What independent hotels should evaluate before replacing a PMS

Replacing a PMS is one of the most disruptive technology decisions an independent hotel can make. Because the next system may stay in place for a decade or more, choosing one based on features alone can be a costly mistake. 

The question is not simply, “Does this system do what we need?” It is, “How will this system affect the way our hotel operates every day?” 

That means looking at how quickly employees can learn it, what implementation will require, how much support it will demand afterward, and whether it can work with other systems as the hotel’s needs change. 

APA Hotel Woodbridge, an independent 200-room hotel in New Jersey, faced these challenges when it replaced both its PMS and POS after more than a decade with its previous systems. Its experience highlights five questions independent hotels should ask before making a similar decision. 

Key Takeaways

Look beyond features. Evaluate how a PMS will affect daily operations, not just whether it meets technical requirements. 

Consider learning time. Employees should be able to adopt the system without excessive training. 

Plan for implementation and beyond. Assess the resources needed for the transition and the ongoing support required afterward. 

Evaluate the wider technology environment. Critical integrations and workflows across departments belong in the decision. 

Think long term. Choose a PMS that can support how the hotel may need to operate five or ten years from now. 

1. How easy will it be for employees to learn? 

A PMS can offer excellent functionality and still create problems if employees struggle to use it. 

For independent hotels with lean teams, training time matters. When routine processes require extensive instruction or only a few experienced employees understand the system, the hotel becomes dependent on them. 

“People come and go. You really need something that’s easy to train,” says Brian Cheng, General Manager of APA Hotel Woodbridge. 

His team understood most of the new system within the first week, with later questions becoming increasingly specific. 

What to evaluate: Don’t just watch the vendor demonstrate the PMS. Consider how a new front desk employee would use it. How quickly could they learn routine tasks? How much assistance would they need after initial training? 

Usability is less about how modern a screen looks and more about how confidently employees can work independently.

2. What will implementation require from your hotel?

Changing a core system while continuing to operate a hotel requires preparation, especially when employees involved in the project also have guests to serve. 

At APA, the PMS transition required coordination with its CRS, payment platform, door locks, and other technologies. The hotel was also short staffed. 

“We were short staffed. I was at the front desk doing lots of things,” Cheng recalled. 

The hotel assigned responsibilities across departments, completed implementation workbooks, organized data in advance, and maintained communication with its technology partners. This preparation helped the team manage the transition.

What to do: Map out what implementation will require internally. Who owns the project? What data needs to be prepared? Which departments and technology providers need to participate? 

Don’t evaluate only the vendor’s implementation plan. Make sure your hotel has the people, information, and time needed to carry it out. 

3. How much management and training overhead will it create afterward? 

Getting the initial team comfortable with a new PMS is one challenge. Keeping the system manageable as employees come and go is another. 

Training continues after implementation. New employees arrive, experienced colleagues leave, and managers change roles. A system that depends on a few knowledgeable users can create an ongoing burden. 

At APA, Cheng noted that ongoing assistance was largely needed for new employees once the original team became familiar with the system. 

What to evaluate: Think six months beyond implementation. Can new employees learn routine processes without extensive supervision? How dependent is the operation on experienced users? How much management time will everyday system questions consume? 

The operational cost of a PMS includes the time required to keep employees using it effectively.

4. Does it work with the rest of your hotel? 

A PMS does not operate in isolation. Reservations, payments, room access, guest services, sales, catering, and F&B may all depend on connected technologies. 

APA’s transition involved replacing both its PMS and POS while coordinating several other systems. The hotel needed those connections to continue supporting daily operations. 

What to do: Map the systems and processes that depend on your PMS. Identify critical integrations, involve the relevant technology providers, and establish what needs to be tested before implementation. 

Pay particular attention to workflows that cross departments. A change at the front desk can also affect payments, room access, or other parts of the property. 

Solving one problem should not create another elsewhere. 

5. Are you choosing for today or for the next decade? 

Hotels often consider a new PMS because something is wrong with their current system. Integrations have become difficult, employees rely on workarounds, or routine tasks take longer than they should. 

Those are valid reasons to explore alternatives, but the next system may remain in place for ten years or longer. Staffing, operational processes, integrations, and business requirements will change during that time. 

APA’s decision to replace systems it had used for more than a decade illustrates how long these choices can shape a property’s operation. 

What to evaluate: Ask not only, “What problem does this solve today?” but also, “What might we need to do differently five or ten years from now?” 

Consider whether the PMS can accommodate future changes without introducing unnecessary complexity. 

Before you start comparing PMS vendors

Start with your operation, not a feature checklist. 

Talk to the employees who use your current system. Identify where they lose time, where training is difficult, which processes require workarounds, and which integrations are essential. 

Turn those findings into requirements before evaluating potential systems. This helps bring operational considerations into a decision that might otherwise focus too heavily on technical capabilities. 

Replacing a PMS should make technology less of a concern in daily operations, not more. 

As Brian Cheng put it after APA Hotel Woodbridge’s transition: 

“If we don’t have a lot to say, that’s how we know it’s good.” 

Sometimes, the best measure of hotel technology is simply that it lets people get on with running the hotel. 

For more on how APA Hotel Woodbridge approached its transition from legacy systems, read the full case study.