What to look for in a good event management system for hotels

Does your hotel host weddings, conferences, party nights or tribute nights, with guests staying over on bespoke packages alongside your regular clientele? If so, the hotel event management software you choose can make a real difference to efficiency, guest engagement and satisfaction, and revenue.

Events are complex to organise, and the best hotel event management solutions will simplify complicated, multi-stage processes into a simple, easy to use package which automatically breaks down multiple tasks while allocating costs and tasks to the right departments.

Elements which a good event management solution will always incorporate include:

• A flexible booking planner, where you can allocate staged payments, dedicated packages for room and table bookings as well as included or excluded meals and drinks for the organiser’s guests, and you can set aside rooms for the event dynamically, so you don’t lose out on regular bookings.
• A professional function sheet with all the elements necessary to ensure the smooth running of any event, such as:
  • Event details: the event date, number of guests, and any special requests
  • Room setup: seating arrangement, AV requirements, and any special room needs
  • Menu: the food and drink menu, including any dietary requirements
  • Staff requirements: how many staff are needed, what their roles are, and any special guest requests
  • Running order: start and end times, and a detailed timings plan
• A dedicated task diary, breaking the event down into specific tasks allocated to the staff working on the event
• A templated package planner, for the hotel to share with the event organiser, covering everything from budgeting and stage payments through to the details of rooms, included meals and drinks, inventory, running order, seating plans, ticket sales (for ticketed events) and anything else needed to make the event a success.

Flexibility and the ability to customise are crucial

“At Rezcontrol, we pride ourselves on the level of customisability and flexibility we offer,” said Sarah Cade, MD of Avondata Systems Ltd. “It’s really rare for a hotel on our books not to be able to satisfy an event organiser’s request. So for example you can add menu items for specific events, or modify drinks packages – we operate a tick box system so you can save all the options you like, and then choose which ones to display for each event.”

“Customisability is key. Each of your events is unique, and you want your guests, and of course the wedding, conference or party organiser who booked your hotel, to enjoy a smooth, seamless and hassle-free experience. An event management platform like Rezcontrol’s can be adapted for almost any eventuality, request or package.”

The devil is in the detail

Events are all about detail, and you should also consider these aspects of your chosen system’s event management capability:

• Can it manage both bedrooms and event spaces together? Rezcontrol features one simple booking process for both bedrooms and event spaces together, so you can always see your overall capacity in the context of the event which has been booked.
• Can you see event and bedroom reservations on the same page on the planner? This will mean you don’t have to hop between platforms, and risk losing a vital element of the booking.
• Does it offer versatile templates and packages – making it quick and efficient to put together fully-branded event quotes and invoices?
• Does it enable multi-stage payment scheduling? This removes headaches for both the hotel and the event organisers, knowing the financial side is taken care of automatically, with automated reminders and payments, and a 3D secure payment link.
• Can it generate promo codes for specific events? This enables guests to book and pay for their own rooms at a wedding or conference if needed. Rezcontrol’s event management solution will also only show available rooms for the event date, at the negotiated rate, avoiding the potential for mistakes or disappointment.

“All these are in addition to the more standardised offerings of function sheets and task diary,” said Sarah.

How do event bookings and payments integrate with your PMS?

Systems vary, but Rezcontrol fully integrates event activities and bookings with the central PMS, so there is no cross-referencing or manual input needed. Charges can be transferred between room and event accounts, and reconciled from POS to PMS. This avoids errors, duplications and missed charges, and keeps your inventory accurate.

“No cross-referencing or manual input needed”

Any purchase or booking associated with the event will automatically be transferred to the PMS, so the whole event trail remains in one place, with all correspondence, billing, payments and reminders related to the event filed together.

You can customise the system to suit your needs, whether you want to book rooms for just 15 minutes or several days, set up repeat functions, or create packages for different kinds of events.

Optimise room sales – while encouraging upsells and extras through guest engagement tools

“This way, a hotel can easily optimise room sales and related bookings on top of your planned events, ensuring your other guests’ stay isn’t impacted, while maximising bookings and not missing out on ad hoc sales,” said Sarah.

“Also, with Rezcontrol’s guest engagement suite, you can communicate with your event guests, creating the opportunity for upsells and extras.”

Not a customer? Call us on +44 (0)330 223 1456 or email sales@rezcontrol.com – or contact us for a demo.