As a small hotel owner, you might still be inputting reservations and booking details manually. However, one might certainly consider automating the booking system so that direct online reservations and payments can be made through the hotel’s website.
With automation implemented in online booking system, you will get following plus points over others:
- To begin the payment process, you would directly log in your front desk system instead of requesting credit card of the customer.
- Credit card details are already stored in your front desk system. Thus, you will only require choosing the appropriate credit card and processing the payment when guest is checking out.
- In automation, your front desk management system would be integrated with PayPal getaway; it means that all online payments are recorded automatically in the front desk system.
Now, now, now! All these were simple benefits that would make the functionality of your hotel management system quite a bit efficient for the operator who is mostly you. There are various technical advantages as well. Following are some points describing these advantages in brief:
- Payments are not required to be double handled:
In automated systems, payment is taking place at a single convenient location. It highly reduces the risk of information loss during the process. It does not include the risk of charging wrong amount since everything is predefined in the systems. Reconciling the payments made previously is also efficient in such systems.
- Efficiency in cash flow:
Errors and glitches are very rare in automated payment systems. It means that there would be no loss of money. The money you deserve would be directly deposited in your accounts. Moreover, it is much faster than manually depositing money in your bank accounts. In automated systems, money is deposited regularly on certain time portions which make the process of transferring money in your bank account relatively faster. Your income would be in your hands as soon as possible.
3.Cancellation / refund made easy:
Processing cancellations and refunds are quite expensive without automated payment systems implemented. Moreover, it is also a fact that you will be charged by banks for processing refunds. Once automated payment system is implemented on your front desk, process of refund and booking cancellations would be quite easy and efficient.
Always remember that as a startup, one needs to invest in right technology let it be hotel, or any other industry.
