PMS and POS have traditionally gone hand in hand, enabling properties to manage room bookings alongside bar and restaurant billing. Hotel property management systems have always got on with all the major operational and logistical tasks, from room reservations and revenue to rate management, guest engagement and payment services, while POS took care of the restaurant side – ordering, billing and associated stock management.
So in its simplest form, historically:
- The hotel PMS handles room bookings while the POS processes restaurant orders.
- The hotel PMS manages room inventory while the POS helps manage restaurant stocks.
These days, however, far deeper levels of integration are possible.
Rezcontrol PMS integrates with numerous POS systems, as of course our customers have a wide range of point of sale solutions between them. These include Newbridge, Alliance iPOS, Zonal, ICR Touch, Tevalis, PointOne, Quadranet, Vectron, SamTouch, CBE and Polaris Elements – for the full range, see our integrations page.
Working with our partners, our aim is to provide fast, frictionless EPOS integration to help hotels provide seamless service and speed up turnover times, while keeping on top of stock, margins payments and data security. Our system will also allocate and reconcile items such as inclusive meal plans, extras and unused allowances with the room booking. And, our guest engagement tools can of course be used to communicate offers to your guests.
Meanwhile, most of our POS partners will cover items such as:
- Dynamic promotions to optimise margins
- Multiple price levels for events or promotions
- Time-based promotions, loyalty schemes and variable price lists
- Stock management which suggests menu items by price and availability
POS and PMS – dynamic, holistic solutions
Some of our partners, like Zonal and Polaris Elements, also offer full two-way integration, to provide a high level enterprise solution, such as we provide via Zonal to large pub and inn groups such as Fullers and Brakspear.
This way, properties can seamlessly bring all their transactions into one place. Not only can meals be charged to rooms, but room revenue information can flow back from the PMS into the EPOS system so the business gets the full picture from both rooms and F&B, with a complete 360 degree view of all the financial allocations and room balances.
“It simplifies the whole infrastructure now that we can we can provide the same level of reporting by integrating in a two-way stream with the property management system”
“It simplifies the whole infrastructure,” explains Jonathan Eve, head of Polaris Data. “A large group like Hilton will have its own bespoke system which does everything. But that’s expensive – and we can now provide the same level of reporting by integrating in a two-way stream with the property management system.”
This has a particular benefit for groups of pubs with rooms, in situations where not every pub in the group has rooms, and therefore won’t have a PMS. A group can work with an integrated system like Polaris or Zonal with Rezcontrol, whether they have rooms in all their properties or not, as the reporting all goes through the POS system with room revenue feeding in where appropriate.
For full service hotels, a 360 degree integration also means that from spa to restaurant and from bar to the boutique, the hotel PMS and POS are there at each point of sale to ensure consistent, guest-friendly service, secure in the knowledge that all charges will reconcile in the same place.
360 degree customer choice – which POS system is best for you?
For clients looking for 360-degree reporting between POS and PMS, we believe that offering choice is vital – and while there will always be a place for the global providers, in this month’s blog we want to highlight the successes and benefits of Polaris Elements. They are one of our newest 360 degree POS suppliers, with whom Rezcontrol had previously only collaborated on a traditional EPOS platform.
Polaris can now provide the same level of functionality as its larger competitors, very often with greater attention to individual service and customer relationships – as well as a raft of other connected solutions including WorkForce for HR management and team scheduling, and linked payroll services too – so multiple management, financial and reporting functions can all be fed through the POS system.
This full enterprise solution went live at the Ebrington Collection, a group of four boutique pubs with rooms in the Cotswolds, earlier this summer, and they are delighted with the new functionalities.
“We are putting all their financial reporting and planning in one place, to streamline their processes and make them more efficient,” explained Jonathan. “It’s all about the end users, and making their lives easier.”
“It’s all about making the end user’s life easier”
The upgraded integration which flows in both directions removes layers of complexity for staff, as reconciling room and any other billing manually through EPOS is time-consuming and fraught with the potential for error.
“It also brings together payments made via any method – card, cash or secure payment app,” said Jonathan. “Now the whole process is automated and users have the full picture, at a glance.” Guest experience is also enhanced as guests don’t need to pay numerous separate bills.
“Managers enjoy a bird’s eye view of all the financial reporting, in all directions, while those also using WorkForce save around 10% on staff deployment,” he added.
Shared values make for a marriage of expertise
In today’s world, many of the larger PMS providers, and indeed their integration partners, have to operate on a ‘one size fits all’ basis, with a self-service approach to both integration management and problem solving.
This is where both Rezcontrol and Polaris Elements are proud to be different. Both SMEs are family businesses which have been operating in the hospitality field for over 25 years. Both value customer service as much as they focus on innovation within the platform itself, and both will guarantee a human being at the end of the phone, webchat or email, who will respond promptly and in person, with the appropriate solution.
“Rezcontrol and Polaris focus as much on service as technology”
“The fact that we both operate this way, with a shared ethos and values, also means that if we are working on improvements or problem-solving between our two platforms, we will move forward faster and find the best-fit solutions,” explained Jonathan. “It’s a breath of fresh air and has helped make our integration with Rezcontrol completely seamless.”
Both companies also have a history of employing staff in onboarding and tech support who have a background in hospitality, as system users.
“This means both our teams can really relate to the user, their experience, and their pain points with any hotel management technology,” added Sarah Cade, Managing Director of Rezcontrol. “It helps them understand the nature of the problem, and the urgency with which it needs to be resolved.”
If you are looking for an enterprise solution to marry your POS to your PMS, it’s vital to take the time to assess your requirements, work out the level of integration you need, and evaluate the options. Please visit our integrations page for more options; we’re here to help!
Not a customer? Call us on +44 (0)330 223 1456 or email sales@rezcontrol.com – or contact us for a demo.