The hospitality industry is constantly evolving and adapting to changing customer expectations, market trends, and technological innovations. One of the most significant shifts in recent years has been the adoption of Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) solutions for various aspects of timeshare resort and hotel operations and management.

SaaS is a cloud-based delivery model that allows users to access software applications over the Internet without installing or maintaining them on their own servers. SaaS providers host and maintain the software at a remote location and charge users a subscription fee based on usage or features.  Merlin follows the SaaS business model.

SaaS offers many benefits for hotels and timeshare resorts, such as:

•  Lower and more predictable costs:

SaaS eliminates the need for large upfront investments in hardware, software licenses, installation, and maintenance. You can pay only for what you use and scale up or down as needed. SaaS also reduces the risk of obsolescence and ensures that you always have access to the latest features and updates.

•  Increased efficiency and productivity:

SaaS enables you to automate and streamline various processes, such as reservations, check-in, check-out, housekeeping, billing, reporting, and more. SaaS also improves data accuracy and availability, as all information is stored securely in the cloud and can be accessed from any device at any time. SaaS also facilitates collaboration and communication among staff members and departments, as well as with external partners and vendors.

•  Enhanced guest experience:

SaaS can allow you to offer more personalized and engaging services to your guests, such as online booking, mobile check-in, digital keys, loyalty programs, feedback surveys, and more. SaaS also helps you to collect and analyse guest data and preferences and use them to create targeted offers and recommendations. SaaS also enables you to integrate with other platforms and channels, such as social media, online travel agencies (OTAs), review sites, etc., to increase your visibility and reputation.

•  Real-time distribution and expanded reach:

SaaS enables you to connect and distribute your inventory across multiple online channels in real-time, such as OTAs, global distribution systems (GDS), etc. This helps you to increase your occupancy rates, revenue per available room (RevPAR), and market share. SaaS also allows you to manage your rates and availability dynamically based on demand and competition.

Some examples of SaaS solutions for the hospitality industry are:

•  Property management system (PMS):

A PMS is a software application that helps you to manage your daily operations, such as reservations, front desk, housekeeping, billing, reporting, etc. A cloud-based PMS offers more flexibility, scalability, security, and integration than a traditional on-premise PMS. Merlin is an example of a cloud-based PMS.

•  Channel manager:

A channel manager is a software application that helps you to distribute your room inventory across multiple online channels in real-time. A channel manager also helps you to avoid overbooking and rate parity issues by synchronizing your rates and availability across all channels. Some examples of channel managers are SiteMinder and Travel Tripper/Pegasus.  Merlin has integration with both of these channel managers.

•  Revenue management system (RMS):

An RMS is a software application that helps you to optimize your pricing strategy based on demand forecasting, market analysis, competitor data, etc. An RMS also helps you to increase your RevPAR by applying dynamic pricing techniques. Some examples of RMSs are Duetto, IDeaS, Atomize, etc.

How Merlin Software can help:

Merlin Software for Vacation Ownership is a cloud-based software solution designed specifically for timeshare resorts. It includes a range of features, including a channel manager, a revenue management system and a complete property management system and a wide range of web apps.

To learn more, arrange a demo with Mark Thomas.