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Case Study Hospitality Finance Systems Dynamics 365 Business Central

Fastest Growing Hybrid Hotel Group
Revolutionises Finance Operations with Cloud ERP

Client
Fastest-Growing Hybrid Hotel Group in South Africa
Industry
Hospitality
Location
South Africa
Solution
Dynamics 365 Business Central
Capability
Finance Systems

The Requirement

An outdated on-premise ERP with no system integrations created heavy manual overhead, unproductive month-end cycles, and limited financial visibility across the hotel group's operations.

The Solution

Decision Inc. recommended and implemented Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central, a cloud-based ERP tailored for growing businesses, with full integration to industry-leading third-party platforms.

The Impact

Financial processes are now centralised on one platform, enabling real-time reporting, improved debtors management, and reduced cycle times across creditors and debtors functions.

01 · The Client

About the Hotel Group

The client is the fastest-growing owner-managed hybrid hotel group in South Africa. Since 2008, it has offered accommodation to blue-chip and multinational companies across the short, medium, and long term in key business and leisure destinations throughout the country.

Catering to corporate travellers and leisure guests alike, the group's growth trajectory demanded a modern, scalable technology foundation capable of supporting both day-to-day operations and strategic financial decision-making.

Hotel Group Lobby
02 · The Requirement

An ERP System No Longer Fit for Purpose

The hotel group was using an outdated on-premise ERP system that did not support its business growth objectives. Inefficient processes and limited financial controls resulted in frustration and an elevated financial risk profile.

Specifically, the time required to close financial periods and create vendor invoices was time-consuming and unproductive. They engaged Decision Inc. to provide a technology solution that would address the following:

  • Replace the current on-premise ERP system with a modern cloud-based platform
  • Improve the efficiency of month-end close processes to reduce administrative overhead
  • Enable informed decision-making with relevant, accurate, and up-to-date financial reporting
  • Streamline integration with external service providers to reduce manual data entry
03 · The Solution

Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central

Decision Inc. specialist consultants reviewed the client's current system landscape, processes, and business needs, and recommended Microsoft's Dynamics 365 Business Central ERP platform. Specifically tailored for small and medium-sized businesses, Business Central assists in managing financial, supply chain, and customer service processes through a scalable, low-cost-of-ownership cloud solution.

Financial Management

Enablement of more seamless financial processes and controls, including general ledger, accounts payable, accounts receivable, expense management, and financial analysis.

Supply Chain Management

Procurement of assets and revenue recognition through fully integrated third-party platforms, reducing manual data capture and administrative overhead.

Project Management

Access to a broad ecosystem of prebuilt data connectors across Microsoft and non-Microsoft sources, connecting services that improve operational efficiency.

Reporting & Analytics

Built-in reporting and analytics tools to help the business gain insight into operations and support faster, more informed decision-making at all levels.

Integration

Fully integrated with industry-leading third-party solutions, recording revenue and expenses directly in the General Ledger without manual reconciliation.

Cloud-First

Cloud deployment provides scalability aligned to business growth, with low cost of ownership and access from anywhere across the hotel group's locations.

Business Central Finance Dashboard
04 · The Outcome

Extraordinary Results

The adoption of Dynamics 365 Business Central has been exceptional. Financial processes are now centralised on one platform, enabling real-time reporting and freeing internal capacity to focus on value-adding activities rather than administrative overhead.

  • User-friendly in-system debtors management, eliminating the need for third-party debtor applications
  • Advanced financial reporting now available on demand, enabling much faster executive decision-making
  • Notable cycle time reductions in both Debtors and Creditors functions, improving internal productivity
  • Centralised financial information on a single platform with a unified source of truth
  • Seamless integration with external service providers, reducing manual data entry and financial risk
  • Improved month-end close processes, eliminating the unproductive administrative overhead of the previous system
Hotel Group Finance Outcome
Upload cs_hotel_outcome.jpg
"Decision Inc. implemented a great ERP where executive financial reporting is readily available on one single platform. The source data and reporting is housed on the same technology stack, enabling quick easy access to the right information at the right time."
PHOTO
Finance Manager
Hotel Group, South Africa
"Business Central was the ideal solution for this hotel group because it is specifically aimed at serving the needs of growing businesses, offering not only the capabilities they require but also an overall business operations platform that can quickly be implemented."
Henk Fourie
Henk Fourie
Programme Director, Decision Inc.