Scope
1. Deploying and integrating a point of sale and inventory management system for a major hotel
2. Writing and implementing an API to allow posting of sales to multiple “folios” on the hotel guest booking system
3. Generating comprehensive sales and inventory reports
4. User training
5. 40 users
Summary
Tyle was engaged to replace a large hotel's point of sale (POS) solution and create an integration for posting guest purchase data from the restaurant and bar to the legacy booking system. During our initial discussions, we conducted several deep dive sessions with the hotel's management and staff to identify the strengths and pain points of their current system. Understanding the current process flows was crucial to minimize negative impacts during the go-live phase, which was scheduled during the busy Christmas period. We successfully deployed the solution in the middle of their Christmas rush with minimal impact on daily operations.
Design
We collaborated with the international vendor for our client's hotel management system and gained access to a sandbox environment for API development. This environment allowed us to access the source code of the client-side software and begin designing our API. Understanding the architecture of the client-side software and the interaction between various guest and desk folios with the financial reporting components was essential.
The alpha version of the API was completed after one sprint, and initial sandbox tests were successful. After another sprint, we submitted the API for beta testing and final certification.
Tech Stack
· API consumer: Written in Python
· Custom app: Developed using HTML, CSS, JavaScript, Bootstrap, and jQuery
Challenges
The client-side software documentation was outdated, requiring us to meet with the vendor twice to adjust a few pull request formats and one security requirement.
Implementation
After testing and certification, we began importing the customer's inventory and product categories. We deployed a custom application for guest expense reporting, which is used by customers needing comprehensive invoice breakdowns for expense submissions. We also tested our integration for room and guest folio syncing.
On the POS, we configured taxes, tips, and tax removal for specific scenarios. We set up front-of-house and kitchen printers and began the process of user access control setup. This involved importing employees into our HRMS platform, which is synced with the POS solution, and granting access based on a user access control template completed by the client. We also configured custom sale scenarios to be automated on the system, such as automatic happy hours, which reduced pricing at the POS terminal based on specific times of day.
Training
Training was conducted over two days, with various shifts coming in to be trained on their respective process flows. Our team set up two terminals in the training room and granted all users access to a sandbox environment. The training included both presentation-style and hands-on sessions. Users were also provided with a manual outlining general process flows as highlighted by management.
Outcomes
· Cost Savings: We saved our client approximately $5,000 USD per year by moving to our platform.
· Efficiencies: We reduced the workload for the client's finance team by 30% through our comprehensive sales and inventory reporting features. Deploying our dashboard provided the client with real-time access to sales and staff data, which was a significant change. The client specifically highlighted the cloud infrastructure as a key benefit, as it allowed management to make adjustments and approvals to the system even when they were not physically on-site.
· User Experience: The average time to create an order was significantly reduced due to the user-friendliness of our interface.