Hotel Management Software and Systems

Software Tips

What is a Hotel Software System?

A Hotel Software is a type of Property Management System (PMS) designed specifically for hotels and other lodging properties. It is a software solution that helps hotel managers and staff manage various tasks related to hotel operations, such as reservations, bookings, check-ins, check-outs, room assignments, billing and payments, inventory management, housekeeping, and more.

A small guesthouse or a hotel with only a few rooms usually does not have quite as extensive requirements for hotel software functions as, large hotels or hotel chains.

As a consequence, this means that not every hotel software or property management system (PMS) is suitable for every business. The needs and requirements of lodging companies regarding the management of the business, the scope of guest services and offers for guests, the desired sales opportunities, etc. are often very different.

Therefore, the ONE solution does not exist. What may be perfect as software for one guesthouse may not be sufficient for another hotel. Nevertheless, there are of course basic functions or basic work processes in the hotel that must be mapped in every accommodation business.

Hotelsoftware - Property Management System - Modules

Basic features

Every hotel software will offer functions for entering or creating and managing room and guest master data. The sending of automatic confirmation emails for inquiries or bookings is just as much part of the basic scope of hotel software as a reservation or booking function for the homepage, the online availability calendar, the categorization of bookings, functions for creating schedules, e.g. for housekeeping, and of course billing or invoicing.

All functions and modules should ultimately ensure convenient guest and room management and, where possible, run automatically and create more time for guest care.

Modules for for small hotels

Further modules for large hotels and hotel chains

Typical functions and modules for hotel software

We have compiled a selection of typical functions and modules of property management systems and hotel software. Partly, these modules are provided with further function lists or short comments.

Front Office

Reservation System

CRS (Central Reservation System)/ Web Booking Engine / Internet Booking Engine/ Online Booking Engine / GDS (Global Distribution System)

Many names for one process - reservation of rooms or other travel services. Central reservation systems are used for processing reservations. Global Distribution Systems (GDS) databases exclusively manage reservation data. GDSs cannot usually be accessed without the appropriate CRS. Prominent systems include Amadeus, Galileo and Sabre.

The scope of these reservation systems can vary greatly and is again based on the size of the pension or hotel. A central reservation system with online booking functions for the homepage is available for small hotels as well as for hotel chains.

OTA & Channel Management

Channel management is the distribution of your room offers through various channels such as OTAs (e.g. Expedia), travel agencies, GDS or regional portals, social media channels or even your own homepage. In principle, you can use as many portals as you like, because the workload does not increase by the number, as the software handles the processes automatically. The choice of channel management software or module depends, among other things, on the number of rooms and room categories as well as on the target group and the channels with which the software is to exchange data. Of course, additional channel management software should be able to exchange data with your PMS without any problems.

Revenue Management / Yield Management

Revenue management or yield management as a part of price optimization deals with revenue optimization of services or yield management. Software programs in this area ensure that prices are dynamically adjusted in response to changing capacities and demand. They optimize the pricing process. Revenue management depends on occupancy, capacity, demand, price and revenue per available room (RevPAR).

Sales & Marketing

Accounting

Digital guest folder

Interfaces or connections:

Additional modules or functions

Depending on the size and equipment of the hotel, other software areas may also be considered. This includes e.g:

Tips for selecting hotel software

Make a list of the features you expect from software and determine which features you really need and which would simply be a nice-to-have. Knockout criteria are important for confident software selection.
Check with the programs whether your previous data can be transferred and whether there are all the interfaces you need. This applies to industry-specific interfaces such as OTA, booking portals, reporting systems, etc. as well as office programs, TAPI, CRM, FAS, POS systems, etc.
Evaluate the look & feel of the software and test some typical processes such as check-in and check-out, the occupancy overviews and the booking processes.
Ask about enhancements or additional functionality for an add-on if your hotel business grows and you want to add to the software's functionality.
Pay attention to whether, for example, a dashboard provides you with a clear summary of all important data and key figures.
If you are operating a larger hotel, make sure that a channel management system is available. Make sure that channel bookings are updated in real time.
Is the software updated regularly? Are updates applied automatically? With web-based software, this is usually the case. Still, if you get hotel software installed on-site at your location, ask what the situation is with regular updates. How often are there updates? Are they included in the license?
In every industry, it is important to have an overview of the current status and to compile all important information and key figures into meaningful reports. Therefore, check whether the hotel software can generate clear and understandable reports.
Consider whether a digital guest folder or a guest app is an option for your hotel. This promotes guest satisfaction as it provides important information, offers online services and can reduce waiting times at the front desk.
Ask whether the software is designed in accordance with the requirements or specifications of the GDPR.
Can the software be used to perform legally compliant digital check-in?
Can digital excursion planners or digital maps of the region be integrated into the software?
Ask whether the hotel software also includes interfaces or functions for building services. For example, can guests use the software to control the air conditioning in their room, shutters, etc.?
Does the software offer functions for completely cashless and PCI-compliant billing of business trips?
Does the hotel software provide task templates for e.g. documentation of hygiene measures in the hotel?
Before making a software decision, conduct a thorough market research of potentially suitable solutions. Our tip: Use our free research service without any obligation. Large parts of the tender are taken over, potential solutions are presented in a structured way and the communication with the providers is documented!

Business Solutions

Industry Specific Software

Standard Software, COTS

Hotel Management Software

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