RoomKey Property Management Blog Hotel Property Management Solutions

By Jeff Sefton

In the last post we discussed creating the high level requirement list for your hotel. Now let’s take a look at breaking down that list into more detail. This can be a time consuming endeavor…but it’s well worth the effort.

• This process will help your team cover all the bases while making your needs crystal clear
• The goal is to end up with a detailed evaluation checklist to meet your business needs
• Keep it as simple as possible and continue to ask yourself if an item on the list is need or a want
• This list should be reserved for must have functions – you can keep a separate list for functions that would be nice to have

“Must Have” Functions by Module

Take your high level list (modules) and start listing must have functionality under each module heading – Break the modules in manageable sections.

Let’s use the reservations module as an example. Within your module headings create summary sections such as creating a guest reservation, modifying reservations, reporting and so on.

Creating a guest reservation

• Independent guest reservations Check list
• Source of business related to the reservation
• Market segment related to the reservation
• Reservation deposits
• Attaching Travel Agent information for commission tracking
• Email/print guest registration card
• Select from a variety of room rates and change room rates
• Process no show reservations
• On-line Booking reservations
• GDS reservations
• Modifying a guest reservation
• Cancel a reservation.
• View and change guest address and contact information.
• View or change arrival and departure dates (length of stay)
• Add, view or change guest notes or requests
• Change or remove a travel agent that is linked to the reservation
• Change rate.
• Reservation Reports
• Productivity reports
• Forecast reports
• Consumption reports
• Statistical reports
• Group reservations (you may consider taking the items from your reservations module list that apply to the group module to start your list for the group module.)
• Wholesaler reservations (you may consider taking the items from your reservations module list that apply to the wholesaler module to start your list for the wholesaler module.)

As you can see above, it begins to get much more detailed. You can also see in the Guest Reservation example above that other modules (the group module and wholesaler module in this case) can be related and inter-connected – Even if modules overlap it’s easier to keep them separated during the evaluation list exercise.

Every property is different and so are the modules and property management system requirements – the extent of the list and the people involved will vary from hotel to hotel.

Property Management Systems are Not Identical

Like hotels, property management systems are different from one another. Some property management system companies cater to resorts while others to city hotels, some to full service hotels and others to limited service hotels. The point here is that they may have different functionality and may offer more advanced functionality in one module over another depending on the types of lodging clients they service.

The exercise above helps to ensure that your specific requirements will be met and you won’t be in store for any surprises after signing on the dotted line. You do not want to be in a position to find out functions don’t work the way you need them to for your property – Lower the risk of surprises by working through an expanded requirement list for each of your property’s PMS modules.

Next week we’ll start reviewing specific hotel functions and property management system modules.

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