Benefits of the Evaluation Team include, 1. Confirming existing known needs and uncovering further needs. 2. Reducing the risk of missing any business, staff and guest needs during analysis. 3. Improving communication between departments. 4. Working as a group to cover the bases and ensure objectives are met. 5. The Evaluation Team may be reassembled to become the Implementation Team for next stage. 6. The Evaluation Team may be reassembled to work together on continual process improvement. 7. The Evaluation Team may be reassembled to create departmental teams to provide staff training programs that will be needed once the property management system in place and staff turnover occurs. Continue reading

Step 10 - Arrange system demonstrations From your vendor short list, arrange system demonstrations for final round of viewing and... Continue reading

Step 9 - From your potential Vendor list, break it down to a short list of 5 or less Property... Continue reading

Step 8 - Create a potential vendor list Start creating your list of potential vendors so you may determine which of them will best suit your requirements. Continue reading

Step 7 - Research property management system vendors that offer the majority of features that match your needs assessment. The... Continue reading

This process will help your team cover all the bases while making your needs crystal clear. The goal is to end up with a detailed evaluation checklist to meet your business needs. Keep it as simple as possible and continue to ask yourself if the item on the list is a must have or a nice to have function. This list should consist only of must haves, keep a separate list for the nice to have functions. Continue reading

Step 5 - Identify business needs and identify guest needs Although a guest need may also be considered a business need, you will find that separating business and guest needs at the beginning is helpful in the need identification process. A good example of a business need may be the ability for the property management system to calculate Travel Agent commissions, offer reconciliation of, and production of cheques for your Travel Agents. A guest need may be the identification of return guests for your recognition process. A guest need may also be automation of specific functions that increase guest service or satisfaction. Continue reading

Defining your property type and primary market segment will help guide you to areas that you need to spend more time on during the property management system evaluation process. Continue reading

3. Select the Evaluation Team Choosing a strong and diverse evaluation team to help choose the best tools to run... Continue reading

It is important to determine your budget before you get started evaluating property management systems. There is no point wasting time and effort to evaluate property management systems that are priced out of your budget range. Would you test drive a rolls royce when you can only afford a ford or perhaps begin looking to purchase a home without getting a pre-approval for a mortgage? Continue reading

Designating a project manager that will be accountable and see the project through from start to finish is required for best results. The Project Manager is the first person to be selected, and this selection should be completed before the property management system evaluation process begins. Continue reading

The Property Management System is the Core Business System in a Hotel, performing the functions of single reservations, group reservations, guest check-in and check-out, guest invoices, group billing, guest requests, rate management and management reporting to help the hotelier make better business decisions. Continue reading

Successful Chefs understand the value of having a good relationship with their vendors, it's essential to providing the best food experience for their customers. A chef that understands relationships, wants to work with a food supplier (vendor) he trusts, offers him a superior product, delivered on time and at a fair price. The chef knows that his business depends on serving meals to his customers that keep them coming back, while keeping his and his restaurant's reputation intact. The vendor in turn knows they keep their customer, the Chef, by having a good relationship and taking care of him. Continue reading

Part of the the evaluation process is to book a demo with vendors of the products that you are interested in reviewing. I would highly recommend spending a little extra time and getting a demonstration with someone that is familiar with the product you wish to review and get a thorough overview. You can then spend time further evaluating the software on your own after-wards. If a brief overview video is available by all means watch it first. Continue reading