Front desk staff are already challenged by a busy hotel lobby where guests queue to check in. Add a complex property management system to the mix and you’ll have a lot of confusion and slowdowns. Experienced staff will be pulled away from helping guests in order to assist new employees with complicated menus and screens.
Recent Reviews of Our Latest PMS User Experience ReportWe surveyed 500 hotel employees in five countries to find out how they felt about PMS software. The findings revealed that PMS user experience (UX)—how intuitive, functional, and frustration-free a system is—directly impacts operational efficiency, employee retention, and guest satisfaction.
Today’s labor shortages and rising operational costs are a concern. historically high turnoverIt’s not only beneficial to invest in a user-friendly, well-designed PMS, but it’s also essential.
This article explains what PMS user experiences are and why they matter for hotels.
What is PMS UX?
The PMS User Experience refers to the way hotel staff interact with their property management system. The system’s functionality is measured by how well it can perform and how fast users can complete their tasks. It also includes the ease of use of the system, which refers to how intuitively and quickly users can complete their tasks.
A well-designed PMS The interface should be simple, easy-to-use, and free of frustration.
Common PMS UX challenges
PMS software is generally divided into two types: legacy or cloud-based.
Legacy systems were originally designed for desktops and lack an intuitive user interface (UI)— the menus, buttons, and screens that users interact with to complete tasks. These systems tend to be rich in features and shortcuts. This can be beneficial for experienced users, but makes the system more complicated overall.
Cloud-based systems are more user-friendly and easier to adopt. These systems have responsive, sleek interfaces that result in a faster onboarding process and a smaller learning curve. Although these systems have fewer advanced features than legacy PMS systems they usually include all of the functionality that hotels need.
Here are a few of the common UX issues that can arise with both systems:
1. Learn to drive a steep learning curve
Poor UX can make learning software much more difficult. New hires may be frustrated by complex workflows, confusing navigation and cluttered user interfaces. This is especially true for younger employees who are used to intuitive apps.
When a software program requires that employees memorize complex workflows and navigate confusing interfaces they are more likely to make mistakes, experience frustration, or lose confidence in their ability to perform routine tasks.
2. Lack of automation
In an ideal world, tasks such as guest check-ins or reservation adjustments should be automated. Many systems still rely heavily on manual data entry and repetitive workflows. It not only slows operations down, but also increases the chance of error. This leads to customer dissatisfaction.
3. Poor integration
Inefficiencies, duplication of data and increased manual work can occur if a PMS does not communicate well with another software. Interoperability problems can lead to frustration, wasted staff time, and unnecessarily complicated processes.
These UX challenges are common and have direct implications.
Spending too much time on training
This is our report. 85% of employees Two weeks of training is all that’s required. However, managers report that front desk staff often need at least four months—sometimes up to three years—to use the system confidently.
It is possible that front desk staff are dealing with guests even before they have mastered the PMS. This leads to more mistakes and slower performance as a result of hesitation.
This problem is exacerbated by a lack support from the PMS provider, who makes newcomers responsible for training. In fact 73% of hotel staff are personally trained by their supervisors or colleagues. The cycle of constant turnover continues year-round and pulls seasoned staff from the guest service.
Lower Productivity
These issues have a negative impact on efficiency when combined with a bad UI and lacked integration. guest satisfaction. The time spent on fixing errors, manually importing the data or troubleshooting is not spent with guests.
Good PMS UX can have a positive impact on hoteliers
A well-designed system can increase productivity, reduce errors and allow staff to concentrate on guests. It also has wider implications for employee retention and empowerment:
- Retention: 38% of the employees who were surveyed said that their experience with PMS had influenced their decision to leave. Reduced frustration not only increases satisfaction, but also equips employees with the necessary skills to advance their careers.
- Faster hiring When a PMS is not user-friendly, hotels are forced to look for candidates who already have PMS experience. The hiring criteria become less strict with an intuitive system. This allows for more candidates to be considered, and recruitment is accelerated.
- Faster onboarding Onboarding new employees is improved by a well-designed PMS.
Staffing shortages continue to be a problem. The American Hotel & Lodging Association reports that hotels remain 9.4% below 2019 staffing levels and are dealing with a 73% annual turnover rate—more than twice the national average. The hospitality industry is absent in Europe between 10% and 20% HOTREC estimates that the company will employ approximately 50,000 people in 2019.
The survey was conducted by Vanja Bogicevic and Olena Ciftci, clinical associate professors at NYU’s Jonathan M. Tisch Hospitality Center.
What PMS UX Design can do for you
Good PMS UX enhances key hotel functions, including:
Checking guests in & out
This process is often the first guest interaction and can be time-sensitive. It benefits from intuitive workflows which minimize clicks to assign rooms, verify ID, collect payment, and perform digital check-in. smoother guest arrivals.
Reservation management
Staff must be able to make quick changes in bookings, while maintaining availability across all channels. A good UX offers drag-and drop functionality to modify reservations, real-time updates on inventory, and seamless integration with channel managers Booking engines are available.
Housekeeping
For smooth housekeeping, it is important to keep room statuses updated and coordinate with other departments. A good PMS will include a mobile module that allows for real-time updates, cross-departmental communications, task prioritization and embedded checklists.
Guest profiles
Personalizing service requires quick access to detailed guest information. A well-designed PMS centralizes booking histories, guest preferences and previous interactions. This empowers front desk teams to anticipate guests’ needs, provide exceptional experiences and build loyalty.
Group management
Handling group bookings Reduces errors efficiently and improves the guest experience. Modules for managing check-ins by groups, room blocks and invoicing as well group-specific booking codes are included in a specialized UX.
Reporting & analytics
Informed decisions require accurate, actionable insight. A PMS with an intuitive UX offers pre-configured and easy-to understand reports, as well as customizable dashboards. This allows managers to identify trends quickly, track performance and address operational issues in a proactive manner.
How Cloudbeds does PMS UX design
Cloudbeds prioritizes intuitive usability, streamlined workflows, seamless integration, and scalability in its PMS UX design—directly addressing the challenges hotels face today.
Our UX strategists, designers and developers are committed to creating an scalable user-experience that allows hoteliers to be efficient and effective as well as empower them to create wonderful experiences with their customers.
This process is a great way to get started
The design of a product is based on two fundamental aspects:
- User Experience (UX), Assuring functionality.
- User Interface (UI), also known as the user interface, is a term used to describe how a computer system looks. A polished, professional look is essential.
Our goal is not to create just a minimum viable product but a “minimum lovable product” – one that is not only functional but also reliable, usable, and enjoyable.
Four key areas are divided up to help us achieve this:
- Interaction design: Understanding how users interact and use products.
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Visual design:
Choose colors, typography and iconography. - Content design: Designing using words to bring context and meaning in every element.
- User Research: Assessing context and learnability.
The following principles guide our design process:
- Holistic problem solving
- Finding insights through user research
- You can take ideas from anywhere
- Early feedback is important to prototyping
- Prioritizing near-term as well as long-term features
By using user research and interviews, we identify the common design problems faced by hotel managers and employees. Then, we work to solve them. Our platform is designed for employee success, and to help hotels grow their business.
Case study: TTM Hospitality
TTM Hospitality’s Cloudbeds human-centered design has been proven to deliver measurable benefits in all hotel operations.
Intuitive training & rapid onboarding
Ryan Lloyd, a co-founder of TTM Hospitality who acquired the Dew Duck Inn had just 72 hours to open the property. Cloudbeds’ intuitive interface allowed Ryan to master the PMS quickly and with little formal training.
Cloudbeds is the most intuitive PMS I have ever used. I tell anyone who will listen that it’s probably one of the best I’ve worked with. I’ve used some super complex systems that were completely unnecessary—the UX was overbearing and required extensive training. Cloudbeds enabled me to be operational within days.
Confidence in employees is a key to empowering them
Cloudbeds’ simple and user-friendly interface helped TTM Hospitality’s staff become proficient, allowing them to confidently handle shifts. With just 2 managers and one small housekeeping staff, the team is able stay efficient without incurring high overhead costs.
Seamless Integration
Cloudbeds integrates seamlessly into the TTM Hospitality essential technologies, including Operto for contactless guest access The following are some examples of how to get started: Breezeway for housekeeping coordination. These integrations automate critical operational processes. They save staff valuable time, and enable the hotel to provide contactless hospitality efficiently.
This tech stack gives Ryan peace of mind. “It lets me keep an eye on the property every day.”
Scalability
A good PMS will not only meet your needs today, but will also grow with you. Cloudbeds’ extensive partner network ensures properties can easily add new features as they expand. TTM’s portfolio has grown to four properties, as part of the company’s strategy of converting under-utilized properties into technology-driven, modern accommodations.
Supporting sustainable growth
The PMS user interface is a critical component of operational efficiency, employee satisfaction and guest interaction. A well-designed PMS will empower hotel staff and reduce costly errors. mitigate ongoing labor challenges.
TTM Hospitality is a good example of this.and many othersPrioritizing intuitive, scalable technologies supports sustainable growth.
Cloudbeds
Cloudbeds is a leading platform that redefines the concept of PMS in the hospitality industry. It serves more than ten thousand properties in 150 countries around the world. Built from the ground up to be masterfully unified and scalable, the award-winning Cloudbeds Platform brings together built-in and integrated solutions that modernize hotel operations & finance, distribution & marketing, guest experience, and revenue & analytics. Cloudbeds, founded in 2012, has been recognized as a top hotel PMS and channel manager by Hotel Tech Report (2021-2025), World Travel Awards (2022), and Deloitte Technology Fast 500 (2024).
