Battling inefficient hotel management systems and processes takes time and focus away from guest service. Without the right technology, your property could stand out for all the wrong reasons — like long check-in lines, generic service and archaic amenities — or, at best, be just another run-of-the-mill hotel.
To be something special and stand out for all the right reasons, a property needs smart technology at the heart of operations. We’re talking about technology that streamlines processes, allows you to reach your customers online, and empowers you to personalize guest service and make smarter decisions.
A cloud property management system (PMS) can help a property stand out in all the ways mentioned above. Let’s look more closely at how:
Streamlines Operations for Smoother Service
From automating guest email communications to integrations with online distribution channels and other core systems, a cloud PMS makes daily processes more efficient by removing manual steps that take up too much of your time.
But perhaps the most impactful characteristic of a cloud PMS when it comes to productivity and guest service is mobility. Cloud PMS are optimized for mobile devices, meaning the system can be seamlessly accessed from a desktop, tablet PC or even a smartphone. Such mobility frees staff from the bounds of the front desk so that they can attend to guests and operational issues more efficiently.
Take, for example, WebRezPro PMS’ paperless check-in feature, which allows guests to sign registration cards digitally on a tablet, streamlining the check-in process (and saving paper!) and impressing guests. The Mobile Housekeeping Report is another popular cloud PMS application that improves productivity and inter-staff communication by enabling housekeepers to view and update room status from their mobile device as they work, and providing front desk staff with real-time information about which rooms are ready for guests.
Working with inefficient systems causes hotel staff frustration and stress and takes focus away from guests. Staff are much happier working with modern, efficient technology that supports them with the tools they need to deliver great guest service. By automating processes and being accessible on the go, a cloud PMS helps to bring the best out of your staff — and it’s that friendly, efficient service that makes a property stand out.
Expands Online Reach
Cloud PMS offer direct online booking engines that can be incorporated into any (and every) page of a property’s own website, greatly increasing booking accessibility; customers shopping online from anywhere in the world can easily make a reservation as soon as they are ready.
The simple convenience of an easy online booking process is appreciated by customers, and the better the engine, the more you stand out. Consider booking options or add-ons, such as cots, wine, roses and tours, which can be added to reservations with a single click during the room booking process, allowing customers to effortlessly personalize their stay. Even if a customer doesn’t opt for extras, they’ll take a mental note of the ability to do so.
Through direct integration with third-party distribution channels (like Expedia and Booking.com), cloud PMS centralize and automate management of channel inventory, rates and reservations data through the PMS, making effective online distribution more accessible to small properties — and, therefore, expanding online visibility.
Even guest email communications, which can be automated via a PMS to ensure no guest is missed, can help to expand online visibility. WebRezPro PMS’ integrations with Revinate Post-Stay Surveys and guest communications system Guestfolio provide automated delivery of post-stay guest surveys, which can be submitted directly to TripAdvisor to boost online visibility and reputation. Simply including links (or social icons) to your social media pages in email templates can also help boost your online presence by increasing customer engagement online.
Through direct online bookings, seamless integrations with online distribution channels, and automated guest email communications, cloud PMS help your property stand out online.
Powers Personalization for Stand-Out Service
Cloud PMS offer numerous features that help hoteliers personalize and enhance the guest experience.
Detailed guest profiles and integrations with other hotel systems (such as CRM, POS, in-room entertainment systems and concierge apps) enable cloud PMS to break down the data silos of yore, to provide hoteliers with centralized, more accessible guest data that can be more effectively used to inform smarter marketing decisions and more personalized guest service.
In addition to empowering staff to provide personalized service during a guest’s stay, easy access to rich guest data allows lodging operators to target guest email communications more effectively, design packages that are truly relevant to their customers, and to implement loyalty programs that offer their guests real value — all of which enhance guest service… and all of which can be managed through a cloud PMS like WebRezPro.
And then there are features like booking options (mentioned above) — which provide customers with an instant and easy way to customize their own stay experience at the time of booking — and paperless check-in (also mentioned above) that impress guests by facilitating efficient yet personalized service.
Going back to mobility; with the PMS in the palm of their hands, hotel staff have instant access to guest data as well as housekeeping, maintenance and guest requests logged in the system, enabling them to tend to service issues in a much more timely and informed manner.
It’s that kind of personalized, attentive service that gives a property the “wow” factor.
Informs Business Strategy to Stand Out in the Market
One of the advantages of a cloud PMS is accessibility to data, and the breadth of reports that can be generated at the click of a button. When PMS data is used as the foundation of operational and marketing strategies, it has the power to drive reservations and boost revenue.
Look for a PMS that provides all the necessary reporting for your property — revenue and occupancy reports, reservation reports, ADR and RevPAR, booking sources, rate/pricing reports, accounting reports, etc. — and includes a custom reporting feature that allows you to pull very specific data as required.
The rich data contained within a PMS can be used to inform overall business strategy in many ways. Guest data can tell you who spends the most and who keeps coming back so that you can design marketing efforts and packages to better target the demographic of your best customers. Reservation reports will show you things like which rooms and rates are selling fastest. Online booking engine analytics will reveal conversions through your website, providing insight on the effectiveness of your website and booking widget. Review booking sources to discover your most profitable channels and optimize distribution spend. Rate reports expose pricing patterns used to make revenue management decisions (PMS with revenue management system integration offer more advanced, automated yield management). The list goes on.
Centralizing data, cloud PMS make analysing the numbers easier. Comprehensive reporting functionality arms lodging operators with the information they need to gain a clear view of operations, marketing and finances, and to implement smarter strategies for more effective results that can really make a property stand out in the market.
