Hanging out at your resort might be fun in the sun for your guests, but it takes a lot of coordinated work behind the scenes to make each guest’s stay an experience they won’t forget.
Effective resort property management requires balancing two important factors: the guest experience and the efficiency of running the resort. In other words, slow processes, scrambling to find the right information, and putting out fires (figuratively speaking, hopefully) should be minimal and not in view of your guests.
Implementing the right resort property management software helps centralize resort information and organize tasks and processes. But the right solution for your business must be plucked from a sea of options, and it has to be set up to complement or enhance your existing processes rather than make them more complex or inefficient.
At the same time, you must have rock-solid processes and procedures developed in advance that focus on efficiency and customer satisfaction. Resort property management software can help develop these, but shouldn’t be viewed as a magic bullet; remember, the software is there to augment existing processes, not build them for you from scratch.
In this article, we’re looking at everything you need to know about resort property management software, from considerations when choosing a new solution, implementation tips, and more.
How to Kick Resort Property Management Up a Notch
Picture this: it’s the 9th inning, bases are loaded, and you’re up by one run. The last batter is up to the plate. At this point, any sane coach would want to send in their best pitcher (who the coach has been saving for this moment) to give their team the best chance of winning. That’s just common sense. It’s the same with your resort. If you want to up your revenue before the next business quarter ends, you must come prepared to play with your best strategies.
1. Understand Customer Expectations and Wants
The travelers of today are much different than the travelers of 20 years ago. Millennials, the demographic that were teenagers or children a decade ago, are now approaching their 40s. At the same time, the next generation of travelers, Generation Z, are approaching adulthood themselves. So how can accommodation providers cater to these new audiences?
Commonalities between millennials and Gen Z include:
- They both more or less grew up with the internet at their fingertips, so they both tend to be much more technically savvy compared to previous generations. As a result, they have heightened expectations with regard to the ability to book online, perform online payments, and overall interact with their accommodation providers using the internet and software applications.
- They entered the workforce during an economic recession, which impacted their spending power. This is an important factor in price setting for rooms, attractions, and entertainment activities.
- They both eat out more compared to previous generations and are more conscious of what they are eating, meaning access to local restaurants as well as resort dining options are more important considerations for millennials and Gen Z compared to previous generations. Healthy and sustainable options and robust food options for different types of vegetarian and vegan diets are important.
2. Determine Whether You Want Outsourced or In-House Property Management
Maybe you’ve been running your resort for years and are looking to retire, or are just thinking about stepping back and letting someone else do the heavy lifting required to run your resort. Outsourcing property management through a company or hiring an individual may be the way to go. Which option is better for you and your business depends on your goals, budget, time, and overall attachment to your business.
Let’s take a look at some of the pros and cons of hiring a property management company for your resort property management versus hiring an individual:
| Property Management Company | Individual Property Manager | |
|---|---|---|
| Pros | – May be easier to find a competent solution, especially in an urban area – Companies often have their own standards of service that they expect their staff to uphold in addition to yours – Takes less time to implement as the property management company will have experienced individuals on hand – For smaller resorts, outsourcing can allow you to provide a full-service experience without the overhead via partners – Saves you time with managing your resort | – Can train from the ground up to run the resort as you want it to be run – May be more dedicated and passionate because they work at one resort as opposed to potentially multiple properties – May be a better option for those who are less willing to give up full control and want someone to work alongside them rather than run the whole business |
| Cons | – Can be very costly depending on the level of involvement you want (e.g., property maintenance versus full revenue management) – Reduced control over how your resort is run in certain respects (depending on how much you outsource) could present a risk to your reputation – Potential for communication issues and arguments regarding your way of doing things versus theirs | – Need to pay wages, benefits, vacation time, etc. – Training will take time and money – There’s always a risk that the individual will quit, and you’ll have to take over until you can find someone else – May be disagreements in terms of your way of doing things versus their preferred ways |
3. Implement the Right Resort Property Management Software to Simplify Management and Increase Revenue
When you can implement the right resort property management solution for your business, you’ll be able to simplify the management of your property and increase your revenue potential. This is because resort management software reduces or eliminates tedious manual tasks through automation, making managing the more granular details of your daily operations easier and more efficient.
But one of the most important advantages of implementing the right resort management software is the opportunity for increased revenue.
Here is an example of how a Newbook customer, BIG4 Ingenia Holidays Queenscliff Beacon, located in National Marine Park in Queenscliff, Victoria, Australia, was able to use Newbook’s software to simplify their business operations and boost their revenue.
As a picturesque location just a short 90-minute drive from Melbourne, BIG4 Beacon has won numerous industry awards and has been beloved by their guests since their opening in 1970. In fact, their guests love them so much over 68% of their guests are repeat customers or referrals!
But Big4 Beacon knew that to remain a much-loved resort and continue to cater to their guests’ expectations and desires while continuing to grow requires robust software, especially in today’s hospitality industry. That’s when they looked to Newbook’s offering of a pull PMS, booking engine, channel manager, dynamic pricing, and automation tools.
After implementing Newbook, Big4 Beacon:
- Saw a 13.7% increase in revenue from February to April 2019 compared to the previous year. They only implemented Newbook in January!
- Drastically reduced credit card merchant fees by 41% by implementing BPAY payments.
- Were able to implement automated surveys to be strategically sent to guests, giving them valuable feedback regarding improvements to guest experiences and recommendations.
- Significantly reduce their environmental footprint by eliminating paper correspondence, instead using email and SMS, as well as paperless check-in.
- Invest their profits in new facilities, which resulted in a 46% rise in international travelers!
Common Features and Benefits of Resort Property Management Software
Good resort property management software is like the foundation of your house. It’s there to support the structure of the building and is a core component of which everything else is built on top of. Because resort management software plays such an important role, they often include several standout features. These features are important because they provide specific benefits for your business, from efficiency to simplified management.
The common features and benefits of resort property management solutions are outlined in the table below:
| Resort Property Management Software Feature | Benefit(s) |
|---|---|
| Channel manager | – Allows you to manage listings with multiple channels using one system – Real-time price synchronization (a feature available through Newbook) allows dynamic pricing changes to be automatically updated on all channel platforms without you needing to lift a finger – Availability calendars are updated for each channel provider when each reservation is made on any channel |
| Online booking system | – Either integrates with your website as a plugin or is offered as a separate landing page (Newbook offers the integration), allowing guests to book directly from your website – Customizable, allowing you to add interactive maps of your properties, incorporate upsells into the booking process, and choose which details the guest must provide (e.g., RV size, number of people in a party, etc.) – Dynamically presents guests with different options when their preferences are not available |
| Central reservation system | – Centralizes your booking process for multiple properties, streamlining operations – An online CRS like the one offered through Newbook allows potential guests to browse your multiple properties and view pricing & availability in one place – Allows you to integrate memberships, manage multiple group bookings, and check out multiple bookings in one transaction (e.g., for tour groups, sports teams, schools, etc.) |
| Self-service check-ins/outs | – Support for a guest-facing online portal makes it easy for guests to check in and out online rather than having to visit the office and wait in line – Newbook also offers self-service kiosks that allow guests to check in and out, adjust the length of their stay, pay for their stay, book activities or purchase amenities, and more – Self-service check-ins and outs reduce staffing costs and provide convenience to guests |
| Integrations and Connection | – An integrations store allows you to easily choose from popular software that you likely use and connect it with your resort property management solution – Newbook integrates with popular software providers like Vrbo, Zip, Bookoutdoors, and more – Many resort property management providers offer API support, which allows integrations to be easily built |
Considerations When Choosing Resort Management Online
Finding the right resort management software can be difficult, especially because there are so many different offerings available on the market. After the initial bout of COVID-19, the global hospitality software market grew considerably. The Property Management Software market is projected to reach USD 14.71 billion by 2030 from USD 6.49 billion in 2022, at a CAGR of 10.77% during the forecast period.
This means you’re choosing software in a highly competitive and lucrative market, with hundreds of options for your money. So how can you choose the right option for your accommodations business?
1. Determine Which Features Benefit Your Business the Most
Researching the features that most resort property management solutions offer is important to determine which will positively impact your business operations. This could be things like built-in channel management software that allows you to manage your listings without having to visit multiple websites to offer your guests a more reliable and detailed way to make online bookings.
Once you’ve narrowed down the features that will have the biggest impact, you can create a list of resort property management solutions that, at a minimum, offer those features. This will help you start building a list of potential solutions.
2. Set Your Budget
Once you’ve decided which features you absolutely need your resort property management system to have, it’ll be easier to set a fair budget that will cover the software you want. Remember that most resort property management solutions available go by the online software as a service (SaaS) model, which means that monthly rates depend on the number of users. This means that if you are planning on scaling your business, your monthly spend for the software will increase as you add more users. On the flip side, if you reduce users, then the cost will be less. Expect fluctuations in your monthly bill if the number of users for your resort property management software often changes.
3. Future-Proofing
You don’t want to choose a piece of software only to find out that the company doesn’t provide regular updates or adhere to standards with regard to connections and integrations (e.g., Rest API). Some companies provide an updated schedule in their help documentation on their website, while with others, you may be able to find this information out via their salespeople. The goal is to make sure that the solution you choose is actively being improved upon so that after a few years of use, you’ll still be working with the latest technology.
4. Compatibility with Your Current Tech Stack
Your resort is likely to be using a number of different pieces of software for daily operations, whether it’s email, word processing, or revenue management, you’ll want the resort management solution that you choose to be able to talk nicely with these other programs. Newbook, for instance, offers robust integrations and connections through our integrations store, ensuring that you can easily connect the software to the most popular systems that accommodation providers use daily.
5. Read Reviews and Customer Testimonials
Sometimes the best way to make sure that the software solution you choose is the right one for you is by reading reviews from other customers who have used the product before or are currently using it. Software review websites and social media are great sources where you can find a variety of reviews and get a general idea of what people think of the software. Try not to focus too much on positive or negative reviews but rather on what people are actually saying about the product. The more detailed reviews you can find, the better.
5 Tips for Implementing a Resort Property Management System
Before you implement your new property management system, there are several tips you should follow to help make the process easier and more efficient:
1. Prepare Your Data
Data preparation might seem overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to be. The point of data preparation is to ensure that the information you’re putting into your new property management system is accurate and up-to-date. Many businesses accumulate duplicate and incorrect data over time, so moving to a new centralized system is a good time to do an audit on your data, including all the programs you use on a daily basis that store guest information and information about your business.
2. Ensure Secure Data Migration
Many resort management systems use SSL or TLS, which are two important security technologies that secure data as it’s moving (such as from one system to another) or while it’s at rest. This is important because sensitive data like guest names, addresses, and financial information must be protected at all times, but especially during the process of transferring large amounts of data from one system to another. Be sure to confirm the security of the data transfer during the onboarding process so that you are fully aware of the safety measures in place to protect your customer’s data and your sensitive company information.
3. Integration with Other Systems
It’s important to integrate your new resort property management solution with other essential systems that your business uses, such as point of sale (POS) systems, payment gateways, and online booking platforms so that these programs can use the resort management software as the master data source. Ensuring that all software talks nicely with each other and can share information back and forth securely and seamlessly is paramount.
4. Customization and Configuration
Take time to customize your resort property management solution to match your resort’s branding, colors, and operational workflows. Configuration of dynamic pricing strategies, integrating your preferred channel providers, and customizing any specifics with your customer-facing software like the booking engine and self-service portal is important to ensure everything looks, feels, and runs as smoothly as possible before launch.
5. Train Staff
If you have staff members who will be using the system, it’s important to provide training to them so that they are comfortable with using the new system. This includes guidance on when to check the system manually for tasks and other actionable updates, as well as integrate the system with their mobile phones if necessary. Most resort management companies will provide onboarding and training to some degree with a subscription, but more comprehensive training may be an additional cost.
Software Spotlight: Newbook’s Resort Property Management Software
What sets Newbook apart is its holistic approach to resort property management. Our all-in-one solution simplifies the complexities of managing accommodations by offering a range of essential services within a single, user-friendly platform, such as a robust booking engine, self-service options for guests, built-in channel (OTA) management, and more.
We also understand that seamless integration with different platforms is important. That’s why we support hundreds of integrations with popular platforms that accommodations providers use daily through our integrations store.
We also prioritize the security and continuity of your operations. With our robust 99.99% uptime guarantee and cutting-edge cybersecurity and data protection protocols, you can trust Newbook to keep your revenue generation uninterrupted, free from worries about downtime.
Most solutions tout a 99% uptime, but we promise that the extra .99% makes a difference. Here’s a breakdown of what the difference is between the two uptimes:
- A 99% uptime guarantee translates to a potential downtime of 3 days, 15 hrs, and 39 mins annually.
- 99.99% uptime guarantee translates to a potential downtime of 52 mins and 35 seconds.
Our commitment to customer satisfaction extends beyond our technology, however. We offer a personalized customer service experience, providing a white-glove service from the initial onboarding process to continuous support. At Newbook, we aim to establish a genuine partnership with our customers, ensuring that they perceive us not only as a technology provider but also as a vital and dependable ally in their day-to-day operations. Choose Newbook as your trusted property management solution and experience unparalleled efficiency, security, and support for your accommodation business.
Conclusion
The task of managing a resort property efficiently while enhancing guest experiences has become more complex in the digital age. With the evolving expectations of guests, implementing a robust resort property management system has become essential.
Choosing the right resort management software involves careful considerations, such as feature requirements, budget constraints, future-proofing, compatibility with existing technology, and customer reviews. The implementation process demands meticulous attention, including data preparation, secure data migration, seamless integration with other systems, customization, and thorough staff training.
Newbook’s Resort Property Management Software stands out due to its holistic approach, offering an all-in-one solution with a robust booking engine, self-service options, built-in channel management, and extensive integrations. Newbook also prioritizes security and ensures unparalleled uptime, guaranteeing uninterrupted revenue generation for accommodation businesses. Beyond technology, Newbook provides personalized customer service, establishing a genuine partnership with its clients.
Book a demo with Newbook today to learn more about our software.
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