Exec summary

Prior to automating accounts payable, the Hotel industry relied on a paper-heavy accounts payable process, manually keying, coding, and routing paper copies through inefficient approval workflows. This approach burdened hotel teams and risked vendor relationships, leaving hotel staff often frustrated, spending multiple hours every week to process payables.

Today, Colwen Hotels has a modern, streamlined procure-to-pay workflow in place, powered by Ottimate. Ottimate has reduced manual work for the hotel and corporate teams; increased visibility throughout the invoice lifecycle; and enabled more timely reporting. The organization also implemented electronic data interchange (EDI), which reduces clerical errors, speeds up payments, and reduces vendor follow-up, ultimately strengthening our supplier relationships.

About Colwen Hotels

Colwen Hotels is one of the largest hotel management companies in the Northeast, overseeing a diverse portfolio of more than 45 properties across multiple brands and markets, including Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont, Rhode Island, New York, Maryland, Georgia, and Florida. Founded in 2001, Colwen provides operational support to the hotels, allowing them to run efficiently while preserving each hotel’s unique guest experience.

The challenge

For many years, the finance team at Colwen Hotels relied on an industry-standard manual accounts payable process where each invoice was keyed and coded. Images were manually scanned and attached after processing, creating additional administrative work for both the finance and hotel teams.

“Our AP process was very manual,” explained Stephanie Shea-Estabrook, Accounts Payable Manager at Colwen Hotels. “We keyed and coded each invoice, then posted, approved, and attached an image afterwards.”

Manual approvals were another source of friction. Missing documentation and images often delay invoice processing time and pull hotel managers away from other priorities.

Colwen’s goal when implementing new software is to lessen administrative time for the hotels. “The general managers love the tool,” said Shea-Estabrook.

Colwen’s procurement team also felt the impact of an outdated accounts payable process. Without central visibility, it became nearly impossible for the team to track invoices, respond to vendor questions, and manage payment follow-up – all of which are key to maintaining strong vendor relationships.

“On the procurement side, it was a very manual process chasing invoices and payments,” said Ryan Jones, Purchasing Manager for Colwen Hotels.

As Colwen’s portfolio continued to grow, it became increasingly clear that its paper-driven, manual accounts payable workflow could not keep up. The team needed a flexible, modern solution that would reduce manual work, improve visibility, and free up property leaders to focus on running their hotels.

The solution

As a hotel operator managing a diverse group of properties with varying coding structures and workflows, Colwen Hotels knew an out-of-the-box accounts payable platform would not be a successful endeavor. They needed a flexible solution tailored to their needs.

After reviewing multiple options, the team ultimately chose Ottimate for its AI capabilities, its flexibility, and the warm, personalized approach from the Ottimate support staff. A positive implementation experience further reinforced their decision.

“Our implementation specialist was great,” said Shea-Estabrook. “She really took the time to understand our needs and explain how Ottimate could address them.”

Since implementing Ottimate, general managers and department leaders now use one centralized system to capture, review, and approve invoices. Thanks to the platform’s AI capabilities, the team has less manual work and faster processing cycles.

“The AI portion has been light-years ahead of what we were doing before,” said Shea-Estabrook.

Ottimate has also become a single source of accounting truth for property staff.

“Ottimate is really the system that our general managers live in,” explained Shea-Estabrook. “They are in Ottimate daily reviewing invoices, checking coding, and approving expenses. Ottimate has made the process so easy for them.”

Beyond accounts payable, the procurement team benefits from improved visibility and timely reporting that support vendor interactions and spend analysis.

“From the procurement side, the reporting is phenomenal,” Jones added. “We are able to quickly pull the information vendors need, which has helped strengthen our partnerships.”

The results

With Ottimate, Colwen Hotels has swapped a manual, paper-based process for a connected, efficient workflow. With less manual work and reduced vendor follow-up, the finance and hotel teams have more time to focus on strategic priorities that support guest experience and company growth.

“The results have been amazing,” said Shea-Estabrook. “We’re able to spend more time analyzing invoices, taking a closer look at what we’re buying, and ensuring pricing and coding is correct.”

According to Jones, the shift to electronic data interchange (EDI) has improved vendor interactions and payment efficiency.

“We’ve implemented EDI, which improved vendor relations and sped up the payment process,” he said. “No more chasing invoices or making endless calls about payment status. Now, we can focus more on building partnerships with vendors that better support hotels and guest experience.”

Property teams have also seen the impact of a modern accounts payable workflow. Invoices are now captured, coded, and routed automatically and almost effortlessly through Ottimate, lessening the general managers’ stress about the workload, missing invoices, delayed approvals, or uncertain status.

“EDI has really greatly improved the overall atmosphere of accounts payable,” said Shea-Estabrook. “Our general managers are relieved from the pressure of wondering where an invoice is or whether it was coded and approved correctly.  The built-in workflow provides visibility at every step in the process.”

Ottimate has also played an instrumental role in supporting team development and leadership capacity within finance.

“I have more time to lead my department, and I am able to provide our team the tools they need to grow their careers within accounting,” concluded Shea-Estabrook.