While it’s always good to have options, sometimes they can seem overwhelming. Such is the case with Property Management Systems available online. With too many options, it can be difficult to make a choice!
We thought we’d do the research for you, so it’s easier to find a PMS that best suits your budget and requirements.
With revolutionary technologies like AI (Artificial Intelligence), ML (Machine Learning), and numerous APIs, it can be hard to understand what each product offers. Simply browse through the list below to find adequate information about features, benefits, pricing, and more.
Most of our clients are using the property management systems listed below, and have been completely satisfied with the results. In fact, all the products in this list have been personally tried and tested by us before making recommendations.
Table of contents for this article:
- What is a Property Management System?
- Why do you need a Property Management System?
- The best Property Management System for your Business
- List of the Best Property Management Systems
What is a Property Management System?
Before we dig deeper, let’s try to understand the basics! A PMS (Property Management Software) is an application to handle several operations of hotels, rental properties, residential housing, and other accommodation options. In fact, PMS is used in a wide range of industries, including manufacturing, architecture, and governance. Also called a hotel front desk software, a PMS is essential for proper management of the property.
Simply put, a hotel property management software provides a centralized application to perform, schedule, and organize daily operations and transactions involved in the business.
Using PMS and computerized record keeping, it has been possible to increase the efficiency of hospitality industries. Front office staff and other stakeholders can conveniently consult and update centralized records from multiple devices, anywhere and anytime.
With developments in technology platforms designed for the hospitality industry, PMS solutions have been customized to ease operations and impact revenue.
Some of the important functions managed by an efficient property management software include:
- Bookings
- Hotel inventory management
- Point-of-sale (POS) integration
- Reporting of KPIs
- Food and beverage costing
- Check-ins and check-outs
- Telephone systems integration
Why do you need a Property Management System?
Every consumer is different! A travel journey starts from choosing a destination while looking for a suitable hotel. The overall guest experience is defined by several factors, including ease of booking, engagement with the staff on the property, in-room experience, interaction on social media, and more.
In the fast-paced travel and tourism industry, hotels face the challenge of providing a customized guest experience while operating a profitable hotel business. Using an effective PMS solution, hoteliers are empowered to deliver the right experience to guests, while being able to manage business without constraints.
The best Property Management System for your Business
As mentioned earlier, there are many PMS solutions available in the market. With each product offering different features and benefits, it’s important to choose the right one for your property. We thought we’d give you a few pointers to consider while looking for a suitable product.
1. Consider Your Specific Requirements
While choosing a property management software, the first step is to carry out an assessment of requirements and needs. It’s important to prioritize different operations, functions, distribution partners, and processes. It will help you compare the desirable features and benefits of the software.
2. Establish a Clear Budget
Before choosing a property management system, it’s important to work with the finance team to establish a clear budget. While it’s important to save money, you need to know how far you can stretch for the right product. Most hoteliers only consider the price of the product, which can backfire in the long run. You also need to consider the costs associated with infrastructure, setup, training, and maintenance.
3. Find a PMS that supports a Booking Engine
Revenue management has always been an important concept in the hospitality industry. Every direct booking is a key component of profitability. A solid booking engine can reduce or even eliminate commissions paid to third parties. Thus, it’s crucial to make bookings convenient for customers.
While hoteliers prefer direct bookings, customers tend to prioritize ease of use and price. Hence, it’s better to choose a property management software that supports a booking engine. Some PMS solutions even come with integrated booking engines focusing on user-friendliness and reliability.
4. Consider Customer Support and After-sales
Last but not least, you need to consider a software that offers excellent customer support. In case an issue arises, you need to be able to reach out the staff promptly. Similarly, if the company decides to add new features, proper training and prompts should be provided. Support for different languages is an added bonus.
For a complete guide on choosing the best Property Manager System for your hotel business, whichever the size, check out: How to choose the Best Hotel Property Management System in 5 Steps.
List of the Best Property Management Systems
Note that the products listed below are ranked by order of preference with HotelMinder staff, customers & website users. It's important to understand that one solution cannot suit all types of properties: The best Property Management System for a 500 bedrooms luxury hotel in Las Vegas has very little in commun with the one for a 25 rooms boutique hotel in the middle of rural Tasmania.
We usually work with independent properties and groups ranging from around 20 to 200 units. The solutions listed below match the typical needs and budget of this kind of businesses.
Feel free to look at and demo some of the Property Management Systems listed below, several of them with special offers and discounts only for HotelMinder users!
If you want more choice have a look at our Partners Marketplace, and if you would like professional guidance on what solution to choose for your business, consider booking a 1-to-1 Tech Advice Session with an HotelMinder Expert.
Cloudbeds Exclusive Offer
A full-fledged system for independent hoteliers, Cloudbeds Property Management System - also called MyFrontDesk - is suitable for all types of independent properties, small and big: Hotels, Vacation Rentals, and Hostels. It includes one of the most popular Channel Manager - also called MyAllocator - to connect your property with over 300 Online Travel Agencies and distribution partners.
MyFrontDesk is a simple but powerful solution your team will enjoy using: it's easy to check in and check out people, update prices and automatically add charges to bookings. You can upgrade the basic version of the system with modules in order to deal with more complex issues like handling group bookings or selling the same room under different room types to maximize occupancy.
Additionally, you can add PIE - for Price Intelligence Engine - to get room pricing recommendation and ensure better revenue management decisions. Aside from PIE, Cloudbeds offers a host of Add-ons including: Payment Processing, Shared Inventory & Room Allocations, Groups Management, etc that can be added for an additional fee.