01The short version

A PMS (property management system) is where the hotel keeps its rooms, reservations, guests and money. Almost every other system either sends data to it or reads data from it.

02What it handles

  • Reservations: dates, room types, rates and guarantees.
  • Front desk: check-in, check-out, room moves and keys.
  • Housekeeping: which rooms are clean, dirty, inspected or out of order.
  • Folios: every charge and payment for each guest.
  • Night audit and daily reports.

03What it connects to

  • Channel manager: sends availability and rates to booking sites and receives their reservations.
  • Point of sale: restaurant and bar charges posted to the room.
  • Door locks: key cards encoded at check-in.
  • Payments: card terminals and tokenised cards.
  • Revenue and reporting tools.

04What makes a good one

Speed at the desk, clear screens under pressure, reliable integrations and data the hotel can actually get out. Technology at its best removes friction so the human part of hospitality gets more attention.