A property management system can bring together all the disparate parts of your establishment so you have everything in the palm of your hand, freeing you up to interact with your guests, says Rosalind Mullen
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By Hannah Wright, product manager, Sage The hospitality sector is characterised by seasonal staff and temporary contracts, which means the workforce is often in a state of flux. That can make it difficult to maintain accurate and complete information and to communicate effectively. Internet (or cloud)
technologies can simplify communications in both directions. For example, businesses that offer flexible online tools for employees can not only save time by reducing admin, but also benefit from increased productivity. Functionality within a
payroll solution, such as online timesheets, allows employees to submit timesheet information online, streamlining the process. They can update the system with information almost anywhere, and at any time. Similarly, with online payslips, employees can download and print their payslips whenever they need them, using a secure self-service portal. Self-service is now a way of
life, from banking to shopping. It’s time to give your employees the same flexibility at work that they have at home.
36 | Technology Prospectus 2018 I
n today’s data-driven, competitive world, a property management system (PMS) is undoubtedly central to ensuring all aspects of your ever-complex hotel operations run efficiently. Advancements in technology mean it can now handle everything from check-in to check-out, including reservations, room man- agement, housekeeping, maintenance, payroll and, yes, even guest relations. “The term PMS, arguably, could be consid- ered obsolete, because it has evolved almost beyond recognition,” says Peter Agel, global segment leader – hospitality at Oracle Hospi- tality. “Today’s PMS serves as the central hub and platform for hotel operations. These sys- tems must be able to interface with a full range of functions, from telephony to customer rela- tionship management (CRM) platforms and reservation systems. They also need to inte- grate with back-office systems, such as accounting, finance and customer records. Just as importantly, PMS are playing a grow- ing role in guest interaction as they capture transactions, profiles, and enable guest-facing and staff-facing mobile applications.” But to really sharpen their game, progres- sive hotel operators are embracing cloud- based PMS. “This is a major advancement that accelerates innovation in an era when cost, scalability and security pose major hurdles,” says Agel. There are plenty of advantages (see page 22). Unlike conventional software models that require the capital expense of purchasing licences and hardware, the cloud is sold as a service, which means you can buy as little or as much computing capability as you need. It involves very little on-site maintenance and offers good security – essential in an age of cyber-attacks where the need to protect busi- ness and customer information is critical. This is in part because there is no single point of failure for continued service and protection,
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and it enables greater PCI compliance. And as these
advancements continue apace, one of the big sell- ing points of the cloud is that it is easy to add new soft- ware. There are hundreds of third-party solutions that can connect to a PMS – from tills to spas, Wi-Fi systems and channel management – and new systems are constantly being developed. Your PMS needs to make that new connectiv- ity as easy as possible – open API documents should be available for new suppliers to connect to the PMS seamlessly. More importantly, while a PMS allows you to automate administra- tion, a cloud-based PMS goes fur- ther, allowing all staff to access essential information wherever they are: “The ability for PMS to capitalise on mobility, untether- ing staff to provide a personalised service to guests wherever they may be – and integrate with third-party innovations to accommodate guests’ ever-changing needs are significant advancements,” says Agel. Calum McIndoe, sales director at
Infor, agrees: “New PMS solutions come with a built-in app for mobile devices these days, so users no longer need to be tied to a desk or office. These apps will include mobile check-in and out, so guests don’t necessarily have to be at a hotel front desk. It can also provide house- keepers with real-time data and real-time
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