Do I Need a Property Management System?
In a business like hospitality, things can get unorganized, very quickly. Without the proper tools to guide you and keep you organized, your hotel business becomes an incomprehensible mess of reservations, valet information, cancellations, local events, scheduling, and employee information. Thankfully for you, there is a form of technological wizard that can be right at your fingertips to keep the many gears of your company turning. Whether you manage a five star location in the heart of a booming downtown, or a charming bed and breakfast situated in a romantic getaway destination, there are important benefits of property management systems that you should consider.
Firstly, if you own a cluster or series of hotels, a property management system can help you communicate quickly and easily with your nearby locations. For example, if one location is overbooked, you can quickly fire off a request to your next nearest location to immediately book five rooms to accommodate for your overbooked guests. This will increase your numbers of client loyalty and your hospitality ratings, instead of simply refunding the guests and turning them away. With a property management system, the front desk attendees, concierges, and managers of each location can rapidly communicate large groups looking for lodging, inclement weather approaching, and system downs or emergencies.
Another one of the many benefits of property management systems is that you can take your concierge service to the next level. Especially if your lodging is in a foreign or popular tourist destination, your guests will be pleased to have easy access to night life options, transportation, and the best dining your city can offer. A state of the art concierge service can show your guests pictures of local sightseeing sights, reviews of the nearby entertainment, and perhaps even book events for the guests quickly and with ease. Even if your concierge is friendly, great customer service is not enough to instill guest loyalty anymore; your concierge platform should be fast, interactive, and informative.
Arguably one of the most important benefits of property management systems in this day and age is when it gives your clients the ability to do things via their mobile devices. In fact, almost half of travelers will decline to book a hotel if they cannot do it online, which is a significant portion of your guest base and revenue. The right property management system will provide your clients with a mobile service that is user friendly, up to date, and clear on the hotel’s policies like pets, smoking, and cancellations.
Finally, if you struggle to keep your staff information organized, you may find significant use in the employee retention benefits of property management systems. Many systems provide a platform that has an easy to use schedule builder and employee file storage capacity. To ensure that your hotel is never understaffed, these scheduling platforms can send the staff roster each day to your employees via email or text, as well as frequent reminders of mandatory work days and undermanned shifts.
Your business is likely your pride and joy, and someone in the market of hospitality relies heavily on their guest experience for their profits and longevity of their establishment. For that reason, you can’t afford to not install a property management system in your hotel today.
