The landscape of hospitality tech might be changing, but one thing is certain: mobility is far more than a passing fad. Rather, it’s the new industry standard that will shape every touchpoint of hotel operations and the guest experience.

Legacy systems, on the other hand, run on bulky in-house servers and are often costly to implement, maintain, upgrade, and integrate. Because mobile PMS systems operate in the cloud, they reduce the need for on-going IT resources, high electrical and cooling bills, and expensive third-party updates and reconfigurations.  All of this helps to reduce technology-related costs to the hotel.

Finally, hoteliers should consider the hands-free security benefits. Unlike legacy systems of the past, cloud-based PMS offers state-of-the-art data and access security, and consistent processing speed at various scales. Uninterrupted service is paramount, so the inclusion of uninterrupted failover, automated disaster recovery, and redundant data stores is also crucial.

Enhanced Revenue & Guest Service

Of course, a mobile PMS doesn’t just reduce costs, it can also be a valuable tool to enhance revenue. A mobile PMS lets you create customized, in-the-moment messaging for room upgrades, monetized early check-in/late check-out and additional amenities 一 sent directly to your guests’ smartphones. And because a mobile PMS serves as a central repository for guest stay data and preferences, it allows you to send the right message, at the right touchpoint to make an impact.

Mobility can also revolutionize the role of the front desk agent, turning it from a purely administrative position to one focused on increasing revenue and guest satisfaction. Put simply, the old way of “supersizing” a room at the front-desk is not a very good way to upsell: The guest will have no way to gauge the value of the upgraded room, and will likely not be in a “buying mood” after waiting in a long line to check in.  But a mobile PMS is different. With mobile, staff can interact with your guests wherever they are in the hotel, strike up a natural conversation about the guest’s trip, and show them relevant offers that are highlighted by images on the staff member’s tablet.

Taking a cue from the airline industry, smart kiosks can help you reimagine your lobby. Not only do they help to minimize lines at check-in, but by eliminating the need for a front desk, they allow you to redesign your lobby into a more guest-centric space.  Instead of dedicating one of the largest rooms in your property to the administrative process of checking-in, now you can build your lobby around coffee shops, wine bars, co-working spaces, or lounges.  This allows hotels to better distinguish their brand and generate incremental revenue, while also creating a more welcoming and personalized space for guests.

Increased Staff Efficiency

Technology empowers productivity, and staff can perform more efficiently with the help of a mobile platform that provides access to guest information, real-time performance, and cross-department communications. Rather than relying on walkie-talkies and clipboards to communicate, a mobile PMS gives staff access to room status, as well as guest requests and complaints, all in real-time. Mobility has the potential to create a 20% increase in housekeeping efficiency, eliminating 80% of calls to the front desk.  This allows departments to become more flexible, mobile, and responsive, which not only improves their guest service but also lets them earn more ancillary revenue from late check-outs and early check-ins.

Open Architecture: The Key to Long-term Scalability

The hospitality industry is continuously evolving, and those hotels which will experience the most long-term success are those that adapt to new trends and industry expectations. So, the question becomes: Is your hotel equipped with technology that is scalable and can be easily integrated with third-party solutions?

When asked to describe the common pain points of their existing PMS, most hoteliers cite integration with third parties and lackluster support offered by vendors. Often, the support provided by traditional vendors can’t keep up with the expanding needs of a growing hospitality business. Of course, a traditional system’s reliance on costly manual updates and integrations only increases its vulnerability to future technological advancements.

A mobile PMS, on the other hand, can update automatically, and integrate with numerous systems with ease. Ultimately, the key to long-term scalability is an automated operational model that exists on an open API, allowing for a truly customizable stack that can grow with your property. Further, an open API will enable hoteliers to finally harness the power of data collected from each application and touchpoint. With platforms in place that can communicate seamlessly, data is shared and applied more efficiently — making room for a more efficient, guest-centric experience.

With the right mobile PMS technology, hoteliers can offer a seamless and personalized mobile guest journey, while also empowering their staff to approach their roles in a more efficient, guest-centric manner. Although each hotel is likely to create its own, unique stack of technologies, the mobile PMS remains the heart of the hotel's technological ecosystem.

About the Author

Nicole Dehler, Vice President of Product Management

StayNTouch, A Shiji Group Brand

Nicole spent more than 12 years in the Regional Divisions of MICROS Systems, divided between Product and Project Management of Property, Sales Force and Central Reservations Systems. She led the Enterprise Team in Asia Pacific as Director of Operations, looking after large scale software implementations as well as managing the regional launch of E-Commerce products and Smartphone applications. Nicole joined StayNTouch in early 2013, spearheading the PMS development, strategy, innovation and growth from the very beginning.

About StayNTouch

StayNTouch brilliantly connects guests to hotels. StayNTouch delivers a full Hotel PMS, and PMS Mobile Overlay bring mobility to both hotel staff and guests. Via any tablet or touch device, Guest Service and Housekeeping have mobile access to PMS via a touch-optimized interface. Guests, from their smart phone, can self-check-in and out, view room bill and receive upgrade promotions. StayNTouch dramatically streamlines operations and increases margins, and revolutionizes how the hotels connect and engage their guests and how guests experience their hotels.

StayNTouch is a "Software as a Service" mobile hotel property management system (PMS) company focused on developing solutions that help hotels raise service levels, drive revenues, reduce costs, and ultimately change the way hotels can captivate their guests.

Developed with mobility in mind, the pioneering platform enables hotels to create long-lasting relationships with their guests by delivering personalized service levels that today's guests require. StayNTouch operates on tablets and smartphones, empowering hotel employees to go above and beyond in exceeding guest expectations at every touch point.

Powering over 90,000 rooms globally, our game-changing solution frees hotels from the constraints of legacy or premise systems, dramatically streamlines operations, increases margins, and revolutionizes how front-line staff connects with guests.

StayNTouch is a trusted partner to many of the most forward-thinking hotels, resorts, casinos and chains in the industry, including Yotel, Zoku Amsterdam, Conscious Hotels, Valencia Hotels, The Freehand Hotels, First Hotels, Modus hotels, and the Fontainebleau Miami Beach.

StayNTouch was founded in 2013 by Jos Schaap. After their initial investment in StayNTouch in 2016, Shiji Group acquired StayNTouch in 2018.