The Importance of a Property Management System (PMS) in the Hotel Industry

Hotel Property Management Systems have come a long way to become one of the most essential technology tools for accommodation providers today. Simply put, a good PMS is considered the backbone for a hotel. Property management systems make it easier for coordinating the functions of the front office, guest management, sales, planning, and reporting. It allows property owners to manage front desk operations, rates and promotions, and customer loyalty data, consolidating the status of all hotel properties in one place.

Why every hotel needs a PMS and the benefits they can derive?

Guest Reservations

The most important benefit of a PMS is that it helps hotels to seamlessly manage guest reservations. An ideal PMS should allow a hotel to centralize all guest bookings in one place whether they are coming from third party channels. Brand.com or direct walk-ins. When all the reservations are reflected in one place, it becomes easier for the hotel staff to have access to up-to-date inventory information. It gives clarity to hotel employees to know which rooms are reserved and when, so they can manage operations accordingly.

Managing online third-party sales channels

Most PMSs work with various hotel channel managers, like RateTiger, to make it seamless for hotels to transfer rate and availability data to OTAs and get reservation delivery into the hotel system. Some PMSs offer in-built channel management functionality which allows hotels to offer better online reservation experience through a vast network of volume-producing online sales channels.

Revenue Management

Property management systems also helps hotels to manage revenue effectively.  It helps hoteliers to assess the performance of the property, using key performance indicators like ADR (average daily rate), RevPAR (revenue per available room) and GOPPAR (gross operating profit per available room). A good PMS also offers rate plan management where hotels can quickly create room type-rate plan combinations, which assists hoteliers to easily respond to changes in demand. These change in demand may occur due to seasonality, local events, and various other factors.

Front-desk Operations

A front-office module allows a front-desk manager to view and update room reservation status, manage guest check-ins, and process payments. Some property management systems offer integration into check-in kiosks or allow checking in or out via QR code. This module connects reservation, housekeeping, spa, activities, and guest relations management modules in a single environment.

Digital Check-In

With social distancing becoming the norm, digital or contactless check-in is a preference for many guests nowadays. The contactless technology allows guests to arrive, and then check-in using the mobile app on their phone, or by using a self-service check-in machine. The PMS can sync automatically, keeping check-in and occupancy information updated.

Guest Data Management

It is critical for hotels to collect and organize guest data to keep in touch with current and past customers during and after check-out. A CRM integrated with PMS can help the front desk and reservation team to collect all guest information from these sources, store guest data and have a database in an accessible format.  Advanced PMS also enables hotels to manage guest loyalty programs effectively.

Third Party Integrations

Hotels today need multiple technology solutions to manage their property efficiently. But the key challenge for hotels is that most technology solutions work in silo, and it becomes difficult for hotels to get a clear picture of how everything can work together. An integrated system helps hotels to have synchronized data essential for informed decision making. Hence it is important for a hotel PMS to have open API or option to integrate to other technology systems so that hotels can take benefit of it.

Reporting

Last but not the least, is reporting. Everyday hotel staff access many reports including guest data, reservation, booking pace and trends, channel performance and various other relevant metrics for business performance analysis. A good PMS provides quality reports with advanced analytics and insights in easy-to-use formats.

How to get started?

If you are looking for a good PMS, get in touch with us today. RateTiger works closely with all leading PMSs including Opera, Prologic First, IDS Next, WinHMS, ArabSoft, Cenium, Guestline, ePMS, Ezcloud, Hotelogix, HotSoft, Indra, Infor, Protel, Intimus, Mews, Oracle, Skyware, and Visual Matrix,  and we are happy to recommend you systems that work well in your region.

Further, if your property is looking for any technology solution individually or integrated on a platform – Hotel Channel Manager, CRS, Internet Booking Engine (IBE), Rate Shopper, GDS & Metasearch management, Website development, Business Analytics – please reach out to us for a ‘no-obligation’ demo today – https://www.erevmax.com/erevmax-contact.html

 

 

 

The Week, That Was – May 2021 Week 3

In five minutes or less, keep track of the most important news of the week, curated just for you. We present to you hand – picked news on latest industry perspectives and some general updates. Read on

Reef Boutique Hotel drives its travel recovery strategies with RateTiger

One of the most sought-after properties in Bahrain, Reef Boutique Hotel, has recommended RateTiger for helping implement its recovery strategies for online sales growth. The 5-star address is seeing a surge in direct bookings since its implementation of RateTiger booking engine.

https://www.erevmax.com/ratetiger-news/ratetiger-news-archive/may2021-erevmax-reef-boutique-hotel-drives-travel-recovery-strategies-ratetiger.html

Booking.com’s narrative for post-pandemic travel

The company’s new narrative is all about deeper value, better choice, increased flexibility and transparency as well as more thoughtful experiences.

https://www.thedrum.com/news/2021/05/20/bookingcom-s-cmo-arjan-dijk-the-emerging-post-pandemic-traveller

Top OTAs in China back on track

Trip.com Group, China’s largest online travel agency, reported higher-than-expected financial performance for Q1, indicating resilient recovery of China’s domestic tourism market. Both domestic hotel and air ticketing reservations have fully recovered.

http://epaper.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202105/20/WS60a59b7ea31099a2343563e3.html

Survey finds caution being replaced by eagerness to travel

According to GetYourGuide’s Reopening Research report, more than half – 56% – of respondents say they plan to travel within the next six months, which the report classifies as “eager.

https://www.phocuswire.com/getyourguide-survey-finds-caution-being-replaced-by-eagerness-to-travel

E.U. Reopening Borders To Vaccinated Travelers, Those From “Safe” Countries

European Union announced its decision to reopen its borders to visitors who have been fully vaccinated with an approved vaccine or those who are coming from a list of “safe” countries from a COVID-19 perspective.

https://www.travelagentcentral.com/europe/e-u-reopening-borders-to-vaccinated-travelers-those-from-safe-countries

 Airbnb sees a new kind of business travel emerging

That new kind of business travel would include more employees working remotely and returning to headquarters occasionally, and they may prefer to rent an Airbnb accommodation over a hotel.

https://www.businesstravelnews.com/Lodging/Airbnb-Remote-Workers-Could-Spur-New-Kind-of-Business-Travel

Reach out to us for your connectivity needs to make the most of your online revenue- https://goo.gl/3gKUJZ

Thanks and have a good day!

 

 

 

 

How to get onboard with Google Hotel Link for Free

Last month, Google has made hotel listings free for hotel businesses and travel agencies. If you are a hotel owner or a travel agency, you can now display your rates and availability in the All Options section. While the results shown in this section is based on organic search results, this is a major opportunity for hotels to showcase their properties on the world’s biggest search engine without worrying about metasearch budget.

In this blog, we have shared a quick guide for hotels to get on Google.

Why Booking links?

For long, hotels have had to compete through PPC campaigns to appear on Google Hotel Booking listings, where cost was often a big factor. This new development removes the cost barrier and gives hotels a level playing field to appear in Google when users search for accommodation. Based on the search query, a listing of various hotels appear along with property photos, ratings, prices, and a map. While the hotel website’s SEO would play a role in appearing in the top results, if done correctly, it helps hotels to connect with more travelers and drive more bookings at no cost.

Google Hotels immersive view

When a user searches for hotels in a particular location, Google shows an immersive view including both a list and a map of hotel search results that contains hotel names, photos, prices, and ratings. Often these results include property promotion ads, which are paid hotel ads on Google. The traveler then either books from the options or can further filter prices by check-in date, occupancy, price, amenities, user rating, brand, and hotel class. Clicking on a hotel sends the traveler to the hotel booking module. The overview section on the booking module shows four paid listings under the Featured options and two organic search results. Clicking on the Prices Tab, the traveller would be able to see all four paid listings along with all search results.

How to get started: Existing Hotel Ad Users

For hotels already displaying rates and availability and booking link through metasearch, they do not need to do anything as they are automatically eligible to show free booking links. Any property with a bid in a hotel campaign and participating feeds will be eligible. Bids also have no impact on the ranking of free booking links.

Hotels and travel agencies who do not take part in Hotel ads

If you are a hotel or a travel agency which does not take part in hotels ads, the first thing you need to have is a Hotel Center Account. Hotels and hotel booking partners who do not have a Hotel Center account but are interested in getting started with free booking links should fill out the interest form. Google has integration with multiple third-party integration partners including RateTiger and recommends hotels to work directly work with these providers to connect to Google. At RateTiger, we are helping many of our client hotels to set up Hotel Center Accounts. For onboarding, you need to provide us with the following:

  1. The hotel list containing all the properties that the hotel/ group/ travel agency wishes to show on Google.
  2. Selecting an option for sending hotel pricing updates to Google.
  3. Customize landing pages that will be shown to a traveler after they click on a hotel’s price on Google or Google Maps.
  4. Maintain an excellent Price Accuracy score

To know more or to get started, contact us today – https://www.erevmax.com/erevmax-contact.html

The Week, That Was – April 2021 Week 4

In five minutes or less, keep track of the most important news of the week, curated just for you. We present to you hand – picked news on latest industry perspectives and some general updates. Read on!

Suha Hospitality boosts online bookings with RateTiger

Leading hotel chain Suha Hospitality has endorsed eRevMax distribution solutions which helped the group improve their online booking productivity. All properties of the brand are currently using RateTiger Connect for managing rates and availabilities across connected OTAs directly from their PMS.

https://www.erevmax.com/ratetiger-news/ratetiger-news-archive/apr2021-erevmax-suha-hospitality-boosts-online-bookings-ratetiger.html

Demand may exceed supply, as IHG sees surge in bookings

Bookings are rising in parallel with vaccinations, and a significant portion of the travel industry’s recovery will be seen in the second half of 2021 and the bulk of 2022.

https://www.marketwatch.com/story/demand-may-exceed-supply-as-ceo-of-one-of-the-worlds-biggest-hotel-groups-sees-surge-in-bookings-11618999201

Google is phasing out third-party cookies… Will it impact hotel marketing?

Google recently announced that they are going forward with their plan to block third-party cookie tracking through Google Chrome (Chrome commands 63% of browser market share). What this means exactly for hotels is not totally clear.

Read more – https://www.hospitalitynet.org/panel/125000098/126000990.html

Hotel Sentiment Short Survey- Q2 2021

As a distribution connectivity provider, eRevMax – RateTiger has been interacting with hotels worldwide to identify pressing challenges that affect your day-to-day operations. We invite you to participate in our short survey and share your valuable responses. Your participation will enable us to prepare a collective Hotel Outlook Report for the next quarter. We will make the report available to all respondents once it is published next month.
Click the link to access the survey – https://lnkd.in/ga4Xx2d

eRevMax Partner Expedia launching major brand revamp

The new brand positioning includes the tagline of “It matters who you travel with,” which is meant to illustrate Expedia’s desire to be more of a companion that can support travelers get more out of their trips.

https://www.travelweekly.com/Travel-News/Travel-Agent-Issues/Expedia-launching-major-brand-revamp

 The intersections of tomorrow’s hotel industry

Now is the time, to reinvent, revitalize and reposition the entire hotel industry by offering fewer rooms and more space dedicated to activities other than lodging.

https://www.hotelbusiness.com/the-intersections-of-tomorrows-hotel-industry/

 Reach out to us for your connectivity needs to make the most of your online revenue- https://goo.gl/3gKUJZ

Thanks and have a good day!

 

eRevMax expands Partner Ecosystem with Discovery Loyalty, GuestPlus PMS and World2Meet (W2M)

With future booking numbers picking up across key destinations globally, domestic travel continues to aid travel recovery. The increasing number of technology requirements that assists hotels to manage their business efficiently can be mind-boggling. It is important that hotels choose their tech partners judiciously so that they are cost and time effective while leading to revenue generation.

eRevMax continues to expand its partner based to offer hoteliers with integrated solutions so they can manage multiple facets of hospitality operations seamlessly, directly from a single platform. Here we bring some of our newest technology partners – feel free to contact us to connect with any of them.

Discovery Loyalty

With more focus on domestic tourism and growing importance of loyalty programs, you may want to have a partner that can help you create and manage Loyalty Programs for your hotel. Our newest partner – Discovery Loyalty, provides 16 million members exclusive opportunities to immerse themselves in local culture wherever they travel. With over 570 hotels in 85 countries, the award-winning DISCOVERY programme generates approximately $2 billion in revenue and over 8 million room nights annually. Get your property listed with Discovery Loyalty and boost your hotel occupancy today.

GuestPlus PMS

A popular technology provider in the UAE, Armada GuestPlus PMS, is a fully configurable, PCI compliant Property Management System that can enable any sized hotel, holiday home, inns and resorts to manage their bookings and operations efficiently and profitably. GuestPlus PMS helps its hotel partners to boost revenue by up to 150%. Known for its user-friendly interface, Armada GuestPlus PMS might just be the right partner for your property. What’s more – you can continue to manage your OTAs seamlessly through RateTiger even with this new PMS. Contact us if you want to schedule a demo with the PMS.

World2Meet (W2M)

If you are looking to connect to a Spanish tour operator, look no further. World2Meet (W2M) – our new demand partner is connected to over 6000 travel agencies in Spain and Portugal and works closely with bed banks, OTAs and wholesalers. With direct contracts with more than 30,000 properties, this could just be the right partner for your hotel. Contact us today to know more about this channel.

Are you looking to manage any new tech partner or hotel channel manager software from your RateTiger platform? CONTACT US TODAY – https://www.erevmax.com/erevmax-contact.html

5 tips to optimize your hotel’s profile on Booking.com – Part 5

We aim to bring to hotels quick and easy ways to optimize their presence on Booking.com and get more reservations for their property. Through this series, we are highlighting tips that you can leverage through the various promotional options that Booking.com provides.

In the last part of this series, we will talk about the Payment solutions available through Booking.com

Allow Booking.com to take care of online payments

Data breach and payment security have been one of the biggest concerns of the hotel industry. In the last 2 years, many hotel chains have been victims of data compromise. A robust payment solution is a must-have for hotels to avoid security breach and guaranteed pay outs.

Booking.com has recently introduced guest payment options which can help hotels reach more guests, reduce cancellations, and save time on administration related stuff.

Secure, reliable, and easy to manage, the payment module gives hotels a wide range of options including internationally recognized PayPal, Alipay and WeChat Pay.

To know more about this, please check out this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QgKfMcRLebY&feature=emb_title&ab_channel=Booking.comPartners

Benefits for Hotels choosing Booking payment solutions –

  • Put an end to chasing down guest payments
  • Eliminate dealings with fraudulent online bookings
  • Avoid guaranteed payouts according to the hotel policy

Benefit for Guests –

  • Choice to select from a wide range of payment options

According to Booking.com data, guests who make online payments are much less likely to cancel or have no-show than those who don’t – ensuring more secure revenue for the hotel.

Booking.com offer properties two payments solutions to choose from:

  1. Guests can only pay online (i.e. Booking.com facilitates all payments),
  2. Guests can either pay online or at the property (i.e. Booking.com only deal with the hotel’s online payments).

To know more about how you can get started, contact us on marketing@erevmax.com

 

5 tips to optimize your hotel’s profile on Booking.com – Part 4

In this series, we are focusing on easy recommendations that you can leverage for driving more demand to your property through Booking.com.

In the fourth part of this series, we will discuss Non-refundable Rates and how you can benefit from it.

Non-refundable Rate

According to a recent survey done by Booking.com, the two most important considerations for making new bookings are flexible cancellation policies and competitive pricing offers. In the third part of the series, we discussed the benefits of Flexible Rate Plans. However, for 40% of travelers, pricing is a major factor, and this is where non-refundable rate comes into play.

Benefits of Non-refundable Rate

Non-refundable rate typically offers lower rates than fully flexible rates and are quite popular with travelers with fixed plans. Hotels often offer non-refundable rates to secure guaranteed bookings and revenue.

According to Booking.com data, hotels who offer this Rate Plan reduce cancellations by an average of at least 9% and have experienced overall booking boost by up to 5%.

Booking.com recommends participating hotels to combine at least two of three rate plans: Free Cancellation, Non-Refundable and Early Booker. Data shows that hotels who have efficiently used all three have seen a 5% increase in bookings, an 11% increase in visibility and a 9% reduction in cancellations.

Hotels can activate the Non-refundable rate plan from their RateTiger dashboard, by simply selecting the option from the promotion tab. They can also monitor and modify all existing campaigns on Booking.com from the View and Apply Promotion Module on RateTiger.

To know more about it, contact us on marketing@erevmax.com

The Week, That Was – March 2021 Week 2

In five minutes or less, keep track of the most important news of the week, curated just for you. We present to you hand – picked news on latest industry perspectives and some general updates. Read on!!

RateTiger becomes the first hotel technology platform to integrate Agoda Promotions API

eRevMax, the leading hotel distribution and connectivity solution provider, has become the first technology company to complete Promotions API integration with Agoda. Hotels using RateTiger Channel Manager can now create specific Promotions on Agoda directly from their RateTiger platform to attract more visibility and rebuild demand.

https://www.erevmax.com/ratetiger-news/ratetiger-news-archive/mar2021-erevmax-ratetiger-becomes-first-hoteltechnology-platform-integrate-agoda.html

What Google’s overhaul of hotel booking ads really means

How do hotels gain placement in the new organic list of prices for hotels? And will the paid-for listings just be dominated by brands associated with Booking Holdings and Expedia Group – those that have the marketing muscle to keep spending for visibility?

https://www.phocuswire.com/What-Google-overhaul-of-hotel-booking-ads-really-means

UK: Bookings rise for summer peak as confidence grows

Booking volumes for the peak summer holiday period are starting to pick up as destinations prepare to welcome back British tourists.

https://www.travelweekly.co.uk/news/tour-operators/bookings-rise-for-summer-peak-as-confidence-grows

Attract Israeli tourists through special Country Rates on Booking.com

A recent news regarding the inflow of Israeli tourists to the UAE has created a lot of positive stir amongst travel watchers.  We would like you to take advantage of this opportunity. You can now activate Country rates which are targeted discounts that you can offer to guests from your markets of choice. You will find personalized country rate recommendations on the RateTiger Channel Manager.

Contact us today to know more or to see a demo – marketing@erevmax.com

How to attract more Chinese travelers post-COVID

One of the strategies seen by some tourist destinations is to attract Chinese travellers, which is one of the biggest movers and shakers in travel.Additional steps are critical to interact with Chinese citizens to help spark international travel demand when travel is more easily accessible.

https://www.traveldailymedia.com/how-to-attract-more-chinese-travellers-post-covid/

Sojern: Domestic demand in hotel searches soaring in Asia Pacific

Domestic stays dominate with over 90% of travelers are looking for short staycations.

https://www.sojern.com/blog/covid-19-insights-on-travel-impact-asia-pacific-march/

 Reach out to us for your connectivity needs to make the most of your online revenue- https://goo.gl/3gKUJZ

Thanks and have a good day!

eRevMax expands its Channel Ecosystem with MG Bedbank, HyperGuest and grabrooms

With the Covid-19 vaccine roll-out restoring travelers’ confidence, hospitality business is expected to show signs of recovery. As demand destination is getting closer to origin, various OTAs are working with hotels to attract early bookers with more incentives and flexibilities. Hence it is important for hotels to know which channels are giving maximum exposure to their property. Here are some of our technology and channel partners leading in their specific markets. Get in touch if you wish to connect to any of our 450+ partners.

MG Bedbank

Considered South East Asia’s largest Bedbank, Indonesia based MG Bedbank is the newest addition to the eRevMax Channel Ecosystem. It works closely with over 5,500 hotels across the region and is a trusted and preferred booking platform for thousands of travel agents. If you are looking to attract new bookings, connect to this channel today.

HyperGuest

An API based platform, HyperGuest is the first open distribution marketplace where rooms move at hyperspeed. It enables direct connectivity between hotels and travel providers (Agencies, Consortia, specialist OTAs, Group Bookings). There is no cost for using the platform, hotels pay commissions only for confirmed reservations directly to the travel provider. Connect to the platform via RateTiger to capture available demand.

grabrooms

Are you looking to increase direct bookings from brand.com? Our new booking engine partner, grabrooms provide hoteliers with multiple direct booking solutions. With smart features like dynamic rate rules, powerful revenue algorithms and mobile wallet, your hotel can expand website sales. Implement a responsive and powerful booking solution for a smooth reservation experience for your guests. Contact us for more details.

Are you looking to manage any new tech partner or channel from your RateTiger platform? CONTACT US TODAY – https://www.erevmax.com/erevmax-contact.html

The Week, That Was – February 2021 Week 1

In five minutes or less, keep track of the most important news of the week, curated just for you. We present to you hand – picked news on latest industry perspectives and some general updates. Read on!!

Webinar Invite – Understanding Traveller Sentiment for Driving Hotel Business

With occupancy restrictions and changing guest expectations, hotels need to be competitive while being profitable. Join us for a webinar on 17th Feb to know how to leverage the right technology for distribution and operational efficiency.

Register today – https://www.erevmax.com/eshots/webinar/erevmax-prologicfirst-register-feb21.html

Where hotels are investing now

Technology is getting a lot of attention among hotel owners. Cloud-based technology, 5G and machine learning are among common tech investments by hotel owners, as the pandemic accelerates the need for leaner hotel operations and enhanced tech features for both staff and guests.

https://www.costar.com/article/1099742678/hotel-owners-the-driving-force-behind-tech-adoption

Capture the fastest-growing segment of bookers with Booking.com’s Mobile Rates

With the growth in domestic tourism, Booking.com is expecting almost 74% of bookings to come from a mobile phone. Adding a mobile rate to your property will increase your visibility with these customers and unlock your market potential with last-minute mobile bookings. You can update Mobile Rates on Booking.com directly from RateTiger.

https://www.erevmax.com/blog/index.php/2021/02/capture-the-fastest-growing-segment-of-bookers-with-booking-coms-mobile-rates/

Expedia expands hotel discount availability

Expedia Partner Solutions extends package rates to all TAAP travel agent members. Previously available only to a select group of partners, Expedia TAAP package rates are now available to all tiers giving them 20% on accommodation when booked alongside a transport component.

https://travolution.com/news/travel-sectors/travel-agents/expedia-travel-agent-affiliate-programme-extends-benefits-to-help-partners-recover

Agoda launches GoLocal Tonight

The new service helps hotels across Asia-Pacific to capitalize on the growing post-pandemic trend towards last-minute domestic bookings.

https://www.webintravel.com/agoda-sees-growing-demand-for-last-minute-deals-launches-new-tool/

Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky: “It’s going to be a year of focus”

Not only has focus helped Airbnb withstand the coronavirus pandemic, it will also be what sets the company up to capitalize on travel’s rebound.

https://www.phocuswire.com/airbnb-ceo-brian-chesky-going-to-be-year-of-focus

Reach out to us for your connectivity needs to make the most of your online revenue- https://goo.gl/3gKUJZ

Thanks and have a good day!