Is it time to power up your PMS?
Is your property management system (PMS) working for you? It may have been installed some time ago and become a familiar part of your business but, is your team using it to its full potential?
Could it do more of the ‘heavy lifting’ manual work from day to day tasks?
Could it provide more useful reports than you’re currently receiving?
Could it be generating more revenue for you?
Could it improve the Guest experience, from booking stage to arrival and departure?
Or maybe, if your property is on the smaller side, you haven’t used a PMS before and are considering having one installed.
These are all familiar discussions I’ve had in the past few months with hoteliers. Covid-19 or not, it is always good to continually re-evaluate and reassess the systems you’re using and ultimately what you’re paying for. It can be a bit of a minefield so here are a few ideas to keep in mind.
I recommend reviewing your system capabilities against your business requirements – make a list of your ideal functionality and get in touch with the PMS team to ask if your system can deliver. Often, many features exist that simply haven’t been switched on. Your requirements may have changed since you installed it. Technology is continually evolving and most PMS providers are also developing their system on an ongoing basis. Indeed if it isn’t being developed or changed to keep up then maybe you should ask if it’s still the right system for you.
System functionality varies across the board, along with the price. Therefore it’s good to have your checklist of what you need it to achieve for your property. There’s an incredible range of products now on the market place, most of which are cloud-based, removing the need for the kinds of expensive hardware that can be required with some legacy systems.
If you are looking for a new system, start with your checklist of requirements. Most companies, if not all, will offer a free demo of their system. These are a great insight into the look and feel but may not cover all your questions so always go prepared with what your requirements are.
If you don’t have anyone on site who can deal with the project management of a new install, or even an overhaul of an existing system, please get in touch for a no-obligation chat about your property.
This advice was supplied by Papaya Consulting.
