Insider: Next Generation Property Management Systems
By Tina Stehle, Senior Vice President & General Manager, Agilysys, Inc.
Ms. Tina Stehle
Thirty years ago many hotels were implementing their first Property Management Systems (PMS). Its main role at the time was to automate processes that had been handled manually. As the PMS has evolved, hotels have utilized these systems’ capabilities to increase efficiency and maximize profits. Initially, this was accomplished primarily through interfacing and more recently, via integration and seamless communication. The complexity of our systems has increased and tech-savvy consumers are driving development. So, now that the PMS has evolved beyond merely managing our information, what will the Property Management System of tomorrow look like?
The Web will continue to be a major influence. However, it is the infrastructure of future systems that is the key to best utilizing what the web has to offer. Competition among integration vendors to enable legacy systems to provide web services has created a number of approaches and products that have provided quick ROI to respond to the needs of the marketplace. The term Services Oriented Architecture (SOA) has been used and misused in a number of contexts in order to market products, but with the effect of obscuring its intended use and benefits. SOA plays a part in the evolution of software towards greater flexibility and reusability through its core tenants of separating layers of logic and the execution of service requests.
So what does SOA mean to the user? In theory, it can take the integration idea to a whole new level. When done right, SOA enables systems to request services of other systems without executing program calls. In other words, integration is easier because disparate systems no longer have to have inherent knowledge of other systems in order to interact with them. SOA can also provide opportunities to craft a custom user interface and/or process around data and logic which may reside across multiple systems. Imagine the possibilities if users could assemble the pieces and parts of various systems to craft a process that best fits their business.
A next-generation PMS will also go beyond merely tracking reservations and performing check-ins and check-outs. It will allow users to anticipate and proactively address guest needs. By capturing all guest events, information and preferences, levels of service will soar to new heights. Utilizing guest relationship information, systems will be able to predict patterns such as spending and preferences as well as evolve the property’s loyalty programs and VIP management. Based on preferences or patterns, the system can make suggestions. For example, if the guest booked a king non-smoking during their last three reservations, a next-generation system should suggest this to an agent during the reservation process based on that pattern.
I invite you to read on for the full article in the Hotel Business Review and contact me if you have any questions or need additional information.
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Sincerely,
Tina Stehle
Vice President and General Manager
Agilysys, Hospitality Solutions
770-625-7500
tina.stehle@agilysys.com
