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We are excited to share the first major release from our new increased investment in the Protel Cloud PMS. The upgrade introduces new payments and financial features, along with improvements to the usability and security of Protel Cloud PMS. Giving you simpler and more flexible ways to manage your hotel, while ensuring compliance with local legal regulations.
We are fully committed to all our PMS products and firmly believe that offering both PMS and payments from one deeply integrated partner is the best way to deliver an exceptional guest experience.
With the increased investment in the Cloud PMS we are also quickly closing the gap between our two-product offering – On-Prem and On-Cloud – so our customers can continue to enjoy the same experience across both offerings.
“I'm excited to introduce new payments and financial features, along with improvements to usability and security to Protel Cloud PMS. This means more control and flexibility, regardless of how you run your hotel.” – Paolo Torchio, CPO Hospitality
Here are the highlights of the updates coming in Q4 2024 and beyond.
1. Flexibility to update Pay By Link attributes
Manually taking payments over the phone is time-consuming and often results in chargebacks – and therefore lost revenue. Giving guests the choice to pay using Pay By Link (PBL) is more convenient, and secure. We have made this feature more flexible – the enhanced Manual PBL feature allows hotel staff to send payment links, directly from the PMS. And they can choose to send the link to a different email address to the one originally provided on the booking.
2. Smoother reporting within Fiscal Year End Accounting
Every hotel runs its annual financial reporting differently. Now, Finance and Management teams have more flexibility and control when setting up reports. You can now configure your fiscal year end based on your specific requirements, this feature prevents errors from manual entry, ensuring more accurate reporting.
3. Manage guest registration data in more markets with Friva
In the DACH (Germany, Austria and Switzerland) region, guest registration with local tourist boards is mandatory. Planet’s integration with Friva allows effortless real-time data exchange, connecting hotels with multiple vendors through one integration.
This makes it easier for hotels to comply with local laws while also enabling opportunities to promote local offers. Data is encrypted, meeting the highest compliance standards, so guests have peace of mind when their data is shared.
4. Enhanced Identity Access Management with IAMv3
Protel Cloud’s IAMv3 (Identity Access Management) simplifies the access management process for staff. Administrators can now easily assign employees the necessary permissions for different areas of the PMS through a user-friendly interface.
It easily scales to handle high-volume traffic, ensuring smooth performance no matter how many users are on the system. Plus, IAMv3 improves security and governance by giving you full oversight of who can access what, reducing the risk of unauthorized access and safeguarding your hotel’s sensitive data.
5. Extra layers of security with Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)
Passwords alone aren’t enough to protect today’s hotel systems, and that’s where Protel Cloud’s MFA comes in.
This feature balances security with convenience, allowing staff to log in quickly using both a password and a secure code from an authentication app.
By ensuring that only the right people can access your PMS, MFA enhances security without complicating daily operations, keeping your hotel and guest information safe.
6. Enhanced usability with in-product tooltips and guidance
Protel Cloud is designed to make it easier for your staff to get up to speed quickly, reducing the time and effort spent learning the system. With the introduction of in-product guidance tools, hotel staff can now navigate the platform more efficiently without needing additional support or extensive training.
In-product guidance, support resources, walkthroughs, and pop-ups are now embedded into Protel Cloud PMS System Data, making it easier for staff to get up to speed with the product, discover key features and locate information more easily.
As users navigate the system, contextual tooltips provide real-time guidance and insights, helping staff use the various Cloud PMS features efficiently.
By making staff more independent when they onboard, we aim to help them ramp up quicker, all through a user-friendly design
7. Manage customer data after they’ve checked out
Previously, hotel staff couldn’t amend guest data in the PMS after the guest had checked out. Now, you can customise the system based on your hotel’s needs and manage and update up to 15 fields on the reservation after a guest has departed. Maintain control over any field changes with user permissions and avoid data loss and therefore operational inefficiencies.
Further improvements to streamline operations
We’re also introducing new functionalities including Linked Profiles for Allotments and Groups, simplifying the process of managing guest profiles. Now, Protel Cloud enables company, source, and travel agent profiles to be linked directly to Allotments and Quick Groups, eliminating the need to update individual reservations manually.
Additionally, Performance Improvements to the Deposit Ledger make generating deposit reports faster and more accurate.
The File Explorer and Media Utility feature enables hotels to manage data with ease. Instead of requiring assistance from the Planet support team, staff can now download and export data files via an easy-to-use interface.
Lastly, Protel Cloud now offers Standard Invoice Generation which allows a system admin user to configure how a payment made by Pay By Link appears on an invoice. Before, a payment made by Pay By Link would automatically appear as a deposit, so this enhancement gives staff more flexibility and creates clarity.
A sneak peek into upcoming features for early 2025
Protel Cloud PMS is gearing up for 2025, bringing a suite of new functionalities designed to enhance guest engagement and give hoteliers even more control, flexibility, and improve the guest experience. The new features launching in early 2025 include an Open API, empowering partners and developers to easily build on our system, accelerating growth and adaptability; a new reporting engine powered by Stimulsoft that offers more control over reports; and foundational improvements to availability, rates and inventory functionalities.
Plus, we’re enabling data migration tools from on-premise PMS' (Protel and Hotsoft) and other PM products to Protel Cloud PMS through self-serve functionalities and dedicated onboarding.
Hotel staff will also be able to activate an optional ‘No Post’ functionality to block items from being charged to a guest’s room from different outlets in the hotel.
The new Deposit Ownership feature will help you manage deposits from third-party sources like IDS before check-in, then automatically transfer ownership to the PMS once the guest arrives—simplifying the process and ensuring accuracy.
Trace notifications will also allow you to set alerts in different areas of your PMS to keep everything running smoothly and guests happy.
Finally, staff can prohibit profiles, including guests, agents and companies, giving you more control over who can make reservations at your hotel. These functionalities will help close the feature gap between on-premises and cloud-based systems, making Protel Cloud PMS even more competitive in the market.
With these new updates, hotels can focus on providing superior guest experiences while managing their operations more efficiently. These are just some of the exciting features arriving in early 2025, with many more to come throughout the year. We’re also introducing additional tools tailored for larger, more complex independent hotels and expanding capabilities for central multi-property and chain management. Stay tuned for more updates as we move into 2025!
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