Property management systems
The first thing that strikes you about PMS, or property management systems, is that they're really complicated things. This, of course, can make buying one a laborious task, especially for anyone daunted and confused by technology. But it needn't be that difficult. The key to a successful purchase is to make sure you know exactly what you need, then finding someone to make it happen for you.
What exactly is a property management system?
A PMS is the computer system that links together all the different parts of your hotel. It can be used to gather information from all those systems, such as the phones, restaurant and bar, to calculate guests' bills and monitor stock and even staff performance.
What should I do first?
As with any major purchase, the first step is to go and see what everyone else is using. Go to establishments similar to your own and see what systems they use. What do they do? Ask questions. Perhaps a helpful manager will let you know the pros and cons of the system they use.
Get on the Internet and do as much research as you can. Find out about relevant trade exhibitions and visit them to see what the latest kit is and talk informally to the salesmen.
Once you've got straight in your mind what's out there, sit down and make a list of all your requirements. What exactly do you want a PMS system to do in your hotel?
For example:
- integrate with door locks using a key-card system
- connect to the phone system
- monitor sales at the bar
- plug into the reservations system to check availability
- connect to the hotel's Web site
- allow customers to check their bills on the TV in their rooms
- store data on all your customers
- connect to the pay-per-view TV
The PMS can be thought of as a hotel's nervous system and the more places it connects to and the more functions it has, the better.
What will it cost me?
As with most IT applications it's almost impossible to give a definite price here. It all depends on the size of your business and the functions you want your system to fulfil.
The simplest PMS need be no more than a standard PC at reception with the specialised software loaded onto it. This can be used to manually key in bar or phone bills, for example, when the guest checks out.
The functions may be the same as a sophisticated PMS system, but it's not linked to the bar or phone automatically. This is obviously very time-consuming, and can make the checkout procedure very dull for the guest.
A PMS system that integrates seamlessly with all the other systems in the hotel can cost a fortune and is one of the major investments a property can make.
Can I buy a PMS off the shelf?
It is possible with the simplest PMS systems to buy software and load it on to a PC, but in reality, for anyone wanting more than this, some customisation will be needed.
For example, you may want your phone system to connect to the PMS, but the phones may use some old network that requires an expert to adapt it.
These functions and connections all come at a price, of course. It all depends how far up the ladder of sophistication you want to go.
What you probably will need is a network of computers and, annoyingly, this will often require a separate supplier to the one providing the PMS.
What should I be asking the salesmen?
Take your list of requirements and functions and score each from one to five, with five being the most important. Then go through the list with your salesman and find out whether the system he's selling fulfils each one. You want to find the system that requires the lowest level of compromise, especially on the list items that score four or five.
There are plenty of other things that you should ask the salesman about, for example:
- What are the details of the warranty?
- Is there a helpdesk? What hours is it open?
- What happens if I have a problem at 8.00am on a Sunday morning with a hotel full of customers trying to check out?
- What happens with systems upgrades?
- Do I pay an annual maintenance fee?
In other words, always ask the salesman what happens if it all goes wrong. They'll often say things like "Oh well, I've never known our system to go wrong". Don't believe them. Even the best and most expensive systems go wrong sometimes.
If you do have a separate supplier for your network of computers, ask them the same questions. Get your PC supplier and your PMS supplier to talk to each other and try to anticipate any problems.
Conclusion
Buying a PMS is potentially a very expensive exercise and the technology can be very complicated.
But ultimately to you, the hotelier, it doesn't matter what's going on under the bonnet. Your concerns should be about whether it does the job you want it to. Your only worries with the technology should be: who fixes it, how quickly it can be fixed, and how much, if anything, that will cost.
Ask the right questions, don't take "no" for an answer, and shop around.
Produced by caterer.com and Genesys - the travel technology consultants.
