Social networks have become an important part of the internet and online marketing landscape in the last decade. How do social networks impact Email Marketing, and is Email Marketing still relevant in a world full of social networks? We explain why Email Marketing is more important than ever in a socially-networked landscape.

MySpace. Facebook. Twitter. Google Plus. There are an increasing number of social networks that, at one time or another, dominated internet traffic. Of course, marketing via social networks has increased too, which is an obvious necessity since so many consumers and customers spend so much time on social networking sites. Does it make sense for you to allocate all of your marketing resources to marketing through social networking? No! Email is still a very important part of any complete web marketing strategy. Of course, in the socially-networked world, you¢ll need to combine your email marketing strategy and your social networking strategy to meet different goals. Here are some tips and advice on how and why to incorporate email marketing with your social media strategy.

Email Marketing Still Provides the Highest Return on Investment

The reality is that everybody from comScore to Marketing Vox have run studies and surveys of top marketers and one statistic remains true – no matter how big the social networks have gotten, email marketing still returns the greatest return on investment. This makes sense when you think about how little overhead or time it can take to send an extremely targeted email to a very specific group of customers or users. If for no other reason than because you are a smart business person who appreciates the  importance of a strong ROI number, email marketing should be at the top of your list of important direct sales and marketing communications channels.

Consumers and Users Do Not Switch Email Addresses – But They Do Migrate Social Networks

Do you remember MySpace? What? You don¢t? But that was just a handful of years ago when MySpace was the most popular destination on the internet (other than Google) and everybody had a MySpace profile and spent hours every day on the dominant social networking site. Then, of course, Facebook arrived and became wildly more popular. At the time of this writing, it seems unthinkable that anything would take over Facebook¢s position, but it¢s entirely possible that, by the time that you read this, Google Plus will be the social network that everybody spends all of their time on. If there is one thing that seems to be true of social networks, it is that users will eventually migrate to another social network.

That, however, is not true of email addresses. Certainly, sometimes people change their email address. But more frequently they simply add a secondary email address and use their older email address less often or for different purposes. The reason that Hotmail remains the largest web-based email service in the world is because it is the oldest, and, even if they don¢t check it daily, most people still check their old Hotmail address at least periodically.

An email address isn¢t as permanent as a postal address, but once you have a customer¢s email address, you have a fairly assured way of getting a message in front of that customer. Changing email addresses is cumbersome. You need to notify all of the people whom you email with regularly and you lose what is often an emotional email history. Unlike social networks, which have so far proven to be transient at best, an email address is an almost assured way to be able to reach most customers or users eventually if not immediately.

Messages Do Not Disappear from Inboxes

Once you send an email marketing message to a consumer, customer or user, that message remains in that individual¢s email inbox until the individual either reads it or actively chooses to delete it. That means that even if the user hasn¢t read the email, your subject line is still there in the inbox reminding the user of their relationship with your brand. A message on a social network is not permanent. Once you post a message, you are reliant on your user or consumer being logged into the social network in a time frame that allows them to see the posting. No matter how many times per day your business updates Facebook or Twitter, you may not get the message across to a large group of your desired consumers. However, whether it¢s actually read or not, email gets to your user or customer and reminds them of their relationship with you.

Email is Targeted. Social Networking is “One Size Fits All”

The nature of social networking is to protect a certain degree of privacy. Additionally, people do not always provide the most truthful information about themselves on a social network. However, your email database contains information that allows you to segment and target communications based on facts such as purchasing history, gender, age, and even geographic location. The most effective marketing messages are the most targeted marketing messages. Social media and social networks do not allow you to target messages effectively.

Social Media is a Brand Engagement Tool. Not a Direct Sales Tool.

At the heart of the matter, however, is the role of social media in your marketing strategy. Most marketing experts agree on one thing – social media is a branding tool, not a direct sales tool. A great part of the reason that email marketing continues to deliver the highest return on investment of all marketing channels is that how users behave on social networks does not translate into direct sales. Social network users gather information and discuss products, they don¢t necessarily buy products. Social media is important for brand engagement. It is not, however, typically a direct sales channel like email marketing is.

Email Marketing and Social Media Need to Work Together

Any good marketing plan is a comprehensive marketing plan. That means that your social media and your email marketing platform should work together. There should be opportunities for users to share email contents via social networks and opportunities for users to join your email list via social networks. One strategy does not mean that the other strategy doesn¢t need to exist. However, the existence of social networks certainly does not take away the need for a strong email marketing program and strategy!
 

The Top 10 Benefits of Email Marketing

Why is email marketing more cost effective than postal print mailings or telesales? Why does it drive better returns on investment and customer engagement metrics than other marketing techniques? When compared to other forms of marketing, email marketing presents a number of benefits to your business that you should consider, including:

• Improved Ability to Personalize Messages
• Easier Capability to Segment Customer Database Information
• Exponentially Better Ability to Track Sales and User Engagement
• Ability for Users to Share Information Easily with Friends and Family
• Reduced Time & Effort to Get Your Marketing Message to Customers
• More...

If you¢re not incorporating email into your marketing plan, then you¢re missing out on a number of benefits that can improve your overall sales and user engagement with a very low overhead cost and, in many cases, a very limited amount of time and effort … >> Read Details

As leisure and corporate booking patterns change and new technology comes on-stream, how should the travel industry position itself to make the most of multiple new opportunities to provide the most efficient AND valuable means for travellers and partners?

This 60-minute webinar, produced by Tnooz and Travelport, tackled this and related issues from three unique perspectives:

• the needs of the consumer.
• the challenges facing the intermediary.
• the view of the technology provider.

Taking part in this event:

• Nina Willdorf, editor-at-large, Budget Travel (needs of the consumer)
• Donald J Buynack, president, Options Travel (challenges facing the travel agency)
• Niklas Andréen, group vice president, global hospitality and partner marketing, Travelport GDS, (view of the technology provider)

Moderator:

• Kevin May, editor and co-founder, Tnooz
•  

Check out other interesting WEBINAR !

1. Tnooz-Datalex webinar: VIDEO for BIG Ideas for Travel Retail
2. Tnooz-Sabre webinar: VIDEO – Tools for next generation travel managers
3. Tnooz-TripAdvisor webinar: VIDEO for Reputation management and beyond
4. Tnooz-Collinson Latitude webinar: VIDEO – Ancillary services or customer loyalty

When Social Media for Hotels works

Through our experience in running what is undoubtedly some of the most successful hotel social media campaigns we¢ve experienced what works, what makes no difference and what is counter productive in Social Media for hotels. We¢re answering some of the frequently asked questions regarding social media and how hotels should use it. WIHP manages over 100 social media campaigns for independent hotels and has managed social media for hotels since 2009.

This article is centered around using Facebook as a social media platform which has proven to be the most efficient for hotels.

What is Social Media Marketing?

To call Social Media a marketing tool is actually a misnomer, it¢s not marketing, its public relations. Social media shouldn¢t be used to market products but to get in touch with guests and potential guests and communicate with them. Social Media is about connecting with people and interacting with them, unlike marketing which is about pushing out a message, social media is two-way and is about giving and receiving.

How to measure the ROI of social media?

Interactions on Seven Hotel's Facebook

There is no magic trick to measuring the ROI of social media. If you want to know how many bookings you got from Facebook get a tracker put on all bookings to find the referring sites. Another option is to check how many times on the booking path the various social media sites appeared and understand how much social media contributed to the booking process.

But understand that it¢s not marketing and the ROI isn¢t going to be like marketing. The ROI on a social media campaign is stretched across a longer time span than a regular marketing campaign. It¢s measured in much more than direct bookings. You¢ll measure it in increased awareness for your hotel, more people searching for your hotel name. More people sharing your hotel¢s data and so forth.

Measuring the direct ROI of word of mouth is hard well a social media campaign for a hotel is like word of mouth on steroids. The real measure of ROI for a hotel is how many of its guests are sharing information about the hotel to their friends. Why? because word of mouth is the biggest source of direct revenue for a hotel and social media is how you can impact that.

I have “fans” and followers from countries that aren¢t my guests?

Don¢t try to super-qualify your guests with social media, open the doors and let people come. With social media you¢re not going to control demographics just like you do with an ad campaign. Someone in some country may like your page and that¢s not your preferred country, and then their friend likes it too and before you know it you¢ve got 100 followers from that area. This doesn¢t mean the system doesn¢t work, it¢s exactly what viral is all about.

Demographics charts from Facebook's insights

The error too many make is trying to super qualify their social media campaign and “target” only their potential guests. Don¢t do that, let it roll don¢t worry about where it goes just keep it going. If you¢re absolutely not touching your potential guests, then you need to review what you¢re doing as your communication is not appealing to those people.

But if you¢re working with guests as ambassadors then that¢s not likely to happen.

Can any hotel have a social media campaign?

There is a concept we touched upon in a previous article that bears repeating. People want the best or the cheapest and they¢re not interested on what comes in between. So if you¢re neither the best nor the cheapest you should probably skip the idea of running a social media campaign.

Now that seems to exclude most hotels, and here¢s where you need to get bright. You can be the best or the cheapest in many many subcategories. Such as the best hotel in Covent Garden or the cheapest hotel on Earlham Street and there¢s where you need to get your USP* nailed real well because that USP* will determine how you should be running a social media campaign.

* USP ( Unique selling point or proposition )

Should I out-source my social media campaign?

We would recommend that hotels run their own social media campaigns from the inside, unfortunately that¢s unreal for most independent hotels. Just hiring some young trainee that¢s “social media savvy” to run your hotel¢s campaign isn¢t going to cut it. If you can afford someone who has a good background in public relations, social media and managing customer relations then you should definitely keep it internal. If you can¢t then don¢t do a half-baked job about it, out-source it to professionals and once you can hire someone internal they can take over.

We run campaigns for hotels but we have teams of professionals doing it, that go and visit the hotels, are in constant liaison with hoteliers and keep the conversation going.

Should you use social media as an outlet to sell special deals and packages?

Sharing the experience to guests and potential guests

Hotel chains and distribution platforms seem to have some success with this but we¢ve not experienced it at all. And it makes sense, telling the guests of an individual hotel that there¢s a great deal between 5th and 7th January isn¢t the type of news you really want to hear. Unless you¢re waiting for a great deal to book a trip.

What works in social media for hotels is sharing the experience. You have two types of people to cater for, guests and potential guests. The purpose of the social media campaign is to remind guests of the great time they had at the hotel and to turn potential guests into guests. To do the latter you need the help of people who stayed at the hotel and to get them sharing you need to get them talking. So your page should be all about bringing out the experience of your hotel at a broader level.

You photos, experiences, stories, videos and everything you can lay your hands on to make others understand what it¢s like to stay at the hotel.

Should luxury hotels be doing social media?

Luxury hotels doing social media

Some time ago Guillaume from Hotels-blog.com published an article raising the question, is social media for luxury hotels. More than any other type of hotels, social media is for luxury. Why you ask? because with social media you are bringing the dream to the world.

Maybe 50% of the followers don¢t qualify to rent a night in the hotel, but let them contribute to the experience. With your campaign you are making the dream a little more real to them. And who knows, they could be saving up for a luxury weekend break. The day they¢re ready to go you can bet they¢ll be coming to stay at your hotel.

Many of our most successful campaigns are from luxury hotels.

Examples of social media for hotels

Here are some samples of some successful social media campaigns for hotels some are run by us some are not. They are all very good, this is by no means an exhaustive list but should give you some inspiration.

1. MGM Grand, Las Vegas: http://www.facebook.com/MGMGrand

 Well managed page lots of varied content in a huge hotel.

1. Seven Hotel, Paris: http://www.facebook.com/sevenhotelparis

Plenty of interactions and lots of experience sharing.

1. The Hoxton Hotel, London: http://www.facebook.com/TheHoxtonHotel

One of the few individual hotels that keeps a buzz going with “great deal” but we must say their deals are beyond great.

1. Hotel de l¢Abbaye, Paris: http://www.facebook.com/hotelabbaye

Classic luxury hotel keeping their followers up-to-date with what¢s happening around.

1. Hotel W, Barcelona: http://www.facebook.com/wbarcelonahotel

 Modern and a great example of how sharing the experience gets more interaction.

1. Hotel Ares Eiffel, Paris: http://www.facebook.com/hotelareseiffel

Boutique Luxury hotel with lots of guest interaction and contribution.

Mit verschiedenen Reisemarken wartet Unister in der Touristikbranche auf. Die Angebote reichen von Familienurlaub über Kreuzfahrten und Städtetrips bis hin zu Geschäftsreisen. Es gibt für jeden Reise- und Urlaubstyp ein speziell zugeschnittenes Portal. Sowohl Pauschaltouristen als auch Individualurlauber finden auf sich zugeschnittene Angebote und können diese anschließend komfortabel buchen.

One Interface with 8 reservation sites - Eine Schnittstelle mit 8 Reservierungsseiten !

• ab-in-den-urlaub.de – Das Online-Reisebüro mit der bunten Urlaubswelt
• fluege.de – Die Buchungsplattform für alle günstigen Flüge auf einen Klick mit Linienflügen, LowCost, und Charter
• hotelreservierung.de – Das Reservierungssystem für clevere Sparer und Profis
• kurz-mal-weg.de – Die Nummer 1 für Kurzreisen in Deutschland
• reisen.de – Das Reiseportal mit dem Ruf aus der großen weiten Welt
• urlaubstours.de – Der schnelle Reiseveranstalter mit den günstigen Preisen
• travel24.com – Urlaub zum Greifen nah
• veturo.com – Reisen und Urlaub buchen bei VETURO. Angebote zu unschlagbar günstigen Preisen für Lastminute und Hotels

Bedingungen/Conditions : 13% commission ( anual fee EUR 500.00 ) or 15% ( without anual fee )

Hier klicken Firmenpräsentation DEUTSCH anzusehen

Click here to view company presentation ENGLISH !

(Hamburg, 24. Oktober 2011) Mit dem „Hotelfinder“ ist Google nun auch weltweit auf dem Weg, etablierte Hotelbuchungsplattformen und Hotelbewertungsportale kräftig Konkurrenz zu machen. Im Interview unterstreicht der Hotelmarketingexperte Marc O. Benkert die bahnbrechenden Veränderungen auf dem Travel-Tech-Markt: „Ich gehe davon aus, dass der Hotelfinder in zwei Jahren die dominierende Plattform im Bereich Hotelbuchung und -bewertung sein wird. Daneben werden einige wenige OTAs bestehen bleiben. Deren Konsolidierung hat ja bereits jetzt eingesetzt.“

Welche Chancen ergeben sich damit für die Hotels?

Benkert: „Zunächst einmal eröffnet sich der Hotellerie ein neuer Vertriebsweg, der aktuell noch nicht vollständig von den einzelnen Hotels genutzt werden kann. Ähnlich dem schon bestehenden Angebot Google Places, kann in den meisten Fällen nur über die angeschlossenen OTAs via Google Ads gebucht werden. Es gibt aber bereits erste Bestrebungen die hoteleigene Bookingengine direkt an den Hotelfinder anzuschließen.

Über die Buchbarkeit hinaus bietet sich dem jeweiligen Haus ein höherer Grad der Sichtbarkeit, da der Hotelfinder auf Grund seiner hohen Anwenderfreundlichkeit mit Sicherheit sehr gut angenommen wird. Es zeigt sich nun aber auch wie wichtig ein gut gepflegter Placeseintrag ist, da im Hotelfinder auch Bilder und Bewertungen angezeigt werden. Diese resultieren aus der jeweiligen Google Places Seite. Unsere Beobachtung zeigt, dass noch ca. 75 Prozent aller Hotels den Placeseintrag noch nicht für sich beansprucht haben und diesen in ihr Online Reputation Management integriert haben. Gerade unter Berücksichtigung der Tatsache, dass Google vor einigen Monaten die Abbildung der Bewertungen von den bekannten Bewertungsportalen gekappt hat, zeigt die Notwendigkeit eines gut gepflegten Placeseintrag.

Wie kann man seine Hotel-eigene Buchungsmaschinen an den "Google Hotelfinder" anbinden?

Benkert: „Wie schon eben kurz erwähnt ist eine direkte Anbindung noch problematisch. Voraussetzung wäre eine API Schnittstelle an das hoteleigene CRS. Problem ist nur das Google diese auch akzeptieren muss und in sein Ads-Programm aufnimmt. Aber es würde mich sehr wundern, wenn Google nicht in Kürze eine offizielle API herausgibt und den Hotels zur Verfügung stellt. Damit möchte Google natürlich Geld verdienen und es bleibt abzuwarten ob Google nicht in Anlehnung an den neuen Dienst Google Express eine komfortable und einfach zu bedienende Lösung anbietet, in der die Hotels einfach Raten etc. pflegen können.“

Abgerechnet wird per sog. Cost-per-click-Verfahren. Dass heisst für jeden Klick auf ein Hotelangebot gehen 0,2% an Google. Wird das die Provisionen bei den angeschlossenen OTA verteuern?

Benkert: „Davon darf man ausgehen. 0,2% klingt zunächst einmal wenig, aber die Provision fällt bei jedem Klick an. Egal ob am Ende das Hotel gebucht wird oder nicht. Andererseits kann dieser zusätzliche Kostenfaktor für die OTAs auch den Wettbewerb zwischen den OTAs anfachen. Denn es gibt aus Marketingsicht sicherlich unterschiedliche Möglichkeiten die Hotels durch eine gestiegene Provision zu belasten.“

Google Hotelfinder, Google Maps, Google Places, Google+ - bei welchen Diensten sollte ein Hotel gelistet sein?
Benkert: „Aus Sicht der Customer Journey (Inspiration, Information und Planung, Information vor Ort sowie Bewertungen und Berichte) sollte ein Hotel versuchen auf allen Diensten präsent zu sein. Google+ gibt es zwar erst in Kürze auch für Unternehmen  und muss sich auch erst beweisen. Aber unter Berücksichtigung des Social Graph sollte man Google+ im Auge behalten.

Google Hotelfinder, Google Maps, Google Places, Google+ - bei welchen Diensten sollte ein Hotel gelistet sein?

Benkert: „Aus Sicht der Customer Journey (Inspiration, Information und Planung, Information vor Ort sowie Bewertungen und Berichte) sollte ein Hotel versuchen auf allen Diensten präsent zu sein. Google+ gibt es zwar erst in Kürze auch für Unternehmen  und muss sich auch erst beweisen. Aber unter Berücksichtigung des Social Graph sollte man Google+ im Auge behalten.

Facebook is fast becoming more than a customer relationship tool for many independent properties and chains. Many hotels now offer room-booking technology on their Facebook pages, which is leading to incremental sales.

Click on image and view Facebook Online Booking System by WEBPMSPRO LIVE !

“Over the course of 2009, we saw the volume of direct referrals from Facebook to hotel websites grow. The conversion rate was higher for Facebook than it was for TripAdvisor and other travel review sites,” said Douglas Quinby, senior director of research for PhoCusWright, a travel research firm in Sherman, Connecticut. The conversion rate on direct referrals from traveler review sites to hotel supplier websites ranged from 4% to 6% in 2009, while conversion from Facebook to hotel websites was 8%.

Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide has provided a booking function within a tab on Facebook for all of its brands and properties since it has been on Facebook.

“Conversion on Facebook is smaller but close to conversion on our brand websites. (Starwood’s Facebook fans) start to see other people’s experiences at the properties,” said David Godsman, VP of global Web for Starwood.

While Starwood primarily uses Facebook to “engage” with its guests, the company’s executives realize the valuable e-commerce potential on the global social-networking site. To that end, Westin Hotels & Resorts in January introduced a “Shop” tab on its properties’ Facebook pages. The shopping widget serves as a fully-contained shopping transaction, instead of working as a link from Westin’s website.

“What we are seeing now is an emergence of technology that that we didn’t see six months ago. There is an opportunity for ourselves and other hotel brands to enable these type of transactions within Facebook,” Godsman said.

Get the full story at HotelNewsNow.com

Greater hospitality & profits for the hotel industry

Easy and future-proof hotel networking
With devolo dLAN®, providing every hotel room with Internet, video on demand, IPTV and other services is easy and inexpensive. dLAN® products use the existing wiring in the building (antenna cables, power and telephone lines) for networking.

Because no construction measures are necessary and the hotel business does not have to be interrupted, investment risk is minimised and the hotel can begin to cut costs directly and immediately. Many hotel managers are already banking on the forward-looking dLAN® technology. Introducing devolo dLAN® sets the groundwork for offering all kinds of multimedia services in every room.

Benefits for the hotelier

• No renovation work necessary – existing lines are used
• Save costs and create new sources of revenue
• Low investment cost for future-proof technology
• Competitive advantages with new services and information
• High guest satisfaction and customer retention
• Fast amortisation

The guests benefit from better and modern entertainment forms: up to 1,500 domestic and international television channels in top quality can be provided in every room. A comprehensive video-on-demand offering and additional services, such as wake-up calls, games and online billing, are worthwhile competitive advantages for any hotel in this day and age.

Case Study  - The German Lindner Hotel Group equiped hotels for the digital future

References - Hospitality Industry

Where hotel tips used to be passed around only between acquaintances, they are now visible worldwide on the Web. Most importantly, a majority of Internet users trust these reviews.
 

Who do your guests trust in their choice of a hotel? 64,5% of all travelers trust user reviews of hotels 44,0% list reviews as important to very important 28,0% make decisions based upon guest reviews only   19,0% change travel decisions due to reviews discovered later 30,0% of all travelers post holiday pictures and travelogues online   15,0% of hotels know how to handle guest reviews

GuestMonitor helps you control and use this enormous flood of data. GuestMonitor starts working even before comments about your hotel appear on the Internet. Every guest is automatically sent a questionnaire after departure. Through an interface to front office systems, the questionnaire reaches even guests who did not book online.   With GuestMonitor, you not only hear what the word is on the Web; you can also actively intervene and encourage guests to recommend your hotel. You receive immediate notification of negative ratings per e-mail with suggestions for conciliation, while the best reviews are automatically published on your website. The danger of inappropriate and negative comments is reduced to a minimum by GuestMonitor.   How to react to negative ratings:    Stay calm and breathe deeply.  Evaluate the comment (who said what, where, and how?).  Show you’re willing to negotiate and state your position (objectively, without being insulted).   If the criticism is justified, don't mince words. Stick to the truth.

GuestMonitor - Functions at a glance.

 templates to create your own questionnaire
 automatic questionnaire dispatch after guest departure
 interfaces to front office systems for guests who didn't book online 
 optional: a “reward or thank-you” e-mail to the guest after the survey is completed
 statistical analysis of feedback, also presented as graphs

 immediate notification of negative ratings with suggestions for conciliation 
 best reviews appear in a box on the start page, e.g.,. “our guests' opinions”

 ratings are visually presented for guests as graphics

Your Hotel does not want to be in the position of having a system breach where your customers have their personal information exposed. This sort of situation has the potential to lead to a public relations nightmare for your business. Making sure that your Property Management System Vendor is in compliance with the Payment Card Industry standards helps reduce risk to your customers and your business.

However, just because your Property Management System Vendor is in compliance does not mean a system breach is not possible, it means that the Vendor has taken steps to lower the risk to clients that use their systems and this is just one of the steps you need to take to reduce risk to your customers and your business.

Good luck with the Property Management Software evaluation for your Hotel, Resort or Inn!

Jeff Sefton

PCI DSS = Payment Card Industry, Data Security Standards
"The PCI DSS, a set of comprehensive requirements for enhancing payment account data security, was developed by the founding payment brands of the PCI Security Standards Council, including American Express, Discover Financial Services, JCB International, MasterCard Worldwide and Visa Inc. Inc. International, to help facilitate the broad adoption of consistent data security measures on a global basis."  Source: PCI Security Standards Councilfton

Now it’s time to decide the best option for your property. Will it be a web based or server based solution?

There are pros and cons to each, it depends entirely on your business needs and situation as well as your budget, and which property management system offers your business the best all round solution based on your business requirements.  It is best to have an understanding of these options prior to the evaluation process of property management systems for your Hotel.

Your business needs should have been determined prior or during the first stages of the system evaluation process. 

Your budget is something that should be determined at the beginning stages as well.  If you have an existing system what are you currently paying and for your future system, what will the additional benefits mean to your business and are these benefits worth paying for?  If the property management system is replacing a manual system or your hotel is new, you may be unsure what your budget figure is, get your accountant involved.  Work with your potential property management system vendor to provide alternatives such as monthly invoicing instead of quarterly or yearly.  Perhaps paying higher payments during peak business months and lower payments during slow season is a possibility.  Some vendors that provide web based hosted solutions may also provide pay per use/transaction billing with low upfront costs, so again this may be a solution where your budget is concerned.    

Looking at your current situation, if you are replacing an existing system can some of your current computer hardware be used with the new property management system or is it proprietary?  In the event you have a restaurant or phone system in place, can you just interface this existing equipment without having to upgrade?  Write down the makes and models and if you need help, ask your current restaurant system or phone vendors for the information and supply this information to your potential property management system vendor to check interface compatibility.  If your head is spinning at this point, get an experienced technician involved and one that has experience dealing with hotel property management systems.

Web Based:

A  web based, hosted solution is one in which the server is located off site, not at the hotel but typically at a secure data centre. When the employee accesses the property management system data such as looking up an existing reservation or checking in a guest at your hotel, they do so using a personal computer or laptop and access the data via the Internet.  
 

Advantages of web based property management system

• Typically less cost involved with computer equipment compared to server based.
• Full time IT department at the hotel may not be necessary. 
• Remote access is easy when owner, manager or reservationist is not at the property and they need access to the property management system from a different location. 
• Consistent Data backup is completed at the data centre.(You need to verify this with your vendor, see the Service Level Agreement provided by your vendor for more information.)
• Software enhancements and upgrades are typically done regularly and easily.
• Quick deployment.

Disadvantages of web based

• Does not work optimally without a good quality high speed Internet connection.
• Data access is dependent on the Internet connection being available.
• Not a good choice for areas that have unreliable internet connections.

Server Based:

A server based system is one in which the server is on-site at the hotel. When an employee accesses the property management system data such as looking up an existing reservation or checking in a guest at your hotel, they do so using a terminal that provides access to the data on the server.  

Advantages of server based

• Internet not needed.
• Data is physically located at the hotel.
• Have more control over data? (This is debatable)

Disadvantages of server based

• Costs to setup and maintain are typically higher than web based systems
• Backup is done at the property and may not be tested for integrity or may be forgotten.
• Data is physically located at the hotel; data security may not be as high.
• Software enhancements and upgrade need to be applied via modem, internet or CD and are done less frequently due to the slower procedure.

Notes:

With Web based hosted solution property management systems now being readily available, reliable and proven, having a server based system with data located on-site may no longer be deemed an advantage.

A server based system may crash or a web based system may not be available due to an internet outage. In both cases, a manual backup plan is key to carrying on with crucial business until the system is once again available. Having the front desk staff run reports on a regular basis or having automated reports print at regular intervals throughout the day/night is always a good idea. 

There are web based systems that create an auto backup of reports locally on each personal computer that is logged into the property management system application.  

In the event of an internet outage with a web based system, guests can be checked in and out from another physical location in order to keep the property management system records current, and reports can also faxed to the Hotel during the internet disruption.  It is also possible to have two different internet providers so if one goes down, it is possible to switch over to the other.

With a server based system there may be a backup server that take over in the event of a server crash or in the event of a hard drive crash another hard drive that kicks in as a replacement.  During the evaluation process is the time to ask questions about backup and the options that the vendor has available to your business.

I will say here that I am not an expert in the field of data security however I do know that the key to data security with either type of system is defined by the policies and procedures that are in place throughout your organization.  For server based systems, if a server room is not secure, then your data is not secure. For both web and server based, if someone has unauthorized access to the property management system then your data/guest data is not secure.

There are both server based and web based systems that meet the Payment Card Industry, Data security standards so I can't say one is more secure than the other.  It would however be advisable that the property management system you decide to purchase meets the payment card industry data security standards.

Good luck with the evaluation process.

Jeff Sefton

If you currently use one of these locks or are looking for keypad access that changes for each guest without having to do anything to the lock then take a look at the updated lock comparisons here.

• Never forget to update your code when an reservation changes
• Unique codes for each guest
• Code allows access between check-in and check-out date/times - no early/late access without an updated code
• No need to visit the lock once installed
• All codes are generated on the internet so it can be done anywhere ( integreated with www.webpmspro.com )
• WEBPMSPRO.com integrates the code generation so any new/changed reservations always cause a new code to be fetched

WEBCONpro.eu can offer these locks with a 10% discount by aggregating multiple orders.

Check the links down here they will show you some screenshots of how the KeylessCode Lock System are integrated into our www.webpmspro.com - web-based property managment & distribution solution :

	Generate Keyless Codes [View Collections] How you will use your generated Room Codes on KIOSK Termianls Added on 2 Minutes Ago Edit Delete How to send guest your generated RoomKey Code Added on 8 Minutes Ago Edit Delete How to generate Room Code CheckIN Frontdesk Added on 10 Minutes Ago Edit Delete

The different time-controlled lock products work in similar ways:

• The locks themselves know the current date and time
• The Owner uses a provided mechanism/program to generate a lock code that encodes the permitted entry period (the arrival and departure dates/times)
• Each lock has a unique serial number that ensures the codes are different even if the date/times are the same
• When a code is entered at the lock the lock decodes it and will only open if the current date/time is within the dates/times specified when then code was generated

So, let’s compare the 4 providers…

eLOCC(2) - see website

Two lock types to choose from (latch and deadbolt). Two finishes - Chrome or Brass.

Pros

• Popular, well known
• Code generation is Web-based (not locked to a PC)
• Web interface allows integration with management tools (e.g www.webpmspro.com)
• Short 6 digit code ( option to personlize code for guest available )
• Common Access System for ( Guest Entrance Doors ) available

Cons

• Most expensive locks ($549 at www.elock.de)
• Monthly charge ($15) for access to web-based code generation tool
• No time-of-day flexibility - the times are all preset

Kaba - see website

Two lock types to choose from (latch and deadbolt). Two finishes - Chrome or Brass.

Pros

• Popular, well known
• Code generation is Web-based (not locked to a PC)
• Web interface allows integration with management tools (e.g www.webpmspro.com)
• Short 6 digit code ( option to personlize code for guest available )
• Common Access System for ( Guest Entrance Doors ) available

Cons

• Most expensive locks ($549 at www.ilco.com)
• Monthly charge ($15) for access to web-based code generation tool
• No time-of-day flexibility - the times are all preset

Resort Lock - see company website - Free Shipping/10% discount here

Three lock types to choose from (latch and mortise). Two lock finishes - Silver and Brass.

Pros

• Low/Medium priced locks (~$299-$449)
• No ongoing fees after purchase
• Code generation is Web-based (not locked to a PC)
• Web interface allows integration with management tools (eg. www.webpmspro.com)

Cons

• Entry code is 10 digits (however a simpler 4-digit code can be generated by the guest per stay)

eRentalLock - see company website - Free Shipping/10% discount here

Three Lock types to choose from (latch, deadbolt and mortise). Two lock finishes - Silver and Gold.

Pros

• Lowest cost locks ($279-$429)
• No ongoing fees after purchase
• Code generation can be Web-based as well as PC-based - since Oct09
• Web interface allows integration with management tools (eg. www.webpmspro.com) - since Feb2011
• Both Deadbolt and Mortise options available

Cons

• Entry code is 10 digits (however a simpler 4-digit code can be generated by the guest per stay)

Conclusions

The eLOCC(2) keyless code locks are targeted at situations where check-in/out times are the same and pre-set or will grant access based upon a whole calendar day. This is OK for those that have on-site management that can monitor check-in times but generally not OK for individual owners. The locks are the most expensive and have ongoing fees but are probably the most robust due to the testing and certification that they have. WEBCONpro can also offer you a 10% discount on these locks.

The Kaba locks are targeted at situations where check-in/out times are the same and pre-set or will grant access based upon a whole calendar day. This is OK for those that have on-site management that can monitor check-in times but generally not OK for individual owners. The locks are the most expensive and have ongoing fees but are probably the most robust due to the testing and certification that they have. WEBCONpro can also offer you a 10% discount on these locks.

The ResortLock and eRentalLock locks are more suited to individual VR owners as the access is restricted to the hour and so can prevent access before and after the rental period. In addition, they are lower priced and have no ongoing fees  - and we know how we like ongoing fees! WEBCONpro can also offer you a 10% discount on these locks.

If you need to be able to generate access codes from wherever you are for last-minute bookings or to extend/change the access times then the web-based ResortLock or eRentalLock solutions will be able to provide the most flexibility. In addition, if you are using the WEBPMSPRO.com management system then the eLOCC(2) Codes, Kaba Winkey Codes or ResortLock and eRentalLock codes will be obtained automatically for you - whenever you change a reservation - so the code will always be up-to-date.

If you are more choosy then eRentalLock has more options for you to choose from with latch, deadbolt and mortise options.

Find your discounted lock and free shipping here.

• Holds some permanent codes (for manco/cleaners etc)
• Guest code is set without changing anything on the lock.
  Once you install it and add any permanent codes you’ll not need to touch it again aside from replacing batteries
• Guest code is set based upon a date range using some online (or desktop) software.
  Thus you may need access to the internet in order to create a new code - but you can be anywhere that has an internet connection and you can generate it at any time in advance - we do it once the reservation is confirmed, 60 days before arrival.
• Even if the power to your VR goes down, the guest will still be able to use the code and get in.
• There’s no need for a calendar as each guest’s code lets them in only during their stay.
  The dates are encrypted in the entry code and the lock decrypts them and lets them in if the current date/time is within their stay.

There are 4 players in this field: Kaba (Europe & Worldwide), eLOCC(2) (Germany, Austria, Swiss, Europe), ResortLock and  eRentalLock (North America & Canada).