Don't go near Guest Point unless you want double bookings

Apart from the above issues and the major fault (#1), Guest Point would of been a great PMS which I would of recommended to others. Unfortunately the update time between Guest Point and your channel manager ruins the whole system because it makes it a liability for your property. I wouldn't normally leave a bad review on a company however the fact we first mentioned this fault over 12 months again, you can never get a hold of anyone, no one ever gets back to you from their company makes it obvious their staff don't actually care and Centium Software is more focused on their Event Air software rather the Guest Point.

Pros

Has many good features that other PMS don't have. Property dashboard is a good idea, Management Tab is relatively easy to set up although some features weren't thought out very well like the promotions feature which could of been structured better to manage contracts. Accounts Management is really good, no complaints here over the functionality of the department. Customer Management is easy to manage and access data however again not thought out very well. The reservations calendar is visually good although takes getting use to, Guest Point has many good features other PMS's don't have however also has many annoying things which make it obvious it was designed by developers rather than them seeking advice for people in the industry.

Cons

#1 fault with Guest Point which is why I wouldn't recommend it to other operators is it is the only PMS on the market who don't update availability to your channel manager on a regular basis. Most PMS I've dealt with in the past update your availability to your online platforms every 30-60 sec, Guest Point can take up to 10-20 mins before to sends an update to your channel manager. Also it can often take up to 10-20 minutes before an online reservation appears on your booking Calendar, not good if that was you last room and someone books it over the phone before the online booking appears. On top of that, beyond 3 months out from your current date they will only update your channel manager once a day. If you take a reservation over the phone 6 months out it will often be still bookable for over 12 hours online before Guest Point send an update to your channel manager. The staff at Guest Point don't seem to care about how big of an issue that is risking their customers reputations with double bookings as I first made them aware of this fault over 12 months ago and they still have no valid answers. All I have got out of them is them blaming the channel managers however after investigating multiple PMS and Channel Managers I discovered this is not true. Despite all the good features which would actual make Guest Point a great system to recommend this one fault is the #1 reason I would warn people away from Guest Point unless you like double bookings.

#2 Support - Support if often difficult to get a hold of. Most modern systems have an online support portal to communicate through however with Guest Point you have to phone first. The majority of the time you get a hold of someone in their admin which can't help with an issue but schedules a ticket where a support team member will call back. Typically it takes a few hours before anyone contacts you.

#3 Customer Tab - Gathering, storing and accessing guest information is great however customer/ individual records can't be linked to a company. When your making a booking it would of been great when you select said company that a list of all the employees or individuals in that company appear. This just makes it awkward when a regular books and you can't remember his name and or the company name so a feature like this would of been nice.

#4 Reservations - Reservations are pretty simple to make however again their are a number of things the developers didn't think through properly. For example if your on the phone with a travel agent who wants you to book 4 rooms. You could book all 4 rooms at the same time however if they have different Purchase Orders you have to do them individually and then you don't have a record of which reservations are associated with each other. Also, you can't link reservations after they have been made, if you want them to be linked then you have to delete the reservations and start again which is just annoying.

Be careful if you buy this software

Pros

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

Cons

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.

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.

Simple, easy to use and great support team

Pros

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.

Cons

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

Everything you need, and easy to use

Pros

nothing is complicated, and support is always on hand if needed. The information given to Motels on this program is great. You can run almost any report so easily, and making Reservations / check ins /check outs are quick. Guests don't need to stand around while you do a multiple process .

Cons

Nothing! Thank you

Great Customer service, perfect set up for our Inn

Pros

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.

Cons

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.

easy to use but expensive

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

Great system!

Pros

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!

Cons

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.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED "GuestPoint has changed how we do business"... The Sage N Sand in Moses Lake,WA.

WONDERFUL! Our business has prospered and blossomed because of Centium GuestPoint. From the moment Karen Baele (sales department) and the Centium support team entered The Sage N Sand our life and our employees lives has become so much less complicated and pleasant! I'm going to say one more time "HIGHLY RECOMENDED!"

Pros

Centium GuestPoint software has totally changed us and how we manage our business! Less paperwork/More organization and has cut book keeping costs in half! Manages housekeeping/Assures employee accountability and prevents employee theft. On line booking has never been easier for us and for our customers. GuestPoint has provided us with a booking page that links directly from our website and community page, this has increased our business immensely! GuestPoints comfort and ease to Audit/Control Statistics/Rates and Inventory on and off property is wonderful! The customer support/setup and training is OUTSTANDING! "HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!" GuestPoint has changed our lives! CAN'T SAY ENOUGH!!!

Cons

We have had GuestPoint up and running for a little over 6 month....... Absolutly NO disappointments or complaints! It truly has changed our business and our lives!

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.

GuestPoint - Benefits far outweigh costs.....

Pros

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.

Cons

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

Events Air User & Customer Review

Pros

I use events air before an event and during the event that I have produced. They truly are a "start-to-finish" technology. I am able to set up registration links for attendees to fill out that directly input into the software on our side once they are complete. I am able to make each event their own code to be accessed by attendees and employees including all of the event information, attendee information, and other details specific to each event. After the event is over, I am able to collect surveys that attendees fill out directly on the app!!! Again, a "start-to-finish" product. I love it. Not to mention, they build the product to suit your needs!

Cons

A few glitches here and there when we first introduced the software in app form at an event, but it was to be expected. These things happen and it was quickly resolved.

Didn't live up to any of my expectations.

Pros

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.

Cons

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.

Events Air user

I am happy with the flexibility that Events Air has to offer - the interactive sites, the merged documents, the apps - it has all the requirements that you have for an event, and I have to give a shout out to one of their consultants who did a good job in providing us what we needed, from training to support. I recommend those who have ongoing events to use this product.

Pros

the flexibility and it is fit for very complex events

Cons

the reporting needs to be improved. it can be faster :)

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.

Great for new hotel

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

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.

My review

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

Great! Besides Minor Issues

Pros

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

Cons

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

Great service

Love customer service. Cost friendly too! Fantastic product

Pros

Easy to use

Cons

None