Types of Hotel Front Office Systems

There are three main types of hotel front office systems you should know. As a hotelier, you must invest in a good and easy-to-use front office system. The other name for the hotel front office system is PMS (Property Management System).

Having a user-friendly front office system will ensure the smooth running of your hotel and make your staff task easier while giving your guests a pleasant experience staying at your hotel. Your front office systems should be able to handle the daily routine of your hotel activities like room reservations, guest check-in and check-out, housekeeping, and more. 

Below we share the three Types of Hotel Front Office Systems:-

Types of Hotel Front Office Systems

1. On-premise hotel front office system

   In this context, an on-premise hotel system refers to systems that hoteliers can only access within the hotel's premises. They are typically required to be installed on hotel computers and managed by the hotel's I.T staff. On-premise hotel front office systems generally are sold with a license and need frequent upgrades, which updates can only perform on the hotel's premises. Some known names for this system include Protel and Prestige. 

   Pros of On-Premise Front Office System

   • Not dependent on the internet. The data are stored locally, meaning no one outside the hotel premises will access them. This unique feature eventually will safeguard the data from any possible misuse or hack.
     
     

   Cons of On-Premise Front Office System

   • They have no flexible accessibility. It is only installed on devices, one device only per account, and users can't access it outside hotel premises and on the internet. 
   • Massive investment in smaller hotels will be a waste if they are not suitable. One-premise hotel front office systems usually require users to pay a 1-year subscription fee at one time.
   • Sudden system crashes in the system can also cost users critical data. There's also no regular auto-update as they need to be directly downloaded and installed on the system.
     
     

2. Hybrid hotel front office system

   As per the name, a hybrid hotel front office system refers to the duality of the system usage by hoteliers. Simply put, a hybrid hotel front office system incorporates some of the features of a cloud-based system while maintaining the ability to operate on-premises for the remainder of the operations. It is becoming more common for budget-class hotels with a limited staff to utilize this system, with only one employee responsible for overseeing the entire procedure. One of the providers for this is Booking Centre.

   Pros of Hybrid Front Office System

   • Simplify staff’s jobs around the hotel while still providing a more-humanly approach, which any customer would very much appreciate. 
   • Flexibility in usage; it’s not 100% dependent on one main thing like the other two. 
     
     

   Cons of Hybrid Front Office System

   • Still cost a lot, if not more, since two systems are being used simultaneously. This might cause problems in the long run in terms of investment.
   • Overlapping between the online and offline data can happen, and it will dampen the whole operation of your hotel.
     
     

3. Cloud-based hotel front office system 

   A cloud-based hotel front office system refers to a system that relies on the internet and doesn’t need any downloading. Currently, this is the top choice amongst hoteliers as their hotel front office system, mainly due to its ability to be accessed 24 hours a day at any location (as long as there’s an internet connection). Besides simplifying staff’s work, it also allows for a more efficient process for guests to make their payments online, and they can also do their checking-in and checking-out process easily. Several cloud-based hotel front system providers would be EzeeAbsolute, Cloudbeds & Softinn.

   Pros:

   • Requires minimum capital investment, as most cloud solutions are on a “pay as you go” basis. 
   • It only needs two main things: a stable internet connection and a PC.
     
     

   Cons:

   • A stable internet connection is consistently required for the system to work smoothly. 
   • Data can be modified or deleted by an unhappy or fired employee who has access to it. As a result, proper data access should always be considered.
   
   

Why Cloud-Based Hotel Front Office System is Becoming Top Choice among Hoteliers

• Booking Engine feature

An excellent cloud-based hotel front office system usually comes with a booking engine. The booking engine will then integrate your hotel website and social media pages like Facebook with the booking engine. Guests can book directly through Facebook by clicking the "Book Now" button on your Facebook page without leaving social media. It will also increase the exposure of hotels and attract more guests to know about you and immediately book with you for their upcoming trip.

Having said that, all the bookings that come from the booking engine will be automatically pushed to the Cloud-based PMS. There is no manual update needed. This is where automation eases your hotel's day-to-day operations hence removing unnecessary errors. 

Read Also: Hotel Booking Engine: Drive Commission-Free Direct Bookings

• Mobile friendly

A cloud-based hotel front office system is usually mobile-friendly. A hotel must have a system that supports multiple mobile devices, including smartphones and tablets so that it will be your sidekick in the hotel operation both when you're in the office and out of the office.

It is an added value if you have a mobile-friendly front office system for the housekeeping module. With that, your housekeeper will find it easier to track the to-do list, update the cleaning status, upload photos for lost & found, and more. It is only at the fingertips. 

• Reports and analytics

Through analytics, it will be possible to observe current procedures and comprehend business progress. A cloud-based hotel front office system can provide hoteliers with various business reports, depending on their needs. Depending on the product, it can generate many pieces, including night review reports, room and tax reports, housekeeping reports, and more.

The report's insights will be helpful for the hotel managers to do the proper plan, improve on the strategy as well as use the data in making decisions when needed. 

• Sync reservations, price & availability

Hoteliers would also enjoy special features like reservations, price, and availability sync with a cloud-based system under the hotel channel manager. It works simply by blocking the dates/changing the price on Channel Manager (with the cloud-based hotel front office system). The system will update the changes and sync them all automatically within all connected platforms.

Read also: The Best Hotel Channel Manager

• Self-check-in/check-out

Having a hotel kiosk at your hotel is one way to still serve your hotel guests amid the Covid-19 pandemic that is currently sweeping the globe. A self-check-in hotel kiosk can effectively work on behalf of your hotel front desk officer by providing low-contact hospitality to the guest. Your guests can use the Hotel Kiosk to make walk-in reservations, as well as self-check-in and out. This can be applied with your cloud-based front office software with the integration of a hotel kiosk. 

Softinn offers Hotel Self Check-in Kiosk. If you wonder how it works, let's check out the video. 

Read also: Hotel Self Check-In Kiosk.

Conclusion

When choosing a hotel front office system, make sure it will benefit your hotel, is appropriate for your hotel, and is not too complicated to use for your hotel's staff. Choose user-friendly hotel front-desk systems instead of complicated ones. It's also crucial to have hotel front desk systems that support third-party app integration. Don’t know which hotel software to go with? Here are our top 5 Hotel PMS providers in Malaysia, top 4 Hotel PMS providers in Indonesia, and top 5 Hotel PMS providers in the Philippines.