Maestro PMS Software

Used it for 7 years

I'll have to admit that in 9 years working in hotels that I've only used 2 PMS programs. Of the two, I strongly preferred Maestro. I've used Maestro as a front desk agent, night auditor, front office manager, and general manager. Once past the learning curve, and with repeated use, you can fly through the program quicker than the computer can refresh... at least I could :)

Pros

Once you get past the learning curve, it's very easy to use and move quickly through the program. It is a great program for all aspects of managing hotel be it inventory and rate management, guest management, reservations, sales, accounting. I'm sure in 7 years I've used it, I didn't get to use every function since there was just so much.

What I liked most was that it is quick and easy to access a lot of information (guest, company, or group info or history / room availability and pricing / accounting and sales figures). This was very helpful since easy flow of information is vital to a hotel running smoothly.

When loading rates, I particularly liked that I could set automatic rate adjustments base on parameters such as dates, day of the week, occupancy, room type, or a combination of any of the aforementioned. This automation meant that if sudden inventory changes occurred on the rare occasion that I was not working, the rates would increase or decrease to achieve the best average daily rate and occupancy.

Managing inventory was very easy with Maestro. Even with 9 different room types, I could use various reports to see overall occupancy, occupancy by room types, and also by specific rooms.

I could go on. It is a very solid PMS program and I would use it again.

Cons

The only real dislike that I had with this program was the learning curve. Because the particular Maestro PMS we used was easier to use without using a computer mouse, it was essential to learn the mnemonics (ALT- letter combo) of every function. I still remember that to get to reservations was ALT-I-R. This was was complicated by the fact that sometimes the ALT-letter combo varied between different tasks even though they were similar tasks. The best way to explain is an example: In a guest reservation, to access notes I would key in ALT-I-N, in a group reservation, I would have to key in ALT-I-T.

Customizable PMS on MSDOS platform easy on server resources

Pros

The vendor Northwind is outstanding. Great support. Great sales team. They listen to customers and worked closely with our team to understand our software needs, IT resources, personnel, and our customers. Their attention to our needs helped their product stand out as the right fit for our resort. We purchased the highest level of support and they have gone above and beyond to deliver what we need.

Maestro has countless customized and customizable options. It has numerous modules for the different operations of a resort like ours.

Cons

Northwind is based in Canada, so we changed our phone plan to package calls to Maestro tech support.

Maestro has a basic GUI design. User interface has the outdated look, feel, and functionality of a text-based interface. Menu bar and menu lists are not intuitive and some lists are 20 items long making it hard to find menu items. Copy and paste only available in text entry boxes. Cumbersome, not intuitive. Although the data can be found, it can take 10-12 steps to locate it.

Best PMS for independent properties

The best thing about Maestro PMS is the support team associated with the product. From the rep. in the analytics department, to the one in customer support, every team member you interact with is there to help you in any way they can.

Pros

Availability to create the system as we see fit! The opportunities to customize our property to our liking is very beneficial! The analytics that come with the PMS are outstanding!

Cons

Connectivity to other programs. We have had a very difficult time finding a CRM that has two-way communication with Maestro.

Fantastic customer support drives feature rich PMS

Pros

The hospitality industry is about people - connecting people, servicing people, and other various interactions. Having a key software vendor that is also about people is invaluable. The support staff at Maestro are what sets them apart from their competition - the Canadian hospitality is on full display here.

Cons

As is common with PMS suites, the interface is a bit dated in its look. The HTML version is a bit more polished however.

Maestro is dynamic but can be complicated at times. Support is excellent though!

Pros

There are a lot of possibilities within the program to make it ideal for a variety of companies. The support team are excellent and I can tell Maestro wants to make things work for their clients.

Cons

Trying to figure out the best way to do some things can be difficult, and certain things that are seemingly simple are often a lot more complicated than they should be

Northwind Great

We are an independent property and Northwind PMS has the ability to do everything we need plus more. Also, NORTHWIND staff is excellent!

A great experience using this platform.

Pros

After the initial handover and training some systems can be difficult to use, not this one, Nice and easy to use with some great information to hand. Makes life so much easier with the way things are processed.

Cons

Some more work could be done to the interface to bring it more up to date with the fast-paced industry.

It's a good system

Pros

The UI is very intuitive and easy on the eyes. Not a lot of searching for the functions I need. It functions well enough, has similar features to other PMS programs I've used.

Cons

I don't really have any cons to add, it's a typical PMS. They all have pluses and minuses but they basically do the same thing.

Great experience

Pros

The product is great and easy to use once you have had training on it. The vendor is amazing and the support has been excellent.

Cons

The only thing I like least about this product is that yes means no and the no means yes.

I have used Maestro since May of 2012....primary usage is the Sales & Catering module. Love it!

I find Maestro to be very intuitive when learning the system...great ease of use. The interfaces have greatly simplified and enhanced our ability to communicate within the property management system. Most importantly, the customer service is beyond 5 star! Quick response from caring and concerned partners. I highly recommend Maestro!