Yes, you heard it right. This was the response to one of our polls last week. We asked hoteliers about their plans to embrace digitisation. And 62% said they would do it by migrating their operations to the cloud – a cloud-based hotel property management system. This blog will discuss why they want to adopt cloud-based Hotel PMS Systems.
#1: To save costs
Over the years, cloud-based Hotel PMS Systems have gained popularity in the global hotel industry, and for good reasons. The first and foremost is – cost savings.
Both standalone properties and hotel groups want to minimise their IT expenses. A cloud Hotel PMS eliminates the need for costly hardware and software investments. Instead, hotels can pay for the services they require on a subscription basis, allowing them to easily and quickly scale their IT infrastructure up or down without any upfront costs or ongoing maintenance expenses. Moreover, without any on-site IT infrastructure, they don’t even have to have a dedicated IT team, further slashing their expenditure. It is an excellent way for them to significantly reduce software ownership costs while still having access to essential technology and support necessary for success.
#2: To gain mobility
Today, mobility is crucial for hotels of any size and category to run a successful business. That’s why Cloud Hotel PMS is the perfect solution. Hotels can access the Hotel PMS on their smartphone or laptop over the web and track hotel positions and other relevant data from anywhere they want to. This means – be it a standalone property or hotel group – hoteliers can efficiently manage their operations from their smartphone or tablet, no matter where they are. A cloud-based hotel management system helps them check reservations, update room availability, and communicate with their staff. In a way, it improves their operational capabilities resulting in better performance.
#3: Address labour shortage issues
Staffing is a significant issue in the global hotel industry. It adversely impacts their business. And then, Covid like situations have only aggravated the condition. But there is still a solution to it. Hotels facing the issue of labour shortage can benefit from the implementation of Cloud Hotel PMS. This software automates numerous tasks that would otherwise require human resources, such as check-in and check-out procedures, room assignments, and billing. As a result, hotel staff can concentrate on delivering exceptional customer service instead of dealing with mundane administrative duties.
Another critical point is that a cloud Hotel PMS allows hotels to embrace remote work culture. For example, hotels can let non-guest-facing staff work remotely as they can securely access the Hotel PMS from anywhere. Moreover, a cloud Hotel PMS system is known for its ease of use. Hotel staff like it the most and are more likely to stay longer when you give them an easy-to-use property management system.
#4: To sell more rooms
Every hotel – independent or hotel group- wants to sell more rooms. That’s why 14% of the respondents in our poll wish to invest in a channel manager solution in the next six months. Now, talking about more sales – they can achieve it by integrating their Cloud Hotel PMS with a channel manager tool also on the cloud. It automatically updates a hotel’s rates and availability across multiple OTAs, saving time, reducing errors, and eliminating overbookings. The most significant benefit of this integration is – it increases a hotel’s online visibility and OTA rankings and helps them sell more rooms.
Direct room sales are crucial for hotels and can be achieved through their websites and Facebook pages using booking engines. Integrating a Hotel PMS and a booking engine can make this process highly efficient. With a booking engine on their website, hotels can enable guests to book directly, increasing direct sales. Moreover, this arrangement saves time and reduces errors by automating reservations, check-ins, and room assignment processes.
#5: To work with best-in-class hospitality solutions
Using a hotel property management system with multiple third-party hospitality solutions has many benefits. Adopting a Cloud Hotel PMS System makes sense in this context, as all other best-in-class third-party solutions are also on the cloud. The revenue management tool, online reputation management tool, point of sales, accounting and materials management tool – are all on the cloud. Other guest-facing technologies like keyless entry and contactless solutions are also on the cloud. That’s why it is easier for them to integrate with a cloud Hotel PMS for a seamless two-way data flow. When utilised together, these tools can significantly streamline operations across departments and improve the guest experience.
How are things looking for hotel groups?
Adopting a cloud-based Hotel PMS System with multi-property management capabilities is necessary for hotel groups. It automates and streamlines processes across all member properties while offering centralised control over group operations. By accessing various group-wide reports and a centralised guest history, hotel groups can gain invaluable insights into processes and guest data. Moreover, the system’s cloud-based multi-property management capabilities enable group hotels to swiftly add new properties and commence selling rooms, resulting in a significantly faster go-live time.
With this, we have concluded that the Cloud Hotel PMS System has become operationally imperative for hotels. From managing daily operations to selling more and serving guests, it helps them in everything. The trick lies in choosing the right one for your hotel’s unique needs.