Property Management System and Hospitality Industry
Technology

Property Management System and Hospitality Industry

A PMS is nothing but a computerised system used in the management of large commercial properties like offices, banks and hospitals etc. They help in integrating the various departments of an organization into one. This saves time and resources to a great extent by replacing the traditional and cumbersome manual methods. The system increasingly found its relevance in the hospitality industry as well. It has helped integrate and automate various divisions like the booking office, sales and marketing, back office operations, accounting and HR. A PMS system can be of two types cloud based system and on premise with the former being the preferred choice due to advanced functionalities.

Cloud Vs on- Premise PMS

Deployment of on premise software is a tedious task as they have to be installed on every computer. This makes the task of hardware maintenance and security and difficult job. In comparison the cloud based software is deployed over the internet. In terms of access and control this is more secure than the former.

hotel management software

On premise software can be accessed from remote location but with additional technical set up. This is not the case with cloud based systems as they can be easily accessed from anywhere. All you need is a good internet connection and a secure login. Everything from bookings, managing check-in and check-outs, staff performance everything can be monitored.  This gives the hotel managers more control and can improve their performance by leaps and bounds.

Maintaining data security for on premise software requires installing fire walls and various antivirus programs. Apart from this manual data backup processes are required to keep the data safe. But with the cloud based system the responsibility of securing the data lies with the vendor providing PMS. They have the access to implement latest security measures for data safety hence the cost of maintenance is reduced.

In terms of integration with external systems the on-premise software requires additional hardware which means extra cost. But integrating with cloud systems is much easier. Not only they are helpful in integrating various in house departments but also link the hotel PMS to various travel ports. This provides access to a larger customer base.

Unlike on premise systems the cloud based ones have negligible software and hardware expenses. The upgrades are also done almost free of cost as the maintenance is done by the vendor.  Another point of difference is that the process of upgrading the on-premise system can be a costly affair. This is a common complaint by many hoteliers. The cloud based systems are frequently updated and always remain in trend with latest software versions.

Both small, mid sized and large establishments in the hospitality industry are using the cloud based systems or are in the process of upgrading due to its advanced functionality and uses.