Cloud technology over the years has made a great impact on the hotel industry. And today, it has become a crucial part of the property management systems for hotels.
It is today helping numerous hoteliers across the world manage operations of their hotels in the most appropriate way. It is also letting the staff to use technology in a way which results in positive guest experiences.
In this article, we are going to look at some of the prime points that help hoteliers in generating more repeat bookings.
Easily Accessible On Mobile
Guest data is something that helps hoteliers deliver a personalised experience to the guest. And when this data is available on other devices as well apart from the frontdesk it would be beneficial. This is cloud tech comes into the picture.
There are already a lot of advantages of property management system and when a PMS is powered by cloud, it further allows hoteliers to sync that with mobile devices, helping the staff of the hotel staff to access it with just a touch of a button on their phones or tablets. It becomes very easy for the staff to get whatever information they want while they are in conversation with the hotel guests.
During rush hours, check-ins are seamless and can be done by the staff members on their tablets while they are comfortably seated in the hotel lobby. This saves guests from a lot of trouble and stress —guests don’t have to queue up at the front desk. This easy access to data also ensures that the staff of the hotel can log guest requests then and there per se and also provide resolutions to problems in the least possible time.
Another department that makes the most out of the benefits of pms in hotels with cloud tech is the housekeeping departments. Because of seamless syncing, they get access to reports on their phones. It helps them to ensure that the booked rooms are clean and perfectly ready for the guests.
Seamless Integration With Other Systems
One of the great benefits of pms in hotels along with cloud-based technology is its capability to integrate with the other hotel systems. These benefits of PMS help in automation of consolidated data and cross-system processes that have a major effect on the guest service.
When your hotel PMS is perfectly integrated with your payment gateway then it ensures seamless credit card payments which can be directly processed via your Property Management System.
Integration of points of sale in the hotel can be related to the usage of gym, spa, pubs, etc. and their proper billing to the room. The staff on the POS enter the usage details via PMS and when it is synced, the bills get updated.
This whole system integration results in much smoother operations and greater and enhanced guest service.
Mobile-Friendly Direct Online Bookings
It is extremely important for hotels that their online experience is optimised and compatible with mobile devices. Hotels should be able to offer its guests easy access to their direct online bookings on any mobile device. And that is why the cloud is always a preferred way. It allows hoteliers to provide downtime-free experience to guests.
After getting a satisfying, happy, and smooth stay experience at the hotel, it will be remembered by the guests over a longer period of time and would result in repeat bookings and give the hotel long-lasting customer relationships.
Food & Beverage Costing Smooth & Error Free
There are many instances when errors while posting F&B bills have happened and resulted in conflict between guests and hotel. Therefore, it is extremely imperative that hotels do not make any errors while posting F&B bills. And most of the errors happen when your systems don’t work in real-time or lack certain latest technologies.
This is where hoteliers look whether any of the advantages of property management software helps them in sorting this issue. When you have a PMS that is powered by cloud, the chances of these kinds of scenarios happening get eliminated by a great margin as updates happening in real-time, even though the departments are completely different. Cloud-based systems help hotels manage and control costs and expenses incurred on food and beverage.
The more seamless and error-free your processes are, the better the guest experience is. No guest would want to pay for something s/he didn’t order.
Pre And Post Stay Emails Are Sent Automatically
Another thing to consider when we are talking about the role of cloud in retaining guests is the pre-and post-stay experience.
It is a well-known fact that a hotelier’s relationship with its guests begins even before they enter your property. To ensure the beginning of a long term and long-lasting hotel and guest relations, one very crucial thing to keep in mind is sending out pre- and post-stay emails or even an SMS. This kind of communication helps the guest to stay updated on its booking. It drives a sense of concern that the hotel is genuinely looking to deliver a great experience. That’s why it is important for hotels to have a system that allows them to do so — automate pre- and post-stay email to ensure personalised service and build lasting relationships with guests.
Therefore, you must ensure that among all the advantages of property management system, your PMS is also capable of carrying out automated pre- and post-stay email/communication.
Rewards
The list of customer retention tools is incomplete without rewards or loyalty programs. An efficient cloud hotel PMS will offer this feature and along with it, offer hotel guests incentives which will attract them to go for repeat bookings at the hotel.
The travellers of today find deals and discounts or loyalty programs the most attractive feature when they are booking their stay. That is why the loyalty programs which are in sync with cloud hotel PMS are really beneficial, driving more repeat bookings.
Happy Employees Drive More Business
Not exactly a feature but it can be described as an end result of an efficient hotel PMS! When the staff of the hotel is not getting exhausted by unnecessary maintenance of records in files or doing stuff which isn’t automated, it results in them feeling happier and more productive in making guests feel special and welcomed at the hotel. After all, the staff of a hotel is the most important asset.
Outlook
The hotel industry is considered to be one of the most competitive. Numerous hotels across the world are looking for the best technologies to back them up and usher their growth. However, while many hotels have incorporated some sort of a PMS, there are hotels that seek much more benefits of property management system. And this is when they turn to Cloud-based PMS and witness significant growth.
The capabilities of cloud computing are no secret — the impact that this tech has made on industries is just incredible. And now, it’s the hotel industry that is making the most out of it. If you’re a hotelier and you haven’t thought of incorporating cloud, then it’s quite sure that you are lagging behind.
It is no more about check-ins and check-outs, it’s about several other things that would usher your hotel’s growth.
