Property Management System (PMS)
The choice of property management system largely depends on the size of the hotel.
Up to 50 Rooms: Little Hotelier
Little Hotelier is an all-in-one property management system (PMS) designed specifically for small hotels and accommodations. It streamlines operations by centralizing bookings, guest data, room inventory, and communications. With its integrated channel manager, hotels can easily distribute rooms across multiple online travel agencies (OTAs) and their own website, maximizing exposure and revenue. The user-friendly interface automates tasks like sending pre-arrival emails and managing housekeeping schedules, saving time. Little Hotelier’s competitive pricing and lack of long-term contracts make it an affordable solution for small properties looking to boost efficiency, increase direct bookings, and provide a seamless guest experience.
Over 50 Rooms: Mews
Mews is an ideal property management system (PMS) for larger hotels due to its robust capabilities and scalability. It offers flexible rate management tools to optimize pricing across multiple properties, streamlining operations for hotel groups. The cloud-based platform ensures real-time data synchronization and mobile accessibility, empowering staff to focus on enhancing the guest experience. Mews boasts over 450 seamless integrations through its marketplace, enabling hotels to customize their tech stack effortlessly. Its user-friendly interface and automation features increase efficiency, while its competitive pricing makes it a cost-effective solution for large-scale operations.
Revenue Management System
Revenue management software is crucial for hotels to maximize profitability and stay competitive. By leveraging advanced analytics and forecasting capabilities, hotels can optimize pricing strategies, manage inventory effectively, and identify revenue opportunities across channels. Investing in a robust revenue management solution empowers hotels to make data-driven decisions, increase RevPAR, and drive overall business growth.
Lighthouse transforms complex travel and hospitality data into clear, actionable insights. Their revenue management system provides real-time market intelligence, competitive analysis, and dynamic pricing recommendations. Lighthouse empowers properties to optimize rates and maximize revenue growth with confidence.
Four Sides Hospitality Consulting is a partner of Lighthouse. For more information and a free trial, contact us.
Other systems operate a little differently, and most will provide free trials. Here are other options I would suggest looking at:
Channel Manager
In the digital age, having a strong online presence is crucial for hotels to attract guests and drive direct bookings. A channel manager is an essential tool that streamlines the online distribution process, allowing hotels to effortlessly manage room inventory and rates across multiple online travel agencies (OTAs) like Booking.com, Expedia, and their own website from a single platform.
By utilizing a channel manager software, hotels can ensure rate parity, avoid overbookings, and maximize online visibility. This technology saves time, reduces manual errors, and enables hotels to focus on delivering exceptional guest experiences. Investing in a channel manager is a strategic move for increasing direct bookings, optimizing revenue, and maintaining a competitive edge.
The main choice is SiteMinder, one of the world’s leading channel managers that integrates with 400+ channels and partners. There are numerous articles on this site to explain more about its benefits and best uses.
- Learn More About SiteMinder
- Maximizing Efficiency: The SiteMinder Experience – 6 Months Later
- Use SiteMinder To Save Money And Earn More Revenue
- SiteMinder and TurboSuite
Library
A selection of books that every hotelier should consider purchasing.
“Being a revenue manager in the hotel industry requires mastering complex systems, keeping abreast of evolving technologies and adapting to continuous change. To be successful, the best revenue managers repeatedly ask difficult questions, seeking answers that will safeguard the financial health of their hotels and ensure their rooms are not only booked, but optimized. But what may surprise you is that answers to these questions are more than attainable—they also illuminate a set of simple rules that every revenue manager can follow.In this book, Johan Hammer invites you behind the hotel reception desk, where he’ll explain the timeless principles he puts to practical use everyday in his position as a Revenue & Distribution Specialist.”
An introduction to revenue management in a short and concise format.
“Revenue Management for the Hospitality Industry is filled with practical examples and best practices on the topic of revenue management, a critical aspect of the industry. Through numerous revenue management examples from the hospitality industry and a running case example throughout the book, students will discover how they can incorporate revenue management principles and best practices. The core of revenue management of a hospitality organisation is to, as the authors explain, “charge the right price, to the right customer, for the right product, through the right channel, at the right time.” The book is intended for students with prior knowledge and understanding of the hospitality industry, and will explain what they need to know and how to be successful.”
From the book description.
This is an essential textbook that remains near my work desk. There is an updated version, but the information in the 1st edition is still valuable.
“In recent years the brand has moved squarely into the spotlight as the key to success in the hospitality industry. Business strategy once began with marketing and incorporated branding as one of its elements; today the brand drives marketing within the larger hospitality enterprise. Not only has it become the chief means of attracting customers, it has, more broadly, become the chief organizing principle for most hospitality organizations. The never-ending quest for market share follows trend after trend, from offering ever more elaborate and sophisticated amenities to the use of social media as a marketing tool―all driven by the preeminence of the brand.”
A good introduction to branding in the hotel industry, written by Chekitan Dev, a professor at the well-regarded Cornell University – Hospitality Management program.
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