It’s high time for you to make some drastic changes in your hotel and accommodation business and set up a hotel management system. Here’s why:

The Philippines is home to six UNESCO world heritage sites. It has a fast-growing and dynamic business process outsourcing (BPO) and gaming industry. It is also heavily favored by foreign backpackers, budget travelers, and beach lovers. All of these fuel the booming tourism and hospitality industry in the Philippines.

But despite the positive outlook of the tourism industry in the country, why is it that only a handful of hotels are experiencing a surge of business?

There are five factors:

1. The star accreditation system. For the past few years, the accreditation system of the Department of Tourism (DOT) has been updated multiple times. Hotels that were unable to keep up with getting the necessary number of points were demoted to a lower star rating. Tourists who often rely on this rating tend to snub lower-rated hotels.
2. Budget-friendly lodgings. Budget travelers and backpackers are mostly attracted to inexpensive lodgings, such as hostels and Airbnb.
3. Condo rentals. These often serve as alternative accommodations to travelers who prefer Airbnbs — hotels aren’t top of mind with them.
4. Online travel agencies (OTAs). Most hotel bookings nowadays are done through online travel agencies. Traditional hotels that don’t list their properties online miss out on this opportunity. 
5. Booking website. When travelers shop around and can’t book the hotel that they prefer in online travel agencies, their next step is to search for the hotel’s website. Most hotels in the Philippines don’t have a website or don’t have a booking functionality on its website.

While not all hotels can’t compete with budget-friendly lodgings, they can work on other factors — such as having a direct booking website and listing on OTAs — to up their chances of getting booked and benefiting from the booming tourism industry in the Philippines. The simple solution to that? Automating operations and functions with a hotel management system or HMS. 

A hotel management system is a type of property management system that facilitates the admin processes and operations of hotels, making it easier for owners to run their business and guests enjoy a more positive experience, from online booking to offline check-out.

Standard hotel management system features include online booking, channel management, and the like. But some HMS come with customizable options. For example, all Globe myBusiness Hotel Management System packages offer ready-made solutions to streamline front desk, online sales, and marketing to increase revenue and improve operations, but have various add-ons depending on the package.

Digitizing your hotel and accommodation business allows you to reap the advantages of hotel management system, as well as other benefits, such as:

• Reduced human error (read: no more overbookings!). Since the system automatically updates the information across the board, you can avoid problems such as double booking and forgotten reservations that can lead to bad publicity and huge losses. The same can be applied to faster and more accurate processing of reports.
• Increased time efficiency and productivity. Your front desk staff can focus on more important tasks, such as assisting guests checking in and out of the hotel, and addressing in-person queries, among others.
• Better record-keeping. All data entered in the hotel management system software is saved. Access your reservations anytime, anywhere, as long as you have Internet connection. With paper records and reports, they are bound to get lost, destroyed, and not as easily accessible since they’re kept in one place.
• Efficient channel management. Automating your hotel and accommodation business lets you manage multiple OTAs with ease and efficiency and enables on-site booking, making it easier for potential customers to find you.
• Price/promotion management. You have full control of the pricing and promotions of your hotel and accommodation business. You can launch special promos and update rates almost instantly.

The hotel management system benefits not just business owners but also guests, making it a win-win. As you automate and digitize your hotel and accommodation business with Globe myBusiness Hotel Management System, you can streamline operations, optimize staff performance, and enhance your guests’ experience — all of which will positively impact your bottom line. 

Learn more about the ins and outs of running a hotel and accommodation business and sign up to Globe myBusiness Academy.