When considering a hotel-based property management system, remember this rule: mobility equals freedom. Freedom for owners, freedom for operators, and even freedom for housekeepers and bookkeepers. That’s because today’s modern, cloud-based PMS leverages the latest technology that eliminates the need for premise-based systems by shifting everything to the internet.
And that fundamental change opened the innovation door so the SkyTouch Hotel Operations Platform team could create a host of features – with new ones constantly being added – reinventing the entire notion of what a PMS can capably handle.
No More Hardware
The development of cloud technology is one of the most significant advances for businesses, including the hotel industry. A report from Gartner predicts the cloud market will grow by 17.3 percent in 2019 while the Worldwide Public Cloud Services Market is projected to grow to a total of $206.2B, up from $175.8B in 2018 according to Gartner.
A modern, cloud-based hotel PMS completely abandons the need for massive hardware costs while setting the stage for myriad new productivity features. Instead, terminals, smartphones, tablets and more, simply connect to the internet to securely and safely access the SkyTouch Hotel Operations Platform. By vanquishing on-premise systems to the archives of history, there’s no massive cash outlay at the onset, no additional charges for ongoing maintenance expenses related to equipment that could fail or become outdated, and no need to hire IT professionals to maintain or repair the system since the cloud-based software is always up to date.
Plus, the SkyTouch Hotel Operations Platform runs on Amazon Web Services (AWS), equipping SkyTouch to continuously advance in performance, optimize its hosting services, and offer heightened reliability for the thousands of hotels that use the SkyTouch Technology platform. Having the SkyTouch Hotel Operations Platform on AWS allows it to continue to grow, while seamlessly and concurrently executing a product roadmap, as well as providing access to AWS’ architects, analysts, and services.
Mobile Management
When tapping into the power of a cloud-based hotel PMS, decision makers needn’t be at the property to keep their hotels running smoothly. The mobile movement means people are more comfortable doing tasks on the go than ever before and according to eMarketer, the average US adult will spend 3 hours, 43 minutes per day on mobile devices in 2019. This means people are already comfortable with using mobile technology for productivity tasks.
Because SkyTouch is mobile ready, executives have access to mobile-optimized hotel management tools when on the go. This includes people in management roles working at a specific property, as well as folks up in the corporate office looking for a deeper understanding of what’s happening at each of that company’s properties. In fact, management and owners have access to hundreds of reporting features remotely, can change room rates on the fly, and even manage online rooms distribution by allowing efficient inventory management. That means the ability to get work done from anywhere in the world with an internet connection, including at their kids’ soccer game, creates more money saving opportunities.
For example, Edwin Cruz, General Manager of the El San Geronimo hotels says tapping into the cloud provides a strategic advantage for his company because mobile technology powered by the cloud allows executives to see the financial picture of every hotel in the system from anywhere there’s an internet connection. “Being able to integrate across multiple properties with the same PMS system was something we really value,” he said.
On Site Efficiencies
Users can even arrange housekeeping schedules from home, creating efficiencies for the housekeeping department that shortens or eliminates downtime, for example. This has the potential to cut down on total housekeeping hours, an essential strategy during this time of rising labor costs. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), hourly wages for non-supervisory workers in the hotel business were up 3.2 percent by the end of 2018 compared to the prior year.
The mobile-optimized hotel PMS helps eliminate wasted dollars by setting the stage for greater efficiency. Rather than rely on potentially outdated printed reports, leaving housekeepers hoping they’ll quickly find the rooms that need to be cleaned, utilizing mobile connectivity means the latest check-out and check-in data is always up to date. The system alerts staff to which rooms are occupied, which ones must be cleared immediately, and which rooms can be put back into service next. That saves the time housekeeping personnel are on the clock, while speeding up customer service. And the maintenance department benefits too as notifications can be sent directly to staff, saving time and paperwork.
In all, mobile technology combined with a cloud-based PMS is transforming the way hoteliers operate their businesses by creating flexibility and efficiency.
Ready to see how a partner like SkyTouch can impact your operations and your revenue? Contact us today and book a demo of the SkyTouch Hotel Operations Platform.
