Case Study: How Montara Boutique Hotel Increased App Downloads by 340%

Montara Boutique Hotel is a 48-room property in Lisbon. Their mobile app — which handles room service orders, concierge requests and local recommendations — had around 300 downloads per month despite being displayed on every in-room card.

The Problem

The hotel's digital team suspected most guests never noticed the app QR code. It was printed in black and white on a business card-sized insert that also featured the WiFi password, check-out time, and breakfast hours — too much information, too small a code.

The Approach

They used ShortLink to create five separate short links — one for each in-room placement: bedside card, bathroom vanity card, welcome booklet, TV screen card, and the room door card. Each link tracked independently while pointing to the same App Store/Play Store smart link.

For the codes themselves, they used ShortLink's AI QR generator with a "luxury boutique hotel in Lisbon, warm terracotta tones, azulejo tiles" prompt. The result was an artistic, distinctly Montara-branded QR code that guests actually photographed and shared.

“Within 48 hours of switching to the new QR codes, we could see which room location was driving the most scans. The data was immediately actionable.”

— Sofia Cardoso, Digital Manager, Montara Hotel

The Results (90-day comparison)

• App downloads: 300/month → 1,320/month (+340%)
• Highest converting placement: bathroom vanity card (41% of all scans)
• Bedside card was second at 31% — previously assumed to be the main driver
• TV screen card: 4% — de-prioritised in the next print run
• Room door card: 0% — removed entirely

Key Takeaway

Without per-placement tracking, the hotel would have continued printing equal quantities of all five card types. The data showed that two placements drove 72% of conversions — allowing a focus and budget reallocation that amplified results further.