12 hotel managers reveal what you should look for in a Property Management System (PMS)
A good Property Management System (PMS) can transform a hotel’s booking process. It can streamline your operations and help you generate more reservations.
If you’re looking to purchase your first PMS system or you want to make a switch, it’s important to know what’s available. Knowing the kind of features and support that come as standard will ensure you get the most from your software.
We’ve contacted 12 hotel managers to reveal their thoughts. We hope their answers will provide valuable feedback so you can make the right choice for your hotel.
Nathan Longthorne | The Croft Hotel
“A crucial part of a PMS is being able to integrate with the Online Travel Agents and your own OBM (online booking module on your own website.) This ensures rooms are being sold with minimal human input. This also means hotels can change rates on the OTAs instantly and on mass, rather than updating inventory individually.
A PMS system must be able to break down information to assist in finding out where sales are coming from, i.e. which rate plan, which OTA, when are they booking or who the booker is.
Revenue must be clearly displayed and percentages broken down into REV PAR and TREV PAR so forecasting, budgeting and actuals can be done easily and quickly. It must be self-sufficient to a certain degree as the system will automatically accept and process the bookings for you.”
Paul Rigby | Old Mill Hotel
“Any hotel management software should be easy to use and multi-platform to give all staff access anywhere in the business. Housekeeping should be able to use it on phones or tablets to check if rooms are remakes or strikes with ease. This prevents printing of documents, and all information should be current so room standards are met. Same can be said for finance departments, front of house and catering.
A PMS system needs to capture the correct data and send the correct data. When a booking is made you need the booker to have the correct title, names, contact methods, and of course payment details to hand. This allows a smooth check in for guests and ensures invoices are prepared for check in.
Outgoing emails should automatically confirm bookings and have the ability to link to marketing materials, such as advertising onsite catering or function room hire.”
Eithan Anthony | Millennium Hotels and Resorts
“Having worked with many of the market leaders, I’d say having seamless integration across different systems is vital while maintaining a simple design base. This allows the user to interact with clear and easy to follow data.
I would also recommend an online based system as this allows you to store masses or data without maximising on-board data storage or hard drives.”
Scott Hollywood | Merton Hotel
“I believe a good PMS system must meet your basic requirements. Going into this very daunting decision you also need to look at your business and see if there are areas for improvement. Buying a new PMS doesn’t mean you have to keep doing things the same way. A new system will improve practices, and we shouldn’t be afraid of change.
This was an important decision with major implications for our business, both financially and on a service level. Make sure you meet the people you will be working with and ensure the correct support is there.”
Miguel Angelo | The Rathbone Hotel
“A PMS should be easy for staff to use and have comprehensive info in a single window. For management, the most important features are statistics and forecasts. So the more complete the information that can be extracted, the better.”
Francisco Herran | Sandals Resorts International
“A PMS needs to be highly intuitive. Functionally, the software should offer clear division by departments including front and back of house. Hotels should also ensure providers offer a responsive and efficient support service should they need it.”
Steven Hodgkinson | QHotels
“A PMS system should have as much information available without having to click into several screens. A good PMS will also present an overview of what’s happening on the day.
Communication is key through any system. This ensures that if you tell the system something, it will tell the relevant departments. It should have strong interfacing with revenue capture on site and booking channels, along with ease of reporting at hotel level.”
Mark Gallagher | Morgans Hotel
“A PMS system should generate some fantastic marketing data around capturing guest info, and you should be able to categorise the data.
You should also look for a live feature where centralised bookings are inputted automatically. This means you have live bookings on the system from central reservations which don’t need re-inputting.
Another major benefit is the amount of different reports available which you can export into numerous formats, not just pdf.
The PMS should link seamlessly to your F&B POS system and speak both ways to give a complete overview across the whole hotel without having to login to a separate system.”
Magaly Etter | The Queensberry Hotel
“From a reception point of view, having a clear picture of room availability, cleaning status, as well as current occupancy status is key. The best feature in this case would be a room planner showing all information at once.
As reception often juggle multiple tasks, it’s important to be able to keep several windows open at the same time, without losing any information. For example, a reservation might have to be left on hold while doing a check in.
To comply with guests’ data security, having a system that encrypts credit/debit card numbers and avoids fraud is essential.
A bonus PMS feature is being able to link restaurant or spa reservations to the main PMS system. This avoids human mistakes of cancelling on one system but not the other, and improves customer service quality by sharing information about guests (special occasion, dietaries…) across the property.
Finally, being able to analyse data from previous and upcoming stays will help improve decision making and business quality. Therefore a PMS system should include good reporting features with customisable options for each property.”
Steven Cowie | Holiday Inn
“I think a good property management system needs to be easy to use with the click of a button. Information should be easily obtained about the guest and quickly. Room allocation is key too, it should alert you if you have changed a room type or overbooked the system.
Some systems are so advanced now. The use of IT is extremely important so we can recognise guests needs and personalise the service for them — the PMS needs to have the ability to do that. Reporting is key to provide relevant reports and storage, as well as having the ability to schedule reports. Forecasting functionality and providing history is also crucial.”
Adam Rowledge | Georgian House
“I think it’s very important to work with a PMS provider who really understands your business and can help you identify what it can deliver for you. Ultimately, you’re making an investment when you choose a PMS so you need to be able to generate a return from it.
Of course, it needs to be fairly simple to use for your team, but most systems are quite intuitive these days. But depending on your business you may need something with more flexibility if you have expansion plans.
Even if you choose an amazing PMS system, at some point you will encounter an issue. So talk extensively to other hoteliers and choose a provider with a substantial support structure and a good reputation for providing excellent support.
Finally, if there’s something that you specifically need from the system, don’t just take a provider’s word that it can be done, make sure you see it for yourself.”
Steve Rycroft | Millennium Hotels and Resorts
“PMS systems are no longer solely about managing room inventory and generating guest bills on departure! The future of PMS systems need to have an emphasis on the ‘guest experience’. They need to be able to integrate a number of features that allow for direct guest communication, upsell services and products, build loyalty and add greater value to the guest experience.
We are seeing a rapidly changing landscape where guests can now self-check-in and select which room in the hotel they would like to stay in depending on view, location, and choice of room from an executive to a standard.
They can use their mobile device as a room key. With better integration they’ll be able to order items such as room service from their device and make onward travel reservations, whilst providing greater than ever seen before data about their unique preferences. PMS systems need to capture and act on these preferences to allow the next guest experience to be better than the last.”
