Author: Karine Thibeault

Online booking: a must-have for hoteliers

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Posted on by Karine Thibeault
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Why you should choose an online booking engine

First, an online booking engine makes it possible for you to market your hotel directly on your own website. Since a booking engine is available at all times on your website and connected to your PMS system, potential guests who visit your site will get a precise snapshot of the rooms available as well as the rates for each type of room. The online booking engine also allows you to advertise promotions and discounts in effect at your hotel. Thus, at any time of the day, a visitor to your hotel’s website can book a room if they see a vacancy that’s of interest to them.

Also, you’ll save a lot of time by investing in a booking engine that’s connected to your PMS system since you won’t have to process all the bookings yourself. As bookings are fed automatically into your PMS system, which sends up-to-date room availability information to the booking engine, you avoid the risk of overbooking during peak periods.

By all means, sell on your own site but don’t stop there!

In the face of growing competition, posting your rooms only on your own website can limit the scope of your activities. While you can apply certain measures to attract more people to your website, the fact remains that it’s unlikely you’ll systematically appear in the top web search results. It’s more likely that popular online booking sites, such as Expedia or Booking.com, will appear as the top web results when a traveller is looking for a hotel room. Therefore, the chances are low that a potential guest will land on your website spontaneously as there is a strong likelihood your web performance isn’t as significant as that of these specialized booking sites.

Finally, by posting your rooms on an online booking site as well as your own website, you increase the opportunities to rent your rooms to travelers who wouldn’t otherwise have booked at your hotel. Moreover, some travelers benefit from a loyalty program on these sites and book their travel only through these online agencies. Your presence on these sites allows the traveller to stay at your hotel while also enjoying the perks of their loyalty program, which is a sure way to boost their satisfaction.

Choosing the right online booking channel

Despite the benefits listed above, not all online booking channels are in step with your hotel’s marketing strategy. Be sure to choose a channel that’s in line with your strategy so that you don’t lose out when it comes to efficiency. For instance, if you invest a great deal of effort and money into showing up first in search engines, every guest who doesn’t book directly on your website would constitute a failure within the context of your strategy. The purpose of good positioning is to get a guest to book directly on your website.

Finally, since each channel has a specific purpose and produces targeted results, all channels offer good opportunities to acquire guests. Keep in mind that you must calibrate and vary your room offering according to the traffic at your hotel or according to the season. If it’s the middle of peak tourist season and you only have one room left available, merely posting it on your website may be more than enough. Conversely, if you want to do something about your lower occupancy rate at a given time of the year, it may be wise to post your rooms so that they show up as the top results on online booking sites. In this way, you’ll ensure the right booking balance, and your rooms will always be showcased effectively and get optimal visibility.

Online booking: a safe option

When it comes time to give out a credit card number, consumers are wary and may be reluctant to share such information. Fortunately, efficient booking engines offer a payment system that meets security standards. Take care, though, to choose a tool that meets credit card security standards. In this way, your guests will know straightaway that the payment process is safe. Sometimes, it may even be more economical for guests to pay the full amount due directly online when they book. Not only does this allows your hotel to receive payment in advance, but you’ll also benefit from a decrease in the number of transactions related to the same guest, which will save you time!

Finally, there’s no doubt that it’s faster to pay by credit card via a booking engine than to do so at check-in or check-out at the reception desk.

Communicate with your guests with a hotel management software: a recipe for a successful client experience

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Posted on by Karine Thibeault

However, it’s now possible to extend the attention that you give to your guests outside the walls of your establishment and reach them directly. With hotel management software that enables you to automate emailing and reservation management, it’s extremely easy to make a difference at the moment your guests make a reservation for a room at your hotel.

Since the client satisfaction goes hand in hand with your success, I want to present 4 ways where communication using a hotel management software can ease the upgrading, upselling and, finally, the set up for an impeccable stay.

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Communiquez avec vos clients grâce à votre logiciel pour hôtel

Automation: an essential ally of your hotel management software

Before even talking about different types of communication that can help you stay in connection with your guests outside of your hotel walls, you should know that your biggest coworker in this area is definitely automation.

Available with your hotel management software, automation will help you send emails to guests according to certain criteria of time or type of stay to answer theirs needs and keep them informed of their reservation details.

We find three types of automated email that are commonly used with your hotel management software:

  1. The reservation confirmation. This email is used to remind the guest of all the information about the reservation including all the options chosen by the client.
  2. The reminder for their stay. In this case, this email has a double function. Besides giving information about their stay, this message can also include promotions, packages, options for upgrading and other upsell options to enhance the guest’s stay.
  3. The appreciation email after the stay. This one allows you to thank the guest for staying, of course, but it can also include a satisfaction survey and even a retention tool.

To better understand how these emails can help you offer your guests the best stay possible and increase your revenue with upselling, I will tackle each type of email in detail.

Confirm the guest’s reservation without even touching a button with your hotel management software

Yes, it’s that simple! In fact, with your software for hotel, the first email can be sent automatically each time a guest fills out a reservation form on your website. The email will include all the information related to the reservation: dates of the stay and number of nights, number of people, type of room, type of package (if there is one), the price and the total amount for the stay.

Besides offering an email to the guest that gathers all the important information related to their stay, this message reassures your client and shows that you have received their reservation. Is this useless? Not at all! Because this is the kind of email that allows you to reduce the number of phone calls about basic things and helps free up your reception team.

Finally, this email is a true reference point for the guest. This is why we invite you to be thorough and include relevant information like the parking location, arrival and departure times, and opening hours of different services in your hotel. Your guest will appreciate it greatly.

Remind your guests that their stay is happening soon

A few days before your guest’s arrival, your hotel management software will automatically send a reminder email. Besides offering an overview of the relevant information for their stay, this message can also include promotions for other services.

As the stay approaches, your guest is more and more in planning mode, which they weren’t in when they made the reservation. They often know their schedule at this point and they are looking to enhance their experience. This is the perfect time to offer a package, a dinner special to your restaurant, spa treatments or even complementary activities.

You can then add a button to your email that allows them to easily and efficiently make a reservation for dinner or an appointment in the spa. By offering additional sales in advance, you let your guest choose the perfect moment for their activities and allow them to plan their stay according to their schedule while avoiding the frustration of a restaurant that is completely booked.

Obviously, besides different services, this email can offer your guest, depending on your room availability, different upgrade possibilities with just one click. You can then enhance your profits by selling a superior room, while letting your hotel management software coordinate everything.

These buttons can also be simple promotions. A bottle of wine delivered to the room, for example. This is, in fact, the moment to make your kindness and the service that built your reputation distinguished you shine. The reminder email is an excellent way of selling the unique experience of your hotel.

Finally, understand that this email goes beyond a simple reminder. It allows you to enhance your REVPAC (revenue per available customer). Which means that you have the possibility to get more revenue per customer through offers and promotions.

Thank and evaluate: a last email that is not insignificant

We think about it less, but it’s equally important to do a follow up with your guests once the stay is over. If your hotel management software offers you the ability to automatically send an email after your guest has left your hotel, don’t hesitate to use this function!

This message enables you to thank the guest for trusting you and choosing your hotel. This is valuable! And you can use this email to invite them to fill out a satisfaction survey at the same time. You don’t know what to include in the satisfaction survey? Look at this blog post for more information!

You’ll then have all the information in hand to make sure that your guest had a great time staying with you. In case of a bad experience, the survey will give you the tools to defuse the situation before getting a bad review on social media or a travel website.

Finally, the value of such an email is really to client retention. With the help of a promo code for their next stay or a loyalty program, your appreciation email will get more subsequent stays and loyal guests.

Obviously, with this series of emails, we are trying to extend the reach of customer service beyond the walls of your establishment. The hotel management software can enable you to use technology and automation to your benefit and ensure a complete and unique stay. It’s true; the usage of automated emails can help you guarantee the client’s satisfaction and increase of your revenue. However, you know it too well, nothing will replace a warm welcome and employees who care about your guests’ happiness. After all, being a good host starts with communication.

5 tips to maximize your property management software

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Posted on by Karine Thibeault

1. Training: getting to know your PMS

When implementing or changing your hotel management system, proper training is key. As obvious as this may seem, it is important not to skimp on the number of training hours before launching your new software. The training sessions will help you review all of the features of your hotel PMS software, either by type of feature or by applicable position.

It is important that these courses be attended by a maximum number of employees. If only one person undertakes the training, he or she will be the only one who knows how to use the hotel management system and will have to pass on that information to all your other employees. In order to accelerate the adoption of the new software, everyone should follow the training that applies to them. In addition, an employee should be chosen as a reference person for all questions concerning the software, and they should participate in each and every one of the training sessions. Software providers now offer training in different forms. Whether in person, via videoconference, or online, training has never been easier.

The training modules contain all of the necessary technical information to know about your hotel PMS software, as well as tips and tricks for good management practices. The training modules are often given by hotel industry professionals who want to equip you to the fullest. You will then be able to perform better with your software and in your operations, overall.

2. Online help: a useful resource!

Some hotel management system such as Hotello offer, in addition to training, online help that is available at any time for the user. This online assistance provides additional help in sticky situations where an employee is left alone to serve a client, but cannot remember how to perform a particular operation. This is a lifesaving feature for all users of the software. Online help is available 24/7 and includes an explanation of the different functionalities of the hotel PMS software. Most of the time, answers to your questions are quicker to find through the online help than if you ask another employee for assistance or the technical support of your hotel management system provider.

By browsing through the online help, you can refresh your memory about certain procedures and even learn about new features of the hotel management system. You can then return to your operations and apply this new knowledge!

3. Knowledge by type of position

As we have learned above, all your employees should attend software training. Whether as a refresher or for an initial training, it is important that the learning of the hotel management system is done according to position type. This will facilitate the training of your staff, but will also allow you to gather internal documentation about the essential points to know about your software according to the functions of each position.

Of course, the training modules can teach you a lot, but each hotel establishment has its own ins and outs, its own business model, and its own management rules. The hotel PMS software adapts to all of these specificities, but implementation must be undertaken at the heart of the establishment. Therefore, it will be of interest to create documentation to explain how to integrate these specificities with each of the different positions.

New employee = Loss of efficiency?

The above becomes especially pertinent if an employee leaves your establishment. A new recruit can simply read the documentation relative to his or her position and, thus, engage with the software in the correct manner. It is important that each employee is aware of all of the tools available in the hotel management system. This will help with an effective execution of the position. Often, some of the features are not utilized because the person in the position does not even know that these features exist in the software. A situation like this can arise if the former employee who left the position did not take the time to properly inform the new recruit or if the recruit is unaware of the availability of certain functions.

The arrival of a new employee is often synonymous with short-term efficiency loss for the establishment. However, with an exhaustive list of the functionalities offered by the hotel software and clear indications for the user of how to use them, your establishment will maintain a steady rhythm.

4. The connectivity offered by the management software

The choice of hotel management system should not be made solely because of the features it offers. You should also consider the types of connectivity that the provider has developed in partnership with experts across the hotel industry. These various forms of connectivity can provide you with a whole host of possibilities that allow you to simplify your life by automating certain tasks. An exhaustive list of partners also indicates whether or not your provider is open to new connectivity options. In the event that the list is short, you may already think that your development demands have little chance of seeing the light of day. However, if you find that your current or potential provider has an extensive list of connections, you can be confident that the day you submit a request for a new connectivity, your request will more likely be fulfilled.

Your hotel PMS software provider should also notify you when new instances of connectivity have been developed and are ready for use. To this end, it is important that you are subscribed to your provider’s news in order to stay on top of fresh developments.

5. News and updates

Change is not always welcomed with open arms in the workplace. Regardless, when it comes to updates or new versions of your hotel management system that become available, you should treat these developments as good news!

New versions developed by your hotel PMS software provider are not made to cause you suffering! On the contrary, they are designed to make your tools perform more effectively and more in line with the latest trends in the industry. These new versions also tell you that your provider is not resting on its laurels, but is working hard to make things easier for you. In addition, these updates and the frequency with which they are offered indicate the dynamism of your provider. This is a key point for technology companies: those who think they have gotten ahead can quickly fall behind if developments are slow or non-existent.

When your provider announces an update, rejoice in the fact that new tools will help you and your employees complete your tasks!

With PMS integration, you have the luxury of choice

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Posted on by Karine Thibeault
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Why is integration capability important?

An establishment’s hotel management system (PMS) lies at the heart of its operations. While it’s true that a PMS covers most of the trades found in a hotel on its own, it isn’t an island onto itself. Sometimes, it needs to integrate with specialized partners to meet the hotelier’s needs.

For instance, take the case of the booking engine, an online sales tool that can be a real challenge for hoteliers. Many engines offer tempting PMS/booking engine conciliation deals. However, online sales is a distinct profession. Often, hotel management system developers don’t have the expertise in this field. A booking engine may seem simple, but a host of special features lie below the surface, including overall efficiency, ease of navigation, response time and OTA connection time.

When choosing a PMS software, make sure the package offered includes a powerful booking engine that’s designed by a company specialized in online sales. Here, of course, we’ve only considered the importance of connecting a hotel management system to specialized booking engines, but the same applies to all PMS add-on systems.

Which systems should your PMS integrate with?

A nearly infinite number of systems can integrate with your hotel management system. The ones you pick must truly meet your hotel’s needs. Some hoteliers have a short list of integration requirements. Others have a long one because many hotel industry aspects may require PMS integration, including key systems, payments and room entertainment systems.

Among the most recent are customer relationship management (CRM) systems that let hoteliers build a precise profile of each guest and find them on social media so that offers tailored to their profile can be marketed to them.

Many CRMs provide sales teams with a tool dedicated to their activity, while also retrieving the information in the hotel management system. PMS/CRM integration can also be leveraged by marketing teams, who can mine the customer data collected by the PMS from their e-marketing platform for targeted marketing purposes. For marketing ends, the hotel management system can also integrate with platforms that manage the hotel’s online reputation.

You can also link a PMS software to innovative autonomous terminals dedicated to electronic check-in check-out. These terminals collect all the information the hotel management system requires to function. The same holds true for online check-in check-out. No matter what type of software you want to integrate with your PMS, it’s nice to have the luxury to choose which vendor you want for specific features.

Integration takes you where you want to go!

The first hotel with a robot dedicated to room service opened in Canada. The robot allows customers to order food and drinks directly from their room. The robot moves around the hotel on its own and requires a great deal of information to do its job properly. It needs to know the guest’s room number, what they ordered and their name to offer personalized service.

Even though the operation isn’t a simple one, thanks to PMS integration and the integration potential of other software applications, the information the robot needs can be accessed. First, the guest in the room must be identified based on the entertainment system they used to order. This data returns to the hotel management system so that the guest’s order can be sent to the restaurant, for instance. Next, the restaurant will prepare the order and bill it to the room using the PMS software. Then, only after retrieving the guest’s order and information, can the robot deliver the order to the room. Several systems must connect to the hotel management system to enable the exchange of information required for the robot to do its work.

When the time comes for you to choose a hotel management system, be sure it offers the requisite connectivity. Otherwise, you might not be able to connect an external system you like to your PMS software. Some PMS providers have agreements with external system providers, so you can select and add them to your hotel management system. Before switching to a new PMS software, remember to check whether its connectivity is adequate for your needs.

6 Qualities of a Good PMS

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Posted on by Karine Thibeault
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Les 6 qualités d’un bons PMS hôtel

A good PMS must:

Be easy to use

Your PMS must be easy to use. Guests shouldn’t be left waiting because the receptionist can’t find an option in your hotel management software. It’s important to remember that the easier your software is to use, the faster you can act and the more satisfied your guest will be. Your PMS should be intuitive and efficient so that you don’t waste time, satisfaction and money.

Évolutif

Not only must your PMS meet your hotel’s current needs, but it should also scale to your needs. To this end, it should offer many module options, features and integrations that can be added in the future if your needs evolve. Your PMS should also allow you to follow trends and connect with new partners who offer complementary tools. A good PMS is regularly updated with new features and improvements designed to help hoteliers on a daily basis and improve the guest experience.

Be available on the Cloud

With a Cloud-hosted PMS, you’re no longer physically tied to your computer. You can access your hotel management software from any Internet-connected device. Moreover, your provider can automatically update to your Cloud PMS as well as handle hardware, storage, networking and software maintenance. By choosing the Cloud, you no longer need an in-house technical infrastructure or to maintain and pay staff to respond to potential server issues. Your PMS provider covers all these costs.

Include excellent technical support

A good PMS includes excellent built-in customer service. No matter the type of question you may have about your PMS, you must be able to call your software provider and get answers or training as quickly as possible.

Be automated

Your PMS must assist you in your work. By choosing a PMS that automatically performs recurring tasks for you, you can focus better on other more relevant tasks and optimize your time. For example, choose a PMS that automates night audits, room assignments and guest e-mailings.

Provide quantitative data

Because a good PMS provides access to a wealth of statistics, reports and forecasts to help you make informed decisions and optimize your management tasks, it can have a positive impact on your revenue. To properly manage your business, you must have direct access to your key indicators, such as ADR, REVPAC, REVPAR, CAPC and even your occupancy rate. A PMS that doesn’t make it easy to view this information doesn’t belong in a hotel looking to progress and evolve.

Hotel management software: what about cybersecurity?

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Posted on by Karine Thibeault
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Physical security

Should your establishment suffer damage from a fire or water infiltration, it would be unfortunate to lose the data stored in your hotel management software. By choosing an external backup, you’ll eliminate all risks of physical damage that could affect your data.

Moreover, your hotel management software will be saved on your provider’s secure cloud infrastructure, which ensures you can rapidly resume your work after a disaster.

virtual security

Unprotected hotel management software is susceptible to virtual security risks. First, if ransomware takes control of unprotected hotel management software, the establishment’s owner will need to pay the requested ransom to recover the data. Also, a server failure, a computer problem or even a computer virus could have serious and detrimental effects on your business and incur unexpected expenses. Backup solutions are designed specifically to address these risks, as they regularly perform an automatic backup of your hotel management software. You won’t lose your data since it will have been saved on a secure backup server in accordance with the industry’s security standards. These regular backups will allow you to resume your work in no time.

By backing up the data of your hotel software, you considerably reduce the risk of loss following an incident. Therefore, the cybersecurity of your PMS is essential for your establishment and to ensure that your operations run safely and without any worry.