02/03/2016 
Property Management Systems help hotels to manage their day to day operations with higher efficiency and heighten the quality of service they offer to the guests. A good property management system simplifies the diverse operations via features which the staff performs on a steady base.
We are going to cover key features which a hotelier should look for in any good Property Management System.
Front Desk Operations The very basic of the operations in any property regardless of its type or size is the Front Desk Operations. A good system will allow easy check-in and checkout process for the staff. Just like any other operations, the front desk staff may have to make changes to reservations such as room change, change dates, assign rooms, and so forth. This should be relatively easy to carry out in a secure system, the modifications should take immediate effect and should make the process easy and not hinder it.
Booking & Reservations Management Booking and reservations are important functionalities of a hotel management system. Traditionally, hotels received bookings from limited sources such as travel agents and direct bookings. Today, the story is very different as bookings come from a diverse range of sources such as hotel’s website, travel websites, business source like a corporate clients and airlines, travel agents, etc. The system should be able to handle walk-ins, bookings from online travel agents, traditional agents, business sources and from the corporate website with ease. An efficient system will easily distinguish between the different sources and update the records for future reference.
Billing and Payments Stability is of the utmost importance when it comes to billing and settling payments with guests. Guests today use multitude methods of settling payments, the system should accommodate multiple payment methods per reservation including cash, credit cards, check and online payment gateways. In addition, it should have the ability to post adjustments, advance deposits, split receipts, extra charges, settlements, folio printing and taxes. The staff must be able to check and modify tasks related to billing and payment at any time according to changing requirements.
Housekeeping Housekeeping is another central characteristic which an hotelier should look for in a PMS. The important thing a hotelier should look for in housekeeping is the flow of real-time information. The housekeeping module should highlight the status of rooms and provide the ability to delegate chores to the housekeeping staff.In addition, built-in inventory management for cleaning supplies and linens is always a plus.
Reports A good system should offer the different departments the ability to generate a diverse set of reports. Given the diverse set of hotel operations and different departments working together, it is imperative that every department is able to generate reports according to their need. These reports can help management to make sound decisions and also help them build better sales and marketing strategies.
Third Party Interfaces A good hotel management system needs to integrate and work successfully with a multitude of third-party hardware and software. The interfaces for your hotel will depend on factors such as the size of hotel, facilities offered and operational style. A standard hotel today usually have PABX, Door Lock, ID scanners, cash drawers, payment gateways and financial accounting software. It is always beneficial to go over beforehand how compatible the PMS is with third-party or they are exposed to new ones.
Conclusion Traditionally, the hotel software came with features that covered basic hotel operations. Today, choosing the right solution for your hotel is more complex than it has ever been as the processes have become more complex. At the final stage, a good Property Management System should provide solid features that satisfy the requisites of the hotel and should be easy to adjust and carry out. Another key factor is the software provider, the provider should possess the industry expertise and experience and provide high-quality post-sales support.
A good Property Management Software is the key to your hotel’s success.
