Guide

Switching motel PMS: a step-by-step checklist

Updated · HotelOne

In short

A PMS switch goes smoothly when three things move in the right order: rooms and rates first, then future bookings, then the OTA connections — on a quiet day, with both systems checked side by side before the old one is switched off. The risk to manage is double bookings: every future reservation must exist exactly once in the new system before the channels start sending to it.

Before you start: what to gather

  • Room types, room numbers, and which rooms are suites or connecting rooms
  • Rate plans and how each is priced — breakfast, non-refundable, weekly
  • The restrictions you use: minimum stays, closed dates
  • Every OTA you sell on, with your property ID on each
  • All future bookings, with guest details, dates, rooms, prices and what has been paid
  • The deposits and guarantee cards you are holding
  • Your payment provider, invoice details (ABN and wording) and accounting connection
  • Locks, card encoders and anything else connected to the old system
  • Which staff need accounts, and what each of them should see

Pick the changeover day

Choose a quiet weekday, away from local events and school holidays, with no large group arriving. Tell your staff the date, and try not to change rates in the old system during the last few days.

Move rooms and rates first

Set up the property, room types, rooms and rate plans in the new PMS. Then compare a handful of dates side by side with the old system: the same room type should show the same price and the same restrictions.

Then the future bookings — once

Import every future booking with its room, dates, price and payments, then count: the number of bookings and room nights per month should match the old system. Bookings made in the old system after the export have to be added by hand, so keep a list of them until the changeover is done.

Connect the channels

In the new channel manager, connect each OTA, map every OTA room to a room type and every OTA rate to a rate plan, then push rates and availability. Change one price on one date and check it on each OTA’s own site before you move on.

Some OTAs switch over once you select the new channel manager in their extranet; others need a hotel ID, a username or a key. The connection is confirmed by the channel manager, so allow time for each OTA to approve it.

Changeover day

  1. Stop taking bookings in the old system
  2. Add any bookings made since the export
  3. Check today’s arrivals, in-house guests and departures on the new calendar
  4. Confirm that availability on each OTA matches the new PMS
  5. Issue keys for today’s arrivals from the new system
  6. Keep the old system read-only, for reference

The first week

  • Watch each new OTA booking land on the calendar
  • Reconcile payments and deposits against the old system’s figures
  • Run the first night audit and the first tax invoice, and check them with your accountant
  • Note what staff find awkward, and change the set-up rather than working around it

How HotelOne helps

Our team does the heavy lifting: we import your room types, rates and future bookings from your current system, connect your channels through Channex, and stay on hand 24/7 through the changeover. HotelOne is hosted in Australia, billed monthly with no lock-in contract, and runs in English and 中文.

HotelOne for motels

Questions

Do we have to close while we switch?
No. You keep trading; the old system simply stops taking bookings at the agreed time, and the new one takes over.
Will we lose our OTA reviews or rankings?
No. Reviews and rankings belong to your listing on each OTA, not to the channel manager; switching only changes which system sends your rates and availability.

Questions about your property?

Our team answers 24/7, in English and 中文.

Talk to us