Your property management system (PMS) is the command center of your property from which day-to-day operations are carried out and data is stored from across departments. It encompasses everything busy hoteliers administer, from reservations and guest communication to housekeeping and accounting. Modern PMS are packed with features to streamline operations and enhance guest service. Here are the most crucial:
Online Booking Engine
An online booking engine attached to your PMS enables you to accept direct reservations without manual double entry and the risk of errors that entails. With it, you can also avoid the steep commissions charged by OTAs and maintain full control of your guest’s data when they book, empowering you to send relevant promotional offers and develop long-term relationships.
Interactive Tape Chart
An interactive tape chart allows you to view availability and manage reservations from a single calendar screen. Users can create, open, and edit reservations and move them easily via drag-and-drop functionality. WebRezPro even allows you to apply rack-rate overrides and closeouts directly from the tape chart.
Guest Profiles
Guest profiles are key to managing relationships and building loyalty. Storing guest data—including contact information, reservation history, reward points, preferences, and more—they provide you with the information you need to personalize the stay experience. WebRezPro automatically creates profiles whenever a reservation is made for a new guest.
Automated Guest Communication
No hotelier has the time to manually send every guest confirmations, updates, promotions, check-in instructions, etc. This is why a strong PMS needs automated email templates that can be set to send on a specific date, for instance, the day before arrival. Emails should be automatically personalizable based on reservation data, including room and rate type, so that you can deliver the right message at the right time to the right person.
Payment Processing
Whether for an overnight stay or ancillary services, payments should be processed and recorded directly in your PMS to save time, prevent manual errors, and improve security. Accurate billing is a pillar of any business, the lack of which results in dissatisfied guests and a faulty picture of your finances. Look for a PMS with integrated, PCI-compliant payment processing to make managing payments—both online and on site—easy and safe for both guests and staff.
Housekeeping
Though the hospitality industry has been rapidly evolving in recent years with heightened guest expectations and the advent of new technology, housekeeping is still as important as ever with guests continuing to prioritize cleanliness. Interactive schedules, live status updates, and step-by-step checklists ensure that nothing falls through the cracks. Better still if this information is available in a mobile-friendly format so that staff can access it on the go.
Reporting
A complete record of your property’s finances, including core accounting reports such as the general ledger and chart of accounts, is necessary in your PMS to inform key strategic decisions that allow your property to prosper.
Beyond financial records, your PMS must also offer flexible reporting features that track key performance indicators and booking patterns. Because the most important metrics may vary by property, WebRezPro comes with a custom report that empowers clients to take a deep dive into the numbers most necessary for their unique accommodation.
Rate Management
Your rates must shift regularly to keep up with the market and protect your bottom line. You won’t charge the same amount season to season or even day to day (for example, weekend dates may cost more).
A robust PMS enables you to automate rate shifts in response to real-time availability changes, maximizing revenue opportunities. Rate management tools should also allow you to create a variety of rate types, including standard, package, and weekly rates, as well as negotiated, corporate, and discount rates. Manual override features should be available in addition to automation so that clerks can make adjustments if they deem it necessary for a specific day or case.
Your PMS should also facilitate automated channel management by integrating with OTA and GDS systems so that rate and availability changes are immediately reflected across all connected channels, eliminating manual data entry and reducing the risk of double bookings.
Ancillary Sales
A significant percentage of a hotelier’s revenue comes from sources other than room nights, and your PMS must give you the ability to sell and track these ancillary products and services, such as food and beverage, spa, parking, etc. In WebRezPro, incidental charges can be added to reservations during the booking process or after, and can even be sold independently of bookings using point-of-sale invoices. Sales are automatically tracked in our products/services report.
Self Check-in
Since the pandemic, self check-in has become increasingly popular with guests as it allows them to skip the lobby line and avoid any germs. It also reduces your team’s workload at a time many hotels are experiencing a staffing shortage. When connected to a keyless entry solution, your PMS should enable guests to complete every step of the check-in process themselves and create this win-win.
Security
The most feature-rich PMS does you no good if malfactors are able to access it as well. When assessing solutions, ask about security precautions and be sure your chosen system includes protections such as two-factor authentication, PCI compliance, and TLS/SSL certification. Hospitality fraud is on the rise, making robust security measures more vital than ever.
Mobile Accessibility
A modern PMS should be accessible to authorized personnel from any internet-connected device, whether they’re at home or on the go around your property. The ability to access data remotely frees staff from the front desk or back office so that they can work efficiently and address any issues as soon as they occur.
Ultimately, your PMS is designed to streamline operations and automate daily tasks, carving out more time for staff to create meaningful guest experiences. Use this list of critical features to ensure your PMS equips your business with the tools it needs to boost your bottom line and stay competitive. Contact us to see WebRezPro in action.
