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How To Evaluate A Hotel Property Management System

Written By Unknown on Sunday, July 13, 2014 | Sunday, July 13, 2014

By Rosella Campbell


In recent years tourism has grown to be one of the biggest industries on earth. More people travel to foreign climes than ever before. Of course, this massive increase has led to the development of numerous hospitality establishments and the competition for the business of travelers is fierce. It is vital to have a state of the art hotel property management system in order to make profits and to compete with numerous competitors.

Hospitality establishments need to keep a very wide variety of records and they need to be super efficient. One of the main purposes of a managing program is therefor to keep track of their bookings. They need to know the exact arrival and departure dates of each guest. Moreover, they need to keep record of special requirements such as diet or access for disabled people.

Well managed hospitality establishments maintain various categories of guest. In most cases the rates for the different categories are different. Large tour operators that generate bulk business, for example, receive better rates that average tourists. In many cases establishments have agreements with tour operators. It is vital that these records are kept meticulously and this can only be achieved with a very effective managing program.

Another very important function of a good managing program is to make sure that guests are not bothered with time consuming administration. The program must therefore be able to keep all information relevant to the guest up to date. This is the only way to ensure that a bill can be presented instantly or that an enquiry can be answered on the spot.

Most of the large hospitality groups use custom designed managing programs. However, there are several excellent of the shelf packages available. The most important consideration when evaluating the various options is to make sure that all the components of the software is fully integrated. This will make sure that no duplication of effort is necessary. Care should also be taken to purchase a system that can be upgraded on a regular basis.

Because the tourism industry is so competitive and because it is often seasonal business management information is vital. The managing program must therefore not only keep records, but it must also be able to collate statistics, draw graphs and produce reports in a wide variety of formats. This information is vital when devising marketing strategies or when planning for the next season.

The level of support promised by the software supplier is of the utmost importance. Most establishments rely on their systems utterly and if it crash it can cause a disaster. It is vital to enter into a comprehensive support contract that also includes intensive training on a regular basis. The system should make provision for regular backups. It may be wise to test drive a few packages on a trial basis before making a decision.

The days of keeping a register on the counter are long gone. In this sophisticated world hospitality establishments must have access to trustworthy and up to date information at all times. It is only with such information at hand that important decisions can be made and steps be taken to ensure maximum efficiency and profitability.




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