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Strategic workforce planning in remote locations: How a hotel located in the mountains uses Coople to fill seasonal staffing gaps

«How can we maintain high service levels when we’re short-staffed during peak season?» 
It’s a question this Alpine hotel faces every year. Due to its remote location and fluctuating demand throughout the year, the challenge is clear: everything from breakfast service to events and weekend peaks needs to run smoothly, no matter the season.

The challenge

Despite having a small internal pool of eight flexible workers, the hotel regularly reached its limits: with mounting overtime hours, stretched-thin teams and longer wait times for guests. Covering last-minute absences or special events was especially difficult in terms of both staffing and coordination. Shifts were still being planned via WhatsApp, which was a time-consuming and error-prone process that lacked transparency.

Three core challenges stood out:

  • Limited talent pool: Remote location, restricted access to qualified staff, and seasonal spikes requiring up to 40% more personnel – particularly during the ski season (December–March), school holidays, public holidays, and the summer hiking season.
  • Inefficient planning process: Fragmented communication over WhatsApp, no clear view of availability or qualifications, and up to 12 hours per week spent on manual coordination.
  • Complex shift coverage: Unpredictable absences and fluctuating demand made planning difficult, resulting in higher costs and gaps in shift coverage during busy periods.

The solution

By introducing the Coople Flex Work Platform and its integrated workforce planning tools, the hotel was able to introduce structure and efficiency to its scheduling. The in-house team is now planned in advance and supplemented with qualified Cooplers as needed. WhatsApp is no longer required as the platform automates key processes and integrates seamlessly with existing systems like Abacus. The result: less administration, greater visibility, and the right team in place at all times.

Operational improvements

Smarter planning:
Monthly scheduling with built-in flexibility for last-minute changes. Targeted shift planning based on availability and skills reduced planning time by up to 80%.
Streamlined communication:
A central platform with automated updates and full documentation of every change. Response times to unexpected absences improved by up to 40%.
Improved cost control:
Avoiding overstaffing, cutting admin costs by around 12%, and better forecasting of staffing needs.
Flexible access to talent:
A large pool of experienced Cooplers is available on demand – ideal for peak seasons, events, and last-minute gaps. In winter 2024, 100% of shifts were filled without impacting guest satisfaction.

The result

This hotel now saves time, reduces admin overhead, and reacts faster to change. Despite seasonal fluctuations, the team delivers consistently high-quality service – thanks to the targeted use of skilled professionals when and where they’re needed.

Coople enables a modern, digital approach to workforce planning – one that works even in remote locations. It builds the bridge between your internal team and over 800,000 flexible workers – delivering greater planning security, agility, and quality.

“

We used to spend hours juggling the schedule and constantly reworking it. Now we manage it all through the app in under an hour. Overtime is down by 30%, and when someone cancels, we quickly find qualified replacements – something that simply wasn’t possible before.