Definition of property management
Property management systems is a computerized system that deals with all aspects of the hotel from booking, online reservations, point of sale and various amenities depending on the way the system is set for example, some PMS can be set to include processing of payrolls, back office operations and also in accounting. The hotel industry is a very dynamic and sensitive industry and it highly emphasizes on satisfying the customer demands and therefore, it has to come up with new ideas every time in order to be able to attract them. Also, the hotels must be able to embrace technology to the comfort of its customers and hence, it has to install the necessary software. Clients want to be able to book hotels in the convenience of their homes or offices. The role of PMS in the hotel: The PMS speeds up the process of reservation and consequently checking in by a mere click of a button at the comfort of the guests. It helps in reservation by showing the availability of rooms. PMS is effective in reservation as it does not allow false allocation of rooms as the guest is able to give all the information through the hotel’s website including the credit card details and therefore saves on the time that would be wasted through manual processes. It maintains a standard discount rate and therefore, there is no room for deep discount rate that can lead to loss. PMS allows the manager to always be in control of the hotel’s daily progress by just going through the system.
It helps in the elimination of errors by the staff. The elimination of manual processes can reduce or eliminate errors and speed up access to important information for decision making. Introducing a friendlier user- interface can improve staff effectiveness thereby increasing productivity and staff satisfaction (UniDevCo, 2004). It helps in good maintenance of guest’s records. Maintaining guest’s preferences allows the hotel to be able to provide higher standard services and consequently being able to customize marketing efforts (UniDevCo, 2004). The PMS can also be useful in billing whereby, for every service or goods enjoyed by the client, it automatically bills updates the account and therefore making checking out easier and eliminate errors of the over or under billing. It can also facilitate quick check out through quick processing of the credit cards. PMS helps in controlling hotel resources such as electricity by the use of Scientific Control Systems like Energy32 that is able to switch off light when not in use. The PMS also helps in the key locking system by the use of key cards that are set differently with each guest. Quick and easy access to key reports and the ability to create ad hoc queries will provide a competitive advantage and aid in better decision making with up-to-date information (UniDevCo, 2004). How PMS link with different department: With any hotel property, there can be a number of disparate systems being used in different departments; the restaurant POS, guest room systems like movies and mini bars, telephone and call accounting systems.
It is advantageous to have many of these systems integrated to the PMS to minimize manual intervention and to ensure that all relevant billings flow effectively to the guest folio (UniDevCo, 2004. The property management system has all features that are required in order to put control measures. It presents an operational function of integrating all areas of the hotel from booking, reservation, checking in to the guests stay and eventually checkout. The link between the different departments is like a cycle. When the guest walks into a hotel, he or she comes into contact with the front office staff that check through the reservation. The guest’s credit card number is then fed to the computer. Before the guest checks in to his room, the house keeper checks the status of the room again through the software and is able to communicate to the reception. The guest in most of the hotels is given an electronic key card that opens the door of the room. Everything that they consume is charged to the credit card. For example, if the guest takes anything from the mini bars in the room, it records automatically to the system unlike traditionally where the room stewards manually calculated the drinks as the guest was checking out. This also happens when the guests watch pay television which is then directly billed. The food and beverages consumed by the guest in most cases can be paid in cash or by the use of the credit card depending on the choice of the guest. Other services that can also be billed to the clients account are such services like laundry and buying of items in gift shops. When the guest is checking out, the bills are processed easily as it involves a print out of all the services the client enjoyed.
Conclusion
The property management system helps in accountability as there is no room for errors. The system enhances speed especially when the guests are checking in and out. The PMS can be seen as a link to all the departments of the hotel through the guest cycle. For example, it links the front office with housekeeping as the receptionist is able to access information on the conditions of the room through the system. It connects the accounting office to the front office as they are able to access information of new arrivals and therefore create new accounts. All the hotels should look forward to installing the software as it will help put measures that are advantageous to both the hotel and the guests.
Reference
UniDevCo, (2004). How to Choose a Property Management System. Web.