Many hotels look at WiFi certification and ask:"Can we get a connection to our PMS?"Vendors usually answer."Yeah."But this."Yeah."What exactly is behind this? What details are in the project that require attention, and what is clear below.
PMS docking to solve what's wrong?
If not, the most common way to authenticate WiFi is to get PMSs: guests go on to WiFi, cell phone pops up a certificate page, enter a mobile phone number, receive a authentication code, enter a certification code, access through authentication. The process is not complicated, but it takes a few steps for customers and is not sufficiently sensitive to the experience of the place in which they live.
The authentication process is tied to the entry process after PMS has been connected. When a guest is checked in, the PMS produces the number of the room, name and time of residence. The authentication system reads these data from PMS, and only needs to enter the number of the room and initials of the name spell on WiFi and the certification is approved without additional text messages.
From the client’s point of view: you can get in and out, automatically off.
Technical path of PMS docking certification system
There are usually two kinds of docking:
One is the certification system that actively reads PMS databases, uses API or database interfaces to access guest information (room number, name, resident status), store it in the user library of the authentication system, and direct access to local data when a client authenticates. The benefits of this approach are that the authentication response is quick and does not depend on PMS for real time online, and the disadvantages are that PMS is required to open the database or API access rights, which are more demanding than PMS requirements.
The other is a real-time query on authentication. Guests enter room numbers and name spelling, the authentication system initiates queries to PMS in real time after receiving a request, the certification system returns results, the authentication system decides to release or reject them as a result.
Both approaches are used, which is more appropriate for the PMS open interface depending on the hotel and the real-time requirements for data.
The matching of different PMSs is not as difficult.
This is a point that can easily be ignored when selecting a model.
There are many PMS brands on the market: Opera, Western Soft, Cyclops, Clouds, and others, each with a different interface specification, field definition, and authentication protocol. If the certification system provider has not previously taken over the PMS brand that your hotel is using, the project will need to have an interface development, with uncertain work schedules and higher risks.
The actual project saw the signing of contracts, the deployment of systems and finally the pMS docking step, which was then re-readed for months, with clients only certified by text message and PMS docking becoming a distant event.
So, in the selection phase, you ask: Which PMSs have you been with? Can you provide a match-up case, contact the client for confirmation? How long is the guarantee of the job tenure? Who is responsible for the problem? These questions are much more useful than watching the product introduce PDF.
De-allocation mechanism following PMS docking
The PMS and the authentication system are unstable, which directly affects whether or not the occupants can access the Internet. If there is a problem with PMS (e.g. two pm PMS service hangs up at night), the guest will be admitted at this time, the room number + name spelling will fail to authenticate, and the front desk will receive complaints if it does not know what to do.
A robust program requires a downgrade mechanism: when PMS interfaces are not available, the certification system automatically switches to alternative authentication (e.g. text message certification) so that the occupants can still access the Internet instead of being stuck. The mechanism needs to be clearly identified at the programme design stage and cannot wait for problems before patching them up.
The PMS docking at the hotel chain is more complicated.
For hotels connected, PMS is usually deployed in a uniform manner throughout the country, with a system shared by the various shops."A national account.": Guests are registered at Shenzhen Gate, they go to Beijing Gate and the WiFi certification is issued directly without re-registration.
The experience relies on the certification platform to centrally manage account data, no local accounts are kept in the stores and all authentication requests are sent to the HQ certification server. The good news is that if there is a problem with the HQ certification server, all the shops will be affected simultaneously, and the high demand for servers is much higher than the single store.
In addition, the question of data access for PMS docking in a chain setting needs to be addressed specifically: the authentication system only requires reading room numbers, residence status, and initials, without requiring full personal information from the client.
PMS is not a suitable match for all hotels.
For small hotels with no more than 50 rooms, the PMS docking is not necessarily worth the cost of matching back."Experience Upgrade"Do a highly complex docking project.
PMS interfaces are more appropriate: medium-sized and large hotels, chains, four or five stars of hotel life, and the diversity of IT literacy among residents (e.g., a larger group of elderly people), where fewer operational steps are needed.