Increasing the Bottom-Line with a Hotel POS

Hotels have received quite a leg-up from point of sale systems. The name point of sale or POS is in reference to the place where a sale transaction takes place, like the counter or the checkout, but it really is much more than that. A hotel POS is a set of computer software and hardware that can manage not only sale transactions but every aspect of the operations. It has many advantages over the cash register due to its ability to store more information in a manner that can be customised to fit hotel operations.

A POS can save time as it increases efficiency, productivity and the accuracy of data. Some of the information it can store has to do with sales, inventory, procurement, human resource, and customer service. POS systems can be evaluated based on functionality, cost, speed, and ease of use. These qualities are what hotels will be looking for when the time comes to upgrade their system. Reliability is also a major quality that a good POS system should have as the entire operations of a hotel will rely heavily on it.

Through the years POS technology has gone through a number of improvements to benefit hotels by boosting their bottom-line. The POS system started with the traditional computer that has been loaded with POS software. It came with peripherals like receipt printers and bar code scanners. This computer can be linked up with other computers throughout the hotel and the information it carries can be synced with all the others in order to simplify the tracking of inventory and sales. This system makes use of many different software programs that need to be compatible with each other.

Perhaps the most significant development in POS technology is the emergence of Internet-based POS applications. This POS system can be via the Internet from any terminal or even hand-held device that has an Internet connection plus a web browser. This type of POS program need not be installed into the computer as they are hosted on servers that are secure and that are able to update and backup real time.

One great feature of web-based POS is that it is not reliant on any one operating system so your staff could be using different types of operating systems and still be able to update the POS. The ability to access the POS makes it possible for anyone to log on anytime and anywhere to generate reports or monitor operations. You as the owner can be on your holiday and still be up-to-date on what is happening in your hotel miles and miles away.