As we slowly emerge back into the light from the darkness of the pandemic, hoteliers everywhere will be accentuating what sets them apart from the competition in order to bring back guests as quickly as possible. Whilst in many cases this will be a continuation of the unique features that brought success in the past, there will be numerous hotels searching for new offerings aligned to the changing requirements of their customer base.

Guests today are tech savvy and are increasingly looking for automated solutions managed through their own mobile device that provide ease of use throughout their stay. These needs can range from check in/out, directory information, access control, messaging and voice calling, and F&B ordering. It’s a given that these facilities are allied to the convenience of accessing their own content on the large-screen TV in the room*. Whilst there are a plethora of very good solutions available in the market to satisfy this demand, the implementation process is frequently very difficult, time consuming and costly – and this is because of the existing set-up within the hotel.

What’s wrong with the traditional setup?

A PMS system is, quite rightly, the most important and indispensable application within any hotel and has been positioned at the centre of the software architecture since the advent of modern PMS systems in the 1970’s (see figure 1).

Figure 1: Example Traditional Hotel Software Architecture— Source: TigerTMSFigure 1: Example Traditional Hotel Software Architecture— Source: TigerTMS
Figure 1: Example Traditional Hotel Software Architecture— Source: TigerTMS

As can be seen, the PMS is directly connected to every other application and there will be a licence fee for every connection. For any new interfaces, there will be additional costs and potentially lengthy delays as the new connection is built. This set-up serves the requirements of the PMS provider very well – a captive customer with many opportunities for additional income. If you have ever tried replacing a PMS system you will know what an upheaval it can be. It is not something to be considered lightly!

In short, this set up is unnecessarily complicated, expensive and time consuming. To become more efficient, Hoteliers ought to migrate to more flexible architectures where applications can be added or removed easily without onerous costs and delays, whilst retaining full connectivity with the PMS. This is precisely the function of “Middleware”.

The Better Option

Middleware connects different applications to each other, allowing data to flow between them. Wikipedia describes it as “software glue”, but I prefer the term “software oil” as it lubricates the system without adhesion to any of the component parts.

Middleware allows the easy introduction of new applications (that satisfies the current requirement for mobile device solutions), enabling hotels the freedom of choice for “best of breed” resolutions to their requirements. It also significantly reduces the hotel’s outlay in annual support costs as there is no need for multiple interface licences – one connection will suffice. The PMS retains its position as the most important system and continues to be connected to all other applications.

Figure 2: Distributed Middleware Architecture— Source: TigerTMSFigure 2: Distributed Middleware Architecture— Source: TigerTMS
Figure 2: Distributed Middleware Architecture— Source: TigerTMS

Now for the Good News

Most hotels are already running a middleware platform – but they are simply not realising its full potential! The existing PMS to telephone system (PBX) connection often has voicemail and call accounting applications linked to it using middleware software. This platform can be easily extended and other applications can be connected to it, removing the need for direct connections to the PMS. This is a straight-forward migration that can yield multiple and significant savings, radically changing the approach to the deployment of new applications.

Take TV systems for example – the new Netflix-enabled solutions allow the guest to log-in to their account as they do at home on the big screen in the room. However, this needs a connection between the system and the PMS to validate the user’s identity. The TV system manufacturers are not going to develop an interface for every different type of PMS – they rely on middleware providers to do this.

Similarly, middleware can facilitate the easy introduction of other new applications or changes to the existing line-up. The hotel can now react quickly to market trends and offer applicable, relevant solutions without having to wait many months for a new interface to be developed by the PMS provider.

Middleware brings agility and flexibility to the hotel’s set of applications being used, providing greater freedom of choice for solutions to be offered to their guests. Not only for applications used now, but additional ones required for the future saving considerable amounts of money and effort.

One final advantage for a distributed middleware approach concerns Hotel Brands with multi-flag properties, something that is increasingly popular in today’s environment. Here, middleware enables each of the sub-hotels (which might well have their own PMS) to share the same central resources – such as telephone systems or WiFi Management systems, massively reducing the capital outlay and ongoing support costs.

Middleware is the essential piece of software for every hotel – the “oil in the machine”. Hoteliers should elect to let the PMS do what it does best, but leave the connectivity to open, scalable software that brings savings and freedom of choice to every hotel –benefiting the guests and hoteliers alike.

*Guests want to use TVs provided by the hotel (69%) versus their own devices (31%) (Hotel Tech Report).

About TigerTMS

TigerTMS is a leading developer of applications and middleware solutions for the global Hospitality market.

With over 40 years industry experience, TigerTMS is probably the world's largest single supplier of communications and guest management systems, integrated voice and data solutions, as

well as BYOD solutions to the Hospitality industry. They provide world-class technology solutions to some of the largest and most prestigious hotel groups as well as hundreds of independent hoteliers.

For more information on TigerTMS go to http://www.tigertms.com or see our Linked In page https://www.linkedin.com/company/tigertms/

TigerTMS is headquartered in the United Kingdom, with regional satellite offices in the USA,Europe, Africa, the Middle East and Asia Pacific.

Tanya Gardiner
Marketing Manager
TigerTMS