GuestPoint Software

Pros

easy to learn/ have most of the function you need
we use this sofeware to monitor the phone call made in the room

Cons

just work on computer base not for Ipad/mobile
compared to the other products you will see it is very high price

I used this hotel management software as a first time play and let me just tell you, hands down the best software! It's super simple and easy to use and by far the most affordable software out there for new time hotels. Would definitely recommend!

Pros

Easy to use

It's hard to navigate around the software and find things

Pros

It's like other software
It is not different from other ones
It is pricey for this product

Cons

It doesn't give profits & loss

Love customer service. Cost friendly too! Fantastic product

Pros

Easy to use

Cons

None

Advice to Others

Great service!

Likes Best

What we truly appreciate is that when we have a question or concern, they act on it. We truly appreciate the access to support as needed but, also their willingness to implement suggestions regarding the system.
simple to use, very good training and easy to navigate.

Likes Least

If we do have a question or concern it is taken seriously.
we would like to see an addition to the system for meeting space that would work a bit better than we have currently. However, they did create something for us that has worked well for booking our meeting space.

Recommendations

They continue to upgrade the software and listen to their clients so any questions regarding what you might think is missing, ask them, and you may see it added to the next upgrade.

Likes Best

The actual reservation portion (take reservations, check-in, check-out) is easy to use.

Likes Least

The money handling portion of the system can be a disaster. The system is set up for accrual type of business and does not function well on a cash based system. So if you post revenue day by day it might work. If you post your revenue when it is received, there are a lot of problems. Our motel has the customer pay in full at check-in and this system is not made for this.

In addition the credit card processing is a nightmare. They use NMI as the credit card gateway and NMI uses a "time initiated settlement". NMI is unable to allow a manual settlement of the batch so reconciling between GP and NMI requires a great deal of manipulation (primarily if you have on-line-booking). If the sales team would have been honest with us, we would not have bought this system. During the sales cycle, everything will work for you, after purchase "good luck". The credit card situation is the biggest problem and requested GP to allow another credit card processor to write an interface (replacing NMI) and were told "they will not do it and have no plans to do it". This is even after their tech support people agreed that NMI's method of settlement does not work properly for the hospitality industry.

Finally, the customer support team does not advise other customers if a problem occurs on their software. We had a problem where the on-line booking allowed a customer to book a room, pay nothing, and get a confirmation saying "PAID IN FULL" even though no payment was made. After it was fixed for us, we contacted other users who unknowingly had the same issue but were never told about it and it was still working improperly. When the encounter a major bug, they need to contact all their customers.

Recommendations

Talk to other users who have experience with hospitality software. We went to a new user to evaluate the software but did not see the problems and did not look deep enough into the software. We were concerned about the ease-of-use for taking reservations. Honestly it never crossed our minds that any hospitality package would not be able to handle such basic situations as working on a cash based system or not be able to do a manual batch.

Likes Best

GuestPoint is perfectly suited for medium to small properties. It provides a fully functional cost effective solution for your property management requirements. Centium Software has hit a homerun with a user-friendly PMS that is virtually ready to go right out of the box. Set-up and customization is minimal. Linkage to you website for web based bookings is seamless. With a background of over 30 years in Corporate America's Customer Service Management, I can honestly say that Centium's GuestPoint team is second to none. Their Sales Staff is personable and well versed in every aspect of the software's functionality and can handle any issue that may arise. Additionally, their Technical Service Department is incredibly responsive with a get-it-done attitude, no matter how minor or intricate the issue. Currently there is no comparison when it comes to value versus investment.

Likes Least

I have yet to discover a negative that has not been addressed by Centium and their GuestPoint Staff.

Recommendations

Do not make your next PMS purchasing decision without first calling the GuestPoint Team and exploring their capabilities.

Likes Best

Probably nothing at this point. It's only appeal is that I already paid the set up fee and my staff knows how to use it.

Likes Least

Probably the worst software I have ever worked with for a small property. The software is slow on any internet connection and is incredibly counter intuitive in some important aspects (like financial reporting and guest statements). They claim it can replicate the convenience of a cloud-based software, but this simply isn't true. Additionally, the support team is friendly, but sometimes it takes days for problems to be resolved that really don't warrant that amount of time. A contributing factor to this is that it is not truly 24-hour support--you have to call during very specific hours to solve more technical problems and glitches (our system was down for almost 24 hours because only one team could fix the issue--which was that room charges were not showing up on rooms). Hotels are a 24 hour/7 days a week business--we need our support to be too. I could probably go on, but hopefully this is enough to convince you to look elsewhere.

Recommendations

Look elsewhere---perhaps at a more cloud-based solution.

Likes Best

This the 5th motel in 7 years that I have changed the PMS to GuestPoint. I can honestly say that I have used a lot of different systems in the 20 years in hotels and motels and GuestPoint has not only made things easier, but allows those who are out there using their product to really give the advise on how we need things to work. I am someone who is always sending in ideas for the next update and it is always cool to see them added or implemented and then getting the benefits from the changes.

Likes Least

Obviously nothing as I continue to change over each property as I take over the property.

Recommendations

Ask to see a demo or do the 60 minute training with GuestPoint, ask all the questions you feel will help to decrease your workload each day and then when the PMS does all those things, grab it

Likes Best

I like how easy it is to use. I like working with siteminder and they work with them.

Likes Least

It crashes when I go to put in group reservations. This is very frustrating.

Recommendations

Make sure you dont want a PMS that has a channel manager already built into it.

Likes Best

We checked out a few systems before we went with GuestPoint. A major factor in choosing this system were the staff at Centium Software west coast office. They impressed us with their dedication and professionalism and have gone above and beyond in assisting us. They helped us get the system set up and continued to help us as we learned how to use it and fixed our many mistakes for us. The GuestPoint system has enabled us to increase our business by connecting us through our channel manager to all the online booking sites. We couldn't imagine not using it now!

Likes Least

Really the only thing we don't like is having to deal with the head office in Australia. The 14 hour time difference is a huge head ache. Luckily though, the west coast office can assist with the majority of problems.

Recommendations

Check out all the systems that you want, but also consider the level of support and commitment that you will receive from their support teams. You may not think it's a big deal, but you will be surprised at how many times you're going to need them while you go through the learning curve getting things going. There are none better than the Centium west coast team in my book!

My property is located in a quaint Massachusetts College town in the Berkshires with 21 rooms. I have a BS Degree in Hotel Mgt and 30 years with independents as well as chains, Omni, Sheraton and Holiday Inn.

I did I great deal of research and demos before I chose Guest Point and I am glad I did. I wanted something that was user friendly (to learn and manage), had great support with quick response time, was affordable, had auto emails to guests, channel management integration, easy to implement, easy to manage rates, had housekeeping functions, had great guest history capabilities and statistical information.

I am more than pleased with the customer support. Response is fast and effective. I like having a system that has both a sync mode and web mode. I was pleasantly surprised with the revenue maximizer function. Guest Point has increased my revenue and made daily operations run much more efficiently.

We are a 29 room Beachfront Inn which also has an award winning steak house onsite. Before using GuestPoint, we were using an older DOS based software. We moved to GuestPoint a few years ago because we wanted an easier system to use, that also integrated web booking functionality. It was the right choice for us. GuestPoint is very easy to use, and it laid out very logically.

We have found Centium to be very responsive to the users, taking their input very seriously and using it to constantly improve it.

Implementation was fast and easy, and the Centium staff was there all the way.

Getting used to dealing with a new system is always an adjustment, but in the case of GuestPoint it will be a switch you will be very glad you made. In fact, you will probably kick yourself for not making the switch sooner, I know I did! If you are anything like us, GuestPoint will make a world of difference in running your property. Your business will run more smoothly and profitably, and everything is accounted for.

Training our staff was a breeze and training new staff takes about 30-60 mins for them to get there head around Guestpoint. Since implementing the web booking functionality we have increase of our occupancy by 10.5% and the feedback we are getting back from our guests is great, about how easy it is to make their bookings now. The automated emails and text messages is a great function, reminding guest that they have booking in the next couple of days and reminds them that if they are not going to make it, to cancel the booking and giving you a chance to sell that room and not being left with an unsold room.

We purchased GuestPoint after operating under a different system for several months. Our prior system did not make real time reservations, potential guests could only "request" a reservation. The transition was seamless, and our rep was wonderful in training us and helping to get everything working just right.

We are a larger than normal B&B, having 18 rooms. GuestPoint helps us to maintain control and to keep reliable records. It functions well with third party reservation sources as well.

Follansbee Inn wholeheartedly recommends GuestPoint.

We are a 27 room Inn in Leavenworth, WA that has been operating since 1984. Current owners purchased the hotel in late November 2010.

We have been live on GuesPoint since January 1, 2013 and very much like the system. It is very user-friendly and has enough bells and whistles to allow for sophisticated tracking of a variety of statistics. This enables us to base decisions on data rather than gut feeling.

The support we have received from GP has been nothing short of excellent and we very pleased with all the help they have provided.

Two items in particular that are of great value to us is the Revenue Maximizer, which allows a business to automatically increase rates on all platforms when certain occupancy thresholds are achieved. This used to be a tedious manual job that took a lot of time, so most of the time we didn't do it. The increase in revenue from this feature alone is paying for the monthly fee.

The second is their online booking capability and the dynamic package building on the booking page. We have increased our "Other Revenue" by 30% in the two months we have used it. We are selling tripple the amount of pre-ordered beer packages than we did before this system upgrade.

As you can tell, we are very pleased with the decision to upgrade and look forward to a long and prosperous relationship.