Digitalization has affected various business industries and sectors. Organizations must adopt the latest tech solutions to improve their efforts and stay competitive in their markets. The hotel industry is no different. But smaller businesses have traditionally had less access to new digital solutions.
Technology was only available to some of the most prominent players in the past, but luckily this has changed. Today, even the smallest organizations can get the tools they need to run a successful operation. This is also the case with hotel management software.
But do you know what hotel management software for small hotels really does and how to find the right one for your needs? Check out the article below to find out more.
What is hotel management software?
Hotel management software is a solution that helps you manage your daily hotel operations. These programs focus on helping you manage tasks like inventory control, revenue management, check-ins and check-outs, room booking, etc.
Hotel management software also tracks essential metrics, including reservations, occupancy rates, average daily rates, etc. This information can help you make informed decisions when running your hotel. Not only that you can make short-term adjustments to improve specific areas, but you can also focus on a long-term approach and get your organization closer to the goals you’ve set.
Some of the best modern hotel management systems are based on the cloud, meaning you can use them online and access your data and functions anywhere from any device.
Why do smaller hotels need property management systems?
Smaller establishments are usually understaffed, meaning they have fewer people to handle a significant amount of work. In most cases, small hotels have a single manager that works on multiple aspects of their business, including:
- Taking care of guest experiences;
- Back-office operations and accounting;
- Front office tasks;
- Managing online booking portals;
- Managing bookings;
- Event management.
Smaller hotels also have more budget constraints, and they’re looking for tools that can add value while keeping costs down. In most cases, these organizations need tools that have integrated channel managers, website builders, and booking engines.
If you want to compete, you will have to boost efficiency across the board while synchronizing your back-office and front-office operations.
The benefits of using hotel management systems for small hotels
What are the benefits of using hotel management software for small hotels?
Even though smaller hotels have fewer guests, they still have complex operations like multiple booking channels, guest management, and housekeeping. A capable hotel PMS allows them to be more efficient and get the best out of their staff.
Hotel management software for small hotels isn’t very different from what they use in large hotel chains. The key difference is the price. However, these tools can help smaller organizations fill gaps and turn their weaknesses into strengths, even if they cost less.
Lower costs
Cloud-based PMS solutions like MyCloud Hospitality come with affordable subscription-based pricing plans. You don’t have to invest much money in advance like when buying an on-premise system. At the same time, no costs are associated with installing or maintaining the system.
You can easily calculate your ongoing expenses and find space in your budget to cover subscription costs. On top of that, you can always scale up and add additional services and features when you have the budget.
Streamlining procedures
Most procedures you must go through to operate a hotel successfully can be done using a cloud solution. For example, you can instantly change the price for your bookings on all channels. You can update OTAs and webpages with a couple of steps.
In other words, tasks become more accessible. Plus, the tool helps you finish essential tasks by notifying you about them. For example, if a room is booked, the tool can notify your cleaning staff that they must prepare it and check if everything’s in order.
Seamless integration with other tools
Regardless of size, hotels must use multiple tools like channel managers, bookkeeping tools, emails, payment services, etc. Not only that some hotel management software for small hotels offer built-in features to deal with these tasks, but they also let you integrate other tools.
You can connect to other toolkits and use them directly through the hotel PMS. There’s no need to switch between tools when doing different tasks or when you must check important information before making an important decision.
Hotel PMSs are simple to use!
These tools are designed to offer a simple user experience while handling complex tasks. They have an intuitive interface and don’t require months of training before your employees can use them. At the same time, many of the tasks you would do manually are automated and make workflows even simpler.
There’s no need to invest in training and set your business back until everyone has learned to operate the hotel management system. You can integrate it into your business and continue your operations without obstructions.
Task automation
Hotel management tools can automate many components within your organization to reduce employee stress and improve efficiency. You can set up your PMS to produce regular reports with previously set metrics using data from multiple sources.
These reports can be sent to relevant stakeholders. On the other hand, these tools can be set up to send out automated review requests to guests after their stay on multiple platforms. This is how you can collect valuable feedback without any effort.
Hotels can also set up automatic alerts for maintenance departments, ensuring their facilities are in their best shape.
Improved revenue optimization
A hotel PMS connects all of your vital systems into a single platform and brings additional features you can use for revenue optimization efforts. First, you can integrate revenue management software with your property management system so that the PMS can provide relevant and real-time data.
You can look at historical revenue, rates, and hotel room information. This makes forecasting, optimizing your commission, seeing essential events, understanding your market peaks, and accurately valuing your services and products easier.
Features you should look for when choosing a small hotel PMS
So, what are the features you should be looking for when choosing a small hotel PMS?
The main features you should look for include reporting, management statistics, housekeeping features, guest history, rates management, integrations, booking management, room management capabilities, and payment processing.
Cloud availability: Always look for a cloud-based PMS instead of on-premise tools. They give you flexibility, easy access, lower maintenance needs, and scalability. Cloud solutions also save valuable time and money while reducing the need for additional hardware.
Ease of use: Look for user-friendly tools that are easy to operate and don’t require extensive training. Some tools even offer flexible interface options that let you integrate other tools seamlessly and simplify your operations.
Rich features: What features should I look for when choosing hotel management software for small hotels? Your PMS should be able to support all your activities and make them more accessible while providing essential data you can use for future improvements.
Level of customer support: When using a critical business tool, you need to rely on it daily. Over time, it will become indispensable for your operations. That’s why when you’re having technical difficulties, you need to have available customer support to hear you out and deal with your issues as quickly as possible.
What are the best hotel management software options for hotels?
The best hotel management tools provide rich features to improve your operations and simplify workflows. They provide actionable functions while being affordable and useable out of the box.
Here is the best hotel management software option for a small hotel and how it can help you.
mycloud PMS
This cloud-based platform can handle all hotel operations, including customer comments, travel agency management, booking, check-in, etc. Critical processes can be managed and automated while optimizing workflows with other businesses.
You get a simple interface with multiple customization options and many integrations that will make your job easier. You get all of these fantastic features and functionalities that can even handle the needs of large hotel chains for one of the most competitive prices on the market.
This hotel PMS comes with a low price tag while giving you all the features you need for a small hotel. It’s straightforward to use and completely removes training costs. At the same time, it delivers dedicated customer support you can rely on 24/7.
Conclusion
Yes, hotel management software is a vital tool you should start using right away. Not only can you improve your results internally, but your digital platform also allows you to offer new digital services to guests that will improve their overall experience.
About The Author
Deepak Chauhan
Deepak Chauhan is responsible for marketing and positioning of “mycloud” platform and is a veteran in the hotel software industry with over 25 years’ experience giving him a strong understanding of the product requirements in the industry. He has very rare mix of working in operations of various hotels and chains for over 10 years and then co-founding a software product and service company, servicing 5 star hotels and chains for 14 years.
Deepak has led the development and marketing of cloud based hospitality systems to meet the specific, business objectives of small and mid-size properties across the globe and has worked closely with a diverse group of hoteliers and hotel technology vendors.
