The challenges facing the hotel industry today seem to be never-ending. The guest expectations and competition are rising day by day. Today’s hospitality market is a playing field where remaining successful is more difficult than before. Savvy hoteliers can still make a mark in the industry by using the technology at their disposal for creative problem solving and efficient management of everyday tasks.
In essence, using technology such as cloud based PMS is the first step in modernizing a hotel property to take on the hospitality challenges in 2022 and beyond. Gone are the days of legacy PMS that were on-site, difficult to upgrade, costly to maintain, and had a difficult learning curve. The best cloud based hotel PMS is lean, efficient, and easy to learn for everyone from seasoned hotel staff to new hires. Some of the quick benefits of using a cloud based PMS are
- Increased data security in the cloud
- The software is easy to upgrade
- Highly customizable as per the property’s needs
- Works on existing hardware
- Accessible from any internet connected device
- Easy to scale as per the property’s needs
- A simple learning curve for employees
- Easy to automate daily tasks
- Excellent integration with third party software
What will hotel PMS be like in the future?
When you think of the future for the hotel PMS, there is one thing that will stand out from all the features of the PMS. Integration with third party software will be a killer feature that will keep hotel PMS relevant for future requirements of the hotel industry. Integrations are especially useful for hotels that want to keep up with the trends while catering to the demands of their guests.
As technology evolves, the cloud based PMS needs to keep up with the improvements happening in the technology used by the hospitality industry. This is only possible by having a robust system that is compatible with current as well as future technological advancements. Only the best cloud based hotel PMS that is designed with an eye on the future can come up to these expectations. Let’s take a look at different ways in which a hotel PMS can use integrations to increase the efficiency in their hotels.
Payment Gateway Integrations
A cloud PMS can be used with a number of payment gateways to accept car payments from a number of providers. The payment gateway acts as a secure channel to communicate the guest’s payment information to the banking network. With a payment gateway integration, there is no need to manually enter information into the PMS as all information is automatically posted to the PMS in real time. This not only prevents any errors that might happen due to manual posting, but also speeds up the processes of check-in and check-out.
The payment gateway also adds a layer of security to protect the data of the customers. Having a payment gateway on your hotel website also adds to the level of trust customers have for your business as their information doesn’t go through a third-party payment processing software. Simply put, a payment gateway is the top integration for your cloud PMS.
Automated Channel Updation
Channels are a critical component of any hotel business that wants to gain better visibility online while attracting more customers. Without channel integration with the PMS, any information has to be manually updated into the channels. With proper integration and the judicious use of a channel manager, information can be updated in real time and with greater accuracy.
When the customers choose a channel partner to make a booking, the information is relayed to the PMS in real time and the availability of the rooms is adjusted through all channels accordingly. This prevents the risk of overbooking of the rooms. In case the management decides to offer a discount on the room prices, the same information can be automatically relayed to the various channels with great ease.
Integration with POS (Point of Sale)
Hotels with restaurants on the premises need to make sure that their PMS is integrated with the POS system. Connecting the two systems prevents any errors in billing and expedites the process of charging the restaurant charges to the customer’s final bill. Using this integration removes the manual addition task from the front desk’s responsibilities and increases guest satisfaction as there are no discrepancies in the billing.
The software takes the major burden of entering the data as it verifies the important details and adds the charges to the guest’s final billing. Another benefit of using this type of integration is that it keeps the staff free to handle crucial tasks in the hotel.
Detailed Performance Reports
Performance reports are an essential part of property management. Managers need to know the areas in the hotel that need their attention, the areas that are performing well, and the areas where they can make quick improvements. All this is possible by getting detailed reports of the performance metrics of the various departments in the hotel. From the front desk or the kitchen to the restaurant or the valet service.
Every part of the hotel can use some judicious improvements and a PMS makes it all possible by using integrations that create reports with all the data that is available to the cloud based hotel software. Managers can get reports that give them data on a weekly, monthly, yearly basis.
Conclusion
Integrations are the amazing additions to the cloud PMS that make it a powerhouse of performance or hotels. At mycloud Hospitality, you can get access to a software suite that will exceed your expectations from a PMS. Whether you manage a small B&B or hotel chain, you can use this software to suit the needs of your business and create a workflow that is best suited for profitability and performance.
Read more: Advantages We Can Gain If We Improve Customer Relationships
