HospisHospis
Back

PMS and POS don't play together

Dinner gets rung up at the bar, retyped at the front desk and hunted for at month end.

Typical for: hotels with restaurant, bar or spa on separate systems · houses where the POS comes from the gastro dealer and the PMS from the hotel vendor · operations charging rooms via paper slips

Documented by Hospis

Updated: 8 November 2026

How you recognize it

  • The restaurant writes room numbers on slips that reception types in every evening
  • Guests dispute items at check-out that they never had, or had once but see twice
  • The POS does not know the guest: no half board, no allergies, no package credit
  • The daily closings of POS and PMS never match on the first try
  • The accountant receives two revenue lists and builds a third from them
  • Both vendors say the interface exists, just not for this version

Matching Hospi

Josef Walch

Josef Walch

Digitalisation · AI in operations · Systems · Lech am Arlberg
Works with protel · Mews · Mews POS · Smart Host
AdviseImplement

Brought PMS and POS together in one system at Rote Wand and knows room charges, daily closing and guest credit from daily operations.

Mapped to root cause
Joint requirementClarifying the interfaceGuest data at the POS
View profilePersonally vetted · independent match

Software that solved this problem

Tools appear here next to the problems they solved, marked as partners, with honest limits and the person who runs the rollout. No ranking.

B
POSPartnerExample

Beispiel Kassensystem

Implementation Hospi: Head of customer success

One POS for restaurant, bar and spa that talks to the PMS and makes margin visible.

View partner profile

Which path fits your situation?

01

Diagnosis

390 € fixed price

A vetted Hospi analyses your situation in a structured way, in conversation and with a written result. Every statement clearly labelled: FACT, BENCHMARK, HYPOTHESIS or CONCLUSION. You get a concrete path, not a sales meeting.

  • A legitimate outcome is also: no engagement needed.
  • If an engagement follows, the diagnosis fee is fully credited.
02

Urgent support

Acute situation? Your case is reviewed with priority, with a response within 48 hours.

Cause fields and how to tell them apart

POS and PMS are almost always bought separately, by different people, at different times. That they are supposed to work together only becomes obvious at check-out.

These fields are complete, and many properties get there on their own. That is what this page is for. The cost simply does not appear on an invoice: internal hours, a few attempts, and a season that keeps running in the meantime.

01

Two purchases, no shared goal

How you spot it

The head chef chose the POS with the gastro dealer; management chose the PMS with the hotel vendor. Nobody asked how a dinner ends up on the room bill. Each system is fine on its own; together they are a paper operation.

The way out

Formulate room charges, daily closing and guest credit as a joint requirement before either system is renewed. Whichever comes first has to fit the other, or both get decided in one go.

02

The interface exists, but only on paper

How you spot it

“Protocol available” does not mean “set up at your place”. It often needs a specific version, an add-on module, a partner who configures the connection, and an annual fee. Until somebody sorts that out, the slip stays.

The way out

Get both vendors into one conversation and settle three questions in writing: which version do we need, who sets it up, what does it cost per year. Then a test run with ten real room charges and the daily closing.

03

The POS doesn't know the guest

How you spot it

Half board, package credit, allergies and preferences sit in the PMS. The POS only sees a room number. Service asks the same questions every evening, credits get charged wrongly, and upselling is left to chance.

The way out

Define the five pieces of guest information service needs to see at the POS. Check whether the interface delivers them; if not, that is a criterion for the next POS switch, not a training topic.

Frequently asked

PMS and POS from the same vendor?
Solves the interface question, not automatically the restaurant's requirements. A hotel POS has to handle table plans, course sequencing, split bills and kitchen displays. If it does, one vendor is the simplest solution. If not, better two systems with a tested connection.
What does a POS interface cost?
Depending on the vendor, a one-off setup fee plus a yearly or per-outlet charge. Weigh it against reception hours spent retyping, disputes at check-out and reconciliation at the accountant. The interface usually pays for itself within a season.
And the spa?
Same logic: book the treatment, charge it to the room, see it in the PMS. Spa software is often the third system. Connect POS and PMS first, then the spa, not everything at once.

Describe your situation

The problem context is automatically included, you do not need to repeat anything.

Problem
PMS and POS don't play together

We use your details only to answer your request. Details are in our privacy policy.

Related situations

Our POS and payment systems are dated and siloed

Billing and reconciliation are error-prone.

View solution

PMS, POS and CRM don’t speak to each other

Guest data lives in silos, so personalisation is impossible.

View solution

Food cost has crept from 28% to 36%

Menu prices are right. The leak is somewhere in the kitchen.

View solution
See all problems