Revolutionizing Hotel PMS: A Guest-Centric Approach
The hospitality industry has seen remarkable changes over the past 50 years, yet the core functionality of Property Management Systems (PMS) has remained surprisingly consistent. The lack of new functionality is because the fundamental processes of running a hotel — managing bookings, assigning rooms, handling billing — have largely remained the same. However, how hotels execute these processes has evolved significantly, driven by a greater focus on the guest experience and the guests' adoption of technology, such as smartphones.
This blog post explores the need for a paradigm shift in Property Management Systems (PMS) within the hospitality industry. It emphasizes the importance of adopting a guest-centric approach to PMS development, empowering guests to take control of their hotel experience and personalize their stay.
From Phone Calls to Clicks: The Changing Booking Landscape
In the past, hotel reservations were primarily made through phone calls, requiring a robust booking management system within the PMS. Today, guests predominantly book online through various platforms, rendering the traditional booking process within the PMS less critical. Instead, seamless integration with online booking systems has become essential to ensure real-time updates and accurate availability.
Similarly, automated Revenue Management Systems (RMS) and channel managers have replaced hotel staff manual rate updates. These systems optimize pricing strategies based on real-time market data, freeing staff to focus on guest service.
The Rise of Cloud-Based PMS and Open APIs
The advent of cloud-based PMS solutions has revolutionized hotel technology management. Cloud-based systems reduce maintenance costs and enhance data security by eliminating the need for on-site servers. Open APIs (Application Programming Interfaces) have also enabled seamless integration with various third-party systems, allowing hotels to leverage valuable data for personalized guest experiences and informed decision-making.
While technological advancements have undoubtedly improved hotel operations, the focus has often been on internal processes rather than the guest experience. There are currently hundreds of PMS vendors worldwide, each offering a range of solutions tailored to different hospitality industry segments. They all have the same functionality, and new entrants in the market continue to develop the same functionality to catch up with the large players. No new vendor has developed a hotel PMS with a guest-first approach to create a modern PMS that prioritizes the guest's needs and desires.
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The Guest-Centric PMS: A Paradigm Shift
Imagine a PMS that empowers guests to take control of their entire hotel experience. From booking and check-in to room service and check-out, guests can manage everything through a user-friendly interface, similar to how online banking has transformed personal finance. This guest-centric approach would enhance convenience and foster a sense of autonomy and personalization. Guest should be able to:
Continue to read about why this is not going to happen anytime soon: https://www.demandcalendar.com/blog/revolutionizing-hotel-pms-a-guest-centric-approach
The Hesitancy of Hoteliers: A Barrier to Guest-Centric Innovation
Building a guest-centric PMS is not as technologically challenging as one might think. The genuine hurdle lies in the hoteliers' resistance to change and reluctance to relinquish control.
The Future of Hotel PMS
The evolution of Property Management Systems is an ongoing process driven by hoteliers' ambition to improve productivity rather than make staying in hotels easier for guests.
Physicist and Developer
3 个月We’ve just implemented a new cloud-based software designed specifically for hotels with over 200 rooms, as well as hotel chains. Our solution allows you to manage guest requests, complaints, and room status from anywhere, at any time. We’re excited to share it with hotel industry experts and gather your valuable feedback. If you're interested, you can book a demo here: https://en.innosynch.com/contact
Front Desk Manager at Canfranc Estación, a Royal Hideaway Hotel
5 个月Great advice!
AVP - Hospitality Tech Evangelist at Jio, Product Leader, CTO, Hospitality & Travel tech Expert, Ex-Cleartrip
5 个月Great insights with a right caveat - "The genuine hurdle lies in the hoteliers' resistance to change and reluctance to relinquish control.". Its absolutely true. Hoteliers are very shy of investing in technology/adapting new, but they are ready to spend unlimited on the real estate.
Coming from the ”other” side and having experienced hundreds of RFP processes hotels and chains are conducting for PMS and tech stacks, I am often baffled that there aren’t more people and companies that help hotels in finding the right combination of guest centric technology and the other bits and bobs they need. I am often confronted with the question “who do we ask?”. “Who knows”, “how will this work”, and my favorite: “”will it work?”. I think tech suppliers spend more time on marketing and self-promotion than on educating, while competing in tight market. No wonder hotel operators are confused and go for the “safe” option
I help hospitality leaders solve commercial challenges by leveraging the subject matter experts at ComOps | Father of 3 & CEO at ComOps | Emerging Leader of Gaming 40 Under 40 Class of 2023
5 个月Great insights here. The team at ComOps and I have helped a number of clients migrate or launch a new PMS in the past year. It is incredible how far along these systems have come. In particular the UI has been greatly improved to make front desk, contact center, and other departments jobs easier. This enables those team members to spend less time in a system and more time building a relationship with their guest.