As a hotelier in the service industry, the right property management system is an important part of delivering the best guest experience possible. With property management systems offering a wide array of features, it can be quite difficult for a hotelier to decide which are most important in comparison to others. With that being said, all hoteliers want a cloud-based hotel PMS that automates repeat tasks and consolidates front and back office operations.
There are many systems out there, most of which have the same core functionality. To help pick the right property management system, we’ve put together a list of some fundamental features that hoteliers should look out for.
1. Interactive Dashboard
An interactive dashboard adds convenience to a hotel’s operations. It allows staff to see reservations, room availability, and occupancy in real-time–without needing to click through to multiple screens. An easy, visual dashboard lets staff move and manage guests at the click of a few buttons, optimizing hotel occupancy at all times. A well-built interactive property management system integrates with different departments of the hotel to form a more advanced system. An example of this would be integrating housekeeping into your dashboard to notify staff, in real-time, which rooms are ready for guests as they have been cleaned already. This is invaluable because it provides up-to-the-minute information about room availability for guests.
The most important information in your property management system should be available within a few clicks, not hidden behind multiple screens. An interactive dashboard streamlines operational efficiency by presenting important information at a glance. This feature also makes it easier to train and onboard new staff at your property. Simple dashboard design is typically one element of a property management system that is built to be intuitive for all users.
2. Guest Profiles
Providing stellar service means that hoteliers need to be knowledgeable of the guests staying at their properties. No single hotelier is capable of remembering all of their guests, but a property management system can store this vital data. Therefore, a system that creates and stores guest profiles is one of the most useful features to have. This feature is essential to personalizing a guest’s experience. In the long run, this helps hoteliers recognize loyal customers and reward them for their dedication, ultimately building a community of loyal guests.
In addition to providing more personalized service on arrival, a property management system that creates guest profiles can also easily integrate into a guest messaging system. This allows you to personalize all your communication with a guest, such as confirmation emails and post-stay survey requests. The quality of your PMS boosts revenue long-term. Leverage guest data in memorable email marketing for your hotel. A property management system that creates guest profiles is the first step in better marketing and higher revenue.
3. Mobile Friendly
Today, everyone is on the go, but people always manage to stay connected through their mobile devices. For this reason, it has become increasingly important that a hotel’s PMS is mobile-friendly. Your PMS should be device and platform agnostic, not limited to specific software. Gone are the days when you need to drive to the hotel to get key reports or know occupancy data. Access operational information from anywhere on the property — or even when you’re on the go.
A mobile-friendly PMS is essential for better operations. It can eliminate the need for two-way radios and let staff use their own devices to update room status’, make maintenance requests, and more. A mobile-friendly, cloud property management system gives your staff the ability to walk around the lobby, cut the line, and check guests in from a tablet or phone, without the need for additional interfaces or upgrades to the core platform.
4. Booking Confirmations and Automated Guest Emails
One of the most basic features that a hotel’s property management system should comprise of, is the ability to send out automatic booking confirmation emails and post-stay thank you emails. Without these capabilities, hotel staff and management might waste valuable time executing this. Even though the task is simple, the more a hotel’s PMS can accomplish the more time hoteliers will have to improve other aspects of the guest experience.
Your welcome emails are more than just a nice-to-have for guests’ peace of mind! They can be a key driver of incremental and up-sell revenue. Your PMS must be able to send out basic confirmation emails, but the revenue potential of hotel welcome emails is high. Use PMS data (as mentioned above) to customize these emails for higher impact and a better guest experience overall.
5. Flexible Rate and Package Management
In order to remain competitive, hotels need to present potential guests with opportunities or deals that attract them to the property. Flexible rate management functionality in a hotel’s property management system makes this much easier to orchestrate. It allows hoteliers to input and optimize the best available rates. Your property management system should allow you to properly structure rate tiering based on availability while feeding that information directly to travel channels in real-time.
Jonas Chorum can do all of this and more. Our property management system streamlines operational efficiency and creates better guest experiences. If you would like to find out how Jonas Chorum can improve your business, request a demo to see our system in action.
