The document discusses property management system interfaces and competencies related to managing these interfaces. It covers how a property management system interfaces and connects with central reservation systems, point-of-sale systems, telephone call accounting, electronic locking systems, and energy management systems. The document also discusses best practices for minimizing risks when interfacing standalone systems and identifying common interface questions to address.

1. Chapter 5
Property Management
System Interfaces
Managing Technology in the Hospitality Industry
Sixth Edition
(468TXT or 468CIN)
© 2011, Educational Institute

2. Competencies for
Property Management
System Interfaces
1. Identify ways in which managers can minimize the
risks associated with interfacing various stand-alone
systems with a hotel property management system.
2. Explain how a central reservation system interfaces
with a hotel property management system.
3. Explain how a point-of-sale system interfaces with a
hotel property management system.
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3. Competencies for
Property Management
System Interfaces
(continued)
4. Describe the features and functions of a telephone
call accounting system and discuss the advantages
of interfacing call accounting systems with hotel
property management systems.
5. Distinguish between hard-wired and micro-fitted
electronic locking systems and identify electronic
locking system features and reports.
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4. Competencies for
Property Management
System Interfaces
(continued)
6. Identify the features and functions of an energy
management system.
7. Identify and discuss examples of auxiliary guest
services that can interface with a hotel property
management system.
8. Describe guest-operated devices that may interface
with a hotel property management system.
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5. Property Management Systems
• Is a system application that gives
automated information about a facility
and directly relates to the front and back
office operations in the establishment
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6. Property Management Systems
• This system connects and coordinates
several modules in the establishment
• Reservations
• Rooms Management
• Guest Accounting
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7. What does Property Management
Systems do?
• Tracking of Availability of rooms /
facilities
• Tracking of guest information and
reservation details
• Guest consulting
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8. What does Property Management
Systems do?
• Registration and check in facilitation
• Guest Accounting services and balances
• Housekeeping room status and services
monitoring
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9. © 2011, Educational Institute

10. Five C’s of Interfacing
• Confidence—test each system separately.
• Contracts—analyze existing provisions and
look for any prohibitions.
• Communications—determine the “what,
when, and how” of information exchange.
• Comparisons—contact users who succeeded
with the same interface.
• Contingencies—develop procedures for
downtime in case the interface stops working.
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11. Common PMS Interfaces
• Central reservation system
• Internet
• Sales and catering
• Point-of-sale
• Electronic payment processing
• Revenue management
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12. Common PMS Interfaces
(continued)
• Back office accounting
• Call accounting
• Electronic locking systems
• Energy management
• Auxiliary guest service devices
• Self-service devices
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13. Common POS Terminal Locations
• Restaurants
• Bar and lounge areas
• Room service stations
• Concession areas
• Gift shops
• Pool and spa areas
• Pro shops
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14. POS to PMS Interfacing Questions
• Will individual transactions or consolidated
transactions be transmitted?
• Will data be transmitted as it is collected or
batched and sent at a later time?
• How much data will be stored in PMS files and
how much will be retained by the POS system?
• How and when will settlement affect stored
transaction data?
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15. POS to PMS Interfacing Questions
(continued)
• What audit procedures will be followed
to ensure proper posting and monitoring
of transactions?
• Will data be carried forward indefinitely?
• What contingency plans will be executed
should an interface failure occur?
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16. CAS Functions
Call placement or automatic identification of outward dialing
• (AIOD)
Call distribution or automatic route selection (ARDS)
•
Least-cost routing (LCR)
•
Call rating program (CRP)
•
Call record
•
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17. Call Record Elements
• Date
• Guestroom extension number
• Telephone number dialed
• Time call was placed
• Duration of call
• Cost of call
• Tax and markup charges
• Amounts posted to guest folio
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18. CAS/PMS Interface Advantages
• Enhanced services and guest satisfaction
• Improved communications networking
• Improved call pricing methods
• Minimized telephone traffic expenses
• Automatic charge posting to guest folios
• Automatic call detail records
• Detailed daily reports of telephone transactions
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19. Electronic Locking System
• Replacing traditional brass keys and
mechanical locks with sophisticated
guestroom access devices.
• May or may not require major re-
construction.
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20. Electronic Locking Systems
Hard-wired locking systems
• Operates through a centralized master code
console
• This console controls all doors cabled to master
console
• All doors are connected through the master
console.
• A front desk clerk follows a prescribed check-in
procedure and creates a new key card. The
console transmits the key card code to the
assigned remote guestroom door lock.
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21. Electronic Locking System
Micro-fitted locking systems
• Locks configured as individual stand-alone
units
• Each door has a microprocessor
• Terminal at front desk encodes keycards
• System relies on predetermined sequence
of codes
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22. ELS Features
• May produce various levels of master keys.
Several distinct levels of security.
• Some ELS can provide a “do not disturb”
option.
• Auto scrambling/ destruction of the
predetermined code should the key card be
inserted for long period of time.
• Card less keys that use a numeric code and
biometrics
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23. Energy Management Systems
• An automated system designed to manage
the operation of mechanical equipment in a
lodging property.
• Allows properties to determine when to turn
on, off or regulate the equipment’s power
needs.
• When integrated into the PMS, it can send
messages to the PMS to change the guest
room electricity requirements when a room
is booked.
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24. Energy Management Systems
• Can conserve energy, contain energy costs
and tighten operational controls over
guestrooms and private spaces
environments.
• Can be a stand-alone application or a
central feature of the rooms management
module of a PMS.
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25. EMS Controls
• Demand control
• Duty cycling
• Room occupancy sensors
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26. Auxiliary Guest Services
• Automated wake-up calls
• Message-waiting systems
• Voice messaging systems
• Voice mailboxes
• Voice over Internet Protocol
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27. Guest-Operated Devices
• Self-check-in/self-check-out systems
• In-room entertainment systems
• In-room vending systems
• Guest information services
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