID verification guidance, routine guest support, and straightforward reservations.

Una can also process simple booking requests, send payment links, and help move guests through the reservation flow without manual involvement from the team.

For more complex inquiries, longer stays, repeat bookings, compensation decisions, safety issues, or serious complaints, Una escalates to the human team.

This is one of the reasons Niche trusts the system.

“Trust in Una comes from knowing she won’t go too far. She knows where her limitation is and brings the humans in at the right time.”

Una does not replace human ownership. She protects the team from repetitive pressure and brings people in when discretion, empathy, or judgment is required.

The operational impact

The biggest change for Niche has been the reduction in pressure.

With Una handling first-line guest communication, the team no longer has to monitor every online message manually. They can step away from the inbox knowing guests will still receive timely support.

“The biggest difference is knowing that if you step out for a second and a guest has a problem, Una will be on hand to support.”

That has changed the daily rhythm of the operation. The team can focus on higher-value work instead of being constantly interrupted by repeat questions and routine support requests.

Martyn described the impact clearly:

“It removes so much background stress.”

The results from Niche’s feedback form support this. Una saves the team an estimated 3–5 staff-hours per day, with the main cost reduction coming from reduced overtime and after-hours coverage. Niche estimated this primary cost reduction at $1,000–$3,000 per month.

Results at a glance

Since deploying Una, Niche Serviced Apartments has reported:

• 5/5 satisfaction with Una’s performance
• Easy onboarding into daily operations
• Significantly faster guest response times
• 3–5 staff-hours saved per day
• $1,000–$3,000 estimated monthly cost reduction
• Reduced overtime and after-hours pressure
• Fewer missed calls and lost booking opportunities
• 1–2% of monthly revenue influenced or generated directly by Una
• 5/5 likelihood to recommend Una to other hospitality businesses

Martyn’s recommendation was direct:

“This is an absolutely no brainer.”

The future of hospitality operations

For Martyn, AI is ready for real guest communication, but only when it is implemented properly.

“AI works, but only when it’s implemented thoroughly, carefully and properly.”

The right system needs clear boundaries, operational context, escalation logic, and real testing. It should not be deployed as a generic chatbot. It needs to work inside the business.

Martyn believes digital team members will become a normal part of hospitality operations, especially for operators who want to scale without lowering service quality or burning out their teams.

“Digital team members will become the norm.”

And for Niche, Una has already become part of that future.

She supports guests, protects response speed, reduces interruptions, handles routine communication, helps with reservations, covers after-hours needs, and gives the human team more breathing room.

Martyn summarised the experience in one sentence:

“Una gives us speed, consistency, and breathing room, but without taking the heart out of hospitality.”

For Niche Serviced Apartments, Una is not replacing hospitality. She is helping the team deliver it more consistently.

“We absolutely love having Una on board. Una is making us a better business every day.”

Watch the full interview with Martyn Cooper here: https://youtu.be/h6-mZjRAHo4?si=feW_vugFhdHMX-iE