Digitalization has completely changed the way people understand travel, especially when it comes to finding and booking accommodation. Location, hospitality and physical amenities remain essential decision criteria; however, travelers also expect a seamless experience from the moment they book to the moment they leave, and this is impossible to deliver without the right technology tools.
We analyze what these tools are, and what minimum considerations should be taken into account when selecting them.
1. Hotel Management System (PMS o Property Management System)
The PMS is the core of any hotel operation. It allows you to manage reservations, register guests, manage room inventory, process payments and generate reports. It also facilitates internal communication between different departments, such as reception, cleaning and maintenance.
Basic functionalities of a PMS
- It allows you to manage all reservations, whether made by phone, email, in person or through online booking channels.
- Facilitates the process by capturing personal information, contact details and special preferences.
- Provides an up-to-date inventory of all hotel rooms, including availability, room types and rates.
- It allows you to check-in & check-outguests quickly and efficiently, generating invoices and receipts as needed.
- It allows defining and managing different ratesaccording to season, demand and other factors, as well as applying discounts and promotions.
- It facilitates the processing of payments, whether by cash, credit card or other forms of payment, and securely records transaction details.
- Provides detailed reportson occupancy, revenue, booking trends and other relevant data for management decision making.
- It allows you to manage group and event reservations,, assigning specific rooms, coordinating additional services and generating consolidated contracts and invoices.
The PMS must facilitate integration with other software that performs specific tasks, as we will see in the following points. In addition, it must have a user-friendly interface that allows hotel employees to navigate through the different functionalities efficiently, and meet data security standards and comply with privacy regulations to protect sensitive guest information.
Registro de Huéspedes is used when the Tourist Accommodation does not have a PMS.
2. Software check-in online
Online check-in software is an extremely useful tool for speeding up the guest check-in process in hotels and tourist accommodations. Not only does it improve the guest experience by providing a faster and more convenient check-in process, but it also helps reduce queues at the front desk and minimize physical contact.
What are the advantages of an online check-in system?
- Improve customer experience: Facilitates management and improve their perception of our hotel or tourist accommodation.
- It reduce low value-added tasks, and allows hotel staff to focus on better welcoming and serving the traveler.
- Reduce errors in data capture, as it is a 100% digital and automated process.
- Improve data history for strategic decision making.
The online check-in system is integrated with the PMS to facilitate the management and centralization of information.
3. Channel Manager
Nowadays almost all hotels and tourist accommodations use third-party platforms to promote themselves. A channel manager facilitates the management and distribution of rooms across multiple online booking channels, such as Booking.com, Expedia, Airbnb and others. For example, it automates the updating of availability and rates in real time on all booking websites, avoiding the risk of overbooking and maximizing occupancy.
Integrates with the Hotel Management System (PMS)of the hotel or accommodation to ensure consistent management of reservations and availability across all systems.
4. Revenue Management System (RMS)
An RMS helps establish optimal room rates, taking into account factors such as seasonal demand, local events and competition. It uses advanced algorithms to maximize revenue and profitability by dynamically adjusting rates.
For example, it takes into account the analysis of historical data on bookings, occupancy, rates and other relevant factors to understand past trends, which allows forecasting future demand, taking into account factors such as seasonality, local events, market trends and consumer behavior. It also helps optimize rates for different market segments, dates and room types, among other functions. As in the case of the channel manager, it must be able to be integrated into the PMS.
5. Online reservation management software.
A online booking system offers guests the possibility to book rooms directly through the hotel or accommodation’s own website, thus increasing direct bookings and reducing commissions paid to intermediaries. Many people prefer to book directly with the accommodations to avoid these intermediaries and commissions, and the booking system makes it easy for them to book on the spot at any time and from anywhere in the world.
6. Customer Relationship Management System (CRM)
ACRM centralizes guest information and preferences, allowing you to offer personalized service and improve loyalty. For example, you can send automated emails, personalized promotions and booking reminders to enhance the customer experience. This system is especially interesting if we have recurring guests such as families who travel every year to the same place, or business travelers who stay with us on a regular basis. Having information about them will allow us to offer them personalized services and recommendations, and build their loyalty.
The hotel software mentioned above is becoming more and more essential. But there are also other softwares that we can value if we want to digitize our hotel or tourist accommodation more completely, such as a Point of Sale system (POS), to charge for additional services such as restaurant, bar or spa services; a marketing automation software, to create segmented email campaigns, manage social networks and analyze the performance of marketing strategies; or a asset and maintenance management software, this allows us to maintain the facilities in optimal conditions.
In any case, investing in the right software can make the difference in operational efficiency and customer satisfaction in a hotel or tourist accommodation, as digitalization is unstoppable in this sector.
