PMS COMPUTER OPERATION
- Askar DG KAMIS
- Dec 14, 2025
- 6 min read
Goal: All properties will follow standard, written procedures in the maintenance, control and operation of the property management system.
SCOPE:
RESPONSIBILITY:
Total system responsibility lies with the Rooms Director/Director of Operations. Day to day operational requirements are the responsibility of the Front Office Manager, who is designated as “Systems Manager.”
PROCEDURE:
MANAGEMENT
The property will specify one individual who will be designated as the “Property System Manager”. This individual will have the total responsibility of coordinating all service requests, problem reporting, minor maintenance, and training on the computer.
In addition, Assistant Property System Managers should be identified to ensure that all appropriate members of the hotel staff are knowledgeable of the technical aspects of operating the system. This will ensure twenty-four hour coverage of management personnel capable of handling system problems,
etceteras.
The Property System Manager must maintain an appropriate security level to perform the normal maintenance procedures.
SYSTEM MALFUNCTION/FAILURE
Each property must develop a customized Local Standard Operating Procedure to document and standardize the steps to follow in the event of hardware or software malfunctions. The property should utilize the sample procedures outlined by each in the property management system Manual. The LSOP must contain the following at a minimum:
Manual procedures and sample forms to be used during downtime with the responsibilities identified by job title.
Specific documentation that must take place to record the problem, to include down time, possible causes, etceteras.
The sequence of steps necessary to rebuild or input updated information after a system malfunction.
A fire emergency/evacuation plan that details which PMS reports, documents and/or back up devices should be removed from the building and by whom.
DOCUMENTS
The property will maintain a System Support/System Manager’s binder that will
include the following at a minimum:
System Responsibilities
• Hardware and Software Maintenance Agreements
• Preventative Maintenance Steps and Procedures
• Hardware Trouble Shooting Guides
• Service Received (must include copies of all work orders)
• Hardware Serial Numbers (forward all new numbers to the Systems Manager)
• Modem Log
• Problem/Bug Log
• Contacts and Supplier Listings
• System Correspondence
• Employee Security Configurations
The Support Binder must be reviewed every period by the Systems Manager to ensure that proper action(s) and follow up has occurred.
A complete contingency report should be printed every two hours, to protect the operation from financial loss and guest dissatisfaction due to system down time. The volume of business may dictate more frequent updates, to allow for a smooth conversion to a manual system if necessary. The Supervisor’s Checklist must be initialed as reports are produced, and back copies of the report should be retained by the Front Office Manager for at least seven days.
A copy of the Special Request Report (VIP List) should be generated and distributed to all hotel departments by 11:00 AM each day. This list should include all VIP’s, frequent traveler members who require special attention and/or upgrades, and names from the VIP file. Also the VIP Guest File should be matched against arrivals to identify any previously unidentified VIP’s.
Safety regulations require that a report of all in-house Handicapped Guests be provided to PBX and/or security on a daily basis.
COMPUTER ROOM SAFETY/ENVIRONMENTAL REQUIREMENTS
Proper cooling (65 to 70 degrees Fahrenheit) and power requirements are to be provided and maintained in the computer room.
NOTE: The PS/2 and PC/AT systems do not have any special cooling requirements.
Access to the computer room and/or other areas must be limited to authorized personnel.
The computer room must be equipped with a Halo gas fire extinguishing system. The computer must be protected from potential water damage from overhead pipes and sprinklers.
The computer room should be maintained free of dust to avoid clogging the vents/fans in the system.
A copy of the back up diskettes and/or tapes must be kept in a secured, fire proof container that is located away from the computer room. These back ups should be accessible to all shifts.
It is imperative that employees refrain from “leaning” on the system terminals and that care is taken to prevent staples, paper clips, or any form of liquid from entering the keyboard, terminals, printers, or any other peripheral device.
SYSTEM CONTROL AND MAINTENANCE
The property system manager will have complete control over system access. He/She will be responsible for creating and maintaining employee security configurations, monitoring existing security clearances, and routinely updating the configuration. User passwords should be changed quarterly, or as needed if it is believed that password security has been compromised.
The dial in modem must be left in the off position at all times unless access is requested for software maintenance. All such requests must be coordinated through the property system manager or an assistant system manager as designated by the system manager. All access will require the completion of a log which will contain the following information at a minimum:
• Date and Time
• Name of individual requesting access
• Reason for request
• Can the system continue normal operation during the time of actual access?
The outside user should be asked to call back and notify the system manager when their work is completed, so the modem can be turned off promptly.
A PMS system operating maintenance calendar should be established for periodic and routine maintenance functions. This calendar must be initialed at the completion of each task, and should be retained in the system support binder. Each item on this calendar/schedule is cross referenced to the PMS user documentation. See Exhibit 1 for the calendar/schedule.
Follow the PMS maintenance schedule to monitor all critical files in the system to ensure that corrective action is taken when necessary.
Schedule hardware and software maintenance during periods of low occupancy, so as to minimize impact. This would include deletion of unnecessary data, periodic purging of files when they are more than 75% full, room inventory rebuilds, cleaning the hardware, etceteras.
Minor, routine hardware maintenance should be scheduled once per period. Major maintenance and cleaning should be scheduled at least once per year or as directed by the IBM technician.
Back up of all reservations, transactions and accounts receivable information should be performed nightly.
Rooms inventory/availability should be continually checked between central reservations system and PMS. These inventories should remain in balance if information passes freely and properly between the two systems, thereby maximizing room sales potential.
An inventory of printer ribbons, diskettes/tapes, one/two part paper and all essential forms should be maintained by the Front Office. All personnel should be knowledgeable in the proper methods of changing ribbons and paper.
Review travel agent master accounts and ensure those with little or no activity are deleted on a quarterly basis.
All terminals should be labeled with their system address for easy reference for repair and maintenance.
ACCOUNT CONTROL
Ensure that management responsibility is defined for the establishment of city ledger, group master and banquet accounts to ensure accurate billing format prior to the posting of charges.
Group masters should be reviewed daily by the Front Desk and the group master folio and all back up sent to Accounting within three days of the group’s departure to ensure timely collections.
NOTE: Group accounts should not be checked out until fully approved by Accounting.
House accounts should be monitored daily to clear/check out unnecessary or old banquet accounts. Standard, permanent accounts should be cleared daily. Back up must retained for all Balance Forward accounts.
Care should be taken to ensure that proper back up is retained for all hold accounts. A copy of the actual charge should be held in the Front Office and forwarded to Accounting when the account is checked out.
An individual in the Front Office should be designated to run the “O” Status Report (checked out accounts with a balance) each day to ensure that all accounts on this report have been properly handled. A folio with accurate information on the disposition of the account should be provided to
Accounting.
When checks are cashed for guests, a memo entry should be made in the system to ensure adherence to daily check cashing policy limits. (See Kalihara Front Office and Accounting SOP # 1).
Credit card authorization codes and the PMS account number should be noted on the registration card and the credit card voucher imprinted at check in. (See TECTON Front Office and Accounting SOP # 1)
Each time a safe deposit box is issued to a guest, the number of the box should be noted on the registration card. (See TECTON Front Office and Accounting SOP# 34).
TRAINING
Specific user documentation for the PMS system will be provided by corporate flag of the hotel and updated to include all system enhancements and software changes.
Property personnel should take advantage of all available/relevant CBT (Computer Based Training) for both PMS and the reservation system.
Every three months, the property system manager should conduct an evaluation of each hourly employee and manager should also ensure that the system is being properly utilized. Upon completion of this evaluation process, the system manager will designate select individuals for additional training
The property system manager should distribute system related information to all property users, to include PMS newsletters, memos, etcetera.
Requests for system enhancements should be solicited and documented by the property system manager and forwarded to Kalihara .
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