A TakeUp Story with Bridget Johnson of The Oakwood Inn
When Bridget Johnson and her husband purchased the Oakwood Inn in 2016, they brought with them two decades of luxury hotel experience and a vision for what a modern bed & breakfast could be. Located in Iowa's Lake Okoboji region, the 10,000-square-foot property with 11 rooms represented more than just a business venture—it was a chance to combine their expertise with the intimate, personalized service of a B&B.
The Challenge of Manual Revenue Management
As the most expensive lodging option in the market, the Oakwood Inn found itself in an unexpected position: market leader. "Other properties were following our pricing," Bridget recalls. "We were setting the pace, but that meant we had no roadmap to follow." With 20 years of luxury hotel experience, Bridget knew that static seasonal rates wouldn't maximize their potential. But managing dynamic room pricing for their intimate property consumed an enormous amount of time.
"I'd probably spend easily 15-20 hours a week on pricing," Bridget explains. "In winter, it could go up to 30 hours as I dug deeper into booking pace and rate hesitancy." Despite creating extensive spreadsheets and tracking multiple metrics, Bridget knew there had to be a better way to manage their revenue strategy while maintaining their market-leading position.
The Journey to AI-Powered Revenue Strategy
Bridget's introduction to TakeUp sparked immediate interest, though like many experienced hoteliers, she appreciated their sophisticated approach but wanted to ensure it was the right fit. When she encountered them again at a later conference, she was impressed by how they had evolved their messaging.
The turning point came when her husband Bill—who handles the property's maintenance rather than operations—became enthusiastic about the system's potential. "If Bill understands what they're saying, then we're ready," Bridget decided. With their crucial summer booking window approaching, she gave TakeUp a challenge: get everything up and running in just two and a half weeks.
Weathering the Storm
The true test of their partnership came unexpectedly in June 2024, when devastating floods hit the region. Within 52 hours, the Oakwood Inn faced over $28,000 in cancellations for their peak Fourth of July period. The disaster had made their location nearly inaccessible, with typical 90-minute drives taking up to six hours due to bridge outages.
TakeUp's AI system recognized the crisis immediately, adjusting rates to match the dramatic drop in search volume while maintaining profitability. When other hotels in the area saw their revenue drop by 30%, the Oakwood Inn finished the year matching their previous year's performance.
"I wouldn't have had the mental bandwidth to manage those rate adjustments manually," Bridget admits. "And even if I had dropped rates, I would have dropped too far and wouldn't have known when to raise them again."
Beyond Recovery to Growth
The partnership with TakeUp has given Bridget more than just dynamic pricing optimization—it's provided data-driven confidence to expand. Analysis of room performance revealed that their single queen rooms were outperforming their king suites, with 15% year-over-year revenue growth compared to 5%. This insight led to their decision to convert two additional rooms above the garage into revenue-generating accommodations, a project now underway for 2025.
Looking to the Future
As the Oakwood Inn approaches its tenth anniversary, Bridget sees their partnership with TakeUp as instrumental to their continued growth. Her enthusiasm for the future is contagious as she plans new ways to leverage the system's capabilities for even greater success.
