HOTEL COMPUTER

APPLICATIONS
BY
MURAYA MOSES
Property Management systems
• Information hub
• Manages interactions between computer systems
• Has different modules
• Registration-allocating vacant rooms
• Housekeeping-tracking room inventory (clean, occupied, cleaned, inspected,
dirty)
• Guest accounting-tracking charges, payments, final guest bill
• Night audit- end of day routines, posting room charges to guest folio
• Registration –
• guest registration of data
• Reservations
• Rooms allocation
• Check in- automated, self check-in,
• Housekeeping
• Coordination with front office
• Room status (vacant, dirty, occupied)
• Cleaning progress
• Cleaning inspection
• Guest list staying, departing
• Distribute cleaning loads/ assignment sheets
Cont’d
• Guest accounting
• Opening guest folios and maintaining it
• Posting charges automatically (room rate, charges of consumed products )
• Charges i.e taxes, service charge
• Posting and charges need an identification code before posting
• Gives audit trail of postings and payments
• Handles payments (cash, credit card, transfer to debtors system i.e company)
• Night audit
• Automates posting room and tax
• Changing the system date
• Performing system backups
• Printing historical reports
• Printing operational materials for the next day (pre-registration cards, departure
lists, arrival lists etc)
ancillary systems
• Not part of PMS but interface it to increase efficiency and control.
• They generate revenue
• They are a differentiating factor
• They include
• Electronic door lock systems
• Energy management system
• Call accounting and telephone systems
• Internet access
• Tv based services
• In-room safes
Electronic door lock systems
Security is paramount in hotels
• expensive n quality locks, keys, and expensive to replace
• Guest can accidentally go with key, stolen, and key has details about hotel
(hotel, address, rm no)
• Special keys (master and submaster) if lost everything has to be changed
• Electronic door lock uses plastic cards
• Punch holes
• Magnetic strip card
• Embended chip of smartcard
• Two systems
• Stand alone in door microprocessor
• Online system connected to computer in the front desk
• Stand alone microprosessor
• Set predetermined sequence of combinations in each lock and computer
issuing keys
• Knows new guest if use they use key thus move to the next sequence
• Problem arises if guest doesn’t use key, and next sequence issued by
computer so door is behind in sequence
• Online systems
• Direct communication with the door
• Higher security as preprogrammed alarm
• Expensive to install coz of wiring but new tech that uses wireless
• If master is lost all doors reprogrammed at once
• Electronic door lock provides
• Audit trail of rooms use and access
• Track where key has been used and where at
• Can be interfaced with other systems ie energy management system
Energy management systems
• Hotel has many electronic amenities i.e tv, hair dryer, air conditioning,
ligting, instant showers, elevators etc
• Guest priority isn’t power conservation and may leave items running
• EMS automates lighting control, temp, electricity etc
• Saves expenses
• Monitors unused rooms, unoccupied, etc
• Provide invisible service
• Open door and AC and lights turn on, temp control
• Generate energy saving of 30 to 60 percent
• Indoor infrared indicator to show if guest is in room or out
Call accounting and telephone systems
• Uses PABX (private automated branch exchange)
• Charges and posts calls to guest bill
• Gives detail of number called, when, and by who
• Doesn’t allow calls from unoccupied rooms
• Monitors administrative phone extensions
• Expensive and most frequently dialed calls
• Automatic wake up calls
• Caller identification and voicemail.
Internet access services
• Basic business and entertainment tool for guests
• Hotels provide access points in rooms, wifi in public areas, internet
kiosk,
• Can be a revenue stream ie business centres, cable and tv online
streaming
• E training, Conferencing services, e commerce, entertainment etc
TV based services
TV provides access to local, cable, satellite and pay channels
Tv can be used for
• Display welcoming messages to guest
• Hotel information
• Display special promotions,
• In room menu
• Security systems ie evacuation procedures, emergency broadcasts
• Display a PMS folio
• Pay movie channels Netflix, cable
• Nintendo style games
• Interactive shopping
• Keep young ones occupied
In room safes
• Expected by most business travelers
• To keep valuables
• Cash
• Laptops
• Documents
• Cellphone
• Can be magnetic strip
• Keyed lock
• Combination lock
• biometrics
Catering computing systems
• Focus on food and beverage
• Includes
• Recipe costing sytems
• Stock control systems
• EPOS
• Conference and banqueting systems
• Specialist systems ie mini bar
Recipe costing systems
• Uses up-to-date prices to calculate F&B costs
• Standard recipes to calculate cost of @ dish
• Save time – automatic costing
• Accurate recipe costing = guaranteed profit margins
• Indicates ingredients details ie – name, quantity purchased,
• Takes into account wastage factor
• Helps prevent mistakes
• Accurate standard portions for a dish
• Cost entire menus by combining several recipes
Stock control systems
• Manage and control stock flow
• Indicates value of stock item in different locations (central store, dry
store, kitchen or on the move)
• Automatic stock calculations
• Monitors
• Deliveries-stock item code, description, purchase unit, size
• Quantity delivered
• Price on delivery
• Total value of deliveries
• Items on inventory
Cont’d
• Issues
• Monitor requisitions
• Accurate issuing and timely
• Reduce wastage
• Reduce paperwork
• Stocktaking
• Checking actual stock levels
• Manual and printed stock are reconciled
• Tracks and manages usage rates and automatic reordering
E-procurement
• Use of IS to automate entire purchase process-supplier identification,
selection of suitable suppliers to eventual payment
• Display electronic catalogue from supplier
• Compare products across multiple supplier
• Orders from multiple suppliers
• Create an electronic order
• Track status of each order (authorization, ordered, en route, delivered)
• Comprehensive reports
• Purchase costs, usage patterns, identify and off-contract purchasing
• E-negotiations
Electronic point of sale systems
• Tracks
• Current F&B orders
• Transmit orders electronically to production areas
• Ensure accuracy of guest bills
• Automatically posts charges in PMS (if interfaced with PMS)
• Helps lower costs and saves times enhancing customer service
• Records guest order
• Open cheques, voids, complimentaries, discounts
• Reduce fraud
• Reports
• Sales mix, auditing guest checks, closing registers
Table management systems
• Handles reservation and seating guest in large and high volume restaurant.
• Tracks pre booked and walk-in reservation requests
• Provides information such as party size, reservation lead time, server
productivity
• Recognize repeated customers
• Manages waiting lists and table matching
• Paging system allow locate customer easily and quickly
• Table status information (vacant, occupied, reserved)
• After guest pays bill table is automatically table turned vacant
Conferencing and banqueting systems
• Complexities of booking a conference hall
• Can be subdivided into different sub-units each sold on its own
• Room can be sold several times each day
• Each booking has different setup and clean down (size of room, type of meeting,
setting style)
• Other reservation are dependent n conference reservation i.e f&b, audio visual
equipment's
• Controls reservation and billing
• Provides professional handling of each booking and event organization
• Management of prospective business for conferences and banquets
• Managing reservations
• Cordination of requests
Specialist catering computer systems
• Includes
• Minibar,
• Automatic vending machines
• Cashless payments
• Nutritional analysis systems
• Beverage control systems
• Club management systems