Property Management System And Integration
A Property Management System (PMS) is a pivotal tool for efficiently overseeing real estate assets, commonly employed in the hospitality sector, including hotels and resorts. Its integration with various other systems is imperative for streamlining operations and optimizing overall efficiency. By integrating with reservation systems, financial platforms, and customer databases, a PMS ensures that essential information such as guest details, reservations, and billing is consistently updated and easily accessible from a centralized hub. This integration not only automates mundane tasks like check-ins and check-outs but also enhances accuracy by eliminating manual data entry errors. Real-time updates on room availability and pricing contribute to informed decision-making, while the seamless flow of information between different departments improves the guest experience. The primary advantages of adopting the Oracle Hospitality ecosystem lie not only in the effectiveness and affordability of their solution, but also in the way it has revolutionized the way businesses function. Specifically, OHIP offers flexibility, the capacity to innovate hotel operations, and the opportunity to improve the guest experience.
What is Oracle Hospitality Integration Platform (OHIP)
The Oracle Hospitality Integration Platform (OHIP) is a gateway solution that has been carefully designed to enable safe and efficient connectivity across various hotel systems, apps, and data sources. Property Management Systems (PMS), Point of Sale (POS) systems, Central Reservation Systems (CRS), Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems, and other hotel systems are integrated, organized, and managed through OHIP's centralized platform. Because of its flexibility, hotels may improve guest experiences, streamline operations, and increase overall profitability and efficiency.
Why did Oracle Develop OHIP Platform
Oracle created the Oracle Hospitality Integration Platform (OHIP) specifically for the hospitality sector to handle the difficulties and complexities involved in managing several systems within the hotel business like Applications and data sources such as Property Management Systems (PMS), Point of Sale (POS) systems, Central Reservation Systems (CRS), and Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems are used extensively in the hotel industry. These systems frequently function independently, which can result in data silos, inefficiencies, and possible communication gaps.
The OHIP platform was designed to overcome these challenges by providing a middleware solution are :
Seamless Communication : OHIP facilitates smooth and secure communication between different hotel systems, applications, and data sources. This seamless integration ensures that information can flow efficiently across various components of a hotel's operations.
Centralized Management : OHIP offers a centralized platform for integrating, orchestrating, and managing diverse hotel systems. This centralized approach simplifies the oversight and control of different applications, making it easier for hotel management to monitor and optimize their overall operations.
Enhanced Efficiency : By streamlining operations and improving communication between systems, OHIP helps hotels operate more efficiently. This efficiency translates into time and cost savings, reducing manual efforts and minimizing the risk of errors in day-to-day tasks.
Improved Guest Experiences : With integrated systems, hotels can provide a more cohesive and personalized experience for guests. For example, a well-integrated PMS and CRM system can help in managing guest profiles and preferences, leading to enhanced guest satisfaction and loyalty.
Profitability : The overall goal of OHIP is to contribute to the profitability of hotels. Through increased efficiency, improved guest experiences, and streamlined operations, hotels can reduce costs and generate additional revenue, ultimately boosting their financial performance.
How can you take benefit of OHIP platform
Taking advantage of the Oracle Hospitality Integration Platform (OHIP) can provide various benefits for hotels and businesses in the hospitality industry.
Here are some ways in which organizations can leverage OHIP for their advantage:
Streamlined Operations
OHIP integrates different hotel systems, such as Property Management Systems (PMS), Point of Sale (POS) systems, Central Reservation Systems (CRS), and more. This integration streamlines operations by allowing data to flow seamlessly between these systems. Centralized management through OHIP makes it easier to monitor and control various aspects of hotel operations, reducing manual efforts and improving overall efficiency.
Enhanced Guest Experiences
OHIP enables a more unified and personalized guest experience by integrating systems like PMS and Customer Relationship Management (CRM). This allows hotels to better understand guest preferences and deliver tailored services. Improved communication between different departments and systems ensures that guest requests and information are handled promptly and accurately.
Efficient Data Management
OHIP provides a centralized platform for orchestrating and managing data sources. This helps in maintaining data integrity and consistency across various systems, reducing the risk of errors and discrepancies. Efficient data management contributes to better decision-making and reporting capabilities for hotel management.
Cost Reduction
Integration of systems through OHIP can lead to cost savings by eliminating manual data entry, reducing the likelihood of errors, and minimizing the need for redundant tasks. Improved efficiency and streamlined operations contribute to overall cost reduction in terms of labor and resources.
Scalability And Adaptability
OHIP is designed to be scalable, allowing hotels to adapt to changing business needs and expand their operations seamlessly. As a result, hotels can grow their services and infrastructure without facing significant integration challenges. The adaptability of OHIP ensures that hotels can integrate new technologies and systems as they become available, staying competitive in the evolving hospitality landscape.
Competitive Edge
By leveraging OHIP, hotels can differentiate themselves in the market by offering superior services, efficient operations, and enhanced guest experiences. A more integrated and technology-driven approach positions hotels as leaders in the industry, attracting guests and partners who value modern and seamless hospitality services.
Brief history of legacy Opera interfaces
1. ifc8
The IFC8 program functions as a crucial link between different vendor interfaces, the OPERA Point of Sale (POS), and the IFC8 Controller. Installed on the IFC8 PC, a specific instance of the program is created for each vendor configured in the system. The executable component receives and processes message requests originating from various vendor interfaces and the OPERA POS. It converts these requests into XML format before transmitting the information to the IFC8 Controller. After retrieving data from the OPERA database, the IFC8 Controller sends it back to the IFC8 program. The program then translates the responses into the appropriate languages, understandable by the respective interfaces, and relays the information back to the relevant interface and/or the OPERA POS. This orchestration ensures seamless communication and data exchange within the integrated system.
Hotel Property Interface (IFC8) with OPERA PMS contains three components
OPERA Interface Web Service
This web service is a standard part of the OPERA PMS installation. Examples include Ifc8ws for version 5 and IFCInternalService for OPERA Cloud. Its primary function is to establish a connection between the IFC Controller and the OPERA Database.
OPERA IFC Controller
The OPERA IFC Controller plays a crucial role in the data flow process. It facilitates the transfer of XML messages from the IFC8.exe program to the web service. Responsible for executing actions in the OPERA Database based on received messages. Additionally, it periodically polls the web service to retrieve queued messages from the database. Queued messages are then sent to the IFC8.exe program for further processing.
IFC8 Executable File
The IFC8 executable file is a standalone program in the OPERA PMS system. It receives XML messages from OPERA through the OPERA IFC Controller. Its primary function is to translate these XML messages into a format understandable by external systems. Essentially acts as a bridge, ensuring seamless communication between OPERA PMS and external entities.
2. oxi
The Oracle Hospitality OPERA Exchange Interface (OXI) acts as a real-time API, functioning as a bridge connecting your OPERA On-premise Property Management System (PMS) and Oaky. This interface facilitates rapid and secure data exchange between these two systems, ensuring seamless communication and integration for efficient operations in the hospitality industry. Below some detailed brief about OXI:
Two-Way Asynchronous Integration
Messages flow both ways between Opera and a third-party system asynchronously. Outbound messages (Opera to external system) and inbound messages (external system to Opera) follow a queued order.
Non-Real-Time Data Exchange
Asynchronous nature implies a delay in data exchange. Not suitable for scenarios requiring immediate, real-time integration, such as during the creation of a booking record.
Purpose of OXI
OXI serves the purpose of keeping Opera and external systems in sync with a slight delay deemed acceptable. Allows for sending the entire booking record between systems once it's created in Opera.
Integration Platform
Functions as an integration platform where vendors develop specific integrations based on their products. Enables customization of business rules for client hotels.
Supported Systems
Central reservation systems, CRM, revenue management systems, and channel managers utilize the OXI interface type.
Data Exchange Capabilities
Supports the exchange of inventory, configuration data, rates, groups, events, guest profiles, reservations, statistical data, membership, activities, and more.
Conversion Mapping
Allows for mapping different codes between Opera and external systems during data exchange. Useful for accommodating variations in code values.
Monitoring and Troubleshooting
Provides an OXI UI to monitor message logs and their statuses. Crucial for troubleshooting issues during integration.
Describe Oracle OHIP Architecture
OHIP is like a super advanced tool made for hotels and other hospitality businesses. It's not just for today's needs but also for whatever new things might come up in the future.Imagine OHIP as a super smart system that lives on the internet (cloud-native). It's built in a way that makes it really good at helping hotels and their partners quickly adapt to what people want. It's like having a super flexible toolbox for hotels.
This system, OHIP, is hosted on Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI), which is like a really powerful computer on the internet. And within this system, there are little independent parts (microservices) that don't rely too much on each other. This makes it easier to add new things or fix stuff without causing big problems.The Developer Portal and API Gateways are like the control center of OHIP. The Developer Portal is where people who create new things for OHIP go to do their work, and the API Gateways are like security guards that make sure only the right stuff gets in and out of OHIP really quickly and safely.
Because OHIP is built this way, it can handle a lot of things happening at once without slowing down or breaking. It's like having a super efficient and strong team that can handle whatever comes their way in the world of hotels and hospitality.
OHIP uses really advanced tools (like Oracle API Platform Cloud Service and Apiary) to make it easy for developers to create and improve things in OHIP. It's like having a super smooth and quick way for people to add new stuff to OHIP.Think of OHIP like a set of building blocks. If they want to add something new, they can do it whenever they want without waiting for a long time. It's like they can snap in new features whenever they feel like it, making OHIP better and more useful all the time
Available Features of OHIP
OHIP is like a super advanced tool made for hotels and other hospitality businesses. It's not just for today's needs but also for whatever new things might come up in the future.Imagine OHIP as a super smart system that lives on the internet (cloud-native). It's built in a way that makes it really good at helping hotels and their partners quickly adapt to what people want. It's like having a super flexible toolbox for hotels.
A partner-focused portal allowing developers to:
- Search our hospitality APIs through a responsive user interface.
- Read detailed API documentation through an interactive page enabled with our Apiary embed capability.
- Discover the different resources available in an API, including visualization of request/response schemas, sample payloads, and client-code generation in multiple languages, such as Java, JavaScript, Python and Go
- Interact with Oracle Apiary’s mock and debugging servers
- Register and manage applications, including issuing (or re-issuing) of Application Keys –required when accessing OPERA environments via API calls
- Subscribe applications to use hospitality APIs
- Manage and visualize applications metadata such as contact details, Application Keys, and which APIs an application is subscribed
Katalyst Consulting Services Benefits - read more
We help business in customisation, it personal , maintenance, training and post-sale support. We offer end to end services, our teams are ready to assist you with your hospitality environments.
Tco Concept (TOTAL COST OF APPLICATION OWNERSHIP)
- Customization: 80 -20 rule. On average to achieve a good fit 20 % of customization is required when acquiring new applications.
- IT Personal: Internal team buy in is extremely important while acquiring a new application. Without that chances are the project would fail.
- Maintenance: Appropriate amount of maintenance should be factored in which can be progressively reduced as skill level grows within the team.
- Training: New tools require training for all stake holders who are going to get affected directly or indirectly by the new application.
- Implementation: Implementation should be staggered following a CI/CD philosophy as oppose to a big bang change.
- Hardware: New generation applications efficiency and productivity relies on new generation hardware too. Not upgrading underlying hardware across the application echo system might adversely effect gains from adopting new application.
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