Hotels of every size and type are migrating to the cloud. Perhaps your property has already taken the leap! While it can be tempting to jump headfirst onto the cloud hotel PMS bandwagon, hotel owners must ensure themselves a safe and sensible landing. This includes having a clear (not foggy!) understanding of cloud technology as well as one’s own hotel property management needs. Knowledge in the following 3 key areas can help hotel owners and managers ensure their secure and successful hotel PMS transition to the cloud:
Eliminate any unnecessary doubts. Misperceptions abound related to hotel and data security in the cloud. Yet, running applications through the Internet actually reduces the security risks and vulnerabilities associated with physical equipment and servers tied to an on-premise, legacy hotel PMS. SkyTouch Technology and other top cloud hotel software providers invest considerable time and resources toward safeguarding their customers’ data security requirements in a cloud environment. SkyTouch also provides 24×7/365 monitoring for their customers, so that hotel owners don’t need to shoulder the stress and responsibility of addressing security risks, breaches, and maintaining compliance with the industry’s stringent security standards and requirements.
Know your needs. Just as every hotel property has its own unique selling points, so do hotel PMS software providers. While many providers might use the same jargon to attract you to their product, it’s critical to research and recognize who the established players are that can best meet your property’s evolving PMS needs. Key to this process is identifying a provider who has built their product natively in the cloud, vs. migrating a traditional on-premise platform to the cloud. The SkyTouch Hotel OS®, for example, was built a decade ago in the cloud, for the cloud, to help hoteliers manage, multi-task, and monitor all of their essential daily functions from a single repository. Hotel owners who take the time to consider their needs and research their options will align themselves with a capable provider who can deliver on their investment.
Get up-to-speed quickly. Migration to the cloud shouldn’t result in weeks of interrupted service and lost productivity. Upon transitioning to the cloud, SkyTouch technology PMS users are up-and-running in as little as one to two days! Hotels should ensure that the hotel PMS software provider offers comprehensive, yet flexible, training options that include both live and remote training with 24×7 ongoing support. It goes without saying that proper training and ongoing support can also build user confidence and minimize user errors and disruptions.
The journey to the cloud can and should be a smooth and safe one for hoteliers. Whether or no you’ve already taken the leap for your property, we hope the above tips help ensure a successful migration and experience from start to finish.
