The Benefits of Hotel Point of Sale

The hotel industry has realised huge benefits from using point of sale or POS systems. Before hotel point of sale, companies used dedicated computer terminals consist of an LED display, a magnetic strip reader, and a modem. When running credit cards, these dedicated terminals transmit the number of the credit card as well as the purchase cost to a large clearinghouse, which will verify the availability of credit and return an approved or declined message back to the point of origin. The system worked efficiently but it is a stand-alone process that had little to do with the other operational aspects of a hotel.

POS systems have changed all that by providing a fully integrated system that processes payment transactions, stores the information for future use along with an array of data relating to other hotel operations such as inventory, logistics, customer service, and more. This integration of information across all departments enables hotels to operate more efficiently. They can generate specialised reports, impart deeper insight into suppliers and clientele, streamline inventory, and perform many more actions that has never been possible before.

Training staff on POS has also been so much easier as they will have to learn a single program and interface as opposed to learning different interfaces. Companies have a lot of room to provide better customer service. Wait time in payment lines are cut short and the cashier need not ring up a credit card for verification and wait for a minute or two. Hotels can also learn more about the habits and preferences of their valued patrons by keeping a record of their requests and orders during their stay. This information enables them to provide a more personalised service that clients will greatly appreciate. They can also use this information for coming up with promotions and loyalty programs to increase their customer base.

The POS can integrate the payment process with all the other applications used by the hotel. This allows the business owner to concentrate their training efforts on a core system for managing the entire operations. Payment becomes just another efficient part of the entire operations. This capability enables the owner to dedicate more time to improving other aspects of the business like marketing and customer service.