It's probably the experience of colleagues who have integrated hotel IT, and it's often a simple and complicated thing to do with the system.Network billing systemThe interface with the PMS is a regular but often problematic link."Some room's in.", which allows you to check out. The billing system automatically activates or disables the network privileges of the corresponding room and returns the Internet consumption records to PMS so that the front desk can settle the accounts in a uniform manner.
This is the case, but there are a number of technical and operational complexities in the actual interface process that, if not addressed well, may create problems of data non-synchronization, miscalculation or even failure to settle accounts.
The interface is now multi-systemed. The interface protocol in the mainstream is three types: HTNG standard interface, PMS manufacturers own API, and older generation databases written directly. The HTNG interface is theoretically most regulated, but there are only a limited number of supporting vendors, and the same HTNG standards differ from one manufacturer to another."We'll be able to connect directly with HTNG.". The manufacturer’s own API requires individual access to documents, with high flexibility and low standardization. Databases are the oldest way to write down, stable but high safety risks, and new projects are rarely recommended.
On the technology path, there are two logical directions for web-based billing systems and PMS interfaces.PMS active.The other is the API status change when PMS actively calls on the network billing system.The billing system is active.: The system timed the PMS order status interface, triggering its own logic based on changes. The former is good in real time but requires that PMS support Webhook or echo interfaces; the latter is simpler, but there are data delays within the round interval and there may be problems with access during window periods for fast-release re-entry.
A pit that is often ignored:Map of room number and network deviceThe PMS records the room number, and the network billing system manages the user MAC address or authentication account. The two require a map: which AP, VLAN is in a room, which equipment belongs to the tenant. If this map has not been created before at the hotel, the docking job will be stuck here. The creation of the table itself requires on-site survey, not purely software.
Another common problem.Time-series for check-outThe front desk checked out the guests in PMS, while the network billing system needed to write down the client's Internet consumption details back to PMS, and both actions were almost simultaneously occurring at the system level. If there was a delay in writing the charges back, the front desk might have completed the check-out without receiving the full bill, resulting in the loss of the network fees."And send out the check-in + the data back."The scene is an important part of the process of checking docking stability.
Compatibility of data formatsThe name of the guest in PMS may be Chinese or English+symphony, and there may be a problem with passing it to the billing system under different coding methods. Time zones and formats for date time fields are often inconsistent across systems, and one field format difference leads to failure in the entire record. At the interface stage, data format validation should be done by field and type, rather than simply measuring the whole process as being completed.
The bug-handling mechanism is an important reflection of the quality of access. When PMS informs PCS customers that they are in, but the network billing system fails (e.g., a temporary collapse of the system), how should this notification be handled? Is it lost or retryed? How many times?
The acceptance test phase suggests that the following scenarios are required: normal occupancy of the activated network, regular check-out stoppage of the network, early check-out (not yet expected), renewal (not yet postponed), multiple house-to-house visits on the same day, and time-consuming PMS interfaces when bills are written back. These are not extreme border cases, but real events in hotel operations."Normal process through"Not enough.
Maintenance of the connection is a frequently overlooked engineering habit. Once the interface is completed, technicians involved in the docking often leave no complete document: which interface version was used? Which fields were empty? What format conversions occurred?"I can use it, but nobody knows how to work."The value of this document is often only really recognized when the first problem arises.
MultiPMS scenarios are also a real challenge in the chain of hotels. Different brands under the corporate flag may use different PMS systems, while web-based billing systems need to interface with multiple PMSs at the same time. This requires that the system support multi- adaptor models in an architecture that allows for separate docking configurations for different PMSs instead of mixing all PMS logic. In this scenario, abstract layers of interface design is particularly important.——The top-level calculation logic does not depend directly on a specific PMS interface format, but rather is driven by a uniform internal interface description, with the bottom adapter responsible for format conversion. This design significantly reduces the development costs of adding an additional PMS fit.
PMS docking is not a one-time exercise. The interface version may change when the PMS system is upgraded; the billing logic needs to be updated in sync when hotel adjustments are made; special billing rules need to be configured if there is an holiday promotion.Network billing systemPart of the long-term operating costs should be taken into account when projects are set up, rather than waiting for repairs to be made on an ad hoc basis.