In early 2023, InnQuest sent out an email to all users of its hotel property management system (PMS) roomMaster 2000 to notify them that the on premise version of the software would stop working at the end of 2024. All hotel clients would have to migrate to roomMaster Cloud or roomMaster Anywhere. One of my hotel clients changed over to roomMaster Cloud recently. There has been several issues with the process from start to finish. Below are some things to be aware of during the transition to help hotels make an informed decision.
What is roomMaster Cloud?
Let’s start at the beginning with a quick overview of what is happening.
roomMaster 2000 is an on premise hotel PMS that is ideal for medium-sized properties up to 100-150 rooms. That means that the hotels have a main computer acting as the server for roomMaster with a central database, and then additional workstations that would access that server over the local network. This allows for multiple users to be accessing the hotel database (i.e. two front desk computers and an office administrator/General Manager) but also allows housekeepers to update the status of rooms being cleaned by dialling from the in-room phone. There were many benefits to having on premise server, but the main one was the ability for the hotel to still function during a power outage as long as the computers were connected to a UPS power backup. The main downside is anyone away from the hotel did not have access without using remote desktop software to connect to the server.
That setup is familiar to anyone who worked in hotels in the late 1990s and were using Opera, Maestro, or a lot of other hotel PMS systems around the world.
roomMaster Cloud takes the server away from the hotel and makes it accessible remotely through the internet using a web browser. This is how most modern hotel PMS systems are now, in addition to the internet in general. Not only does that allow hotels to have as many users as they want connected to the hotel PMS, it allows for InnQuest to upgrade the software more easily. With the on premise version, a support tech would have to set a scheduled time to log into the hotel server and perform the software upgrade manually. With the Cloud, the support team can upgrade more easily at night automatically.
The downsides to using a cloud-based PMS are generally going to be that the system is slower (dependent on your internet connection speed) and the system will be unaccessible if the internet or power goes out completely. In a larger city, this is less of a concern, but in more remote locations, it is something to be aware of.
With the on premise version ending, hotels will have to decide whether to buy a different on premise system (Maestro and Opera being two options) or go through with the conversion to Cloud. The primary reason to go to Cloud is the hotel database will be fully intact – reservations, rates, direct billing accounts, guest profiles, etc. With a new system, there may be a lot of manual entries unless they can import the roomMaster database (which is unlikely). Manually entering the reservations would be a major chore, but doable. The biggest loss if going to a different PMS, in my opinion, is all the guest information and company history disappearing.
Differences
There are very minor differences with Cloud versus roomMaster 17 (latest on premise version). The first difference is accessing the software. At front desk workstations or other computers at the property, there will be a launcher on the desktop. This will open up roomMaster Cloud automatically through the default web browser. Nothing too different there besides the web browser.
With people not at the hotel and want to connect remotely, they will have to first access a different website, sign-in, and then it will redirect them to roomMaster Cloud where you have to sign in again. It behaves differently than expected, and a bit clumsy compared to all the other interfaces we have come to be comfortable with on the web. What appears to happen is a person accesses the first website, enters their credentials, and the system pulls up the correct location of the Cloud server to have you remotely access that computer. There is a Windows log-in screen, but you don’t have access to anything else on that server except for roomMaster (which is understandable).
After you sign-in, the look of roomMaster Cloud is going to be almost identical. There are some minor differences to the look and how things function, but instead of writing them out, it will be best to watch some of the short videos InnQuest prepared. There are 9 videos, roughly 30 mins in length in total, which covers all the differences. I compiled them into a playlist to make it easier for people to watch.
Besides the differences in the software, another difference will be the requirement of a separate keypad to be used to record credit card numbers. A regular keyboard won’t work when entering the credit cards on roomMaster. There are two keypads included with the installation, and it is critical that they be on site before migrating to the Cloud. Be sure to follow-up about the keypads being sent and ask for a tracking number.
The final annoyance has been with file exports. Sending the PDFs by email worked well for guest folios and company statements. In order to save the PDF or CSV files to a computer, a user will have to go through OwnCloud, which is a private OneDrive/Dropbox for companies. From roomMaster Cloud, the file will be exported to OwnCloud, and then 5-20 minutes later, the file is available to transfer from a folder on your personal computer. The delay is a major nuisance and there is no workaround right now. InnQuest support did tell me that they are working on integrating a new solution, but there is no timeline for that to occur.
Next Steps
Assuming you have taken the time to research the options, watched a demo of Cloud, and have decided to go through with the migration to Cloud, the next step is receiving the quote. This process is relatively straight forward (number of rooms, any interfaces required like call recording or connecting to a channel manager like SiteMinder).
The primary thing to be aware of is the contract that is sent out is not the full contract. There is a brief mention of their master services agreement which is linked to but the language is not included in the document you sign. The other thing of note is it was a bit slow communicating with the InnQuest representative. It took a few weeks from the initial email stating we wanted to proceed to a contract being sent to us.
There was also no clear guideline of what was to happen after the contract was signed. The assumption was the next steps would be communicated promptly after the contract was signed. There was no contact for three weeks with anyone. I think part of that was a closure for the Christmas holidays, but I expected something, not radio silence.
When you are contacted by an onboarding agent, there are three appointments:
- First onboarding call to remotely access roomMaster and review the configuration
- Tokenization of the credit cards currently in the system
- Migrating the database to the Cloud and switching the hotel on
The first call is to answer any additional questions you may have about the migration. They also test the internet connection to make sure it meets their requirements of 30 Mbps download and 10 Mbps upload speeds. During this call, it will be important to try to nail down a schedule of when things are going to happen so you can plan. Be sure to provide the information for all the people who are going to remotely log-in (names and email addresses) so their accounts can be setup in advance.
The tokenization of the credit cards is securing the information so it can be transferred to the cloud from one database to another. It does require no one using roomMaster for 10-15 minutes while the process starts, but otherwise roomMaster remains functional. The only limitation during this process is credit cards can’t be authorized or charged. You may also have to restart the server after it’s done. When the tech was completed, the hotel wasn’t informed and received error messages from the server.
The migration of the database is the most important day in the whole process. During this time, roomMaster will not be able to be used. It’s the biggest inconvenience with switching a PMS to a different one. In the case of this hotel, it required some important preparations. I put the list into a Google Doc for everyone to review and modify for their unique situations. Depending on the size of your roomMaster database, there may be some information that won’t be accessible afterwards. This is dependent on the technician eliminating some older information that won’t affect future reservations. It will be best to clarify with the technician what is going to be accessible and what won’t be after the migration.
When Going Live
After the conversion is complete, the front desk agents will be able to sign into roomMaster Cloud using their old credentials. Before ending the call with the technician, there are a few things to be mindful of:
- verify that an account with Admin level authorizations can log in, in case passwords need to be reset for anyone working that night
- verify that remote access is working
- verify that the keypads for credit card numbers is working
- verify that credit card authorizations are working (create a test reservation and run a personal card for $5)
- verify that all the extras connected to roomMaster are working (key card machines, POS, call accounting, channel managers, etc)
This should all be checked by the technician on the call, but wasn’t in my case, which lead to several follow-up calls in the next few days. Dealing with it all at once will be much better for everyone.
The only other thing to add about this whole process is the support office for InnQuest can be terribly slow. For nearly 15 years, I have been working with the InnQuest Canada support office which has been fantastic. It was a bit of a wake-up call dealing with the US office now through all this. Looking at some of the reviews for InnQuest, I don’t seem to be alone.
Other than the process to changeover to roomMaster Cloud, the hotel using it hasn’t had any challenges. All the reservation data transferred over seamlessly, city ledger accounts were accurate, and guest history was all there. It still remains a solid choice for medium-sized properties. A smaller operation or a simpler structure like a motel will like be better off with Little Hotelier or other cloud-based PMS.
If you have any other questions or concerns about this process, and whether roomMaster Cloud is right for your property, feel free to contact me. I will answer your questions to the best of my ability to make sure your process goes more smoothly than it did for me.