The property management system (PMS) is at the heart of operations, driving efficiency and productivity across all hotel departments, but it's rarely a lone wolf when it comes to hotel technology. Even small hotels operate with numerous tech systems, including payment processing systems, electronic locks and online sales channels. Together with the PMS, all of these systems are key to serving guests and rely on some of the same data: Guest credit card payments are processed through a payment gateway and also recorded in the PMS; key cards and digital keys are encoded using reservation information through the locking system; and OTA bookings must be entered into the PMS and inventory adjusted on your OTA channels. When these systems operate in silos, your staff must act as intermediaries and manually duplicate data across systems, which is time-consuming and prone to human error.
You know what they say about teamwork ? well, that goes for your hotel technology too. Direct integration allows your PMS to work with your other hotel systems to automate processes and save hotel staff a lot of time. Here are six key PMS integrations that further improve operational efficiency so you and your team spend less time behind a computer and more time delivering an even better guest experience.
Channel management
Third-party distribution channels, including GDS , OTA and metasearch channels , are a critical part of almost every hotel's distribution strategy. With their large advertising budgets and wide reach, these purpose-built travel aggregators make accommodations more visible online and bring in a large share of bookings. If your online distribution channels are not connected to your PMS, the availability and prices of your accommodation must be updated manually for each of these channels, and reservations received through them must be entered manually into your PMS. This is an ongoing and time-consuming task with a high risk of overbooking if availability is not updated quickly enough.
But there's a better way. Two-way integration between a hotel's PMS and the distributor automates this important process, eliminating the need to manually duplicate data and improving accuracy. Integration allows the PMS to automatically transfer assigned inventory to the distributor, including inventory updates and overrides. When a reservation is made through a distribution partner, reservation data is automatically sent to the PMS and availability is automatically adjusted across all connected channels. Say goodbye to overbooking and welcome more time for your guests!
Payment processing
If your lodging accepts card payments, work with a payment gateway , which securely transmits the guest's payment information to the payment processing network. If your payment gateway is not integrated with your PMS, approved transactions must be manually posted to reservations in the PMS, slowing down the check-in/check-out process. With payment gateway integration, payment information entered into the booking form is automatically sent through the payment processing network and transactions are automatically posted to the PMS in real time.
Not only that, but payment gateway integration also increases security with point-to-point encryption and tokenization to protect credit card data from hackers and keep credit card numbers out of the PMS to ensure PCI compliance. If you want to accept online payments through your accommodation's website, payment gateway integration is a must for an automated and secure online booking process and contactless check-in experience.
Payment gateway integration simplifies payments, authorizations and refunds, and improves security. It is one of the most important PMS integrations for any property.
Room Access
Integrating electronic locks and digital keys simplifies access management and speeds up the check-in process . Key cards have been widely used in all hotel segments for decades. Times are now changing and more properties are converting to digital (mobile) key solutions. Either way, let's take a look at how integrating your room access solution with your PMS makes life easier at the front desk.
Keycard integration allows keycards to be encoded and managed directly through the PMS, which stores relevant reservation data (room number, length of stay, etc.).) automatically sends to the keycard system. This means that front desk staff no longer need to manually enter this information into the key card system, but simply swipe the card to encode it.
If your accommodation uses a keyless entry solution (mobile keys or keypad locks), integration with the PMS automates the handover of keys to the guest at check-in. In this case, the PMS automatically sends reservation data to your keyless entry solution, which then generates a mobile key or key code for the guest, automatically activates the key at check-in and deactivates it at check-out.
Whether you want to implement a seamless contactless check-in experience or streamline check-in at the front desk, integrating your PMS with your locking system is key (pun intended).
Point of Sale (POS)
In addition to the PMS, a point-of-sale system is essential for properties with an on-site restaurant. These core systems are a great example of two systems working better together. With no connection between the two, restaurant charges to be applied to a guest's room must be communicated at the front desk and manually added to the reservation sheet in PMS. This manual process not only adds another administrative task to your front desk's to-do list, but is also prone to human error and billing discrepancies that can lead to unhappy guests and lost revenue.
If the POS system is integrated with the PMS, the software will do this for you in real time. When a guest wants to book a meal to their room, the transaction is entered into the POS system, which is ? About integration ? Automatically queries the PMS to verify guest status, room number and credit authorization limit. When the charge is approved, the POS system automatically posts the charge to the reservation sheet in PMS.
Automating the booking process from restaurant charges to reservations with a PMS and POS integration not only saves hotel staff time, but also ensures billing accuracy, reduces customer complaints and prevents lost revenue.
Revenue Management
The unprecedented market environment caused by the pandemic has led many hotels to revenue management software (RMS) to better navigate and optimize room rates. By continuously consolidating and analyzing hotel and market data to create price recommendations based on sophisticated algorithms, automated RMSs improve demand forecasting and take the guesswork out of the pricing process, saving hotel operators a lot of time sifting through data and trying to predict the future.
Integrated with the PMS, the combined solution saves even more time. PMS data (including reservations, inventory and availability) is a critical part of the revenue management equation and must be updated in the RMS in a timely and ongoing manner. Without integration, this task is the responsibility of ? You guessed it ? You or your employees. But when your PMS and RMS are connected, all relevant PMS data is automatically passed to the RMS via transaction-level integration for optimal forecasting accuracy, pricing and inventory control. Accepted price recommendations generated by the RMS must in turn be updated to the PMS, and the integration can do this as well.
Both the PMS and RMS increase efficiency and revenue independently, but together they make an even more powerful team.
SMS / guest messaging
The pandemic also accelerated the adoption of messaging/SMS applications for guests to meet the need for clear communication and contactless services. Mobile messaging is the preferred means of communication for many guests, but if not properly integrated into hotel operations, it can be inefficient and lead to customer dissatisfaction.
How can staff find the time to manage a different communication channel? A successful guest messaging strategy depends on PMS integration. Integration between a guest messaging platform and PMS automatically sends real-time reservation data to the messaging application to trigger personalized routine text messages to guests prior to arrival, at check-in, during their stay and at departure, as determined by the lodging facility. Incoming messages and requests from guests are automatically matched with the guest's reservation information to identify the guest and resolve issues faster.
As guest messaging becomes an increasingly common communication channel for hotels, integration with PMS maximizes efficiency by automating routine communications and ensuring no guest is overlooked.
Hotel technology is designed to increase productivity and revenue, and just like people, your hotel systems can work better together to reach their full potential.