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The Hotel PMS at the service of the autonomous hotel industry
In the hotel industry, the Property Management Software (PMS) is an essential tool to manage hotel operations. Although the hotel PMS have always been designed to facilitate the daily life of their users, let’s learn how to further optimize them in order to privilege automation. The hotel PMS is used to manage reservations, billing, check-in and check-out operations, as well as guest information. However, the current trend is encouraging hotels to rethink the way they operate and to opt for more autonomous solutions that offer a contactless guest experience.
The autonomous hotel industry was already considered as an emerging trend and has become essential since the Covid-19 pandemic. Guests are now opting for accommodation solutions that offer a contactless experience to discover new experiences and a new type of hospitality but they also have the flexibility to arrive and leave the hotel without having to wait at the reception desk. To do so, hotels must adapt to this new reality and offer autonomous solutions to provide a modern, safe and pleasant accommodation experience to their guests.
In this article, we suggest several solutions to optimize your Property Management Software to offer an autonomous, contactless hotel experience.
Online booking
In order to move towards an autonomous hotel industry, hotels must offer an online booking option to allow guests to book their stay without having to call or send a reservation request. Online booking allows the consumer to validate the cost of their stay, choose their room and the options they want without contacting the hotel directly and waiting for a response from them. By integrating this feature into your Property Management Software, guests can easily book their stay online and receive instant confirmation.
Online Check-in and check-out
Hotels can offer an online check-in and check-out solution to minimize waiting time at the front desk, to allow guests to do a late check-in or if the receptionist is busy with other guests. By integrating this feature in your hotel PMS, guests can easily do their check-in and check-out online, all without having to interact with hotel staff.
Online payment
Hotels can also offer an online payment option to ensure payment is being collected. By integrating this feature into the hotel PMS, guests can easily and securely make their payment online while limiting data entry errors since the card is not handled by hotel staff and is not stored in the Property Management Software.
Contactless technology
The use of contactless technology to offer an autonomous hotel experience is also an advantage for hotels. For example, self-serve kiosks that allow guests to do their check-in and check-out without waiting at the front desk or room keys that can be replaced by electronic keys accessible via a mobile app. Online ordering solutions for food and laundry services are also a possibility to minimize physical interactions with the hotel staff.
Use of chatbots
Chatbots are a great tool to answer guest requests quickly and allow the hotel to maximize revenue by offering additional services. Chatbots can be integrated into the hotel PMS to answer frequent guest questions, allow guests to order room services and provide a personalized accommodation experience.
In the hotel industry, Property Management Software’s optimization is essential to offer an autonomous guest experience. However, it is essential that the concept of an autonomous hotel industry not only suits your property and your clientele but also that the technology is fully integrated throughout your customer journey.
From booking to check-out, to payment and key delivery, the technology helps simplify these steps in your guest’s journey but that means using connected and efficient technology. When the customer experience is well thought out, hoteliers have a lot to gain by connecting their systems since the customer does 100% autonomously what a hotel employee would have done for them. Thus, the customer finds it innovative and different and the hotelier is able to devote more time to the management and the customer relationship.
