Cloud computing has emerged as the most cost-effective and sensible solution for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in every business niche. This includes the hospitality sector too where medium-sized and small hotels are realizing the revenue-maximization potential of Cloud computing.
How the Cloud made its presence felt in the hospitality sector?
Customized software solutions were always associated with bigger hotels. While premium hotel brands continued to invest in technical and manpower resources required for developing and maintaining their computing capability, B&B or budget-hotel owners lagged behind.
The market was flooded with cheap, restrictive software for smaller hospitality owners/managers. However, with arrival of the Cloud, the solution hospitality SMEs were hoping for eventually arrived.
Hotel management solutions offered on the Cloud are often referred to as PMS (property management system) or HMS (hotel management system). Whatever might be the nomenclature, the benefits of using a web-enabled solution on the Cloud remain largely the same. This includes the ease-of-use, scope for customization and assurance of any-time, anywhere availability.
Irrational Fears About Using Cloud-enabled PMS
Despite such clearly-visible benefits of using hotel management systems, some folks are hesitant about adopting Cloud computing. It seems that the security of data continues to make many property owners hesitant. Many of them question the ability of a PMS on the Cloud to keep their data confidential.
However, such fears are largely misplaced. When the Cloud first arrived, data security-related concerns were prominent. What many people don’t realize is that these apprehensions were quickly dissolved.
This is why computing solutions offered on the Cloud have risen as a dynamic solution for businesses handling the most sensitive kind of data, including financial/banking institutions and workplaces handling large volumes of personal information.
Any fear that you have about the feasibility, survival or safety of a Cloud-based data management system can be eliminated if you understand the dynamics of Cloud computing.From handling data management in Fortune 500 companies to driving millions of transactions across business process outsourcing companies, the Cloud is literally, everywhere.
For most business owners, it makes absolute sense to gain competitive IT capabilities by spending the most minimal amount, i.e. by using services offered on the Cloud.
Busting Myths Related to Cloud Computing Safety
You might get the impression that the Cloud cannot handle sensitive information, particularly when news about outages across IT giants like Google or Amazon is reported.
What many people don’t understand is that this doesn’t mean that the Cloud network has been hacked. This is just a form of temporary glitch that is as common as struggling with a slower broadband connection or power outage for a few minutes. This doesn’t compromise the security of your data in any way!
If there is any kind of technological glitch in a Cloud-based hotel booking software, the problem is instantly fixed by the software-provider. Usually such providers have 24×7 helplines and dedicated customer support. In comparison, other hosting options take a longer time to recover.
How the Cloud is actually safer than conventional web hosting options?
Since Cloud computing is still in the process of establishing itself as the easiest, most affordable computing option, IT providers offering solutions on the Cloud are very serious about the security practices they adopt. In fact, their security benchmarks are usually higher than that of conventional hosting providers. For instance, the Hotelogix property management system uses a combination of hourly data back-ups and mirror servers to ensure absolute data safety.
Increasing Adoption of Cloud Computing in the Hotel Industry
When cloud based hotel booking systems emerged, the trend was regarded as a means to gain a “slight” competitive edge. It was projected as a choice for forward-thinking hospitality businesses that had more-than-average capacity to spend.
Within a quick time, this perception changed.
Cloud-based hotel PMS systems became more advanced and the increasing demand lowered their costs. Today, using a Cloud PMS isn’t regarded as being advanced or fancy, i.e. it is considered a smart, practical decision. Perhaps, this is why even the most humble, home-based motel owners have started using such systems.
Hotel owners have realized that investing in new IT infrastructure or manpower just isn’t practical. A better solution lies in using an on-demand, flexible solution, i.e. a web-based hotel management system.
With their IT requirements being addressed by the Cloud, hotel owners can shift their focus to what they know best—Operations, ensuring that they can serve their guests in the most focused manner.
This helps to raise the recall value of hotels and provides them with the most influential form of marketing, i.e. recommendations from happier, more contented customers!
Concluding Thoughts
Cloud-enabled PMS solutions have proven themselves over the past, few years as the best combination of affordability, performance and security. This is why managing your property using a hotel management system is a sensible, safe choice. You just need to use it once to realize its immense potential.
