If you own or manage a hotel, you already know it is no easy feat.
Between managing reservations, staffing, inventory, and guest experience, there are countless tasks to juggle on a daily basis.
Fortunately, that’s where a hotel management system comes in – to take care of much of the administrative work, allowing you to better focus on delivering a fantastic guest experience.
However, with so many options, it can be difficult to know what exact features to look for in a hotel management system.
Read on to learn about the 10 must-have features of a hotel management system to streamline operations and boost efficiency.
Let’s dive in!
What Is A Hotel Management System?
A hotel management system (HMS) is software that automates and manages the day-to-day operations of a hotel.
Therefore, it includes front desk and back office operations, such as:
- Booking and reservation management,
- Room allocation,
- Billing and payment processing,
- Inventory management,
- Staff scheduling, and
- Management of guest information.
The HMS is essentially a tool that helps you streamline your hotel’s operations while improving the overall guest experience.
Why Is An Effective Hotel Management System Important?
1. Streamlines Operations
A good hotel management system automates many of the day-to-day tasks of running a hotel, helping you reduce manual errors while saving time.
2. Improves Guest Experience
An HMS can improve the guest experience by making the check-in and check-out process faster and more seamless.
Furthermore, using an HMS ensures rooms are cleaned and prepared on time, thus providing guests with prompt and efficient service.
3. Helps You Make Data-Driven Decisions
Implementing an HMS provides you with valuable insights into your business operations, such as occupancy rates, revenue, and expenses.
This way, you’ll be able to make data-driven decisions and learn about your business performance and the areas for improvement.
4. Helps You Manage Professional Relationships
The hotel management system provides a central hub for communication and collaboration.
Therefore, it can help you manage relationships with key stakeholders, such as guests, staff, and suppliers.
10 Features of A Hotel Management System You Should Look For
1. Online Booking Management
Online booking management is an integral part of any hotel management software, and it is crucial because it allows you to manage your bookings and reservations in real time.
As a result, you can ensure maximum occupancy and revenue since it also automatically updates reservation records when guests make bookings or cancellations.
In addition, online booking management simplifies the booking process for you and your guests.
For example, you can enable guests to compare prices and amenities online, making it easier to choose one of your properties that best meets their needs.
Moreover, guests can receive instant confirmation of their bookings, meaning your staff doesn’t have to confirm each reservation manually.
Guests are more likely to book a hotel with an efficient online booking system, so they are more likely to leave positive reviews if you provide a convenient and easy-to-use booking platform.
💡 ProTip
OTA SYNC, an all-in-one hotel management system, thanks to its Booking Engine, allows you to:
- Offer your guests live availability and rates,
- Upsell and cross-sell relevant products and services,
- Have a multi-property overview on a customizable calendar. etc.
2. Room Inventory and Management
Room inventory management allows you to manage and monitor the room inventory and prevent double bookings.
By having an up-to-date overview of the available rooms, you can maximize the revenue by:
- Selling unused rooms,
- Setting dynamic prices depending on the season and room types, etc.
In addition, you can maximize occupancy rates and charge optimal rates.
Moreover, with an overview of available rooms and their status, your staff can quickly reserve rooms upon request.
When it comes to room maintenance, your staff can better schedule housekeeping, maintenance, or check-in appointments for empty rooms.
The HMS’s room inventory feature enables you to boost occupancy rates and revenue potential while managing your operations more effectively in real time.
3. Point-of-Sale (POS) & Payments Integration
The POS integration is a great way to manage on-premise transactions in a single system.
With the POS integration, you can streamline your operations, such as tracking inventory, managing sales, and processing payments.
Thus, your staff can quickly and efficiently process guest orders, ensuring a swift transaction and payment processing to minimize waiting times.
What’s more, by tracking inventory levels and sales data, the POS enables you to:
✨ Identify which products are selling more effectively,
✨ What contributes to revenue generation, and
✨ How you can optimize your menu offerings and prices.
Therefore, you can monitor stock and inventory levels in real time, preventing stock shortages and overstocking.
💡 ProTip
OTA SYNC’s product, OTA Payments, is a fully integrated payment gateway that automates and accepts payments from customers through various channels:
- Online,
- In-store, or
- Mobile.
4. Analytics and Reporting
Analytics and Reporting is yet another important feature of the HMS since it allows you to monitor and analyze key performance indicators (KPIs):
- Revenue per available room,
- The occupancy rate, and
- Average daily rate.
Analyzing these KPIs lets you make informed decisions and strategic choices that improve your revenue and customer experience.
Additionally, the feature offers customizable reports tailored to your specific needs, including finance, marketing, and operations.
These reports use the data the software gathers so that you can better understand your business operations and optimize them for better performance.
In addition, analytics and reporting aren’t only about your property. They actually enable you to benchmark your KPIs against the competitors’ ones.
This way, you’ll get a better overview of your market position and strengths and weaknesses to adjust your approach accordingly.
💡 ProTip
Did you know that with OTA SYNC, you can get advanced revenue, finance & in-hotel reports?
Moreover, you can automatically receive specific reports such as the Manager Report, Housekeeping, Boards, or any other report on your email.
5. Accessible on Mobile
Considering that the majority of the population spends almost 2 hours more on their smartphones than on desktops, mobile accessibility is paramount.
It allows your staff to manage operations remotely, providing greater flexibility and efficiency.
- Mobile check-in and keyless entry options – Enhances guest experience by reducing wait time, making accessing rooms more convenient.
- Mobile concierge services – Offer guests an easy way to access information about their stay, hotel information, local attractions, and recommendations.
Besides, they can modify existing reservations, make future bookings, or request other services like room service, housekeeping, etc.
- Improved communication – Provides channels for direct communication to reach guests in real time.
6. Integrations
Integrations are vital for the HMS because they streamline workflows and improve operations while optimizing the guest experience.
On top of that, they allow you to connect and exchange information with other platforms and features, such as:
✨ Channel Management – Ensures all online sales channels are in sync and updated in real-time, reducing overbookings.
✨ Payment Processing – Completes payment processing quickly, securely, and automatically.
✨ Housekeeping Software – Enables staff to optimize their housekeeping duties and management, automating room cleaning tasks and keeping room inventory up-to-date.
✨ And many more.
💡 ProTip
With OTA SYNC, you can connect with leading Online Travel Agencies (OTAs) and popular payment and marketing platforms like PayPal, Stripe, AdriaScan, and HubSpot.
7. Revenue Management
Revenue management helps you analyze and predict demand trends, set optimal pricing strategies based on market conditions, forecast revenue, etc., to maximize profitability.
This way, you get access to valuable data, helping you make informed decisions and adjust your room rates accordingly.
8. Improved Guest Management & Experience
Customer relationship management (CRM) is an important aspect of hospitality management as it allows you to:
- Build a deeper understanding of your guests and
- Track their behavior, preferences, and interests.
Consequently, you can personalize their experience based on previous engagements with your hotel.
As a result, you can enhance the guest experience and increase customer satisfaction rates and retention.
In addition, guests value loyalty programs because they feel you appreciate and reward them for their loyalty.
For example, you can incentivize customers by offering special perks, discounts, and offers, such as room upgrades, late check-outs, car rentals, etc.
💡 ProTip
The Guest App by OTA SYNC offers quick check-ins, tailored recommendations, and instant notifications to drive loyalty and enhance guest experience.
9. Data Safety
Making bookings and payments means handling sensitive guest information and data.
Therefore, when choosing the HMS, pay attention if it is PCI-DSS and PSD2-compliant.
Moreover, look for 3D security and tokenization options.
10. Staff Management and Communication
The HMS should facilitate easier communication between managers, staff, and guests, ensuring smooth operations and enhancing guest experience.
Thus, with the help of the HMS, you can:
- Allow managers to optimize employee scheduling and time management.
- Assign tasks to their team members and check their completion status.
- Use the centralized internal communication system to minimize miscommunication.
- Track employee performance and generate performance reports.
Wrapping It Up
The HMS plays a critical role in the operations and success of a hotel by providing a central platform for managing reservations, financial transactions, communication, and marketing activities.
What’s more, the above features of the hotel management system:
- Help your staff work more efficiently,
- Provide guests with an optimized stay experience,
- Help you maximize revenue, etc.
And in the sea of the HMS solutions, one ticks all the above boxes. And so much more.
How Can OTA SYNC Streamline Your Operations?
OTA SYNC is an all-encompassing cloud-based hotel management system covering each step of the booking process by providing ultimate guest satisfaction.
With its centralized dashboard, OTA SYNC offers a wide range of features spanning managing properties, bookings, channels, and revenue strategies.
Thus, our software provides features to ensure your hotel works like a charm:
🔥 Customization options provide custom filters, content, maps, and promotions to reflect your hotel’s style.
🔥 Multi-property dashboard allows you to see all your properties on a calendar without switching tabs.
🔥 Plug and Play Revenue Booster that allows you to change and adapt prices based on specific dates and price lists, do bulk changes for large date ranges, etc.
🔥 Multi-Property hub lets you connect a customized booking engine to your website.
🔥 PCI DSS and PSD 2 compliance, tokenization, end-to-end encryption, and 3D secure authentication provide data safety and security.
🔥 Channel Manager lets you manage and update room availability, rates, and bookings in real-time, making sure all is in sync.
🔥 Different market-specific tax settings you can easily set up.
🔥 Premium features like Banquet & Event and SPA & Wellness management solutions to enhance organizations and customer experiences.
🔥 Housekeeping solutions for efficient task assignment, real-time updates on room status, and seamless communication among housekeeping staff.
🔥 And so much more.
Ready to dig deeper into OTA SYNC?
Sign up for OTA SYNC today to simplify and centralize your hotel’s operations.
Keep Learning:
What Are the Benefits of a Hotel Management System?
What is Property Management System in a Hotel – The Ultimate Guide
