Company: Synergy Global Housing
Company Description: Synergy is a leading international and multi-award winning serviced accommodation provider. Our core competency exists in our expertise in collaborating with some of the world’s largest global organisations to provide end-to-end accommodation solutions for their business travellers.
Nomination Category: Company / Organization Categories
Nomination Sub Category: Company of the Year - Business or Professional Services - Large
 Nomination Title: Synergy Global Housing
- Which will you submit for your nomination in this category, a video of up to five (5) minutes in length about the achievements of the nominated organization since 1 January 2020, OR written answers to the questions for this category? (Choose one):
Written answers to the questions
- If you are submitting a video of up to five (5) minutes in length, provide the URL of the nominated video here, OR attach it to your entry via the "Add Attachments, Videos, or Links to This Entry" link above, through which you may also upload a copy of your video.
Synergy will be submitting a written response to this award submission.
- If you are providing written answers for your submission, you must provide an answer to this first question: Briefly describe the nominated organization: its history and past performance (up to 200 words):
Total 198 words used.
Synergy is a leading international and multi-award winning serviced accommodation provider. Our core competency exists in our expertise in collaborating with local and global organisations to provide end-to-end accommodation solutions, which support their business travel and overall organisational objectives. Synergy commenced its professional services journey in California as a regional serviced apartment provider. After finding early success, Synergy’s presence accelerated throughout the US after it was asked to expand its offering to better service a high profile client. As Synergy flourished, it stepped up to become an industry leader across innovation, thought leadership and associate development, before expanding its capabilities overseas. Today, Synergy is one of the world’s largest serviced accommodation providers, offering 800,000+ apartments across 85+ countries. Since 2020, Synergy has consistently exceeded revenue goals, having grown by 54% in the last year alone, while sustaining 96.6% guest satisfaction across 1.2 million room nights. Synergy is successful because it invests significantly into the development and wellbeing of its associates. From leadership training for junior talent, to wellbeing programmes, to a company-wide vision refresh led from the bottom-up, everything we do aspires to nurture and support our teams as we embark on this journey, together.
- If you are providing written answers for your submission, you must provide an answer to this second question: Outline the organization's achievements since the beginning of 2020 that you wish to bring to the judges' attention (up to 250 words):
Total 245 words used.
Synergy’s achievements since 2020 have been profound. Synergy wishes to bring the following to the judges’ attention:
- Industry-wide global booking platform, CodeOne.
CodeOne is a cloud-based platform designed exclusively for the serviced accommodations industry. The platform was built to connect our industry by levelling the field for all professional service providers, both small and large. For clients, CodeOne achieved:
- More choice in apartments/preferred amenities
- Price transparency
- Enhanced programme management, from booking to accounting and business intelligence
In light of COVID-19, Synergy overhauled its duty of care protocols through the creation of its 9-point health and safety programme, SynergyCares. This programme was an achievement because it guaranteed guest health and safety, while later snowballing into additional achievements including:
- Bureau Veritas accreditation/the funding of 150+ suppliers’ health/safety programmes
- Expanded into a wider-ranging programme focusing on stakeholder care— for example, SynergyCares inspired the development of Grow @Synergy, a training programme designed to coach junior associates to become the industry’s future leaders. Since its commencement, 4/8 cohorts have been promoted.
- Evolved to include apartment security elements including alarms, WiFi security etc
- SynergySMART— a web-based platform designed to standardise/streamline the tracking of supplier compliance to SynergyCares protocols during apartment inspections.
By taking inspections online, SynergySMART:
- Knocks down barriers to one globally standard inspection form—forming the potential to level-up industry health/safety standards
- Reduces the time taken to complete, communicate and manage data from up to 72 hours to just minutes.
- Guarantees compliance/improves service quality via the requirement of photographic evidence
- If you are providing written answers for your submission, you must provide an answer to this third question: Explain why the achievements you have highlighted are unique or significant. If possible compare the achievements to the performance of other players in your industry and/or to the organization's past performance (up to 250 words):
Total 245 words used.
Synergy’s achievements are significant because they are the product of Synergy’s uncompromising commitment to industry stewardship. As one of the largest professional services providers in our industry, Synergy sees it as our responsibility to guide and level-up our industry’s future, and that’s exactly what we did in 2020-22.
CodeOne significance:
- Boosts client experience via increased speed to booking from up to 24 to just seconds
- Greater cost transparency and business intelligence for clients, leading to potential cost savings
- Greater choice of serviced accommodations to suit personal preferences and services better suited to client programme objectives
SynergyCares significance
- Bureau Veritas (quality control) accredited— an industry first
- Achieved 98% supplier compliance— levelling-up industry duty of care
SynergySMART significance:
- The first of its kind in our industry
- Leading industry to a more sustainable future by eliminating the use of paper in pre-arrival inspections
- Knocking down the barriers to one standardised inspection form, thereby encouraging the industry to level-up its health and safety standards.
- Rebuilding client/guest confidence during/post pandemic
Finally, when comparing to Synergy’s past performance and competitor insights, these achievements were significant because they helped Synergy to:
- Continue supporting clients when many competitors closed/sold their operations
- Exceed global revenue goals by 38%, and attain best ever revenues in EMEA in 2021 (48% up from 2019)
- Hire 80 associates and promote 46, when many competitors were placing associates on furlough/redundancy
- Continue meeting partner rental obligations when many competitors ceased payments
- Win 26 industry awards for service/industry innovation against competitors
- You have the option to answer this final question: Reference any attachments of supporting materials throughout this nomination and how they provide evidence of the claims you have made in this nomination (up to 250 words):
Total 243 words used.
Synergy invites you to review the supporting materials throughout this nomination. Of note, the attachments include:
Synergy Brand Video: an introduction to Synergy
Industry leaders adopt and invest in serviced accommodation tech leader to advance the industry (CodeOne). This press release provides evidence of Synergy’s investment in Coded Inc to develop live booking platform CodeOne. The article delves into the features of the portal, in addition to the impact it will have on our clients and wider industry.
SynergyCares 9 Points. This PDF dives into more detail about the SynergyCares 9-point programme and what it means for Synergy’s clients.
Bureau Veritas Verifies SynergyCares. This press release provides evidence of SynergyCares’ Bureau Veritas accreditation, and the steps Synergy took to achieve verification.
Grow @Synergy. An overview of the programme and modules cohorts undertook.
SynergySMART overview. This PDF delves into what SynergySMART is, its key features and how they support Synergy to provide its clients and guests with unparalleled duty of care.
SynergySMART supplier testimonial video. This video provides an overview of SynergySMART, its development process and the impact it has had on our suppliers.
SynergySMART demo video. This video shows evidence of the steps Synergy takes, via SynergySMART, to guarantee it provides clients and guests with unparalleled duty of care.
Synergy Global Housing Wins Business Travel Awards Europe’s 2021 Accommodation Innovation Award. This press release shows evidence of SynergySMART’s effectiveness through an award win and what the judge’s had to say about the service.
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