Personalized service plays an essential role in the success of every resort operation. Luckily, today’s innovative PMS technologies are driving up-to-date business workflows, and introducing efficiencies that enhance the guest experience in ways that also grow the bottom line. When it’s time to consider a PMS solution, consider first what the resort is expecting to gain. Is it increased revenue? Increased market share? Ease of operations? Cost savings? Regardless the reason, here are a few common mistakes to avoid.
- Not taking the guest experience into consideration
If the technology isn’t easy-to-use, the guest experience will suffer, even if the guest doesn’t interact with it directly. The software should enable staff to be responsive to guests. For direct guest interactions, self-service kiosks are gaining in popularity for check-in and check-out, and for ordering services.
Start by looking at the guest flow. What are the inefficiencies of check-in and check-out? How easy is it to meet every guest expectation? What single way can the resort change to make the overall stay more seamless? The new solution must be easy-to-use and should reflect the resort’s service standards.
- Not positioning the PMS at the core of the hotel’s technology
Avoid the pitfalls of not considering the business requirements in the near and distant future. There’s a new way of thinking about hotel PMS technology. This new approach emphasizes the PMS as the very center of operations.
To understand why this is important, a little history first. Over time, hotel technology stacks have become significant in size, steadily adding functionality for central reservations, point-of-sale, inventory and procurement, business intelligence, and everything else that goes into operating resorts. The result is complex and cumbersome stacks. Open integration capabilities allow operators to better leverage their own business rules using a minimal amount of code. Consider the PMS as the core of a complete ecosystem that brings disparate systems together. Integration brings increased efficiency, with seamless access to operational data.
It also gives resort staff time back in their days. Instead of managing hardware and contracts, the IT team can focus on developing an IT strategy that improves efficiency, and yes, even helps drive revenue. Guest service, upsells, and upgrades become instantaneous. Less reliance on a front desk agent helps transform upsells from just a notion to actual revenue.
- Not taking the staff experience into account
The most successful user adoption stories involve the staff at every stage of software evaluation. These interactive environments spark creativity and innovation, pushing technology providers to continuously enhance their solutions and the user experience. When staff are involved in the process, one of the most important results is wider employee acceptance, which in turn creates seamless guest interactions.
Consider what’s currently lacking in guest flow and service. Position the PMS as the core of the guest experience, and involve staff as often as possible. These foundational tips can help build a strong brand and develop long-lasting guest relationships.