Benefits of Web Based Hotel Management Software

Running a hotel is not an easy task. You need to do the juggling act, trying to manage so many things. You need to manage the reservations, check ins, check outs, payments, maintain stock of goods, manage staff, monitor the housekeeping activities etc.

That is why many hotels are opting to invest in a good hotel management software that can keep track of many of the important operations of the hotel. The hotel management software can greatly enhance the efficiency of operations.

Since the advent of cloud computing and with the internet becoming very fast, many hoteliers are preferring web based hotel software rather than a desktop based software. A web based software can be accessed from anywhere. You just need to login to the portal and access your data. There is nothing to be installed on the local computers. Because of this ease of use and convenience the web based versions of hotel management software is on the rise.

Benefits of Hotel Management Software For Your Business:
Why is there a growing demand and need for a web based hotel management software? There are many reasons for that:

– To automate your operations – it has been said that automation is the future of hospitality industry. With automation you save lot of valuable time and effort. You can decrease the need of human intervention. You can also cut down on mistakes and errors. That is what automation can do for your business.

– Increase efficiency – With a web based hotel management software your efficiency can increase multiple fold. That means you can get more work done in lesser time and with less hassles.

– Enhancing user experience – When all things are running smoothly and efficiently, the user experience is greatly enhanced. The hotel guests can experience ease, comfort and convenience in all things – checking room availability, booking a room, making online payment, etc

– Increase occupancy – Most web based hotel management softwares have tons of features which are aimed at not only improving the efficiency of operations but also of increasing occupancy rates for the hotel owners. The online booking engine that comes as a part or additional module of most web or cloud based hotel management systems can provide an easy way for the people to book a room at your hotel, thus increasing reservations and boosting occupancy rates.

– Access data from anywhere – With desktop based software solutions you need to be physically present at the hotel. But with the cloud or web based software you can access the data from any place. The data is accessible with just a few clicks. You can check reservations, check-ins, check-outs, and other important activities from anywhere as long as you have internet access.

Importance & Benefits of a Booking Engine

A booking engine is a highly convenient way for travellers to make a reservation at your hotel. The booking engine displays your rooms availability in real time along with the rates so that users can pick the dates they want, check the room availability and finalize the reservation.

There may be additional features to further enhance the user experience – like confirmation email upon completion of payment, etc. A booking engine can also integrate with channel manager software so that other travel agents can book room for customers at your hotel.

There are many benefits of having a booking engine:

  • Guests can book rooms by themselves – Guests can self-serve themselves without having to contact you.
  • Lot of people trust online booking – People these days have become accustomed to using online reservations and they have begun to trust and love the simplicity and ease of the whole operation. Booking engine can safely accept credit card payments and complete the transaction.
  • Provide faster service – People can check availability of room and finalize the reservation within a few minutes in just a few clicks. No time is wasted and this can be done at any time of the day or night.
  • Looks more professional – Having an online booking facility will enhance the professional image of your hotel. As most hotel websites have this feature nowadays, it has become an essential part and if your hotel does not have this feature it will make the site look bad and outdated. People may be surprised and they may want to look for another hotel to stay if they don’t find a booking engine on your site.
  • You can offer perks – People usually look for additional perks or offers when they book directly. By offering something extra you can encourage guests to book directly instead of through a travel agent. A booking engine can allow you to offer such perks to your guests.

Importance of PMS In Hotel Industry

What is Hotel PMS Software and Why Use One?
Traditionally hotel PMS software included a set of functionalities to manage front-office operations such as booking reservations, guest check-ins and check-outs, assigning rooms, managing room rates, billing etc.

PMS software solutions became popular because they replaced the manual work which was time consuming, paper intensive and needed the involvement of lot of people. However the PMS software has evolved much farther beyond its traditional role and has become a very important component in the management of hotels.

PMS systems now include tons of other capabilities and features beyond the front office operations. They have evolved into comprehensive tools that have become critical to the business operations of a hotel and for delivering amazing guest experiences.

Benefits of Hotel PMS to Guests:

– Convenience and Self Service: In the modern world, people are becoming more and more accustomed to doing things on their own. They want the ease and convenience that comes when they can do various tasks at the click of a button.

In an interview, Tyler Craig, GM & VP of NCR Corporation’s Travel Business has said that customers these days are more accustomed to ATMs rather than tellers at the bank. They even check-in online for flights, so they want the same kind of facility when they arrive at a hotel.

In a lot of cases, travellers would prefer the option of self-service rather than having to wait in queues or having to deal with the hotel staff do things which they could easily do through their smartphones.

This trend can be beneficial to hotels because they need fewer staff members now. However they need to balance the automation with exceptional customer service. Automation shouldn’t take away the personal touch that only a fellow human can provide.

– Easier and Faster Service: Guests can save a lot of their time by being able to book a room from your website which is powered by a booking engine. The guests can check the room availability, view the rates and book whatever rooms they wish. They don’t have to get on the phone talking to someone, asking if rooms are available, etc.

If they have any issues they can also report through the website or contact customer support through email or text chat. All these are great time savers, making it much more easy and enjoyable experience for the customer.

– Personalized service: A sophisticated PMS system can store data about customer’s preferences and their earlier behavior. This way you can know beforehand the likes and dislikes of a customer and provide a tailor designed experience on their next visit.

Benefits of PMS to Hotels:

– Saves Time and Manpower: You can drastically reduce paperwork, manual labor, time and effort. Many of the front desk operations can now be easily automated with the help of Hotel Property Management System, Channel Manager and a Booking Engine.

– Save Money and Increase Revenue: Staff requirement will decrease as you automate a lot of front desk operations, thus saving you lot of money as you can manage equally well with fewer staff members. On top of that you may see increased revenues when you automate the room booking feature.