Total Hotel Management with Infor HMS: An Overview

Streamlining operations through automation

At the heart of Infor HMS is a commitment to guest service. The solution centralises guest information and preferences, allowing hotels to deliver highly personalised experiences that foster loyalty.

Beyond guest service, Infor HMS empowers hotels to achieve operational excellence through automation and efficiency. Additionally, the solution can seamlessly integrate with various systems, such as credit card processing and electronic signature capture, thereby streamlining workflows and reducing errors.

Read more: Better Thrive in 2024 with These 3 Key Hospitality Trends

Workflow automation

Infor HMS facilitates real-time data sharing across various departments, enabling staff to focus on improving guest service and enhancing the bottom line.  

The system allows users to easily share critical information such as revenue management recommendations, scheduling, and customer data. This seamless flow of information helps create a more cohesive and responsive operational environment.

Read more: What to Look for in Workflow Automation Software

Housekeeping optimisation

Infor HMS provides a robust suite of tools specifically designed to optimise room assignments, track cleaning status, and improve overall efficiency. 

The system intelligently assigns cleaning tasks based on room status, occupancy, and staff availability, ensuring equitable workload distribution. 

Moreover, housekeeping staff can access room assignments, guest preferences, and task lists on mobile devices, increasing their efficiency and responsiveness. 

Infor HMS streamlines maintenance work orders, ensuring prompt issue resolution and scheduled tasks to extend equipment lifespan and prevent breakdowns. 

To measure performance and identify areas for improvement, Infor HMS provides key performance indicators (KPIs) related to maintenance, such as repair turnaround time and equipment uptime.  

With this data-driven approach, hotels can further optimise maintenance schedules, reduce costs, and enhance overall operational efficiency. 

Infor HMS incorporates dynamic pricing capabilities that allow hotels to adjust their rates based on market conditions and demand fluctuations. This feature enables hotels to: 

• Configure the best available rates 

• Create rate levels 

• Update lead time policies 

• Set global booking restrictions on rate plans 

The system dynamically sets optimised hotel room pricing throughout the day and automatically publishes the most accurate and competitive rates to relevant distribution channels. This data-driven approach to price setting ensures that hotels can maintain their competitive edge while maximising revenue. 

Read more: Benefits of accounts payable automation in financial management 

Effective inventory management is crucial for optimising revenue. Infor HMS provides tools to: 

• Allocate rooms by property and room type 

• Edit room allocations as needed 

• Override the Revenue Management System (RMS) overbooking limit 

These features allow hotels to maintain optimal occupancy levels while minimising the risk of overbooking or underutilising their inventory.

Infor HMS helps hotels manage their distribution channels effectively to maximise revenue. The system offers capabilities to: 

• Maintain sales channels 

• Set up channel allocations 

• Establish overall channel allocations 

By optimising distribution across various channels, hotels can ensure their inventory is available through the most profitable channels at the right time.

Cloud-native design

Infor HMS is designed as a cloud-native platform, offering a robust and scalable solution for the hospitality industry. Its architecture is built to meet the evolving needs of modern hotels, resorts, management companies, and casinos providing flexibility, security, and performance.

Infor HMS is accessible in real-time and keeps pace with the busy lives and schedules of modern guests. With this cloud-based architecture, hotels can tailor a seamless and contactless experience for their customers.  

Guests can manage their check-in and check-out experiences according to their preferences, often en route and on their phones, requiring minimal contact with hotel staff.

Read more: Cloud-Washed vs. Cloud-Native: What Are They & How to Spot Them?

Security and compliance

Infor places a strong emphasis on security and compliance: 

• A dedicated cloud security team works 24/7 to monitor the cloud environment 

• Multiple layers of overlapping security safeguard customer data through each link of the security chain 

• The system employs centrally managed passwords, forced password changes, and alerts for unsuccessful password attempts 

• Infor HMS helps customers meet various security and privacy standards, including FedRAMP, NIST 800-53, NIST 800-171, ITAR Privacy, and GDPR 

Infor HMS does not rely on any single security device, technique, or practice for data assurance. Instead, Infor HMS employs a “defence-in-depth” strategy to implement multiple layers of overlapping security that safeguard your data through each link of the chain and ensure a high level of solution availability.  

Meticulously built and tested by industry experts, Infor HMS is also fully compliant with the payment card industry and payment application data security (PCI/PA-DSS) standards. Offering only best-practice protocols in the application, network, physical, and operational security, as well as comprehensive monitoring, HMS keeps your data safe and secure.

Read more: SAP vs. Infor – Software Giants Face Off Over Cloud Strategy

Scalability and performance

The cloud-based architecture of Infor HMS provides: 

• Built-in capacity for expansion, allowing businesses to grow without constraints 

• Simultaneous software updates across all properties, ensuring consistency and reducing downtime 

• High availability for optimal service continuity 

• Robust and scalable technology platform that can adapt to the evolving expectations of increasingly tech-savvy guests 

This architecture enables hotels to create superior guest experiences while empowering staff with the right tools to succeed in a constantly evolving hospitality industry.

Front office management

Infor HMS centralises all customer data and provides insights that support the staff's daily tasks. The system caters to the needs of all hotel staff, including front desk clerks, reservation agents, property managers, and finance employees, enabling hotels to tailor guest-specific packages and showcase the guest's lifetime value at the moment of interaction. 

One of Infor HMS's most prominent integrations is with Infor CRM Hospitality, which allows for guest profiling, reservations, and folio data exchange between the two systems. 

Infor CRM adds substantially to the values of each guest stay to the next level as it is capable of tracking guest profile data, reservation data, and revenue spent by category at each property across the enterprise. 

It also supports real-time reporting with a focus on guest spending by revenue category, last stay details, the frequency of stays, geographic source, travel type, and the guest booking journey.

Housekeeping management

The housekeeping module enhances operational efficiency by improving visibility and precision with centralised housekeeping and concierge task management. 

This module has made a significant impact on the upkeep of properties, streamlining communication and reducing time-consuming processes.

Read more: What to Look for in Workflow Automation Software

Revenue and channel management

The Revenue and Channel Management module, powered by Infor EzRMS (Revenue Management Solution), is a robust hotel revenue management software solution that: 

• Automatically calculates demand and revenue forecasts 

• Recommends appropriate selling strategies 

• Uses deep-learning algorithms to dynamically recognise patterns 

• Ensures optimal and accurate business forecasts, pricing, and selling strategies to maximise yield and profit 

The integration with Infor EzRMS allows hoteliers to automatically estimate demand for future use of the property’s available rooms and recommend appropriate selling strategies such as open and close rates, stay controls, open and close room categories, as well as overbooking levels.  

The tool is a user-friendly and forward-looking application to maximise the revenues and values from every process of booking. 

Infor HMS can handle simple financial transactions such as guest charges and payments. It also integrates with POS systems to capture sales data. 

Nevertheless, while Infor HMS does offer some basic accounting functionalities, it is primarily a property management system. For comprehensive financial management, Infor SunSystems is the recommended solution.

Customisation and flexibility

Infor HMS offers a high degree of customisation and flexibility to meet the unique needs of hospitality businesses. The solution provides a range of tools and capabilities that allow users to tailor the system to their specific requirements, enhancing operational efficiency and guest experiences.

User interface customisation

Infor HMS has a powerful screen designer that allows users to modify the layout and appearance of their screens, as well as add, remove, arrange, and resize widgets to create a tailored dashboard that meets their specific needs. 

Reporting and dashboard creation

The system supports the creation of custom reports and dashboards, providing specific data and insights necessary for informed decision-making. Users can: 

• Create new reports 

• Define grids for data presentation 

• Set up Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) 

• Personalise inbox entries and associate them with user groups 

These capabilities enable hospitality organisations to access and analyse the exact information they need to drive strategy and improve performance. 

API and integration capabilities

Infor HMS boasts a robust API that facilitates seamless integration with other systems and applications. This feature allows businesses to: 

• Connect to financials, analytics, and third-party gaming systems 

• Integrate with revenue management, point of sale, and sales and catering solutions 

• Leverage adaptability as new technologies emerge 

The Infor Marketplace offers tons of potential integrations for industry-specific customer needs, allowing users to discover new capabilities for their business software. 

User interface customisation

Infor HMS has a powerful screen designer that allows users to modify the layout and appearance of their screens, as well as add, remove, arrange, and resize widgets to create a tailored dashboard that meets their specific needs.

Reporting and dashboard creation

The system supports the creation of custom reports and dashboards, providing specific data and insights necessary for informed decision-making. Users can:

• Create new reports
• Define grids for data presentation
• Set up Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
• Personalise inbox entries and associate them with user groups
• These capabilities enable hospitality organisations to access and analyse the exact information they need to drive strategy and improve performance.

API and integration capabilities

Infor HMS boasts a robust API that facilitates seamless integration with other systems and applications. This feature allows businesses to:

• Connect to financials, analytics, and third-party gaming systems
• Integrate with revenue management, point of sale, and sales and catering solutions
• Leverage adaptability as new technologies emerge
• The Infor Marketplace offers tons of potential integrations for industry-specific customer needs, allowing users to discover new capabilities for their business software.