A hotel property management system or PMS is used by almost all hospitality companies to manage operations within each of their properties and coordinate activities as a group. It automates and manages everything from the front office and reservations to accounting and housekeeping. Listed below are some of the desirable features in a PMS.
The primary requirement is for each property to be plugged into the group's centralized yield management and reservations network. Putting aside the intricate complexity of how this works, the important thing to remember is that the PMS allows the hotel to offer guests a simple and automated process for booking a room at nightly rates that vary according to demand and occupancy. Guests will be able to complete single or group bookings on one screen, and check-ins are likewise a single-step process.
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.
A quick scan of the history allows the front-desk clerk to show that they recognize the guest and welcome them back. The ability to look up a guest's history may also help the staff provide better service. Upgrades and freebies may be offered based on past requests and spending by the guest at the same hotel or with other hotels in the group.
An easily accessible database containing records of all past guests is also helpful for security and as a loss-prevention mechanism. Most hospitality groups maintain a blacklist of people that are banned from booking in at any of the group's properties. Some are guests who skipped out without paying, while others may have stolen or damaged hotel property, or may have engaged in improper behavior.
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.
Since the same software is handling all this, it reduces the need for IT spending, training, upgrades, hardware and staff for multiple systems. It also improves security with a single log-in for each user based on their access level. With the introduction of cloud-based solutions and mobile apps, the IT infrastructure savings and the ability to use the software from anywhere makes it that much more powerful and productive.
The hospitality business is a complex affair, involving hundreds of guests and employees in a never-ending 24/7 cycle. A competent GM supported by an efficient staff can keep a hotel in business. However, they won't be able to focus on the important task of providing personal care and attention for each guest unless there is a hotel property management system to take care of the innumerable details.
The primary requirement is for each property to be plugged into the group's centralized yield management and reservations network. Putting aside the intricate complexity of how this works, the important thing to remember is that the PMS allows the hotel to offer guests a simple and automated process for booking a room at nightly rates that vary according to demand and occupancy. Guests will be able to complete single or group bookings on one screen, and check-ins are likewise a single-step process.
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.
A quick scan of the history allows the front-desk clerk to show that they recognize the guest and welcome them back. The ability to look up a guest's history may also help the staff provide better service. Upgrades and freebies may be offered based on past requests and spending by the guest at the same hotel or with other hotels in the group.
An easily accessible database containing records of all past guests is also helpful for security and as a loss-prevention mechanism. Most hospitality groups maintain a blacklist of people that are banned from booking in at any of the group's properties. Some are guests who skipped out without paying, while others may have stolen or damaged hotel property, or may have engaged in improper behavior.
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.
Since the same software is handling all this, it reduces the need for IT spending, training, upgrades, hardware and staff for multiple systems. It also improves security with a single log-in for each user based on their access level. With the introduction of cloud-based solutions and mobile apps, the IT infrastructure savings and the ability to use the software from anywhere makes it that much more powerful and productive.
The hospitality business is a complex affair, involving hundreds of guests and employees in a never-ending 24/7 cycle. A competent GM supported by an efficient staff can keep a hotel in business. However, they won't be able to focus on the important task of providing personal care and attention for each guest unless there is a hotel property management system to take care of the innumerable details.
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