Top 10 Booking-Boosting Reasons Inns and B&Bs Need a Cloud PMS

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Boutique properties like inns and bed and breakfasts have many moving parts to keep track of, from OTA bookings to accounting, housekeeping to marketing, all while maintaining focus on what’s most important—your guests. Chances are you have a host of systems and checklists to stay on top of, but how do you keep up and ensure you are providing an exceptional guest experience? That’s where a cloud property management system (PMS) steps in. Cloud PMS streamline and integrate operational processes, giving you control of your business from a single, well-organized hub for greater business insight, smoother operations, and superb guest service—all of which translates into increased bookings!

1 – 24/7 Reservations

Book guests any time of the day, any day of the week, anywhere in the world without lifting a finger. While there will always be some guests who phone or email to book, the majority of guests are not only capable of booking online but prefer it. Cloud PMS make online bookings affordable and convenient for inns and B&Bs and most importantly, for your guests.

  • Website Booking Engine

Rather than relying solely on OTAs for online bookings—who take a pretty penny to do so—keep profits for yourself with a commission-free online booking engine for your property’s website. Guests can check availability and book direct whenever they want. Take advantage of photo slideshows to show off various room types as an extra push to get web visitors to cross the reservation finish line.

  • OTA Integration

But don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater. OTAs do increase your reach and accessibility and that’s worth a lot. Make managing OTA inventory and reservations much easier by integrating your OTA or channel manager with your PMS. OTA integration automatically updates availability across all connected channels. Perfectly synced, you and your guests can always see real-time room availability while you manage OTA inventory and reservations through your PMS.  

2 – Increase Sales

WebRezPro PMS is designed to help you augment your earnings while you delight your guests. Set up packages or products that your guests can choose when booking—at an additional cost. Think extra charges for pets, in-room flowers, romance packages, and dining reservations.

Need to sell out the weekend? Flexible rate management tools let you set up hot deals for last-minute sales. Special rates for corporate clients, preferred guests, or travel agents can also be created for promotional purposes and are easy to adjust and keep track of in your dashboard.

3 – Secure Data Management

One of the great aspects of cloud PMS technology is that it’s hosted on remote servers and not onsite at your property. This means you needn’t worry about data storage space or security. WebRezPro complies with industry best practices to protect your inn and B&B data and your guests’ personal information with IP-restricted access, data encryption, two-factor authentication, and more. The data you collect for your guest reservations remains your inn’s or B&B’s property alone.

4 – Digital Front Desk

Think of a cloud PMS as your digital front desk and back office in one—and right in your pocket.

  • Easy check-ins and check-outs

Keep a handle on your day and view all check-ins and check-outs at once and print them off if desired. Individual reservations are quickly located in the system as needed by searching for the guest name or confirmation number. Better still, go paperless! Guests can sign in on a mobile device using an electronic signature capture and invoices and receipts can be emailed. Save on time with convenient contactless check-in whereby guests may complete guest agreements and registration online before arrival.

  • Mobile front desk

A mobile-optimized PMS gives you access to reservation and guest profile data on the go, allowing staff to respond to guest requests faster without having to return to the front desk to look up reservations and room numbers, log requests and preferences, and trigger actions.

5 – Off-site Management

A cloud-based PMS is accessible anytime, from anywhere, with an internet connection. For small accommodations like inns and B&Bs, this is especially relevant because so often operators are required to run offsite errands. A system like WebRezPro keeps your office at your fingertips so you can manage rates and availability on your phone while you’re in line at the bank, or run performance reports from your tablet as you lounge by the pool on your vacation.

6 – Delight Guests With Personalized Service

Guests choose inns and B&Bs for their personalized service. A cloud PMS helps you shine with technology. Reservation reminders allow you to set alarms to remind you about special requirements and requests or to surprise and delight guests with an unexpected bottle of champagne for the newlyweds, for example, or a welcome treat for the family dog.

WebRezPro allows you to flag and color code VIP reservations within the system. Use guest profiles to make note of guest preferences, special dates, allergies and the like, and automatically track stay history to help personalize future stays. Did they request an extra pillow last time? Pre-empt their request, complete with a handwritten card to contact you if they require anything else. Little touches add up to repeat bookings.

7 – Streamlined Housekeeping

As an inn or B&B, you run a tight but mighty ship. But this means you must be smart with how you expend your energy, especially when it comes to the arduous task of housekeeping. And the pandemic only put extra strain on this aspect of your business.

  • Housekeeping reports

WebRezPro streamlines housekeeping with a mobile housekeeping report that tracks and schedules housekeeping duties. Integrated with the front office, the housekeeping report allows both housekeeping and front desk to view room status and occupancy in real time. Checklists can also be created for each room type to ensure every speck is spotted and promptly removed.

  • Maintenance alarms

Who has the mental load to remember when to order stationery, schedule pool maintenance, or change lightbulbs in the laundry room…? Property maintenance is often reactionary or else tasks wait at the back of your mind for action. Maintenance alarms allow you to set and forget and free your mind of these tasks while being proactive.

8 – Automated Guest Communication

As a B&B or inn, we know how important personalized communication is for your property. But this can also be taxing and balls are easy to drop when this is a manual process. Use a cloud PMS to not only systemize your email communications but automate them as well. 

WebRezPro offers email templates that you can set up for booking confirmations that are then automatically emailed or delayed and manually sent upon your approval if preferred. 

Pre-stay emails can also be triggered to excite guests about their stay and relay additional information about their arrival, which was exceptionally handy during the pandemic with specific arrival protocols. Post-stay emails may also be triggered automatically to thank guests for their stay, build loyalty, and ask them for a review!

9 – Accounting Module

WebRezPro comes with a robust accounting module complete with a general ledger, chart of accounts, and financial statements. All transaction information entered into the system is automatically recorded and all sales can be tracked into designated revenue accounts, such as room revenue, gift shop purchases, or parking. From here you can also manage your vendors plus track purchase orders and payouts. If you already use accounting software, it may be integrated with the module for a seamless experience.

10 – Easy-to-Use System Backed by Real-Person Support 

Just as your guests expect personalized service from you, you can expect personalized service from us. WebRezPro is an intuitively designed cloud PMS backed by a full-onboarding experience for you and your staff. When things feel less than intuitive for you and you need additional help, a support ticket can be created from within your system or by calling or emailing us directly.

Make life easier for you and your guests by streamlining your inn or B&B operations with a cloud property management system. Systemized and streamlined, your operations can run like a well-oiled, personalized machine! 

Once seen as impersonal, technology has become an essential component for personalized service. Not only does a cloud PMS keep things organized in one centralized system, but it makes things easier for your guests as well as you create a delightful experience online and in person.