Having a manual system at your hotel can be very exhausting. Imagine all the paperwork relating to just one guest. You will need to keep track of forms and sheets that have been filled by guests. You will also need to keep track of photocopies of IDs of these guests. There is also the receipt that you write out for them. Whew! This can get very frustrating. Your guests walk in and are looking for the best experience and you need to be able to provide that.
Most hotels are trying to "get with the times" and you shouldn't be left out. You will need to strategize and seek out measures to make your property stand out.
So you don't use a manual system but you have a desktop hotel solution. Desktop solutions have been great thus far. It has helped hotels organize, schedule, and perform day-to-day operations with ease. But then again, you have to realize that the hotel industry is changing. It is not just about the hotel's needs but about the guests' needs as well.
With the desktop solution, the infrastructure setup and cost are not a cakewalk. Not to talk about the lack of flexibility and accessibility where you can only manage operations onsite. The risk of data loss alone should deter you. If you manage a chain of hotels, you will need to install the hotel software at each property, get licenses and also, update them (whenever required) individually.
The future of hotel technology is approaching new levels faster than anyone could have anticipated.
The Cloud-based system is definitely one technology that ensures scalability, availability, and security of the business, and hotels must understand this as quickly as possible.
Here are some reasons why you need Cloud Hotel Software at your property:
1. Saves you cost
Cloud-based Hotel Software comes with a lot of benefits and the key factor you may be concerned with is cost. It is far cheaper than the traditional ones. You do not need to set up a whole tech stack, buy licenses that cost you a fortune, and pay for those maintenance services.
All you need is a computer or smart device and a stable internet connection. And what about software support & maintenance? With a cloud hotel system., you get free online support that goes with your subscription. There are always product releases that are applied automatically at a scheduled date.
2. Lets you manage your hotel remotely
Cloud-based Hotel Software does not require that you stay at your property in order to manage hotel operations. It simply requires a basic Internet connection and you can manage your hotel from anywhere, anytime.
You will be able to perform countless tasks such as check-ins, check-outs, report generation, reservation, and inventory management without even stepping into your property.
Not to mention, you can access your critical data & reports right from your hand-held device.
3. Improves guest experience
When you say guest experience, it’s not just about a good night’s sleep.
The guest experience starts from the very moment s/he books with your hotel.
What are the various ways you can improve a guest's experience? You can find that out when they provide their information during the booking stage. You can have a personalized package for each guest.
It is all about leveraging guest preferences and behavioral data the right way to deliver a great experience.
4. Let’s you integrate with third-party solutions
It is important for hotels to have a system that manages every department seamlessly. And integrated solutions ensure just that; it provides you with additional features on your existing system.
This is where Cloud Hotel Software comes into the picture. Most of these systems come with an open API which makes integration with third-party solutions easy & convenient.
Here are some of the essential integrations:
Payment Gateway
Reputation Management
Payroll and Accounting
CRM
4. Enhances staff efficiency
One other aspect that Cloud Hotel Software affects is your staff efficiency. With the Cloud software, you can reduce the time spent on certain tasks such that your staff is able to concentrate on key areas such as guest experience.
For example: When you have Cloud Hotel Software and Channel Manager integrated, you can update your room inventory and rates in real-time on all channels.
Another example. A Cloud Hotel Software along with a contactless solution eliminates the need for guests to go to the front desk. Guests can self-check-in and check out with little to no human involvement.
5. Manages multiple properties with ease
Managing a hotel is already a tedious job. Then imagine how tough it would be for a chain of hotels. You have to juggle between room inventories, rates, reservations, and departments.
Further, the complexities could increase if you use individual management systems for each property.
But when you turn to Cloud-based Hotel Software, you do away with all such challenges. You don’t even have to worry if your properties are at different locations. You can still manage all of them from one single platform. Be it staff monitoring, inventory management, rate management, handling POS outlets, or dealing with guest queries: a cloud solution can do it all.
Conclusion
The hotel industry is moving fast towards being more technologically equipped. It is not just the competition in the industry but also the evolving preferences of guests.
Today, most guests start and end their customer journey online. This means that hotels need to do everything to match the demands of these guests.
Now, the front desk is not just about sitting behind a desk and addressing customer queries. Today, it is more about delivering guest experience and letting technology take care of the day-to-day tasks.
You need to get to the future first, ahead of your customers, and be ready to greet them before they arrive. Marc Benioff, founder & CEO, Salesforce.
Thus, you must move to Cloud Hotel Software if you want to stay competitive, profitable, and guest-centric in this industry.