Hospitality is a very interesting and profitable business area. The owner can manage independently, but not everyone can organize work so that the institution brings good profit. In this case, it is better to resort to the services of a professional.
Hotel management - management of an institution whose purpose is to provide services at a bargain price and make more profit.
Regardless of who manages the property, in most hotels they prefer to use a special program. It allows you to correctly plan the execution of all operations in the institution and provides convenient storage of customer information.
ACS - a combination of hardware (mechanical and electronic parts of the device), software (systems for operating a computer) tools, as well as enterprise employees to organize and manage various processes.
The hotel and hotel management system is a type of ACS. It is used for maintaining current documentation of the institution, storing information about residents, fund rooms and accounting for finances. Helps to correctly organize the work of the institution.
Another such program is called a cloud-based hotel (hotel) management system or PMS (property management system - property management system). It also allows you to optimize everyday operations and thereby speed up their implementation.
The system is installed on the computer and mobile phones of the hotel staff. Thus, each employee can receive the necessary information and instructions during the working day.
Goals and requirements
The interface of such programs is most often simple and understandable for ordinary users.
The goals of using the hotel management system:
- automation of staff;
- synchronization with reservation systems;
- bookkeeping;
- paperwork for guests;
- calculation of various statistical indicators: at what time of the year there are more guests, which rooms are more often booked.
Primary requirements:
- reporting in accordance with the laws of the country in which the property is located;
- accommodation of guests by numbers and by separate beds;
- Payment upon check-in or check-out.
When choosing an automated hotel management system, first of all, focus on the specifics of your establishment. For large complexes, it is better to choose high-quality programs with rich functionality and tools. For a hostel and mini-hotels, you can choose a simple system that can satisfy all needs. This approach will save money that a small business may simply not have.
What is included?
The cloud-based hotel management system has several components.
1. Chess.
This is an essential element of any program. A practical and easy to use tool. It is a form with data on any current reservation, location and customer base.
It is made in the form of a table. It takes into account a specific period and sorts the data by number fund. Great for maintaining documentation of any type of institution: hotel, hostel, hotel, recreation center.
2. Automatic notification of guests.
3. Forms for statistics.
4. Registration of current documentation.
5. Storage of customer information.
These items may vary by system.
Currently, there are several dozen hotel management systems. The difference between foreign and Russian programs is that they give the greatest freedom of action to hotel staff. While the systems that are operated in the post-Soviet space, as much as possible limit the activities of employees.
Now let's talk about the most common programs for managing the hotel and their main functions.
Opera
The full name is Opera Enterprise Solution Hotel Management System. Installation leader, used in 100 countries. Advantages that confirm reviews:
- universal, that is, it can be used in various types of hotel business establishments;
- Configurable depending on the size and volume of business activity;
- meets the most demanding requests;
- guarantees reliable and prompt real-time data exchange on real estate;
- has rich functionality.
The Opera Hotel Management System can work together with programs such as:
- call billing;
- automatic mini bars;
- credit card authorization;
- accounting programs;
- restaurant management system.
This system consists of modules, which, if necessary, can be configured and changed in accordance with the needs of the hotel manager. The development cost also depends on this. It includes:
1. Reservation.
The hotel reservation management system includes confirmation, cancellation, waiting lists, deposit management.
2. Management of number of rooms.
Automatic distribution of tasks for maids. Monitoring the availability of rooms, their equipment, cleaning and timely repair.
3. Guest card.
Personal data of each guest: address, phone number, preferences for hotel accommodation, visits to the restaurant, pool and other hotel infrastructure.
4. Reports.
The ability to customize using the built-in generator. You can also use standard reports (more than 300 forms).
5. Tariff management.
Setting quotas, analyzing and managing revenue, setting tariffs and much more.
6. Reception, accommodation service.
Accommodation of guests one by one and in groups, with and without reservation. Keeping office notes and managing guest messages.
The hotel management system Opera PMS affects most of the institution’s business processes, interacts with various interfaces: telephones, television, electronic locks, tablets.
Fidelio
Hotel Management System Fidelio is a German-made product. All establishments with this development are automatically entered in the global electronic booking lists.
In Russia, Fidelio is represented by Hotel and Restaurant systems (HRS). She is engaged in the implementation and customization of the products of this company, helps customers to master the system, provides technical support and conducts periodic updates.
Hotel management system Fidelio does not require special computer hardware features and is also very popular.
Features:
- the price depends on the number of rooms and on the set of modules that you select;
- The price includes installation, configuration, customer training, support for malfunctions;
- It does not always interact well with inkjet and laser printers.
Fidelio produces:
- Calculation of funds for accommodation.
- Booking and check-in.
- Billing for customers.
- Getting statistical reports.
- Combining data on unpaid bills of guests from various points of sale.
This program contains many modules, one of the most important is the cashier module. He is responsible for:
- maintaining the main cash desk;
- relocation of guests;
- exchange office operations;
- interim accounts;
- payment acceptance;
- armor correction;
- manual accruals.
Judging by the reviews, a big plus of this system is the ability to interact with other external devices and systems.
Hospitality Management System (HMS)
The company "Libra" has been developing programs for the hotel industry since 1998.
The hotel management system (Libra is the creator and developer of this program) Logus HMS has more than 500 deployments worldwide. It differs from other programs, as it is an application that is installed on the hotel server. Such a system has advantages over a conventional cloud:
- can perform work offline (that is, without access to the Internet and regardless of its speed);
- Faster data processing
- easily interacts with any remote system;
- perfect for selling both rooms and beds in a hotel;
- all functionality is aimed at sales management for profit;
- forecasting the accrual and provision of services;
- details of all transactions;
- interfaces are integrated into the CRM system (this software is designed to work with clients), which ensures efficient organization of the workflow;
- ease of navigation;
- tariff flexibility;
- universality;
- the ability to split guests' accounts, even if they live in the same room and have different packages of services (this is especially true for sanatoriums and rest homes where medical procedures are provided).
This is a convenient program adapted for the Russian hotel business. It can be used in all types of establishments.
It allows you to significantly speed up the implementation of many everyday tasks, automating them. For example:
- Import and export information from an accounting program.
- Entering passport details of guests by scanning.
Also, the Libra management system has a component for providing services at a higher level and increasing sales.
The company has developed a special guest reward module in which you can configure any loyalty program.
The standard package includes 4 applications:
- Engineering service.
- The work of the maids.
- Application for hostesses (access control for guests at food outlets).
- Console for the head.
Judging by the reviews, in general, a good option for an institution of any size. Another question is that for a small hostel or hotel it can come out a little expensive.
"Edelweiss"
This program was developed in Russia and has been on the market since 2000 . It includes more than 400 installations for the entire time of service.
Key features of the Edelweiss hotel management system:
- Easy to learn and easy to operate.
- A rich set of ready-made interfaces.
- Imports data into accounting and the FMS.
- Reduces customer service time.
- It provides for the possibility of using discount cards and bonuses in working with visitors.
- It guarantees control over the sale of rooms over the Internet.
- Organizes a single payment space (with different payment methods).
- Keeps records of renting a conference room, organizing events and other hotel services.
According to reviews, the Edelweiss hotel management system has a powerful and intuitive chess with clear visualization and additional control of early departures and late arrivals.
OtelMS
Professional hotel management program. Like other systems, it is primarily aimed at automating all business processes in a hotel or hotel in order to optimize all activities and, consequently, make more profit.
Consists of 3 modules:
1. OtelMS HMS.
It performs the following functions:
- storage of customer stories;
- reservation;
- tariff management;
- drawing up documentation;
- receptionist;
- organization of work with the number of rooms.
2. Booking module.
It is suitable for any type of site and social network. Allows you to interact with the most popular reservation systems. Advantages:
- no commission;
- simple installation;
- work on any device;
- constant updating.
3. Channel manager OtelMS.
It will help to effectively organize the work of booking on sites and through travel agencies. It guarantees:
- Increase sales by 20% for six months.
- All available rooms are always on sale.
- Efficiency and ease of work.
- Synchronization with leading sales channels.
This management system has its advantages:
- reduces the cost of providing services (as they become automated);
- flexible reporting tools;
- full formation of the guest base;
- system update and support are included;
- booking module is suitable for any site.
Reviews about the OtelMS hotel management system are most often positive. For instance:
- Excellent value for money and quality.
- Rare freezes.
- Operational support service.
- Convenient preparation of documents.
- Visual chess.
Of the minuses called:
- Subscription fee.
- Not suitable for material accounting of the hotel’s trade.
- Few promotion channels.
- Lack of some marketing analytics tools.
Statistics
Data on the use of hotel management systems:
- Opera is the most popular program, has more than 13 thousand installations.
- "Edelweiss" - used in 80 countries, more than 400 installations.
- "Libra Hospitality Management System" is known worldwide, more than 500 purchases.
- Fidelio is also very popular, but has a high cost. Although this depends on the number of selected modules.
- Channel manager OtelMS. Not very popular, but has rich functionality, consists of 3 modules.
To select a system, the owner or manager must evaluate a number of factors:
- Interfaces and expansion flexibility
- quality of functioning;
- variety of opportunities;
- project support level;
- reliability;
- program cost.
- good work of an integrator company (this is a company that creates access programs and data centers: in our case, hotel management systems).
Mining hotel
And now let's talk a little about a completely new direction in the hotel business - mining hotels.
Recently, there has been a rapid spread of mining, this is due to a sharp jump in cryptocurrency. Therefore, entrepreneurs began to open institutions of a new type. Let's try to figure out how this business works.
Mining (from the English. “Mining”) - receiving cryptocurrency. It is carried out using mathematical calculations. This happens on a computer or specialized ASIC equipment. These are special integrated circuits. They have a housing with a cooling system and a module for connecting to the network. They aim to solve the only problem - to mine bitcoins.
Just a few years ago, such equipment was not at all common. Amateurs were engaged in mining at home on ordinary computers with a good graphics card.
Over time, the power of home and office computers was not enough, they began to add additional components: video cards (4-8 pieces), motherboards, power supplies. So there were mining farms.
Now the mathematical solutions in the network are very complicated, so the cost of electricity is constantly increasing. In addition, the wiring in multi-storey buildings does not cope with the load, computers in unventilated rooms overheat and turn off.
Crypto farmers began to join in groups, because it is difficult to cope with such tasks alone, loss of time means less profit. Accordingly, a place is also needed for all participants in the process.
Specialized equipment consumes much less energy, and also has more power. But it takes up a lot of space, at home or in the garage it is difficult to place it in large numbers. And this, of course, limits profit. Therefore, mining at home has become simply unprofitable.
This entailed the creation of infrastructure for miners, overgrown apartment farms, but not yet having the funds to rent the premises on their own.
So there was a miner management system - a data center (mining hotel).
Such establishments are a platform with the necessary equipment: industrial air conditioners that will help to avoid overheating, racks for storing mining farms, Internet access. Owners of such hotels charge for a bed and electricity. While there are few such establishments, there are several hotels in Moscow, Moscow Region and Tatarstan. But the prospects for the development of this business are enormous.
PMS - the foundation of the hotel business
The cost of the hotel management system is quite high, but despite this, it has a great advantage over handwritten accounting. The system provides security, transparency and optimization of all current processes, eliminates errors in calculations.
When choosing a program, evaluate the size of the hotel business so as not to pay extra money for functionality that is not useful.
One of the main selection criteria is integration (interoperability) with other solutions and products from various manufacturers.
Thus, a properly selected management system will help organize the work of the hotel and the hotel efficiently and effectively. Such a program is the basis of all hotel activities, so you need to approach its choice seriously and carefully.