that the most expensive product is
very often not the one which fits
best, and although initially the
price comfort of a product might
make it seem to be the solution to
your current headaches, this could
quickly catch up on you and turn
into an issue itself.
“The software must lend itself to providing meaningful data, without
too much effort by the user.”
Enter today’s integrated systems.
Whether cloud-based or prem-
ises-based, the systems all have
one thing in common: to pro-
vide a single point of reference
to your guests and all the data
they generate. The argument of
cloud-based or premises based
is a separate discussion, howev-
er, it is totally inconceivable that
in this day and age any system
would be closed-off to commu-
nication from the technologi-
cal landscape in which it resides.
A proper hotel system must offer
much more than the basic func-
tionality of an on-screen booking
chart. A hotelier will use data for
promotion, as well as for planning
and growth by evaluating the ho-
tel’s key performance indicators.
The software must lend itself to
providing meaningful data, with-
out too much effort by the user.
HOSPITALITY MALTA
In the evaluation process, it then
becomes important to look at re-
cent developments on the hotel
systems: is the company an in-
novator? Are the changes to the
product over the past few years
relevant to the hotel’s operation?
And is the company responsive to
some customisation which could
be needed?
The final consideration is of
course the pricing of the prod-
uct. Most integrated products
today carry a running cost, but it
is important to evaluate whether
a fixed-price model or a perfor-
mance-based model works better
for your business. For a new ho-
tel, this could be somewhat dif-
ficult to determine, whereas for
an established hotel comparing
a commission-based charge to a
fixed charge is somewhat easier.
Experience has taught many of us
Your hotel system must be agile,
and in tune with the latest tech-
nology. The slower speed of a
cloud-based system could also be-
come a nuisance with large data,
or if your connectivity is an is-
sue, so on-premise systems must
also be given due consideration.
Choosing the right property man-
agement solution must aim at
increasing overall efficiency and
revenue generation, with seamless
connectivity as its driver.
Ing. David Spiteri Fiteni
is the managing director at iLink Systems
Ltd, local partners for Room Master Hotel
Systems and Comtrex Point of Sale.
David may be contacted on tel: (+356)
21 573 888 or at [email protected]
Issue 03
51