As a hotelier, you need to periodically assess the usefulness of your existing hotel property management system (Hotel PMS). This blog will look at the top five signs that your current Hotel PMS is no longer meeting your requirements so that you can migrate to a cloud-based multi-property solution at the earliest. It will help you determine if the application is still up-to-the-mark with changing business scenarios and your operational needs, including end-to-end chain hotel management.
#1. You are not able to expand your business
The whole idea of technology adoption is to fuel growth. What’s the point in staying invested in a Hotel PMS if it doesn’t let you add new properties and go live swiftly? You must look for a comprehensive yet agile cloud-based Hotel PMS to ensure smooth expansion while saving time and software ownership costs. Because we know that without a well-thought-out strategy, IT costs can go up exponentially at your chain/group hospitality entity.
Also, consider moving away from the current PMS if you can’t access it on the go from anywhere you want to. You don’t have to keep using it if it doesn’t offer you the much-needed mobility in today’s mobile-first business environment.
#2. You don’t have centralised control over your chain hotel operations
This is important, in fact, non-negotiable. We completely understand that you would have adopted your current Hotel PMS when starting with one property. But as your business grew, your portfolio also expanded with a few more properties. In this scenario, the old solution is most likely to let you down in terms of central control. How? If it does not offer a central dashboard to monitor all hotels from your head office, you will know it. Another sign could be that it doesn’t provide group-wide, central-level business/operation critical reports.
At the same time, you need to worry if you can’t accept and confirm bookings for your member properties from the central call centre. This is when you should look for a robust cloud Hotel PMS with multi-property management features to gain better control over your chain of hotels.
#3. You are not able to sell more rooms and improve occupancy
It would be best if you watched out for this sign. Observe closely to determine if your room sales have dropped via OTAs and metasearch engines. Also, see if direct sales through your website have also gone down. As you notice these downward trends, you must know that the current application is no longer helping you with real-time distribution and online sales, and you must replace it with a cloud-based hotel management system.
Seamlessly integrated with a channel manager, and web booking engine, a cloud hotel software can ensure that your rooms and rates are distributed in real-time on all the sales channels. This will get more direct and indirect bookings while drastically reducing overbookings and double bookings.
#4. You are not able to work with third-party solutions of your choice
Even though a hotel property management system is considered the most critical technology, you still have to rely on third-party solutions to ensure a 360-degree operation. For example, you would need various solutions, including revenue management, online reputation management, point of sale, channel manager, accounting, etc. Most importantly, all of them should seamlessly integrate with your Hotel PMS. If this integration doesn’t happen smoothly, there will be no two-way flow of information, and you will never see the desired outcomes. It indicates that the existing PMS is not in sync with those third-party solutions on the cloud, and it is now time to get onto the cloud.
#5. You can’t roll out contactless guest-service features
If you are still stuck with an old, on-premises Hotel PMS, you will never be able to offer what your guests want from you – contactless services. Such an archaic system will not assist you in introducing mobile-based self-service options, including checking in, unlocking the door, controlling room amenities, connecting with hotel staff, raising complaints/orders, making payments, and checking out. It will hurt your brand as most guests are seeking such services from the accommodation provider. However, a new-age cloud hotel software can make things easier by equipping you with the right technology so that you get to serve your guests with an array of self-service features.
A restrictive Hotel PMS is not suitable for your chain hotel business. It doesn’t only drain you out financially but also doesn’t help you automate processes, gain better business control, improve overall efficiency, and gain a competitive edge. Many progressive hoteliers have migrated to the cloud for its unmatched business benefits. How about you?
