Joining up POS, inventory and vendors in hotels and restaurants.

In many hospitality businesses, the point of sale, the stock register, the accounts and the supplier invoices live in separate places. People bridge the gaps with spreadsheets.

The flow worth connecting

1. An order is taken at the table or online.
2. The kitchen display routes it to the right station.
3. Recipes deduct ingredients from stock.
4. Low stock triggers a purchase suggestion.
5. Goods arrive and are matched to the order and invoice.
6. Payments and sales feed the accounts.

What improves

Less wastage, fewer stock-outs, faster closing, a daily view of cost against sales and a record of every discount and void.

Multiple vendors

Keep a supplier master with price lists, delivery history and payment status, so purchasing compares quotes rather than guessing.

Property management

For hotels, link room billing, restaurant charges and banquet orders to the guest folio. Housekeeping and maintenance tasks can flow from the same system.

Approach

Start with the part that hurts most, often stock or billing. Integrate with the tools already in use through their interfaces, and only replace what cannot be connected.

Control and audit

Role-based permissions and an audit trail on voids, refunds and discounts protect the business.

Support

Applications should be built or integrated to the property’s own style of working, with training and ongoing support under an agreed service level.