Coucou&Co embraces automation and AI | Apaleo Customer Stories

Coucou&Co is a Swiss hospitality group that originally focused on Airbnb-style short-term rentals and has since transitioned to specialising in aparthotels. Founded in 2017, the group has rapidly expanded, now managing nearly 400 units across the French-speaking part of Switzerland. This growth culminated in the launch of Nonanteneuf, a midscale aparthotel brand that positioned Coucou&Co as a unique player bridging the gap between Airbnb-style rentals and traditional hotels.

“The story began when Nicolas Montagner, the founder of our group, identified the need to warm up the cold beds in Alpine resorts, as part of a training module at the Haute Ecole de Gestion, tourism programme. In short, with the rise of Airbnb, it was necessary to re-energise unoccupied accommodations in Valais. That’s how the startup Coucou&Co was born. Its business model evolved over time while keeping a central goal: to maximise owners’ revenues through digitalisation and offer travellers a smooth and connected customer experience,” Pierre explained.

Today, Coucou&Co operates with a lean team of 12 employees at its Sion headquarters and manages five Nonanteneuf properties through a fully decentralised setup. We spoke with Pierre Cessot, the group’s COO, about this strategic shift, how Nonanteneuf came to life, and how Apaleo became the tech foundation powering its growth.

Challenge: Outgrowing a homegrown PMS

Before switching to Apaleo, Coucou&Co relied on a homegrown PMS to manage its operations. Although it performed well during the early Airbnb-style rental phase and remains suitable for the private properties under management, it quickly reached its limits with the launch of Nonanteneuf. The system simply couldn’t support the growing complexity of aparthotel operations, leading to clunky and inefficient processes. Additionally, the lack of flexibility to manage longer stays and limited or unavailable integrations with key distribution channels became major obstacles.

“To succeed, an aparthotel must offer the flexibility of a hotel and the comfort of an apartment. Our vision is to offer an experience as seamless as a digitalised hotel and as personal as a private home. The Nonanteneuf formula ranges from 2 days to 1 year, with the goal of increasing the average stay duration. Our pricing policy is therefore complex to manage and especially to analyse, filling in the long term while optimising occupancy with short-term offers. This reduces dependence on one type of clientele, but the mix differs according to the establishment, which adds another layer of complexity,” Pierre added.

Solution: Apaleo, empowering customisation and seamless integration

When Coucou&Co began searching for a new PMS, the team had a clear vision: they needed a system that was open, flexible, and compatible with both their existing tools and the ones they planned to integrate.

“Apaleo stood out for its openness and ability to integrate seamlessly. We finally had a platform that let us connect everything, on our terms,” Pierre mentioned.

Apaleo’s flexibility gave Coucou&Co complete freedom to build the tech stack they needed, without vendor lock-in or unnecessary limitations. Speed was thereby just as important as flexibility. The team migrated to Apaleo in just a few weeks and was able to integrate automated check-in with identity verification right from the start. This functionality was crucial for meeting the legal requirements around guest registration set by Swiss cantonal authorities.

Result: Up to 15–20% revenue growth

Since implementing Apaleo, Coucou&Co has seen a measurable improvement in profitability per property. More efficient rate mix management and real-time revenue tracking have enabled the team to optimise both short- and mid-term strategies. With better performance on distribution channels and improved occupancy rates, the group is now positioned to capture additional revenue opportunities, projecting a potential uplift of 15 to 20%.

Challenge: Operational friction at scale

As Coucou&Co expanded its portfolio, managing day-to-day operations across multiple properties became increasingly complex. Without the right tools in place, scaling meant more than just onboarding new units, it also meant hiring additional staff to handle repetitive, manual tasks like invoicing, payments, and guest communications. This created friction and inefficiencies that stood in the way of sustainable growth.

Solution: Automation that unlocks operational efficiency

To reduce friction and support lean growth, Coucou&Co leveraged Apaleo’s open platform to automate key processes across its operations. By integrating multiple third-party apps through Apaleo’s API-first architecture, the team streamlined workflows such as data extraction, billing, payment processing, and guest communication. These seamless integrations, coupled with automation, minimised manual work, optimised critical processes, and delivered a significant boost to operational efficiency, enabling the team to focus on high-impact tasks and strategic growth.

Result: Up to 50% lower operational costs with optimised team efficiency

Through automating repetitive tasks, Coucou&Co significantly reduced its operational workload, lowering administrative costs by up to 50% in some areas. More importantly, the company can now expand into new regions without increasing head office staff. Apaleo’s flexibility has empowered the group to scale efficiently, demonstrating that growth can be achieved while optimising staff and minimising operational complexity.

Outlook: AI powering the next chapter

Looking ahead, Coucou&Co views AI as a key driver in its mission to provide fully personalised and automated guest experiences. Equipped with tools like Apaleo’s MCP Server, the team is prepared to explore innovative ways to deploy intelligent agents that enhance the guest journey.

However, the potential of AI goes far beyond just guest-facing applications. Coucou&Co also plans to leverage AI internally to support staff, reduce errors, and streamline onboarding. A tangible example of this is an agent they are developing, which will automate the process of assigning reservations to clean rooms, ensuring efficient management of bookings and timely room assignments. By harnessing the capabilities of n8n, in combination with Apaleo and its MCP Server, the team aims to create a seamless, fully integrated process that drives operational efficiency and enhances overall performance.

“There is no limit with Apaleo. It’s better than a generic super PMS, it’s a platform that allows us to build our own super PMS that fits exactly our current and future needs. The possibilities are endless thanks to their API-first approach. Apaleo allows us to have a serene view of our business, and that’s rather rare and therefore very valuable,” Pierre emphasised at the end of our conversation.

This focus on limitless potential and innovation is deeply ingrained in Coucou&Co’s DNA, and the results are a testament to this forward-thinking approach. Securing prestigious clients like the Union Cycliste Internationale in Aigle and Nestlé in Vevey has not only validated the Nonanteneuf concept but also cemented its position as a unique and established player in the market. What started as a bold vision has now become a recognised success story.