To understand more about Property management systems, we need to know what kind of PMS can we choose to have in a hotel. First, we have traditionally installed onsite PMS, and we have a cloud-based PMS. An onsite system, or a local PMS, is something that must be installed at your property on a local server and physically stays on that server. On the other side, a cloud PMS is stored online, and all you need to access it is an internet connection and your login details.
Cloud PMS, even though it is a simpler and more flexible solution is still behind in the number of users. Most of the hoteliers still choose traditionally installed onsite PMS, but soon numbers will be different.
What did we learn from 2020?
You need to have a flexible online solution! Stay at home, while guests are looking for their weekend escape, which gives you an opportunity to control your sales in real-time. For that, you need to have a channel manager integrated inside of your PMS. If you are still using an onsite PMS, we have bad news for you, your lack of flexibility is taking away potential revenue.
Reduced costs with faster implementation
One of the main reasons that switching to a new property management system can take so much time is if technical experts have to travel to your hotel and install complicated systems onsite. It can take weeks to get the setup correct, and the additional costs (flights, hotel rooms, etc.) are usually carried by the hotelier.
While with cloud PMS you won’t have those costs, you will have an opportunity to get a faster implementation with fewer costs. Particularly in a time of increased safety regarding social distancing, this is a huge benefit as it eliminates needless complications and means you can get things done faster, and more safely.
No more maintenance fee, and additional costs! Nothing onsite means no maintenance costs or expensive calls when there’s a glitch in the system, and you need help to solve that. Cloud PMS can be accessed from any point, and it helps customer support to be more effective in finding and resolving problems.
Data security & updates
Onsite PMS can be physically broken, or destroyed in case of fire, floods, or other disasters. Also, it can be easily hacked with phishing schemes or virtually infected with a virus, those are regular dangers when you have something installed on your computer and servers.
Any good cloud-based PMS will use one of the industry’s most advanced service providers, which always comes with the most advanced levels of security that are continually monitored and improved
You got a great idea, or would like to see some changes in the next update? Remember all that hassle and problems with onsite PMS, where you would need to wait sometimes for months to see the new update and after that, you waited for someone to come and install an update. Those are things that can be solved with cloud PMS!
With a cloud PMS like OTA Sync, software updates are done on the provider side and can be released regularly, meaning you’ll get the benefits straight away. Most of our updates are done on daily basis and are mainly about improved user experience.
Improved customer support
With an on-premises PMS, there are always going to be some issues that can’t be fixed over the phone. In these instances, it takes time to arrange and conduct an onsite visit. With a cloud PMS, an expert support team can fix the problem remotely, because all the code exists online. Your problems will be solved faster, meaning you can run your property smoothly and keep your guests happy.
Happier guests
One of the areas that a cloud PMS really makes a direct difference to the guest experience is the agility it brings, particularly when it comes to mobile. You can get a phone call from interested guests, and check your availability and price plans in seconds through a mobile app when you are on the move!
