Hotel PMS

What is a PMS in Hotels?

A Property Management System (PMS) is the central software platform hotels use to manage their day-to-day operations. At its core, a PMS handles reservations, check-in/check-out, guest profiles, billing, and reporting. Modern systems often integrate with channel managers, point-of-sale (POS), customer relationship management (CRM), and even keyless entry or housekeeping apps. In short, the PMS is the “control room” of the hotel.

Examples of PMS Functions

The scope of functionality that modern PMS software has is growing rapidly. What used to mainly be a Front Office tool now hosts reporting, analytics, employee schedules and task assignments, channel distribution, digital marketing platform, revenue management tool, and more! It can feel hard to keep up.

• Front Office: guest check-in/out, room assignments, folios

• Reservations: direct bookings, OTA connections, group blocks

• Housekeeping: room status, cleaning schedules, maintenance tickets

• Billing: guest folios, payment processing, invoicing

• Reporting: occupancy, ADR, RevPAR, financial exports

• Integrations: channel managers (Booking.com, Expedia), POS (restaurants/spa), CRM, revenue management systems (RMS)

What to Consider When Choosing a PMS

1. Ease of Use: Staff turnover is common in hospitality. A steep learning curve means retraining costs and more errors at the desk.
   Winner: Cloudbeds (very intuitive UI, minimal training needed).

2. Integration Capabilities: The PMS should connect smoothly with OTAs, POS, RMS, and guest communication tools. Without this, you’ll spend time on manual reconciliations.
   Winner: Mews (extensive marketplace and open API, strong ecosystem).

3. Scalability: Does it handle a 25-room boutique as easily as a 250-room city hotel? Can you add modules (spa, events, multi-property)?
   Winner: Opera Cloud (enterprise-level robustness, scalable for portfolios).

4. Cost Structure: Subscription pricing models vary—some charge per room, some per booking, some flat monthly. Budget friendly system, created by a group of Indian college students as a school project and is now widely used by Indian-american hoteliers.
   Winner: ASI (transparent, affordable pricing structure for independents).

5. Guest Experience Tools: Look for contactless check-in, guest messaging, upsell modules, and loyalty features.
   Winner: StayNTouch (built mobile-first, strong on guest-facing features).

Bottom Line

There’s no single “best PMS” for every property. A 40-room boutique will have very different needs than a 400-room conference hotel. But thinking through ease of use, integrations, scalability, cost, and guest experience will help you find the right fit. Today, Mews is leading the innovation curve with its integrations, while Opera Cloud still dominates large chains, and Cloudbeds remains the go-to for independents with mews trying to replace them as Cloudbeds starts to focus their sights on mid-market properties.