Integration beats feature lists
A long feature PDF means little if reservations do not control the door. Ask for a live demo where a booking assigns a room and a digital key appears — without someone clicking in a lock admin panel.
Before you compare monthly fees, map how a booking moves from OTA to room door. If any step needs a second login or manual key cut, the true cost is staff time — not the subscription line on the invoice.
Twelve questions before you sign
- Does the PMS assign rooms and issue digital keys from the same reservation record?
- Is the channel manager included, or a separate monthly subscription?
- Which OTAs sync today — Booking.com, Airbnb, direct site?
- Can guests check in with QR or Wallet without installing an app?
- Does housekeeping status update from checkout and cleaner actions?
- What happens to door access when internet drops — offline fallback?
- Can you export reservations, guests and invoices to Excel?
- Is pricing per room transparent including hardware and install?
- Who configures rates, taxes and invoices — you or paid services?
- Does the vendor support properties with 5–60 rooms, not only chains?
- Can one platform run two properties under one login?
- Will you get a live demo on your workflow, not a slide deck?
Common mistakes when buying hotel PMS
- Choosing a channel manager and calling it a PMS — sync alone does not run check-in or billing.
- Buying enterprise software for a 20-room boutique — setup cost exceeds license savings.
- Treating smart locks as a separate project — access should follow the reservation.
- Ignoring housekeeping in the system — room status should not live only with cleaners.
- Signing before a live demo where a booking assigns a room and issues a key automatically.
What to verify in a live demo
Ask the vendor to walk through a real arrival: OTA booking lands, room assigns, guest email sends, digital key activates, checkout revokes access. If any step needs a second tool, keep looking.