innRoad

Benefits:

After looking at several other systems, including a couple of the ones aimed at large, chain hotels, innRoad seemed to be the best designed for the small, single location business. We are very new to this business, so anything that could clearly improve our operations and sales is a bonus. A few things we do that are somewhat unique require creating workarounds that aren't as precise as would be ideal, but the customization available is great. Customer support and training has been really good, as well, leaving me in no doubt that the vendor actually does care about their customers. Even on a holiday, you can get live help on the phone quickly. The channel management features got us quickly online with major OTAs so we could get loads more exposure than traditional advertising would for the same cost. Already we are up 73% in sales over the same time period in the previous year! Of course, your mileage may vary. The pricing is also very competitive. I would not say it is the lowest I found, but based on every point I compared among systems, the system returns good value for the cost.

Drawbacks:

We have a vacation rental component to the way we do business that doesn't really fit the traditional inn model. This software is clearly aimed those businesses that hew closely to the inn model. I agree that their focus is entirely appropriate, but managing the kind of group bookings we do is a little harder than it would be using a system designed for vacation rentals. That said, vacation rental-based systems are far more limited in their overall scope. My only other nit to pick is that a few of the functions scattered throughout the system don't always respond reliably, but this may be more a function of the system being web-based, rather than run from a local server.

Benefits:

Support staff seem to know everything about the system, and there is so much this system can do. It really can handle all of your booking needs, but there is a lot to learn.There are videos and instructions on the help site, but it's nice to have real people to walk you thru the steps when you aren't computer savvy.

Drawbacks:

The overseas team is very kind, but not completely knowledgeable about the product. They know the basics, and can certainly help, but the weekday crew is much more knowledgeable if you are really confused about something.

In sum:

We have been using the system for a year. Still learning. I don't know if it has increased business, but it has certainly made us more professional looking and efficient.

Benefits:

I appreciate the availability of support and the patience offered to help me solve problems and get through rough spots.

Drawbacks:

For a person like me who did not grow up with computers, this system seems to have many steps steps that don't make obvious sense.

In sum:

I appreciate the fact that every time I call for support, I am able to talk with someone personally who helps right away. I have never had to be put on hold for an indefinite amount of time. Follow up phone calls were requested by me to be sure I was setting up things correctly after being walked through inventory issues. The consistency of talking with the same person is very helpful.

Benefits:

I have been a customer of InnRoad for 5 years now, and find it very effective for my needs. I am a 45 unit hotel with 4 distinct properties. InnRoad is able to interface all 4 to act as one hotel, while at the same time keeping them distinct and separarate for accounting and configuring purposes. It is very easy to connect with Expedia.com and Booking.com - any rate changes or minimum stay changes I make, as well as availability pass thru to them in real time. I am able to easily add users to my account with varying degrees of access and restrictions, e.g. housekeepers can have their own account and logon to see the calendar to know what units need to be cleaned and when. Reservation input is easy and straightforward. The Tape Chart calendar is easy and straightforward to view with a 30 days out view - a "snapshot" window of any reservation is as simple as pointing to it which is helpful when flying thru your calendar. Customer service is always extremely polite and knowledgeable and utilize screen sharing to make support calls easier. There are many reports and variations of reports that are easy to create. Most importantly, InnRoad is constantly improving their functionality and updating the system. They listen to me as a client and have made changes to their system accordingly. As a long time customer, I can attest that InnRoad has made many upgrades over time - each one make the system better, and am encouraged that more upgrades are continually in the works.

Drawbacks:

Sometimes the system is a little on the slow side when navigating thru the site or when making changes. Sometimes hold times for customer service is way too long. The ability to change any rate for any unit for any time period quickly and easily is not as easy as it should be.

In sum:

Positive business relationship with good product functionality together with good communication and customer service.

Benefits:

Easy to use interface, very intuitive tape chart for current reservations.

Drawbacks:

Some features are difficult to find on your own, but their customer service is excellent.

In sum:

I've been using innRoad for about two years as administrator and daily user, and it's almost effortless compared to our previous booking engine. The staff is always happy to assist and check in on us regularly to make sure that the software is meeting our needs and to inform us of new features.

Benefits:

I manage the hotel and hospitality departments of a golf resort, and our biggest issue when looking for a "21st century" property management system was our variance of taxable items (we charge for green fees that have no taxes in our packages, in the room rate). The implementation staff went above and beyond, with multiple help sessions, to ensure we would have that capability before we signed on with them. In a market of very comparable products, InnRoad staff certainly cares about there customers and end result.

Drawbacks:

The hardest part of switching over our property management system to InnRoad was the added features of online integration. Lot's of options, it was hard to tell what we should prioritize first, but in the end the extended features certainly help!

In sum:

We are looking forward to a continued relationship with InnRoad; their customer service could not be stronger. The software is straight-forward and easy to train on, but in a saturated markety, the customer service certainly stands out as superb.

Benefits:

Customer support is just outstanding. Not only they resolve issues rather promptly, but they are always super helpful and polite. Latest changes also improved software for user.

Drawbacks:

It is not the cheapest option out there. But you get what you pay for. It takes a while until you utilize all features, but I believe that is the result of pretty nice flexibility of the system.

In sum:

Every booking system seems to be complicated at the beginning. But once you get it you are all set with InnRoad. And if you have any questions, their 24/7 phone support is there for you.

Benefits:

As a resort manager using Innroad reservation systems for more than four years. I can say this.. Since we started using our beloved Innroads system, my life has been a lot less stressful and a lot more enjoyable. Innroad has taken our bookings, billings and customer satisfaction to another level. No more overbooking, paper work free and booking on line. Freeing up more than 1/2 the phone calls. This means, we are spending more time with customers in front of you.. We all know how important that is for your social media and reviews. A lot more smiles and laughter around the office now days..

Drawbacks:

Not being able to thank them personally. They give that 100% everytime. Everyone at Innroads has just the right touch to close a conversation with a smile. Thank You all!

Benefits:

Ease of use is definitely a big asset. Whatever we are not able to manage get easily resolved with one phone call to support. Support team is knowledgeable and efficient; calls to support are promptly answered or returned very quickly.

Drawbacks:

We felt that a full calendar of availability was missing and such feature was recently added and it's working great for our guests.

In sum:

Innroad is giving us all the tools necessary (and more!) to manage all aspects for our type of business, which is multiple small properties.

Benefits:

The system is full of options but easy to use. Training and trainers are thorough and knowledgeable about system and patient throughout the process. They are very fast and can get you up and running quickly. Support is around the clock and case workers are there to assist with guidance. There online tools and tutorials

Drawbacks:

I signed up too early and should have waited to implement as I opened much later. Very impressive sales experience that took awhile to regain my confidence during implementation. Certain limitations, such as multiple persons in one room are not very well managed. The work around to get two names in one room is not acceptable as it alters the contact/billing information and eliminates the possibility of different prefixes for two individuals and the contact is associated with the payment processing. There are limitations to the marketing sources and sub-sources that need to be corrected, as they were clearly intended for use and were used by the first operators one can see.

In sum:

I am very impressed that I have a full property management system with back office accounting for a monthly fee and no investment. It includes a booking engine and mobile app, allowing me to have a system that compares in many ways to the property management systems of the industry giants.