New Cloudbeds user experience research found that while hotel employees generally rate their PMS highly in terms of usability and productivity, issues like system complexity, slow learning curves, and poor integrations create daily frustrations that can directly impact staff retention.
Cloudbeds’ PMS User Experience Report also found that despite advances in technology and automation, PMS training remains a highly manual process, with over two-thirds of employees receiving in-person training from a supervisor or coworker. Coupled with high staff turnover, this means that training is an almost continuous process, reinforcing the need for intuitive technology that minimises onboarding time.
Adam Harris, Co-Founder and CEO of Cloudbeds, commented: “When it comes to hotel technology, user experience isn’t just a nice-to-have. It’s the difference between spending time with guests or spending time navigating software. The right PMS platform should drive productivity, reduce training time, and increase employee confidence – not create additional hurdles.”
Key research findings include:
Complexity slows trust. More than half of managers (52.2%) said it takes staff at least four months – and up to three years – to confidently use their PMS.
Training is still manual. 73% of employees received PMS training from a supervisor or coworker, keeping managers busy with training rather than focusing on guests.
Efficiency drives satisfaction. Hotel employees cited too many clicks, too many manual tasks, and lack of integration with other technology as their top PMS pain points.
PMS experience impacts staff retention. 38% of hotel employees reported that PMS ease of use influenced their decision to leave a job.
The study, conducted in collaboration with NYU professors Dr. Vanja Bogicevic and Dr. Olena Ciftci, is based on a survey of 500 hotel employees working with PMS platforms at independent hotels and small chains in the US, UK, Canada, Mexico and Spain, offering a global perspective on the challenges and impact of hotel technology.