Monsieur Jean • Hôtel Particulier
After a long career as VP of Finance in the hotel industry, Christian Béliveau chose to put his expertise at the service of several establishments as a hotel accounting consultant. Today, he assists, among others Monsieur Jean • Hôtel Particulier, a well-known boutique-hotel in Old Québec, taking charge of a large part of the accounting cycle, including the production of monthly financial statements, accounts payable management, and tax and supplier payment management.
Although the accounting staff is minimal, Christian has to deal with the complex reality of a structure that involves several departments (hospitality, foodservices, boutique, etc.), each with its own suppliers and approval processes. To remain agile and efficient, he needed a digital solution capable of centralizing information, automating workflows, and above all, enabling entirely remote management.
This is where Zeendoc, a solution offered by XMA Solutions, comes in, enabling Christian and the management team to radically transform their accounts payable management.
The challenges
Before implementing Zeendoc, accounts payable management at Monsieur Jean • Hôtel Particulier was based on a completely manual process:
- Invoices were scanned, then deposited in shared folders;
- Each department manager (marketing, boutique, foodservices, etc.) had to go and add his or her virtual signature;
- The General Manager would then print each invoice and enter the general ledger annotations manually;
- And finally, documents were physically filed, generating a constant accumulation of paper and cheques.
In fact, this approach is not unique to the hotel; on the contrary, it is widespread throughout the industry. Paper management dominates, mainly to meet auditing requirements. For a long time, keeping physical archives for 7 or 8 years was an almost uncontested norm.
Christian remembers well the days when manual processes and paper hoarding were common in the industry. In his career as VP of Finance, a racquetball room was converted for archiving. Entire rows of neatly-corded, meticulously-identified boxes waited to be shredded according to regulatory retention cycles.
"Today, it's crazy to think about all this again. Space, time, money, even destroying the boxes became an operation in itself."
Looking back, it's clear that these practices were not only costly and time-consuming, they also lacked flexibility and made day-to-day management more cumbersome. The need to reduce wasted time, eliminate manual tasks, lighten approval chains and, above all, get away from the inefficient paper-based cycle was obvious.
The trigger
When Christian arrived as a consultant and discovered the existing invoice approval process, he knew immediately that a change was needed. Management was spending several hours a week chasing approvals. They would print the invoices, add annotations, then file the whole thing.
Having experimented with other platforms in previous consultations, Christian knew that digital solutions existed to automate this type of process. The problem was that none of them perfectly met his needs. Some were too complex, and others didn't integrate well with Acomba (the accounting software used at Monsieur Jean • Hôtel Particulier).
The turning point came in 2024, when a presentation by XMA Solutions at the Stratégies PME event caught the attention of his colleagues. Intrigued by the demonstration of the Zeendoc platform and convinced of its relevance, they passed on XMA Solutions' contact details to Christian.
As soon as he saw the solution in action, he knew it was what he was looking for. Zeendoc enabled him to centralize data, automate processes, and above all, simplify invoice approval despite the multitude of departments involved. With several managers to coordinate, it was essential to have a system capable of structuring everything efficiently.
Installation
After presenting two hoteliers with the possibility of implementing a high-performance tool, the projects quickly took shape. Christian worked with Louis-Philippe, integrator at XMA Solutions, to plan the integration of Zeendoc into the daily operations of these two organizations.
Although the implementation required some initial time investment, the experience was smooth and well managed. Christian was able to integrate the platform into the day-to-day operations of the organizations without interrupting business.
Today, the change is visible. Invoices received by e-mail are indexed the very next morning, with no manual processing required. There are no more stacks of pending invoices or delays in follow-up.
"Everything is always up to date. We no longer fall behind, and I can manage everything without having to be on site."
The results
Since implementing Zeendoc, Christian has seen concrete improvements on several levels. For him, the biggest transformation is the time saved. For both him and the management of Monsieur Jean • Hôtel Particulier, the mental burden of managing invoices has been considerably lightened.
Thanks to automated processing and approval, repetitive tasks have almost completely disappeared. Management no longer needs to chase approvals or track status manually. Everything flows smoothly, notifications are automatic, and the right documents get to the right people at the right time.
Remote working has also become much simpler. Christian manages the accounting remotely, without having to set foot on site. This is a major advantage in an industry where coordination between several departments is a daily occurrence. Even with departments as varied as the restaurants, boutique and marketing, the flow remains constant and well-structured.
The platform has also brought accounting and strategic analysis closer together. For example, the external manager who analyzes the financial statements now has audit-like access to Zeendoc. When she has a question about an expense or an invoice, she can find the information directly on the platform, without having to go through management or Christian. The time saved is considerable.
Last but not least, the hotel has virtually eliminated paper from its accounting department. As processes are digital, piles of paperwork are a thing of the past. Not only is this more environmentally friendly, it's also much more practical.
In conclusion
By adopting Zeendoc with the support of XMA Solutions, Monsieur Jean • Hôtel Particulier has taken an important step in its digital transformation. This shift has simplified accounting processes, freed up time for higher value-added tasks, and enabled the company to implement a fluid approval system, even remotely.
In a sector where coordination between several departments can quickly become a headache, the centralization and automation offered by Zeendoc have changed the game. For Christian Béliveau, financial management and accounting consultant, this solution is much more than an accounting tool. It's a performance lever, a remote work facilitator, and a true ally for modern, efficient and sustainable management.
