Hotel Property Management System – Need of the Hour for Small Businesses

Every hotel, big or small, has tons of operations to manage on an everyday basis, from reservations and cancellations to administration and accounting. And on top of that, staying competitive today requires hotel businesses to align with the unique needs of customers and deliver experiences that clearly stand out. 

And while it may sound like a lot of work, Hotel PMS software can simplify operations and help you realize your true potential. 

This brings us to the question…

What is a Hotel PMS?

A hotel property management system is a comprehensive solution that integrates with the various modules in a hotel and streamlines processes, including front-desk operations, backend management, point-of-sale services, guest data management, and day-to-day operations like housekeeping. As a result, it takes over the tasks, such as reservations, check-in & check-out, pricing, room assignment, billing, bookkeeping, etc., and eliminates the need for manpower in time and labour-intensive tasks. 

Hotel management software is developed with the goal to simplify various hotel processes so that your staff can focus on building and delivering excellent guest experiences. 

There are several benefits of a property management system, making it the need of the hour. Let’s understand it in detail.

1. Excellent Revenue Management

One of the biggest benefits of a property management system is efficient revenue management. It pushes out personalized packages, discounts, and add-ons to help you upsell. This means that with the help of a hotel PMS, you do not have to just rely on room occupancy to generate revenue. 

For example, by offering a personalized two-day package with a spa facility, you can charge your guests more and offer them a great deal at the same time. 

2. Increased Occupancy

The fact that hotel management software optimizes hotel occupancy increases the importance of PMS in the hotel industry all the more. With the help of automation, the PMS technology sets the right price at the right across different booking channels and OTAs. Moreover, it rolls out special discounts, curates personalized packages, and offers add-ons, for example, complimentary meals, airport pick-up and drop facility, etc. This, as a result, makes your hotel property a favourable choice over other hotels and optimizes occupancy even during off-seasons. 

3. Elimination of Double Booking/Overbooking Errors

A guest who comes to your hotel only to find that their room has already been allotted to someone else is likely to never return to your property. On top of that, they may leave your hotel a bad review online, discouraging your potential guests from visiting you. This situation arises when a hotel manager accepts booking through different online travel agencies (OTAs) and fails to update the inventory. 

And though this is a common error, it can be completely avoided with the help of hotel management software. A hotel PMS consists of a channel manager that updates your room inventory on all the booking platforms and OTAs you are using. This means that every time there is a booking or a cancellation, the availability status will be updated automatically in real-time. 

4. Improved Guest Experience

The automation in the property management system ensures the consistent provision of quality services for guests right from the first point of contact. Some good examples would be self-check-in & check-out, as well as communication and order management through a guest portal. Further, loyalty programs enabled by PMS technology ensure that guests enjoy certain benefits without paying a fortune. 

Moreover, hotel management software remembers guests’ preferences from their previous stays and allows you to offer a more personalized experience, making them feel important. For example, if a guest requested a pool-side room or a certain flavour of ice-cream in their previous stay, the PMS would prompt you to customize their current stay accordingly. And this can go a long way in making their experience a memorable one, thereby encouraging positive reviews and more bookings through online portals. 

5. Time and Effort Saving

So far, we have understood how hotel PMS automates different front office and back-office operations. This can free up your staff and enable them to focus on tasks that require human intervention, which means that you can save time and effort while also improving your guests’ experiences.

6. Accurate Reporting and Trend Identification

Based on the types of booking guests usually make, hotel management software generates reports that can be analyzed to optimize pricing as well as offerings. For example, guest data reports can help you understand what it is about your property that people like more. Accordingly, you can capitalize on it and get more bookings. 

Similarly, you can identify trends, such as an increase in demand during a particular month of the year. This can help you optimize room rates for that month and increase your revenue flow. 

7. Secure Cloud Technology

Since a hotel PMS is a cloud-based solution, you can access all the data from bookings and requests to cancellations and refunds from anywhere. This way, you would not feel tied down to the front desk to keep the operations running smooth. Moreover, cloud storage ensures that your data is secure and not at the risk of being lost or corrupted. 

8. Easy Navigation

Using a hotel PMS means that you no longer need to manage complicated excel sheets and view bookings and guests’ requests separately. Its intuitive interface with an easy-to-use dashboard would enable you to navigate to and manage different aspects of your property with just a few clicks. As a result, you can get a bird’s eye view and streamline each process efficiently. 

Conclusion

Hotel management software does not only make your life easier but also helps you stand apart from the crowd. It can make your property a desirable choice even among the hospitality giants known for their curated experiences and seamless operations. 

So, gauge your requirements, choose the right hotel PMS today, and up your hospitality game.

I hope this article was helpful!

Author Bio:

Karan Iyer is an end-to-end digital marketer and blogger who inherently understands the hotel industry with his hospitality background. Karan knows how to convert the pain points and challenges of the hotel industry into business opportunities, and that’s what he writes about for his readers. He also shares industry trends, insights, and news to help his readers stay up-to-date.