Restaurant, bar, and room service sales present a key opportunity for hotels to bring in additional revenue. But with half of hotel guests reporting that they eat out or order takeout from alternative restaurants during a stay, hoteliers need to find a way to entice guests to dine in.*
Smooth, frictionless service is a good place to start, and a POS system can deliver just that. This article covers what these solutions are, what challenges they help hotels face, and seven top hotel POS systems to consider.
Are you a hospitality tech startup looking to build your brand’s reputation through strategic PR? Drop us a line.
What is a hotel POS system?
Long gone are the days of ledgers and guest folios; modern hotels use POS systems to record guest transactions and collect payments.
POS stands for “point of sale,” and in the hotel industry, it’s the smart hotel technology that facilitates transactions between the hotel and the guest. Hotel point of sale systems are often used for food and beverage transactions, such as in restaurants and bars.
A POS system can collect payments in a number of ways, including room charges, credit and debit charges, mobile wallets, and cash. This flexibility helps ensure guests have the most comfortable, convenient experience possible.
How does a hotel POS system work?
A hotel POS system works by recording guest transactions, whether that’s dinner for two or a few nightcaps at the bar. Hotel restaurant software integrates with a hotel’s property management system (PMS) to automatically post charges to a guest’s room and sync with the final bill during checkout.
Hotel POS systems can also:
- Display digital menus in F&B outlets and send orders directly to the kitchen
- Track and monitor item and inventory availability
- Generate real-time reports on sales, peak hours, inventory usage, and profit margins
What’s the difference between a POS and a PMS?
While the two tools should work together effortlessly, POS and PMS solutions are very distinct systems. POS systems are used to record transactions and are central to F&B operations. Typically a hotel’s restaurant staff, bartenders, spa receptionists, and gift shop attendants will use its POS system.
On the other hand, a PMS handles the guest and reservation management side of the equation. These systems help hotels track reservations, assign rooms, facilitate check-in and check-out, generate invoices, manage room inventory, report on occupancy rates and revenue, and even optimize pricing.
A hotel’s front desk staff, reservations team, and managers will typically use a PMS in their day-to-day operations. And while these tools are used by different teams, they need to connect in order to prevent billing errors and provide a smooth guest experience.
How do a POS and a PMS work together?
Here’s an example of how these two solutions interact:
- A guest has dinner at the hotel restaurant and the POS system takes the order.
- If the guest wants to charge their meal to their room, the POS communicates with the PMS to confirm the guest’s details and post the charge.
- At check-out, the PMS shows all charges (room + POS), so the guest pays everything in one go.
What challenges do POS systems solve for hotels?
POS systems aren’t just another hotel technology trend; the right solution can mark the difference between a clunky guest experience and one that exceeds their expectations. Take a look at some of the challenges this software solves for hotels.
1. Operational inefficiencies
Hotels work with multiple F&B revenue centers, and manually managing and tracking these transactions can lead to errors and eat into hotel staff time. Hotel point of sale software eliminates inefficiencies by managing all guest transactions on a centralized platform, regardless of where they sat down for a drink or a meal.
2. Inventory management challenges
Manually tracking inventory at hotel F&B outlets can lead to over-ordering, food waste, or stockouts. A POS system automatically updates inventory and stock levels to trigger reorders. These systems also provide data on usage trends so hotels can reduce waste and maximize profit margins.
3. Billing mistakes
Without the right tech stack, hotels can face costly billing mistakes. POS systems integrate with a hotel’s PMS to ensure that food, beverages, spa services, and other purchases are correctly billed to the guest’s account in real time.
4. Lack of real-time insights
Hotel managers need real-time data to make informed decisions. POS systems provide detailed sales reports and customer behavior insights to help managers adjust staffing, menus, and pricing strategies when it matters most.
5. Inconsistent guest experience
Guests expect a seamless experience throughout their stay, from the moment they arrive through their dining experience and until they check out. And disjointed systems can cause delays or inconsistencies in service delivery. A fully integrated POS enables faster service and consistency across all guest touchpoints.
The 7 best hotel POS systems
1. Access EPoS: Best for small and mid-sized hotels in the UK
While not designed specifically for hotels, Access Hospitality EPoS serves small and mid-sized UK hospitality businesses with intuitive software that helps boost upsells.
Access Hospitality EPos is designed for a range of hospitality businesses, from bars and restaurants to hotel F&B outlets. It’s a touchscreen solution available in table, mobile, quick service, and kiosk formats, so hotels can choose whichever device best fits their needs.
It comes with features like digital ordering systems, stock control, a menu manager, and reporting. And Access’ POS integrates with over 60 software partners, including hotel PMS systems like Mews and Zonal, to keep your tech stack connected and automate the transfer of guest data between your systems.
Pricing: Pricing for the Access Hospitality EPoS isn’t available online, but you can request a quote on the website.
What customers are saying:
- “[Support] has been fantastic throughout, from showing us the systems, breaking down and working with us on our quote and onboarding us!” – Trustpilot review
- “[Moving to Access EPoS] was like day and night with our previous EPoS provider. We took over £1.5m during the six-week period, and lost just 15p, which was incredible.” – Customer testimonial
2. Mews POS: Best for hotels that use the Mews PMS
Designed specifically with hotel restaurants in mind, Mews POS enables users to connect to the Mews PMS for a frictionless guest experience.
While Mews is most known for its popular PMS, the company also offers the Mews POS for hotels looking to streamline F&B operations, from FOH to behind the scenes. Staff use handheld terminals to collect payments from guests, or guests can scan a QR code and pay from their mobile device.
Because the PMS and POS are so seamlessly connected, hotels never have to worry about double charging or costly mistakes, and guests can charge restaurant purchases to their room with zero friction. Plus, the software helps hotels protect their bottom line with features like inventory management and menu tracking.
Pricing: Pricing for Mews hotel POS software isn’t available online, but you can request a quote on the website.
What customers are saying:
- “Mews is a system that challenges the status quo and redefines hospitality technology for the future. Transitioning from outdated legacy PMS and POS systems to a platform that evolves and improves weekly is a game-changer for our properties.” – Hotel Tech Report review
- “MEWS is a very modern PMS/POS. The ease of use and the large number of integrations make daily workflows easier and enable the best service for guests. Automation in many areas can save a lot of time and minimize sources of error, thus eliminating errors.” – Hotel Tech Report review
3. Lightspeed POS: Best for hotels with multiple restaurants and locations
Managing various F&B outlets on one unified platform is effortless with the Lightspeed Hotel POS.
The Lightspeed Hotel POS plugs into popular PMS options like Cloudbeds, ThinkReservations, and Stayntouch to keep all a hotel’s systems connected. Thanks to these integrations, guests can charge their restaurant purchases directly to their room, or they can choose to pay with card or mobile payments via a payment terminal.
The platform lets hoteliers track guest purchases all in one place, whether they’re ordering room service or getting a drink at the pool. The system also syncs this data to track inventory and automate reorders. Lightspeed’s customer-facing display is a branded iPad screen, while an intuitive Kitchen Display System streamlines communication from FOH to BOH.
Pricing: Lightspeed offers various plan options for its hotel restaurant POS systems:
- Essential starts from $189 and comes with a customizable POS, menu manager floor plans, advanced insights, integrated payments, and more.
- Premium starts from $399 and comes with everything the Essential plan covers, plus multiple revenue center support for hotels and raw API access.
- Enterprise plans are available with custom quotes only, offering a personalized solution that comes with unlimited consultation services and a dedicated support team.
What customers are saying:
- “The thing that’s really helped us the most with Lightspeed and been the best feature, has been the increase in speed of service. The second that the order is taken, it gets fired back to the kitchen and the kitchen is working on it” – Customer testimonial
- “Lightspeed is one of the deepest restaurant POS systems out there. It has lots of features that other systems lack and there’s plenty of room to grow. Best of all, their support is amazing. They are very proactive about customer success and open to new feature suggestions; they’ll even get in touch to let you know they implemented your ideas! Always improving, always dynamic, never static.” – G2 review
4. Toast POS: Best for hotels with complex F&B operations
A leading restaurant POS, Toast syncs with popular PMS solutions to keep guest transaction data connected.
While Toast also serves restaurants, bars, and other hospitality businesses, it has a designated hotel POS system that connects with popular PMS solutions to sync guest transaction data. Users can look up a guest by name or room number on the POS, then update the guest’s folio with bills, sales categories, and item-level details.
The platform offers a number of different ordering options, including a handheld POS, self-ordering kiosk, and in-room mobile ordering. Hotels can even connect the POS to Toast’s team management suite to speed up onboarding and simplify payroll.
Pricing: Toast offers a free Starter Kit, but the POS package starts at $69/month. You can build your own package, which entails custom pricing, and add features like payroll and scheduling.
What customers are saying:
- “Toast is a very user-friendly POS System. They make it easy for business owners to get set up and get all of their technology connected and working seamlessly. They integrate with a lot of other technology, which helps mitigate manual data entry.” – G2 review
- “I loved how easy the POS system was to operate and all the additional features Toast has compared to other POS systems. Also, the handheld tablets make service 100% more efficient.” – Capterra review
5. Square POS: Best for growing hotels with a limited budget
While not specifically designed for hotels, the Square POS helps small operations provide better service to guests without breaking the bank.
Square is a popular name in the POS world. And while it’s not typically associated with hotels or the hospitality industry, it’s a good option for smaller operations that need a budget-friendly POS. Quick order entry helps hotels offer fast, convenient service, and auto 86 and item counts keep menus accurate and up-to-date.
Despite being a generalist POS platform, Square connects with hospitality tech tools that help you improve your operations and the guest experience. For example, its integration with Room Charge enables guests to charge purchases directly to their room. Just note that the platform doesn’t connect with any PMS software, which may be a limitation for large hotels.
Pricing: Square offers a Free plan, and the Plus plan starts at $29/month plus fees. You can also build a bespoke Premium package for a custom fee, plus tack on extras like payroll, invoices, and loyalty features.
What customers are saying:
“Square Point of Sale is incredibly user-friendly and intuitive, making it easy for staff to quickly learn and use with minimal training. It allows for fast transactions, detailed sales tracking, and provides real-time analytics.” – G2 review
“The software has so many features available, which gives business owners a variety of services to choose from. Best of all, their prices are very fair for what they offer. This is wonderful for small businesses, especially starting out, because it doesn’t break the bank and it’s a very professional software.” – Capterra review
6. Clover POS: Best for boutique hotels that want professional hardware
With Clover, small hotels can still access sleek POS hardware that wows guests and enhances professionalism.
While Clover is built for restaurants, it’s still a great option for hotel F&B outlets. It offers state-of-the-art hardware with advanced features like POS terminals that operate with LTE connectivity and fingerprint sensors to permit staff access.
Customizable reports enable hotels to track sales trends, pinpoint popular items, identify busy times in restaurants and bars, and view overall and hourly revenue. Just note that like Square, this POS doesn’t connect with any PMS systems, which could be a limiting factor for larger hotel chains.
Pricing: Clover states that businesses can pay as little as 2.3% + 10¢ per transaction. However, plans for full-service dining start at $179/month for 36 months for a Starter plan and go up to $354/month for 36 months for an Advanced plan.
What customers are saying:
- “Honestly the best POS system I have used… Clover has been the most reliable and consistent, and not to mention the most versatile and customizable. Oh and the POS machines look aesthetically pleasing too!” – Software Advice review
- “When setting up our clover account, we had minimal issues. The customer service team is always responsive and quick to answer any questions we may have. Our rates are phenomenal – the lowest rate % we have been able to find! Everything you need is right on your clover device – inventory, prices, adding discounts, receipts…” – Capterra review
7. TouchBistro POS: Best for hotels that want in-depth F&B reporting and analytics
TouchBistro’s POS goes beyond ordering and payment processing to give hoteliers insights into how to improve their F&B offering and operations.
TouchBistro is more than a POS for the hospitality industry; it offers restaurant management solutions for both FOH and BOH that can help hotels improve their F&B processes and boost revenue. The mobile POS is useful for both guest management and payment processing, and features like table and floor plan management help hotels provide the best possible dining experience to guests.
Hotels can also create multiple menus for different times of the day, as well as adjust menu items for in-person versus online or room service orders. And more than 50 reports, from sales data to staff performance, give hoteliers and managers the hotel data analytics they need to increase F&B revenue and provide better service.
Pricing: TouchBistro’s POS solution starts at $69/month. Hotels can reach out to get a custom quote for other FOH and BOH solutions like customer-facing display, inventory management, and reservations.
What customers are saying:
- “I love how user-friendly and intuitive the TouchBistro platform is. It requires very little training, and I can often find what I need quickly by using the help function. I’ve also had great experiences with customer service over the phone. I also like the fact that this integrates easily with several of the other programs we use.” – G2 review
- “I love the ease of use… along with performance, financial reporting, and all the rest. We keep discovering new features that allow us to be more and more accurate and efficient behind the counter. Support is also always really helpful and available whenever we need them!” – Capterra review
Hotel POS systems for smoother F&B operations and happier guests
From time-saving automation to a smoother guest experience, there are plenty of reasons why a POS system should form part of any modern hotel’s tech stack. The best hotel POS system is one that fits a hotel’s unique needs; that means it should integrate with its PMS, offer hardware that aligns with the property’s image, and fit seamlessly into F&B operations.
And for hotel technology companies and POS providers looking to demonstrate the value of their solution to potential customers, Abode Worldwide can help you do just that.
Behind every great proptech brand is Abode, and we can help you build a halo of trust and influence that sends your brand reputation skyward and draws in more customers than ever before.
Are you a hospitality tech startup looking to build your brand’s reputation through strategic PR? Drop us a line.
*50% of guests order in or dine out when staying in a hotel, CGA
