By Estela Bolton


The hotel property management system (PMS) allows hospitality groups to automate operations individually at each of their properties while still being able to coordinate activities as a group. Everything from reservations and the front office to housekeeping and accounting can be automated and managed by the software. Some of the more desirable features in such a PMS are discussed below.

The main feature required is connectivity and integration with centralized reservation and yield management systems. Without getting into the technical aspects of this concept, let's just say that customers booking a room online or in-person at the hotel will be dealing with a simplified process and nightly rates based on current occupancy and demand. It facilitates one-screen reservations and group bookings, and allows for single-step check-ins.

A very desirable feature is for the software to store guest history and produce it as required. As soon as the name field in the form is filled in, the database is checked to see if the same guest has stayed at the hotel previously. If a matching record is found, the rest of the fields are populated automatically. It makes the booking process work even faster.

Being able to see the guest's history instantly is also helpful for front-desk staff who can then acknowledge and welcome repeat guests to make them feel at home. It helps provide better service since the staff knows what the guests need. For example, if the history shows that the guest is a big spender, they can be offered free upgrades and other free amenities.

The same database scan may also prove useful for and loss-prevention and enhanced security. Every hospitality company maintains a record of blacklisted people who should not be allowed to stay. Some are guests who have unpaid bills, while others may have been caught stealing, doing something improper or causing damage to hotel property.

Guest access to digital services such as pay per view and door locking systems may also be automated by the PMS. Payments at POS systems in onsite restaurants, bars or health clubs can similarly be integrated with the software. Putting all this and internal departments such as accounting, HR and inventory into a single system enables not just billing, but also versatile reports for detailed analysis and snapshots of the entire hotel's status at any given time.

A big benefit associated with this omnipresent software is that the IT spending goes down sharply. There will be no hardware, upgrades, training or staff needed to operate individual systems for each department. It improves user management and security with a single log-in for every user. Cloud-based solutions and mobile applications have reduced IT costs even more and added to the productivity associated with implementation of the PMS.

Running a group of hotels is a complex business involving hundreds of employees and guests at any given time. It needs to be operational 24/7, and there is no room for error. Good general managers aided by a competent staff can make it work by oozing charm and focusing on the details, but they need an efficient and omnipresent hotel property management system that can take up most of the workload.




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