From Two Dozen PMS Demos to One Flexible Platform: Why VIP Hospitality Group Chose Stayntouch

When a Longtime PMS Could No Longer Keep Up

VIP Hospitality Group had used its previous PMS for years. Stephen himself had nearly two decades of experience with it and remembers a time when it served the business well.

But as the technology evolved, so did the problems.

The platform struggled with bugs, integrations and the transition from an on-premise system to a hosted environment. At the same time, VIP found itself facing less flexibility around payment processing, including pressure to move away from the credit card processor the company had used successfully for years.

For a portfolio increasingly dependent on connected technology, Stephen saw where things were headed.

It was time to find something new.

VIP did not take the decision lightly. The team researched approximately two dozen PMS providers and sat through demo after demo before narrowing the field.

Finding the Right Balance of Capability and Flexibility

VIP went into the search with a clear set of requirements.

The PMS needed to be easy for hotel employees to learn and use. It needed strong revenue management and reporting capabilities. It needed to work in the cloud. And it needed enough functionality built in that VIP would not have to assemble a collection of additional systems just to handle core hotel operations.

But built-in functionality was only part of the equation.

VIP also wanted control.

Stephen and his team needed the ability to customize property configurations, connect outside technology when it made sense and continue working with systems that were already delivering value for the business.

That combination ultimately helped Stayntouch stand out.

“We really like the ability to customize our setups as much as possible.”
Stephen Davis, Regional Director, VIP Hospitality Group

Stayntouch gave the team key functionality directly within the PMS, including group features, native revenue management capabilities and reporting, while still allowing them to configure the system around the needs of individual properties.

Rolling Out Stayntouch Across a Diverse Portfolio

For VIP, moving to a new PMS was not a single-property cutover.

With only a small internal team managing the project, the company took a phased approach over the course of a little more than a year. Typically, VIP implemented Stayntouch at one or two hotels at a time, pairing simpler properties together while giving more complex hotels their own dedicated rollout.

That approach allowed the team to learn as it went.

Early implementations helped VIP identify configuration details and best practices that could then be applied to future properties. Stayntouch’s training and implementation teams were there to help along the way, including onsite training at several hotels.

Stephen specifically called out the accessibility and expertise of the Stayntouch team, who helped troubleshoot configurations, explain functionality and guide hotel teams through the system.

One View Across the Portfolio

Once the rollout was complete, one of the capabilities VIP came to value most was Stayntouch’s multi-property dashboard.

Instead of logging in and out of separate systems, Stephen and his team can see portfolio performance from a single view, identify properties that need attention and move directly into an individual property to investigate further.

For a regional team managing revenue and operations across multiple hotels, that visibility makes it easier to move from insight to action.

As Stephen explained:

“We like being able to see all the properties on one screen.”

The benefits extend to property-level teams as well.

Managers and employees sometimes work across multiple VIP properties. Because the hotels use the same Stayntouch platform, team members do not have to relearn a different system every time they step into another location. Access to additional properties can also be added easily when someone needs to help another hotel.

The result is less friction for teams moving between properties and fewer steps for employees completing common front-of-house tasks.

Built to Connect When the Portfolio Needs More

VIP wanted a PMS with strong native functionality, but Stephen also knew the company’s technology needs would continue to evolve.

That made Stayntouch’s open API particularly valuable.

When VIP wanted to introduce systems that did not already have established Stayntouch integrations, the companies were able to work directly with the Stayntouch API team to build the connections.

That included integrations with Pulse and Snapfix, both of which required collaboration to establish connectivity with the PMS.

For Stephen, that ability to extend the technology stack is an important consideration for any hotel operator evaluating a PMS.

It is also a philosophy VIP has applied to payments.

Payment flexibility had been one of the reasons the company decided to leave its previous PMS. With Stayntouch, VIP was able to use a gateway and return to its preferred credit card processor, preserving a relationship and rates that worked well for the business.

A PMS That Gives VIP More Ways to Operate

For a portfolio as varied as VIP Hospitality Group’s, flexibility does not mean adding technology for technology’s sake.

It means having the core capabilities the hotels need already available while retaining the ability to configure the PMS, connect specialized systems and make different choices as the business evolves.

That is the balance VIP found with Stayntouch.

After evaluating roughly two dozen alternatives, the company now has a common PMS foundation across its properties that is easy for hotel teams to learn, gives regional leaders visibility across the portfolio and leaves room for VIP’s technology strategy to keep evolving.

For Stephen, that last point matters most when choosing a platform designed to last.

Do not just evaluate the PMS for the hotel you operate today. Choose one that gives you options for where you want to go next.

Need a PMS that can flex across your portfolio? See how Stayntouch gives hotel groups the tools to manage multiple properties, connect the systems they need, and adapt as their business grows.

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