Frequently Asked Questions

How do I justify the Expense?

 

  • Lets assume you have a 50 room property, with an Average Daily Rate (ADR) of $100 and an average annual occupancy rate of 60%.  This gives you over $1M of annual revenue.
  • If your property has more or less revenue, keep the $1M figure in mind for these sample calculations.
  • Increase repeat visits by inviting your guests back – marketing to existing guests.  Assume a 1% increase in bookings or $10,000 in increase revenue.
  • Commission free online bookings,  Assume you are getting 20% of your bookings from the internet and it is costing you 10% as a booking fee.  The saving is 20% of $1M times 10% or $20,000 in savings.
  • Direct interface to accounting – this saves the time you spend re-keying your sales data into your accounting system.  Assume you spend 2 hours per week times 50 weeks = 100 hours per year @ $20 = $2000 in savings.  If this is your time that is saved then you get 100 extra hours to either work or play.
  • Better Yield Management – adjusting your rates to the actual and/or forecasted demand – assume you can get 1% more revenue by dynamically setting your rates.  Increase in revenue of $10,000.
  • This yields $42,000 in benefits PER YEAR.
  • Typical cost for a property of this size is $15,000, so the payback is UNDER 6 months.
  • Please call if you want a cost benefit analysis for your specific circumstances.

 

Should I move to the cloud?

 

  • Cloud or On Premise.  What is right for you?
  • SaaS (Software as a Service) is simply monthly pricing – as opposed to project pricing.
  • To learn more download The Truth About the Cloud

 

Does the software handle Multi Properties?

 

  • Yes.  Smart Hotel Software PMS is suitable for a single property or multi properties.  In fact it will group properties into Chains if you have a lot or properties.
  • We also have a unique module that SHARES guest and corporate profiles among the various properties.  THis allows you to welcome back a guest at one location that stayed at another location.

 

What about Guest History and marketing tools?

 

  • Smart Hotel Software PMS keeps extensive Guest History, including a complete stay history that details every stay, the property, the room type, the room, the arrival dates, the number of nights and the total spend.  You can also track any guest preferences and any “extras” or package elements that a guest enjoyed.  Smart Hotel Software PMS uses Microsoft Sequel Server for its database, so connecting to any Microsoft Office product, like Excel or Word is very easy
  • Enhanced marketing is accomplished by utilizing the link between Smart Hotel Software PMS and Sage CRM, a superior Customer Relationship Management product that has excellent marketing abilities.

 

Can I capture reservations from my own web site?

Yes.  Your web site can perform an availability search in your live inventory and make a booking right into your reservation file with no messy import or re-keying.  The best part is that these reservations are COMMISSION FREE.

Can I track the inventory I allot to the various internet booking engines (GDS/IDS)?

Yes.  Smart Hotel Software PMS will track your allotments to your booking engines with active release dates.  We track allotments, reservations and the balance remaining.

Is there an Accounting Interface?

Yes.  Smart Hotel Software PMS has a very strong (perhaps the best in the industry) interface to many popular accounting systems.  Transactions are automatically transferred to your accounting system with no messy imports or re-keying.

What about Point of Sale (POS) and Food & Beverage (F&B)?

Smart Hotel Software PMS interfaces directly with many popular POS and F&B systems.  Transactions are automatically transferred from these systems directly onto the guest folio, typically appearing in less than 10 seconds.

Can I use Smart Hotel Software PMS for my In House Spa or Golf Course?

Yes.  Smart Hotel Software PMS is a good solution for an in house Spa.  Reservations can be made for Spa Treatment and billed directly to the guest’s room.  We recommend using a specific Golf program for all of the Tee and tournament Management and using our POS for the golf pro shop.

How does the software connect to the other systems in my property like the telephone call accounting system and the in-room movie system?

Smart Hotel Software PMS provides seamless integration to the various systems on your property that produce guest folio transactions, including telephone call accounting, in-room movies, point of sale and food & beverage (bars and restaurants).

Does the software accommodate Groups?

Yes.  Smart Hotel Software PMS has specific functionality to track Groups, with the tour operator paying part and the guest part, or the guest paying all, or any combination of payment.

Can I package some extras with the room?

Yes, Smart Hotel Software PMS allows you to create a wide variety of packages.  You are limited only by your imagination in creating package elements.  You can include them with the room, charge extra or not charge at all.

Can I add extras to a booking “on the fly”?

Yes, Smart Hotel Software PMS allows you to add package elements to any reservation in order to customize the reservation to the customer’s wishes.

Can I track things besides rooms at my property?

Yes, Smart Hotel Software PMS allows you to track more that just rooms.  For example you could track the number of extra beds you have and what rooms they are supposed to be in.  You are limited only by your imagination as to what you want to keep track of.

Will the software handle Split Folios?

Yes, Smart Hotel Software PMS allows you to have as many folios per reservation as you want.  Room charges can be prorated against each of the guests, against one guest or against a corporate account or a combination.  Easy to use but very flexible.

Will the software allow for Corporate Accounts paying later?

Yes, Smart Hotel Software PMS does not require payment at time of check out.  If collections are done in accounting then the guest is set up in the accounting system as a customer, then Smart Hotel Software PMS will transfer the debt over to Accounts Receivable.  If collection is done at the Front Desk then the receivable is transferred to City Ledger.  Either way we hand,e it perfectly.

Does the software track Maintenance Incidents?

Yes, Smart Hotel Software PMS has a full featured maintenance module – tracking incident priorities, response times, staff assignments and incident details.  Designed to be clear and easy to use for maintenance personnel.

Will the software help me with Housekeeping?

Yes, Smart Hotel Software PMS has a full set of housekeeping features to help you track where you are in the housekeeping cycle.

What about Security?

Smart Hotel Software PMS provides extensive security with respect to the software.  You can assign users specific tasks to perform and restrict what they are able to do.  Logging of reservation changes provides a clear audit of who did what and when.

Does the software provide protection for Guest Credit Card Numbers?

Yes.  Smart Hotel Software PMS stores guest credit card numbers in an encrypted format.  This means that even if your system is hacked, no useful credit card information is available.  Inside Smart Hotel Software PMS, even looking at credit card numbers will record an entry in the security log.

Do you have Reference Sites?

Yes.  Smart Hotel Software PMS has solid reference sites.  Please inquire for a reference site similar to your size and type of operation.

How is support provided?

Smart Hotel Software PMS offers full 24/7 support and is fully included in your purchase price and annual maintenance agreements

What are the system requirements for Smart Hotel Software PMS?

The system requirements for Smart Hotel Software PMS are a moving target as operating systems change, hardware advances and security protocols change.  Please contact us for an up to date list of requirements.

How much does Smart Hotel Software PMS cost?

Smart Hotel Software PMS is priced per number of rooms (resources) you want to control plus the number of interfaces you require (POS, accounting, web site etc.), plus the complexity of your operation (do you have 3 rates per room type or 30).  Please contact us for more details.

Thanks for your help. As always your software has had such a positive impact on our business. I think most noticeable is the ease of returning guests calling to make a reservation. I believe they are more delighted than us that we moved to Smart Hotel Software.

Patricia Byrnes

Hood River Hotel, OR

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