Powerful user management – a must-have in a hotel PMS

Independent hoteliers should be on top of their business always and monitor what is happening at the property even when they are not around. As a hotel is a hotbed of important guest and business data that cannot be compromised with, it is critical to choose a PMS with effective user management features. Keeping data security in check and offering intelligent data access earns a hotel both credibility and trust.

Most systems use role based user management where user permissions are defined and work areas are specified. For effective user management, it is important to be able to create as many users as required to limit the area of work for the different employees that work on a system. We take a look at the key user management features that a hotel’s PMS should have:

User Levels and Access Control

Of the most important features of User Management is creation of users with specific privileges and access permissions. Property management systems have various modules like admin console, housekeeping, point of sales, front desk, reporting system and invoicing.  It is important to be able to create specific user roles for specific tasks, limiting access to their areas of work. For instance, a housekeeping manager could be given access to Front Desk and Housekeeping while a housekeeping staff could only be given access to the Housekeeping module. Similarly, a restaurant manager or gift shop manager could have login access for only their POS system. Creating user levels in the property management system can help determining access permissions for features that can be used by each user. Permissions can also define whether the user has read only or edit privileges for a certain section of the system.

Login Activity

Another important part of User Management is being able to monitor the login activity. The system should be able to show the different users that have logged in to which module and at what time and from which IP Address. Access as per IP address is essential for hoteliers who want to curtail certain users from accessing the system from outside the property, for security reasons.

User Reports

It is also important to be able to monitor user performance. The property management system should be able to give reports on the user wise activity log to monitor which user has done how much work. This information will be useful in giving an insight on the performance of the employees.

This report when monitored regularly can make sure any attempts for unauthorized access are identified and precautionary measures can be taken.

Audit Trails

Another very important aspect of User Management is audit trails. This keeps track of all the activity that is done by the user once s/he is logged into the system.

Audit trail comes to use in instances like these: If the front desk executive checks out a guest without taking money or there are any discrepancies in the funds or transactions with the customer, when pick-up or drop is due/missed or if a housekeeper hasn’t cleaned the room on time – all such situations can be tracked and actioned upon.

Audit trails usually capture date and time when a certain action was taken. For example, creation or modification of a reservation, creation of invoice, payments and more – each activity is recorded in the system. Tracking user login and activity through audit trails ensures complete accountability.

Complete user management functions of a PMS will include all of the above features, ensuring smart user management, security and accountability.

Let us know how you manage user access in your hotel by commenting in the box below.