The best PMS for small hotels and guest houses.
What a small hotel, lodge or guest house actually needs from a PMS, what can wait, and how to compare systems in a week.
By the Tivuzo team · Updated
The best PMS for a small hotel or guest house is simple enough for one receptionist, refuses double bookings, puts breakfast and extras on the bill, records the way your guests pay (cash, card, M-Pesa), marks rooms dirty at check-out and feeds your accounts without re-typing. It should run on the devices you already have and cost a small, predictable amount each month. Tivuzo does this from $13 per user per month.
What "small" changes
A 10-room guest house has the same guests as a 100-room hotel, but not the same team. The receptionist is also the cashier, the owner is the accountant, and the cook keeps the stores. A good small-hotel PMS respects that: few screens, few clicks, and one system rather than four.
Must have
- A room planner that shows the next weeks at a glance and refuses double bookings
- Rates by room type, with weekend or season prices
- Bed and breakfast or half board posted with each night
- Extras on the bill: laundry, dinner, transfers
- Payments by cash, card and mobile money with their references
- Check-out that turns the room dirty and creates a cleaning task
- A daily or night close with occupancy and revenue
- Accounts or a clean export for your accountant
- Runs on a phone or tablet; no server to buy
Nice to have, can wait
| Feature | Why it can wait |
|---|---|
| Revenue management | With a handful of rooms, seasons and a weekend rate do most of the work. |
| Channel manager | Useful when OTAs bring most bookings; until then, record them with their reference. |
| Guest app, kiosk check-in | Guests at small properties expect a person at the desk. |
| Loyalty programme | A note on the guest record and a returning-guest rate do the job. |
What it should cost
A small property should expect to pay a small monthly fee with no setup licence. Watch for prices quoted per room that rise every time you add a room, modules for the bar or accounts sold separately, and fees per booking. At $13 per user, a guest house with three people logging in pays $39 a month for the PMS, bar, stores and accounts. See pricing.
Compare systems in a week
| Day | Do this in each system |
|---|---|
| 1 | Set up your room types, rooms and this season's rates. |
| 2 | Enter next week's bookings. Try to double-book a room. |
| 3 | Check in a guest, add breakfast and laundry, take an M-Pesa payment. |
| 4 | Check out. Is the room dirty? Is there a cleaning task? Is the invoice right? |
| 5 | Close the day. Can you see occupancy and revenue? Where is the payment in the accounts? |
Common mistakes
- Choosing on looks in a demo instead of a stay you play yourself
- Buying a PMS, then discovering the bar, stores and accounts cost extra
- Running the old diary alongside the new system for months
- Giving everyone one shared login, so nobody knows who did what
Starting a property from scratch? See how to start a guest house. Comparing with spreadsheets? See Tivuzo vs Excel.
Small hotel PMS questions
Do small hotels need a PMS?
Once double bookings, missed charges or unclear profit start costing you money, yes. For most properties that is somewhere between five and ten rooms.
Can a small hotel run the PMS on a phone?
With a browser-based PMS, yes. A tablet at reception and the owner's phone are enough.
Is free hotel software worth it?
Free booking calendars work for very small properties but rarely include billing, stores or accounts, so the work moves to spreadsheets. Count the hours, not just the fee.
Which PMS is best for a guest house?
One that is simple, refuses double bookings, bills breakfast and extras, takes mobile money and feeds the accounts. See guest house software.
Last updated by the Tivuzo team.