Recent developments in the modern hospitality business have shown that a hotel can hardly be run without a property management system (PMS). The reasons are numerous but here are a few more important ones - a PMS saves a lot of time and effort, increases revenue and handles most hotel operations with ease. But how to choose the right PMS for your hotel among so many offers? Let us give you give you a few hints.
Consider the cost carefully
We don’t live in a perfect world so the PMS you intend to use will definitely cost you money. Your goal here is to check its features against its price - first, to see if you can afford it, and second, to find out if this is the PMS you need. After all, why do you have to pay for functionality you will never use?
Use the cloud
Another requirement you should have towards a PMS is to be cloud-based. This has become an essential feature that eases your life as a manager. You no longer need a room where to store the server, which runs the PMS, and there’s no need for an IT guy who fixes the hardware and installs updates and bug fixes. Now everything is done automatically in the cloud by your PMS provider. Besides cloud-based systems are more flexible, more reliable, more affordable and can be easily scaled in case of need.
Insist on excellent support and training
You may have the best PMS in the world but nevertheless you have to insist on having support that is 24/7. The reason is that the hospitality industry never sleeps and in case of a problem you cannot wait for the working hours of your PMS provider. It is the same with training - you may encounter difficulties with existing or newly added features and help should be available immediately.
Look for all the key features
The PMS sits at the heart of your hotel operations. This is the reason why it should come with a lot of useful features that are essential to running your hotel at its optimum. For instance, it should provide you with:
- Booking Engine
- Central Reservations System
- Payment Processing
- Channel Manager
- Hotel Self-Service App
- Restaurant&Bar POS
- Event Management
- Hotel Kiosk
The PMS should also have an analytics tool that helps you track performance and make conclusions about customer behavior and current trends. Every feature has to be easy to use, however, so take a look at that too. In addition the PMS you consider has to come with a certain degree of intuitivity that lets new employees grasp its core features with ease. What good is a PMS that is too hard to use?
Security is of great importance
A property management system may come with so many functions, you may forget to check its security features. Security is always important so never overlook it. As a result the PMS you intend to use should feature the latest developments in the struggle against hacker attacks, lost or stolen data, security breaches, viruses, etc. You should always remember that you will be dealing with sensitive personal or financial information (or both) so take all means to keep it secure. Otherwise, in case of a security breach, your property image may be damaged beyond repair.
Finding the right PMS for your hotel is never easy but you should put the effort needed because this is a choice that will have long-term effects for your business. The right thing to do is to take a close look at the functions the PMS comes with and the price that is asked to see if it fits your needs in the best way possible. Only after you choose the right property management system will you be on the way to success so never make any compromises. And, of course, use our guidelines above.