What POS systems do hotels use?
Hotels use 2 kinds of POS systems: the PMS front-desk module paired with integrated card terminals, and a food and beverage POS such as Oracle Simphony, Toast, or Lightspeed for outlets. The 2 systems connect through an interface that posts outlet checks to the guest folio.
What is a semi-integrated payment terminal?
A semi-integrated terminal is a card reader that receives the amount from the PMS or POS, takes the card itself, and returns only the result and a token. Card data never passes through the hotel's software, which removes those systems from most PCI requirements. Read hotel PCI compliance for what that means for your annual assessment.
Which terminal features matter at a front desk?
5 terminal features matter most at a hotel front desk:
- Pre-authorization and incremental authorization from the terminal
- Card-on-file tokens returned to the PMS for checkout
- Contactless and mobile wallet acceptance
- Dynamic currency conversion for international guests
- Receipt data that includes folio number and stay dates
International properties should read our guide to dynamic currency conversion for hotels before turning it on.