Hotel operations software provider Optii Solutions has launched a standalone hotel operations solution that does not require a PMS integration.
“Property management systems (PMS) are said to be the heart of the hotel technology ecosystem,” said Katherine Grass, CEO, Optii Solutions. “This has led many emerging technologies, such as channel managers, revenue management systems and central reservation systems in the space to develop a strong reliance on the integration with the PMS. This reliance is in many absolute, or so critical that there is little value of the technology without an integration. We wanted to change this.”
She continued, “Many hotels have legacy PMS that we don’t integrate with and they have been asking for a solution like Optii—that is a bit more modern, intuitive and cloud-based. They can get significant benefits, including visibility—most of them are working without any technology today so this is a significant improvement.”
The new, standalone solution will provide hoteliers many of the same benefits as the PMS-connected platform, such as offering real-time visibility into a property’s housekeeping operations and better connecting the front desk and back of the house teams, according to Grass.
“It also allows the operations side of the hotel to get value from technology without being limited by a hotel or brand’s policies and procedures when it comes to integrations,” she said. “These policies can be around security, timing, existing contracts, etc. Obstacles to a full integration can also include resource constraints. We hear that from hoteliers coming to us for help, that they really want a solution, but current resources are tied up with, for example, an RMS integration, for the next six months. A standalone solution gives those on the operations side a significant improvement in days, rather than nothing until resources free up.”
Grass said this solution will help hotels with the many challenges they are facing in today’s market. “There are labor shortages, high turnover, shifting guest expectations, aging technology and change in ownership or brand,” she said. “They need solutions today, not months down the road. Optii can provide immediate value, and if the hotel wants the integration at a later date, we can move them seamlessly from the standalone solution to the integrated solution.”
It is especially helpful for those who have hotels across different brands. “From an ownership or management group perspective, this allows the organization to standardize on one platform across the portfolio that may have different PMSs,” she said. “This will allow the organization to use data and benchmark across the portfolio to learn and implement best practices.”