Today's hotel operations are about doing more with less and honoring regional social distancing guidelines. Reduced staffing levels means more work is falling to management and executive level teams. This, combined with new social distancing mandates and guest health concerns, is creating the new guest journey, one that relies more on technology than ever before.

As the preferred cloud and on-premise property-management system (PMS) solution for independent hotels, Maestro has an obligation to provide service and support to our clients no matter what they need or how they need us. This includes looking at a hotel's existing systems and auditing what they are using today. We are finding that many operators are not leveraging all the features and functionality available through the PMS; some un-tapped features — like reporting capabilities — may be exactly what managers need to support their guests in this new world. For example, by analyzing and having a better sense of when guests will be arriving and when the front desk will be busy vs. quiet, management can offset staffing by implementing contactless technologies that minimize lobby congestion.

Maestro continues to add integrated modules, touchless tools, and apps that reduce or eliminate the need for physical contact between staff and guests that provide an overall safer experience for all. Online web and mobile guest registration/check-in, online prepayment portal, express mobile check-out, spa intake and waiver forms, staff facing apps and digital registration card and signature capture all support a contactless guest journey and eliminate several unnecessary points of contact. Mobile-key guestroom access combined with web registration check-in also lets guests forgo personal front desk contact, while mobile device check-out makes for a nearly complete touchless experience.

Get Your Head out of the Cloud

While there are many benefits to moving the hotel's PMS to the cloud, not all hoteliers are comfortable with this idea for various reasons and they need to realize that it's not the only option. With Maestro, hoteliers have choices, including cloud hosted, self-hosted, private cloud and on-premise PMS options that leverage the latest mobile, contact free and web-based technologies. Independent operators can absolutely enhance the digital guest journey, support personalized and mobile check-in experiences, deliver contactless technology to guests and staff directly through the PMS or via third-party integrations, and completely secure hotel/guest data even if their PMS does not reside in the cloud.

A hotel can invest in the latest PMS software on the market with the most attractive user interface, but if the solution doesn't do what that property needs it to do to run the business, or if it doesn't have a proven track record as a soundly implemented and intelligently developed solution, it's not a wise investment. Some high-end luxury full-service properties are in the middle of nowhere. Internet connectivity is spotty at best, and hoteliers are often plagued with constant outages. For those operating in remote areas, the cloud is the wrong platform for that environment. Furthermore, for properties that want their own autonomy on when and how version upgrades to the software are deployed, or have their own IT teams to take ownership of the system and don't want to hand over control of their data and security to a third party, self-hosted or private cloud is the answer.
With Maestro, a hotel can do anything on premise or self-hosted that it can do in the cloud; data can still be backed-up on site (and simultaneously in the cloud if desired), and the same level of contactless and mobile capabilities, along with integration to third-party cloud services, can be achieved regardless of the hosting platform. Whether the server is in the cloud, in a data center, or in the hotel's IT room, as long as it has a connection to the Internet (generally firewall secured between an internal and external network) it can support a completely web browser based PMS solution with all of the touchless, contact free, mobile, and third party technologies.

Regardless of which implementation model a hotel chooses to support its business objectives today, management should be able to easily switch to a different option tomorrow without going to market for a new system provider and without additional licensing fees. With Maestro, regardless of the deployment option hotels choose, hoteliers will receive a sophisticated solution with identical features sets and the latest innovations to keep them competitive as they transition to any new chosen environment. Migrating from on premise to cloud hosted or vice versa is a straightforward transition.

As hoteliers continue to face challenges in this new world, our responsiveness as a technology developer is key to meeting guests' demands and providing the highest levels of staff services and training. Maestro will continue to offer 24/7 call center support; free version upgrades; on demand live one-on-one refresher training; in application live chat, online user guides, tutorials and direct email support; complementary live learning webinars; an e-Learning user website; and professional productivity.

About Maestro PMS

Maestro is the preferred Web Browser based cloud and on-premises PMS solution for independent hotels, luxury resorts, conference centers, vacation rentals, and multi-property groups. Maestro's PCI certified and EMV ready enterprise system offers a Web browser version (or Windows) complete with 20+ integrated modules on a single database, including mobile and contactless apps to support a digitalized guest journey as well as staff operations. Maestro's sophisticated solutions empower operators to increase profitability, drive direct bookings, centralize operations, and engage guests with a personalized experience from booking to check out and everything in between. For over 40 years Maestro's Diamond Plus Service has provided unparalleled 24/7 North American based support and education services to keep hospitality groups productive and competitive. Click here for more information on Maestro. Click here to get your free PMS Buying guide.

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