The unexpected fix that reshaped Cycas Hospitality’s reward system

Before Huggg, recognition wasn’t even mentioned in Cycas’ eNPS scores. And if it was, it was often viewed negatively. Employees weren’t feeling fully recognized, and it showed. Huggg helped turn that around, making recognition a key driver in their engagement scores.

Key Wins

       ✔️ Skyrocketed employee engagement

       ✔️ Cut reward admin time by 98% (from 2 days to 5 minutes per bulk send for seasonal gifts like Easter and Christmas)

       ✔️ Aligned seamlessly with Cycas’ culture and values

About Cycas Hospitality

Cycas Hospitality runs a different kind of ship. As one of Europe’s top hotel management companies, they’ve got a scattered workforce operating under big-name brands like Marriott, Hyatt, and IHG. But the twist is, there’s no central head office. Cycas is fully embedded in their properties, creating an on-the-ground, people-first culture. And while they were known for their values-driven approach, their reward system needed improvement.

They had a significant challenge: rewards were disjointed, inconsistent, and a serious time-suck. Enter Huggg.

The Challenge

Before Huggg, Cycas had a reward system, but it was far from efficient.

• Lack of Structure and Consistency: Rewards were scattershot – cinema vouchers here, flowers there. Managers had to run everything through the People and Culture team, making it slow and clunky.
  • “It didn’t give autonomy to general managers. They had to ask us to organise rewards, and that caused delays.” - Victoria Shaw, Director of Talent & Culture at Cycas Hospitality
    
     
• Administrative Burden: Every holiday gift required hours of manual input. One Easter, it took days to organise something as simple as chocolate eggs for staff.
  • “Josephine spent two full days just sending out Easter eggs. Entering 70 addresses manually is no fun.” - Jenny Wieland, People Systems Manager at Cycas Hospitality
    
     
• No Tracking, No Control: They couldn’t track who got what, and consistency was an issue. With no data, they couldn’t see if their efforts were even making a difference.
  • “There was no way to track anything... when it came to consistancy of rewards, some got a cake, others got a chocolate bar.” - Jenny Wieland

The Solution

Huggg: The Culture-Driven Solution Cycas Needed

Cycas wasn’t actively looking for a new reward system. They didn’t realise better solutions existed. They had simply accepted their current, less efficient process as part of the job, even though it was a burden. But once they discovered Huggg at an HR event and saw how perfectly it aligned with their core values – Growth, Integrity, Fun, and Teamwork – they quickly recognized how much easier recognition could be.

• A Perfect Cultural Fit: Huggg allowed Cycas to deliver rewards that embodied their values, making employees feel like they were part of something bigger. Personalised “Hugggs” wrapped in a message of appreciation were a game-changer.
  • “Our values spell out GIFT – Growth, Integrity, Fun, and Teamwork. Huggg helped us embody those values by sending rewards that truly meant something to our people.” - Victoria Shaw
    
     
• Instant, Trackable Rewards: Huggg streamlined the process. Managers could send rewards directly in under five minutes, no admin required. And everything was trackable, giving Cycas full visibility.
  • “With Huggg, it takes us five minutes max to send rewards. The admin burden is gone, and now we can track everything.” - Jenny Wieland
    
     
• Bulk Gifting Made Easy: Whether it was sending Christmas gifts or recognizing a big win, Huggg made it possible to send personalised rewards to every employee at the same time, no matter where they were.
  • “At Christmas, we were able to send all employees their gifts at the same time, across multiple locations and countries. It created an incredible sense of togetherness.”  - Victoria Shaw

How Cycas Rolled Out Huggg and Made It Stick
 

• Hands-On for Leadership: Cycas kicked things off by gifting Hugggs to their entire management team in a leadership event. It wasn’t just a demo—they let the leaders experience it firsthand. This got them excited and onboard right away.

• Empowering Managers: Instead of keeping control in HR, Cycas handed budgets directly to managers. Why? Because the real power of a recognition program comes from letting managers gift in the moment, not waiting for HR approvals.

• Tracking the Real Impact: Numbers are great, but Cycas also tracked how people talked about recognition. The shift in language and excitement told them just as much about Huggg’s success as any metric.

The Results

Since implementing Huggg, Cycas has seen notable shifts in how they reward and engage employees.

• Employee Engagement Skyrocketed Recognition has gone from a pain point to a key driver of Cycas’ engagement scores. Before Huggg, employees didn't feel fully recognized. Now, recognition is something they talk about – and it’s all positive.
  • “Recognition is now one of the key drivers in our eNPS scores. Employees are finally talking about how well they’re rewarded.”  - Victoria Shaw

• Admin Time Slashed by 98% The time spent managing rewards has dropped dramatically. What used to take days now takes minutes. Managers have full control and can send rewards instantly, freeing up the People and Culture team to focus on bigger priorities.
  • “What used to take Josephine two full days now takes five minutes. We’ve completely eliminated the time drain.” - Jenny Wieland

• Charity Donations Took Off Huggg gave Cycas employees the option to donate their rewards to charity – a feature that’s been a hit. Employees love giving back, and the company’s seen a huge uptake in charitable redemptions.
  •  “A lot of our employees are choosing to redeem their Hugggs for charity. It’s a great way for them to give back, and they appreciate having that option.”  - Victoria Shaw

Why Huggg Works for Hospitality

In hospitality, speed and recognition go hand-in-hand. Huggg’s instant rewards fit perfectly into the fast-paced, 24/7 world of hospitality, where a delay in recognition can mean missed opportunities to keep employees engaged.

• Real-Time Rewards: With Huggg, recognition happens when it matters most – immediately. Managers don’t have to wait for a face-to-face moment to say thank you.
  • “In hospitality, we need to recognize people fast. Huggg lets us do that instantly, even if we’re not on-site.” - Jenny Wieland
    
     
• No More Logins: Employees don’t need to log into another system to redeem their rewards. They just follow a link and choose their gift, making the process simple and friction-free.
  • “Our staff don’t need to sign up for anything. It’s all done with one link, and they get their gift. It couldn’t be easier.” - Jenny Wieland

Conclusion

Huggg has redefined how Cycas Hospitality handles employee recognition. It’s not just about giving a gift – it’s about showing employees they’re valued in real-time, without the hassle. Huggg aligned perfectly with Cycas’ culture, streamlined their reward system, and saved them time and money.

Ready to revamp your recognition program?
Discover how Huggg can make rewards meaningful and easy for your business. Reach out to learn more.