Essential applications for efficient hotel operations

Introduction: 

In the modern hospitality industry, hotels rely on a wide range of applications to streamline their operations and provide exceptional guest experiences. From managing reservations and guest profiles to optimizing revenue and enhancing customer relationships, these applications play a crucial role in the day-to-day functioning of hotels. In this article, we will explore some of the common applications used by hotels and their significance in the overall hotel management ecosystem. 

Property Management System (PMS): 

A Property Management System is the backbone of hotel operations. It enables hotels to handle various tasks such as reservations, check-ins/check-outs, guest profiles, room assignments, billing, and reporting. One widely used PMS is Opera PMS (Oracle Hospitality), available in both on-premises and cloud-based versions. 

Others are Hotelkey PMS, Amadeus PMS, Protel PMS, Infor HMS, Amadeus PMS, IDS Fortune NEXT PMS, Hotelogix PMS, Prologic PMS, StayNTouch PMS, Cloudbeds PMS, RMS Cloud PMS, Sabre SynXis Property Manager, eZee Absolute PMS and Shiji group CLOUD & MOBILE PMS and others. 

Customer Relationship Management (CRM): 

CRM systems help hotels maintain and nurture guest relationships. They facilitate personalized marketing campaigns, track guest preferences, and enable effective guest communication. Many hotels leverage CRM solutions such as Salesforce CRM to enhance their guest engagement strategies. 

Others are Cendyn CRM Suite, Oracle Hospitality CRM, Guestware CRM, Revinate CRM, Infor CRM, Amadeus Sales & Event Management CRM, Cloudbeds CRM, Hotel CRM by Pegasus, Guestfolio CRM, Sabre Guest Experience Management (GEM) CRM, Zoho CRM and others. 

Central Reservation System (CRS): 

CRSs allow hotels to manage and distribute their room inventory across multiple channels, including online travel agencies (OTAs), global distribution systems (GDS), and the hotel's website. Prominent CRS providers include SynXis CRS (Sabre Hospitality Solutions) and Amadeus Central Reservation System

Others are DHISCO (Rategain), CRS, TravelClick Central Reservation System, Pegasus CRS, EzRMS CRS, ResNet World CRS, Travel Tripper CRS and others. 

Revenue Management System (RMS): 

RMS tools assist hotels in optimizing pricing strategies and maximizing revenue by analyzing market demand and competitor rates. IDeaS is a popular RMS solution utilized by hotels to make data-driven revenue decisions.

Others are RateGain Revenue Management System, Infor EzRMS, Amadeus Revenue Management System, Duetto RMS, OTA Insight RMS, EzRMS by UniFocus and others. 

Point of Sale (POS) System: 

POS systems are essential for managing hotel restaurants, bars, and other outlets. They facilitate order processing, inventory management, billing, and reporting. Micros POS (Oracle Hospitality) is a widely recognized POS system used in the hotel industry.

Others are Infrasys (Shiji) POS, LS Retail, Aloha POS (NCR Corporation), Lightspeed Restaurant POS, Toast POS, Square for Restaurants, Revel POS, Squirrel POS, Clover POS, NCR Silver POS, Shawman (Now IDS), Posist and others. 

Online Booking Engine: 

An online booking engine allows guests to make direct reservations through the hotel's website. This application ensures a seamless booking experience and provides real-time availability information to potential guests.

Examples: SynXis Booking Engine (Sabre Hospitality Solutions), TravelClick iHotelier Booking Engine, Booking.com for Hotels (Booking.com), WebRezPro Online Booking Engine, Sabre Hospitality Solutions Booking Engine, SiteMinder Booking Engine, ResNexus Booking Engine, Rezdy Booking Engine, Cloudbeds Booking Engine, RMS Cloud Booking Engine and others 

Channel Manager: 

Channel management tools help hotels maintain rate parity, manage availability, and synchronize inventory across various distribution channels. SynXis Channel Manager (Sabre Hospitality Solutions) is prominent providers of channel management solutions.

Shiji Channel Manager (Sabre Hospitality Solutions), SiteMinder Channel Manager, OTA Insight Channel Manager, RateGain Channel Manager, eZee Centrix Channel Manager, Cloudbeds Channel Manager, Staah Channel Manager, DJUBO Channel Manager, RateTiger Channel Manager (eRevMax), Booking.com Channel Manager (Booking.com), Siteminder Channel Manager and others 

Online Reputation Management (ORM) System: 

ORM systems monitor and manage online reviews and reputation across various review platforms and social media channels. ReviewPro is a reputable ORM solution extensively used by hotels to monitor and enhance their online reputation.

Others are TrustYou, Revinate, Medallia, GuestRevu, RepUp, Reputation.com, Travel Feedback, BirdEye, Brand Karma, Guestfolio, ReviewTrackers and others. 

Accounting and Financial Systems: 

Hotels rely on accounting software for financial management, including invoicing, payroll, and general ledger functions. Sun is a well-known accounting software used by hotels for their financial operations. 

Examples: Sage Intacct, Oracle NetSuite, SAP Business One, Infor SunSystems, Maestro PMS Accounting, MYOB AccountRight, Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance, Scala, Alif, Hostbooks, Tally, QuickBooks and others. 

Human Resources Management System (HRMS): 

HRMS tools assist hotels in managing employee data, payroll, scheduling, performance evaluations, and training. These systems streamline HR processes and ensure efficient workforce management within the hotel.

Examples: Oracle HCM Cloud, SAP SuccessFactors, ADP Workforce Now, Workday HCM, Kronos Workforce Ready, PeopleSoft HCM, Dayforce HCM, IDS 

In addition to the above applications, hotels also utilize various IT governance, security, and general technology solutions, including: 

1. Cybersecurity measures to protect their IT infrastructure and guest data. 
2. Hotel IT security and network firewalls to ensure secure access and protect against potential threats. 
3. Data privacy tools to safeguard guest information and comply with data protection regulations. 
4. Utilization of SAAS (Software as a Service) and cloud technologies to enhance scalability and flexibility. 
5. Integration of Internet of Things (IoT) devices to enhance guest experiences and automate certain operations. 
6. Guest-facing technology is also crucial for hotels to deliver exceptional service. Some examples include:  

• Digital concierge services to provide personalized recommendations and assistance to guests.
• PBX (Private Branch Exchange) systems for efficient internal and external communication.
• Guest Wi-Fi (HSIA) to provide reliable internet access to guests throughout the hotel.
• Loyalty program systems to reward and retain loyal customers.
• In-room features such as IPTV and door-access systems to enhance guest convenience and comfort.

Conclusion: 

The applications mentioned above represent a selection of the common tools employed by hotels to streamline operations, enhance guest experiences, and drive revenue. However, it's important to note that the specific applications used may vary depending on the hotel's operational requirements and technological infrastructure. Embracing these advanced technologies enables hotels to stay competitive in a rapidly evolving industry and meet the ever-changing expectations of their guests.