How HotelPORT Recovered $250K+ In Stuck Invoices Without Hiring an AR Team
With Invoice Butler, HotelPORT collected $250K+ from unpaid hotel invoices, including bills that were 2+ years overdue. Their cash flow stabilized, and they stopped taking on extra debt to cover AR gaps without adding a single collections hire.
Key Outcomes
$250K+
recovered in outstanding AR
Net 30/60/90
payment cycles automated
2+
year old invoices cleared
0
new hires
“Invoice Butler helped us collect over a quarter-million dollars, including invoices that were over two years old.”
About HotelPORT
HotelPORT is a hospitality distribution solutions company. It provides turnkey and custom solutions for hoteliers, restaurants, startups, and technology companies worldwide, including brands like Hilton and Marriott.
The Challenge: Payments Were a Constant Friction Point And a Growing Business Risk
For years at HotelPORT, Fred faced the persistent challenge of getting hotels to actually pay their invoices.
The hospitality industry is still run by legacy processes, outdated systems, and internal communication breakdowns. So payments came with confusion, follow-ups, and unnecessary friction.
- 20+ invoices per month
- Non-standard contract structures
- Inconsistent follow-ups
- Invoicing delays
- Thousands in overdue payments left on the table
“Hotels have always been bad at paying their bills. Collections are a pain in the ass.”
Why AI-Powered AR Was the Right Fit for HotelPORT
Fred wasn’t looking for a traditional collections agency. In hospitality, relationships are everything.
He needed a system that could:
- Respect hotel payment cycle realities
- Protect relationships with owners and vendors
- Communicate as HotelPORT and not as an outsider
AR in hospitality has all the characteristics that AI is perfect for:
- Repetitive follow-ups
- High volume across many hotels in a portfolio
- Requires persistence, context, and politeness
For HotelPORT, AR became the first area where AI wasn’t a risk. It was the obvious solution.
Implementation: Low Lift, Clear Process, and No Drama
Fred initially approached Invoice Butler with skepticism.
But the kickoff process was clearly mapped out, and the rollout was hands-off with almost no manual setup. Integrated easily to manage HotelPORT’s complex Net 30/60/90 payment cycles.
But the kickoff process was clearly mapped out, and the rollout was hands-off with almost no manual setup. Integrated easily to manage HotelPORT’s complex Net 30/60/90 payment cycles.
“I don’t trust anybody. I’ve heard people talk a good game before and not deliver. You delivered on exactly what you said you would."
The Turning Point: Hotels That Hadn’t Paid in Years Finally Responded
Within weeks, HotelPORT saw payments coming in consistently.
Invoice Butler’s quality and context of the outreach made all the difference.
- Tone matched to each hotel’s sentiment
- Awkward payment conversations handled automatically
- Messages written as if they came directly from HotelPORT
- Context-rich outreach referencing exact contracts and invoices
Instead of generic dunnings, hotels saw emails that felt like a personal follow-up from HotelPORT.
“You guys have done a good job of getting hotels that hadn't paid us for years.”
The Results: $250K+ Stuck Revenue Unlocked and Collections Off the CEO’s Plate
“I’m able to actually focus on generating more revenue now. That makes Invoice Butler a strength to us.”
1. Long-Overdue Hotel Invoices Cleared
Invoice Butler helped HotelPORT recover $250K+ in uncleared payments and money from hotels that hadn’t paid in 2+ years.
2. Reduced Reliance on Debt
Invoice Butler helped HotelPORT close cash-flow gaps that had previously forced it to rely on loans.
3. CEO Time Reclaimed for High-Leverage Work
With collections off his plate, Fred shifted from “putting out fires” to actually running the business.
“Now I can actually manage the business. Collections are no longer something that drags my time and energy away from everything else.”
4. Relationships Preserved While Still Getting Paid
Instead of risking relationships with a third-party collector, Invoice Butler handled outreach as HotelPORT, with emails that sounded exactly like the brand.
5. 0 New Hires Needed
No additional headcount was hired, and the existing team was freed from manual collection work.
Future-Proof Collections Built to Scale
For HotelPORT, Invoice Butler had proven to be:
- More consistent than an ad-hoc internal effort
- More scalable than hiring someone to chase invoices
- Less risky than turning collections over to a traditional agency
“I'm a big fan of anything that can be done to automate that process.”
Fred’s Advice to Other Hotel & Hospitality Leaders
“If you’re invoicing hotels, you should absolutely subscribe to Invoice Butler. People in this industry need to know you exist.”