What challenges do Independent Hoteliers face when selecting a Property Management System (PMS)?
If you happen to be an independent Hotelier then the field is wide open and the PMS choice is entirely yours. You may select from any of the property management systems available and there are many to choose from. You may find however that your resource pool is small or non-existent, especially if you are new to the business. You may not have past experience with the PMS selection process even if you have plenty of Hotel Management experience.
Brands and Hotel Franchisors have the resources and people with experience that the independent Hotelier may not. Choosing a PMS is daunting enough, but when you throw in the need to select and purchase other systems such as Point of Sale for your Restaurant, Telephone Call Accounting Systems, PBX Systems, Global Distributions Systems and On-line Booking Engines, the task becomes huge.
Perhaps you have some of those systems already in place and need to make sure they are compatible and will interface with the new PMS.
In the case of brands or franchises, the Franchisor has typically selected and mandated a property management system that is to be used in all of the hotels that carry their brand name. The work is already done with regards to the evaluation process as there is no option to select a property management system other than the mandated system. The decision has been made for the Hotelier and business needs already have been taken into consideration.
Other systems that interface with the Property Management System may also have been selected by the Franchisor, such as Point of Sales systems for Restaurants and Global Distribution System providers. This simplifies the systems process for the Hotelier or Management Company immensely.
Mid range brand Franchisors may offer a choice of 2 or 3 approved, mandated systems to choose from, so that narrows the playing field.
Membership brands may not mandate a system and give their members the choice of selecting any system they wish or provide a short list of systems that their members prefer, which again helps in the process.
With the independent Hotelier in mind, I began writing articles to provide information to assist with the task of choosing a Property Management System for their lodging business. The goal is to arm these Hoteliers with information they require to begin the process and gain a better understanding of what it entails.
I appreciate your feedback. If you have questions you need help with, drop me a line. If you have information to share, please do, as it will benefit many.
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Best Regards,
Jeff Sefton
property management system evaluation
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