Monday, 14 July 2014

How To Evaluate A Hotel Property Management System

By Rosella Campbell


In recent years tourism has grown to be one of the biggest industries on earth. More people travel to foreign climes than ever before. Of course, this massive increase has led to the development of numerous hospitality establishments and the competition for the business of travelers is fierce. It is vital to have a state of the art hotel property management system in order to make profits and to compete with numerous competitors.

The core of any managing program is its booking component. It is vital to keep records of the arrivals and departures. Nothing is as damaging to the reputation of an establishment as muddled bookings. It is also very important to record special guest needs such as special dietary requirements and the need for special facilities for disabled guests. Sometimes guests require business services and access to a vehicle, for example.

The bread and butter of any hospitality establishment are group bookings. This business is done through large tour operators. Another important category of guest is celebrities or travelers making frequent bookings. Record must be kept of special guests and it is vital to keep track of the various rates charged to different customers. This can only be done with a state of the art managing system.

Another very important function of a good managing program is to make sure that guests are not bothered with time consuming administration. The program must therefore be able to keep all information relevant to the guest up to date. This is the only way to ensure that a bill can be presented instantly or that an enquiry can be answered on the spot.

Large hospitality groups often have big IT departments that develop and maintain their propriety managing software but it is a costly business and smaller establishments have to rely on ready made packages. One of the most important considerations is to look for software that is fully integrated and that does not require duplication. Duplication not only wastes time but it also increases the chances of mistakes being made.

In the fiercely competitive tourism industry reliable and accurate management information often means the difference between failure and success. Managing programs must be able to produce reports that can portray information in any format. This information is vital in making strategic and marketing decisions. The scheduling of major maintenance tasks, for example, depends upon accurate occupancy information and forecasts.

The importance of a comprehensive support contract with the supplier simply cannot be overemphasized. Hospitality establishments operate round the clock and they simply cannot afford malfunctions. The level and nature of the support offered by the supplier should be contained in a written agreement. If a high level of support cannot be guaranteed it is best to look at another package.

The modern is all about instant communication and hospitality establishments must be able to react quickly and efficiently. They must have relevant information at hand at all times and decisions must be based upon reliable data. This can only be achieved with a sophisticated managing program.




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